Shloka 9
Mātali’s Proposal for Guṇakeśī and Sumukha’s Audience with Indra
वासुकिस्तक्षकश्नैव कर्कोटकधनंजयौ । कालियो नहुषश्लैव कम्बलाश्वतरावुभौ,वासुकि, तक्षक, कर्कोटक, धनंजय, कालिय, नहुष, कम्बल, अश्वतर, बाह्ाुकुण्ड, मणिनाग, आपूरण, खग, वामन, एलपत्र, कुकुर, कुकुण, आर्यक, नन्न्दक, कलश, पोतक, कैलासक, पिंजरक, ऐरावत, सुमनोमुख, दधिमुख, शंख, ननन््द, उपनन्द, आप्त, कोटरक, शिखी, निष्ठूरिक, तित्तिरि, हस्तिभद्र, कुमुद, माल्यपिण्डक, पद्मनामक दो नाग, पुण्डरीक, पुष्प, मुद्गरपर्णक, करवीर, पीठरक, संवृत्त, वृत्त, पिण्डार, बिल्वपत्र, मूषिकाद, शिरीषक, दिलीप, शंखशीर्ष, ज्योतिष्क, अपराजित, कौरव्य, धृतराष्ट्र, कुहुर, कृशक, विरजा, धारण, सुबाहु, मुखर, जय, बधिर, अन्ध, विशुण्डि, विरस तथा सुरस--ये और दूसरे बहुत-से नाग कश्यपके वंशज हैं। मातले! यदि यहाँ कोई वर तुम्हें पसंद हो तो देखो
nārada uvāca | vāsukis takṣakaś caiva karkoṭaka-dhanañjayau | kāliyo nahuṣaś caiva kambalāśvatarāv ubhau ||
Narada said: “Vāsuki and Takṣaka, as well as Karkoṭaka and Dhanañjaya; Kāliya and Nahuṣa too; and the pair Kambala and Aśvatara—these are among the many Nāgas descended from Kaśyapa.” In context, the verse functions as a formal enumeration of eminent serpent-lords, underscoring the vastness and legitimacy of Kaśyapa’s lineage and the ordered, genealogical view of the world that supports dharmic governance and alliance-making.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reinforces a dharmic worldview in which social and cosmic legitimacy is grounded in recognized lineages; naming eminent Nāgas situates them within Kaśyapa’s sanctioned descent and highlights ordered plurality rather than chaos.
Nārada is enumerating prominent Nāga chiefs—Vāsuki, Takṣaka, and others—within a broader catalogue of Kaśyapa’s descendants, a common epic device to map alliances, status, and the scale of the beings involved.