Shloka 9
अध्याय ५७ — राजोपरिचरवसोः धर्मोपदेशः, सत्यवत्याः उत्पत्तिः, व्यासजन्म च
Adhyāya 57: Indra’s Counsel to King Vasu; Origin of Satyavatī; Birth of Vyāsa
उच्छिख: शरभो भड़ो बिल्वतेजा विरोहण: । शिली शलकरो मूक: सुकुमार: प्रवेपन:,अब तक्षकके कुलमें उत्पन्न नागोंका वर्णन करूँगा, उनके नाम सुनो--पुच्छाण्डक, मण्डलक, पिण्डसेक्ता, रभेणक, उच्छिख, शरभ, भंग, बिल्वतेजा, विरोहण, शिली, शलकर, मूक, सुकुमार, प्रवेपन, मुदूगर, शिशुरोमा, सुरोमा और महाहनु--ये तक्षकके वंशज नाग थे, जो सर्पसत्रकी आगमें समा गये
śaunaka uvāca | ucchikhaḥ śarabho bhaṅgo bilvatejā virohaṇaḥ | śilī śalakaro mūkaḥ sukumāraḥ pravepanaḥ ||
Śaunaka said: “Now I shall describe the serpents born in the lineage of Takṣaka; listen to their names—Ucchikha, Śarabha, Bhaṅga, Bilvatejā, Virohaṇa, Śilī, Śalakara, Mūka, Sukumāra, and Pravepana.” In the surrounding account, these names form part of the catalogue of Takṣaka’s descendants, many of whom are said to have perished in the fire of Janamejaya’s serpent-sacrifice—an episode that frames the ethical tension between vengeance and restraint.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse participates in a larger warning about unchecked retaliation: a king’s wrath, when ritualized into mass destruction (the serpent-sacrifice), threatens to become indiscriminate. Naming the Nāgas underscores the scale of harm and invites reflection on restraint and proportionality.
Śaunaka lists Nāgas belonging to Takṣaka’s lineage. This catalogue sits within the broader account of Janamejaya’s sarpa-satra, where many serpents are drawn into the sacrificial fire as part of a campaign of vengeance.