Shloka 12
उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः
Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse
कूर्मेण तु तथेत्युक्त्वा पृष्ठमस्य समर्पितम् | तं शैलं तस्य पृष्ठस्थं वज्नेणेन्द्रो न्यपीडयत्,तब कच्छपराजने “तथास्तु” कहकर मन्दराचलके नीचे अपनी पीठ लगा दी। देवराज इन्द्रने उस पर्वतको वज्रद्वारा दबाये रखा
kūrmeṇa tu tathety uktvā pṛṣṭham asya samarpitam | taṃ śailaṃ tasya pṛṣṭhasthaṃ vajreṇendro nyapīḍayat |
A Tartaruga (Kūrma), dizendo “Assim seja”, ofereceu as próprias costas como apoio. Com a montanha repousando sobre seu dorso, Indra a pressionou com o vajra, o raio, mantendo-a firme—um ato de contenção divina que impede o caos e permite que a empresa dos deuses prossiga com ordem.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great undertakings require both support and restraint: Kūrma provides the sustaining base, while Indra applies stabilizing control. Together they model coordinated action that preserves order and prevents harm.
Kūrma agrees to bear the mountain on his back, and Indra uses the vajra to press and steady the mountain so it does not slip or destabilize the churning effort (contextually, the Mandara mountain used in the cosmic churning episode).