Shloka 17
अध्याय ३४ — एलापत्रस्योपदेशः
Elāpatra’s Counsel on the Nāgas’ Deliverance
अथ सर्पनिवाचेदं सर्वान् परमहृष्टवत् इदमानीतममृतं निक्षेप्स्यामि कुशेषु व:,तदनन्तर अत्यन्त प्रसन्न-से होकर वे समस्त सर्पोंसे इस प्रकार बोले--'पन्नगो! मैंने तुम्हारे लिये यह अमृत ला दिया है। इसे कुशोंपर रख देता हूँ। तुम सब लोग स्नान और मंगल-कर्म (स्वस्ति-वाचन आदि) करके इस अमृतका पान करो। अमृतके लिये भेजते समय तुमने यहाँ बैठकर मुझसे जो बातें कही थीं, उनके अनुसार आजसे मेरी ये माता दासीपनसे मुक्त हो जाये; क्योंकि तुमने मेरे लिये जो काम बताया था, उसे मैंने पूर्ण कर दिया है”
atha sarpan ivācedaṁ sarvān paramahṛṣṭavat | idam ānītam amṛtaṁ nikṣepsyāmi kuśeṣu vaḥ ||
Então Garuḍa, tomado de grande júbilo, dirigiu-se a todas as serpentes: “Ó Nāgas! Trouxe para vós este amṛta. Vou colocá-lo sobre a relva kuśa. Ide banhar-vos e realizai os ritos auspiciosos (bênçãos e fórmulas propícias) e, então, bebei este néctar. E, conforme o que vós, aqui sentados, me dissestes quando me enviastes em busca do amṛta—desde hoje minha mãe deve ser libertada da servidão, pois completei a tarefa que me impusestes.”
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights reciprocity bound by promise: when a task is completed, the agreed condition should be honored. It also links ethical action with ritual propriety—bathing and auspicious rites are prescribed even when the goal is worldly gain.
Śakra (Indra) announces to the serpents that he has brought the amṛta and will place it on kuśa grass, instructing them to bathe and perform auspicious rites before drinking. In the broader episode, this delivery is tied to a prior bargain involving the release of his mother from servitude.