Shloka 13

उच्चैःश्रवसः वर्णविपणः तथा नागशापः

Uccaiḥśravas Color-Wager and the Nāga Curse

Devanagari script

मन्थानं मन्दरं कृत्वा तथा नेत्र च वासुकिम्‌ । देवा मथितुमारब्धा: समुद्र निधिमम्भसाम्‌

Transliteration

manthānaṃ mandaraṃ kṛtvā tathā netra ca vāsukim | devā mathitum ārabdhāḥ samudra-nidhim ambhasām ||

Translation

Śaunaka nói: Lấy núi Mandara làm trục khuấy và Vāsuki làm dây khuấy, chư thiên bắt đầu khuấy biển cả—kho tàng mênh mông của muôn dòng nước—để cùng nhau tìm kiếm những báu vật ẩn tàng.

Word by Word

मन्थानम्churning-rod

मन्दरम्Mandara (mountain)

कृत्वाhaving made

तथाlikewise/also

नेत्रम्rope/leader (as the pulling cord)

चand

वासुकिम्Vasuki (the serpent)

देवाःthe gods

मथितुम्to churn

आरब्धाःhaving begun/undertaken

समुद्रम्the ocean

निधिम्treasure/storehouse

अम्भसाम्of the waters

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Mandara (mountain)

Vāsuki (serpent)

Devas (gods)

Samudra (ocean)

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 highlights purposeful, collective effort: great gains are drawn forth from a vast source only when proper means are employed and participants act in coordinated resolve.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka describes the start of the ocean-churning: the gods use Mount Mandara as the churning staff and the serpent Vāsuki as the rope to churn the ocean, the repository of waters, to obtain its treasures.