The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 1.52: dvipañcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ

1.52.1

śaunaka uvāca |
ye sarpāḥ sarpasatre'sminpatitā havyavāhane |
teṣāṃ nāmāni sarveṣāṃ śrotumicchāmi sūtaja || 1 ||

"Saunaka said, 'O son of a Suta, I desire to hear the names of all those snakes that fell into the fire of this snake-sacrifice!'

1.52.2

sūta uvāca |
sahasrāṇi bahūnyasminprayutānyarbudāni ca |
na śakyaṃ parisaṃkhyātuṃ bahutvādvedavittama || 2 ||

"Sauti replied, 'Many thousands and tens of thousands and billions of snakes fell into the fire. O most excellent Brahmana, so great is the number that I am unable to count them all. So far, however, as I remember, hear the names I mention of the principal snakes cast into the fire. Hear first the names of the principal ones of Vasuki's race alone, of colour blue, red and white of terrible form and huge body and deadly poison. Helpless and miserable and afflicted with their mother's curse, they fell into the sacrificial fire like libations of butter.

1.52.3

yathāsmṛti tu nāmāni pannagānāṃ nibodha me |
ucyamānāni mukhyānāṃ hutānāṃ jātavedasi || 3 ||

1.52.4

vāsukeḥ kulajāṃstāvatprādhānyena nibodha me |
nīlaraktānsitānghorānmahākāyānviṣolbaṇān || 4 ||

1.52.5

koṭiko mānasaḥ pūrṇaḥ sahaḥ pailo halīsakaḥ |
picchilaḥ koṇapaścakraḥ koṇavegaḥ prakālanaḥ || 5 ||

"Kotisa, Manasa, Purna, Cala, Pala Halmaka, Pichchala, Kaunapa, Cakra, [paragraph continues] Kalavega, Prakalana, Hiranyavahu, Carana, Kakshaka, Kaladantaka--these snakes born of Vasuki, fell into the fire. And, O Brahmana, numerous other snakes well-born, and of terrible form and great strength, were burnt in the blazing fire. I shall now mention those born in the race of Takshaka. Hear thou their names. Puchchandaka, Mandalaka, Pindasektri, Ravenaka; Uchochikha, Carava, Bhangas, Vilwatejas, Virohana; Sili, Salakara, Muka, Sukumara, Pravepana, Mudgara and Sisuroman, Suroman and Mahahanu. These snakes born of Takshaka fell into the fire. And Paravata, Parijata, Pandara, Harina, Krisa, Vihanga, Sarabha, Meda, Pramoda, Sauhatapana--these born in the race of Airavata fell into the fire. Now hear, O best of Brahmanas, the names of the snakes I mention born in the race of Kauravya: Eraka, Kundala Veni, Veniskandha, Kumaraka, Vahuka, Sringavera, Dhurtaka, Pratara and Astaka. There born in the race of Kauravya fell into the fire. Now hear the names I mention, in order, of those snakes endued with the speed of the wind and with virulent poison, born in the race of Dhritarashtra: Sankukarna, Pitharaka, Kuthara, Sukhana, and Shechaka; Purnangada, Purnamukha, Prahasa, Sakuni, Dari, Amahatha, Kumathaka, Sushena, Vyaya, Bhairava, Mundavedanga, Pisanga, Udraparaka, Rishabha, Vegavat, Pindaraka; Raktanga, Sarvasaranga, Samriddha, Patha and Vasaka; Varahaka, Viranaka, Suchitra, Chitravegika, Parasara, Tarunaka, Maniskandha and Aruni.

1.52.6

hiraṇyavāhaḥ śaraṇaḥ kakṣakaḥ kāladantakaḥ |
ete vāsukijā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhanam || 6 ||

1.52.7

takṣakasya kule jātānpravakṣyāmi nibodha tān |
pucchaṇḍako maṇḍalakaḥ piṇḍabhettā rabheṇakaḥ || 7 ||

1.52.8

ucchikhaḥ suraso draṅgo balaheḍo virohaṇaḥ |
śilīśalakaro mūkaḥ sukumāraḥ pravepanaḥ || 8 ||

1.52.9

mudgaraḥ śaśaromā ca sumanā vegavāhanaḥ |
ete takṣakajā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhanam || 9 ||

1.52.10

pārāvataḥ pāriyātraḥ pāṇḍaro hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ |
vihaṃgaḥ śarabho modaḥ pramodaḥ saṃhatāṅgadaḥ || 10 ||

1.52.11

airāvatakulādete praviṣṭā havyavāhanam |
kauravyakulajānnāgāñśṛṇu me dvijasattama || 11 ||

1.52.12

aiṇḍilaḥ kuṇḍalo muṇḍo veṇiskandhaḥ kumārakaḥ |
bāhukaḥ śṛṅgavegaśca dhūrtakaḥ pātapātarau || 12 ||

1.52.13

dhṛtarāṣṭrakule jātāñśṛṇu nāgānyathātatham |
kīrtyamānānmayā brahmanvātavegānviṣolbaṇān || 13 ||

1.52.14

śaṅkukarṇaḥ piṅgalakaḥ kuṭhāramukhamecakau |
pūrṇāṅgadaḥ pūrṇamukhaḥ prahasaḥ śakunirhariḥ || 14 ||

1.52.15

āmāhaṭhaḥ komaṭhakaḥ śvasano mānavo vaṭaḥ |
bhairavo muṇḍavedāṅgaḥ piśaṅgaścodrapāragaḥ || 15 ||

1.52.16

ṛṣabho vegavānnāma piṇḍārakamahāhanū |
raktāṅgaḥ sarvasāraṅgaḥ samṛddhaḥ pāṭarākṣasau || 16 ||

1.52.17

varāhako vāraṇakaḥ sumitraścitravedikaḥ |
parāśarastaruṇako maṇiskandhastathāruṇiḥ || 17 ||

1.52.18

iti nāgā mayā brahmankīrtitāḥ kīrtivardhanāḥ |
prādhānyena bahutvāttu na sarve parikīrtitāḥ || 18 ||

"O Brahmana, thus I have recited the names of the principal snakes known widely for their achievements--I have not been able to name all, the number being countless. The sons of these snakes, the sons of those sons, that were burnt having fallen into the fire, I am unable to mention. They are so many! Some of three heads, some of seven, others of ten, of poison like unto the fire at the end of the yuga and terrible in form,--they were burnt by thousands!

1.52.19

eteṣāṃ putrapautrāstu prasavasya ca saṃtatiḥ |
na śakyāḥ parisaṃkhyātuṃ ye dīptaṃ pāvakaṃ gatāḥ || 19 ||

1.52.20

saptaśīrṣā dviśīrṣāśca pañcaśīrṣāstathāpare |
kālānalaviṣā ghorā hutāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ || 20 ||

1.52.21

mahākāyā mahāvīryāḥ śailaśṛṅgasamucchrayāḥ |
yojanāyāmavistārā dviyojanasamāyatāḥ || 21 ||

"Many others, of huge bodies, of great speed, tall as mountain summits, of the length of a yama, of a yojana, and of two yojanas, capable of assuming at will any form and of mastering at will any degree of strength, of poison like unto blazing fire, afflicted by the curse of a mother, were burnt in that great 'sacrifice.'"

1.52.22

kāmarūpāḥ kāmagamā dīptānalaviṣolbaṇāḥ |
dagdhāstatra mahāsatre brahmadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ || 22 ||