Shloka 18
अध्याय ३५ — वासुकिचिन्ता-शमनम्
Vāsuki’s Anxiety and Brahmā’s Confirmation
एतेषां प्रसवो यश्न प्रसवस्य च संतति: । असंख्येयेति मत्वा तान् न ब्रवीमि तपोधन,तपोधन! इन नागोंकी संतान तथा उन संतानोंकी भी संतति असंख्य हैं। ऐसा समझकर उनके नाम मैं नहीं कहता हूँ
eteṣāṃ prasavo yac ca prasavasya ca santatiḥ | asaṅkhyeyeti matvā tān na bravīmi tapodhana tapodhana ||
Śaunaka nói: “Con cháu của họ—và những hậu duệ sinh ra từ dòng con cháu ấy—thật không sao đếm xuể. Biết rằng họ vô lượng vô biên, hỡi bậc tích chứa khổ hạnh, ta không xướng đọc tên họ.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of enumeration in vast genealogies and models narrative restraint: when a lineage becomes immeasurable, the speaker prioritizes clarity over exhaustive listing, while respectfully addressing the ascetic listener.
Śaunaka, in the course of describing the serpents’ lineage, states that their offspring and further descendants are countless; therefore he will not recite all their names, addressing the listener as ‘tapodhana’ (one rich in austerity).