Shloka 9

अध्याय ५७ — राजोपरिचरवसोः धर्मोपदेशः, सत्यवत्याः उत्पत्तिः, व्यासजन्म च

Adhyāya 57: Indra’s Counsel to King Vasu; Origin of Satyavatī; Birth of Vyāsa

Devanagari script

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

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | ucchikhaḥ śarabho bhaṅgo bilvatejā virohaṇaḥ | śilī śalakaro mūkaḥ sukumāraḥ pravepanaḥ ||

Translation

Śaunaka disse: “Agora descreverei as serpentes nascidas na linhagem de Takṣaka; ouve os seus nomes—Ucchikha, Śarabha, Bhaṅga, Bilvatejā, Virohaṇa, Śilī, Śalakara, Mūka, Sukumāra e Pravepana.”

Word by Word

उच्छिखःUcchikha (a serpent-name)

शरभःŚarabha (a serpent-name)

भङ्गःBhaṅga (a serpent-name)

बिल्वतेजाःBilvatejāḥ (having bilva-like splendor; a serpent-name)

विरोहणःVirohaṇa (a serpent-name)

शिलीŚilī (a serpent-name)

शलकरःŚalakara (a serpent-name)

मूकःMūka (a serpent-name; 'mute')

सुकुमारःSukumāra (a serpent-name; 'delicate')

प्रवेपनःPravepana (a serpent-name; 'trembling/shaking')

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

श

शौनक (Śaunaka)

त

तक्षक (Takṣaka)

उ

उच्छिख (Ucchikha)

श

शरभ (Śarabha)

भ

भंग (Bhaṅga)

ब

बिल्वतेजा (Bilvatejā)

व

विरोहण (Virohaṇa)

श

शिली (Śilī)

श

शलकर (Śalakara)

म

मूक (Mūka)

स

सुकुमार (Sukumāra)

प

प्रवेपन (Pravepana)

स

सर्पसत्र (Sarpa-satra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.