Shloka 20
अध्याय ३४ — एलापत्रस्योपदेशः
Elāpatra’s Counsel on the Nāgas’ Deliverance
ततः स्नातुं गता: सर्पा: प्रत्युक्त्वा तं तथेत्युत । शक्रो5प्यमृतमाक्षिप्य जगाम त्रिदिवं पुन:,तब सर्पगण “तथास्तु' कहकर स्नानके लिये गये। इसी बीचमें इन्द्र वह अमृत लेकर पुनः स्वर्गलोकको चले गये
tataḥ snātuṃ gatāḥ sarpāḥ pratyuktvā taṃ tathety uta | śakro 'py amṛtam ākṣipya jagāma tridivaṃ punaḥ ||
Then the serpents, replying to him, “So be it,” went to bathe. In that very interval, Śakra (Indra) seized the nectar of immortality and returned again to the heavenly world. The episode underscores a moral tension: the serpents’ trust and delay become the occasion for Indra’s swift appropriation of amṛta, highlighting how vigilance and discernment are necessary when dealing with power and promises.
शक्र उवाच