Shloka 33
Brāhmaṇa-māhātmya: Tārkṣya’s instruction on tapas, satya, and svadharma
Chapter 182
अहं हि दिवि दिव्येन विमानेन चरन् पुरा । अभिमानेन मत्त: सन् कंचिन्नान्यमचिन्तयम्,पूर्वकालमें (जब मैं स्वर्गका राजा था,) दिव्य विमानपर चढ़कर आकाशगमें विचरता रहता था। उस समय अभिमानसे मत्त होकर मैं दूसरे किसीको कुछ नहीं समझता था
ahaṃ hi divi divyena vimānena caran purā | abhimānena mattaḥ san kaṃcin nānyam acintayam ||
The serpent said: “In former times I moved about in heaven, riding a wondrous celestial chariot. Intoxicated by pride, I regarded no one else as worthy of my thought.” In the ethical frame of the episode, this confession marks the beginning of self-recognition: arrogance born of power and privilege blinds one to others and becomes the seed of downfall.
सर्प उवाच
Educational Q&A
Pride (abhimāna) intoxicates the mind and makes one disregard others; this moral blindness is presented as a cause that leads toward suffering and reversal, so humility and clear self-assessment are implied virtues.
The serpent-speaker begins a personal account of his former exalted state—roaming in heaven in a divine vimāna—and admits that, due to arrogance, he paid heed to no one else, setting the stage for explaining how he fell into his present condition.