Names of the snakes

 Śaunaka uvāca

ye sarpāḥ sarpasatre ̍sminpatitā havyavāhane

teṣāṁ nāmāni sarveṣāṁ śrotumicchāmi sūtaja

Śaunaka said: O son of Suta! I desire to hear the names of those snakes, who fell into the fire of snake sacrifice.

sautiruvāca

sahasrāṇi bahūnyasminprayunyarbudāni ca

na śakyaṁ parisaṁkhyātuṁ bahutvāddvijasattama

Sauti said: O best of twice born! They were many thousands, tens of thousands and millions and billions, so great was their number that I am unable even to count them.

yathāsmṛti tu nāmāni pannagānāṁ nibodha me

ucyamānāni mukhyānāṁ hutānāṁ jātavedasi

As far as I remember, hear, I shall mention the names of principal snakes that fell into the fire.

vāsukeḥ kulajātāṁstu prādhānyena nibodha me

nīlaraktānsitānghorānmahākāyānviṣolbaṇān

Hear first the names of chief ones of Vāsuki ̍s family. They were of blue, red, white colour. They were of terrible forms, huge bodies and dreadfully poisonous.

avaśānmātṛvāgdaṇḍapīḍitānkṛpaṇānhutān

koṭiśo mānasaḥ pūrṇaḥ śalaḥ pālo halomakaḥ

picchalaḥ kauṇapaścakraḥ kālavegaḥ prakālanaḥ

hiraṇyabāhuḥ śaraṇaḥ kakṣakaḥ kāladantakaḥHelpless and miserable, affected with their mother ̍s curse, they all fell into that sacrificial fire as libations of ghee. They were Koṭiśa. Mānasa, Pūrṇa, Śala, Pāla, Halomaka, Picchala, Kauṇapa, Cakra, Kālavega, Prakālana, Hiraṇyabāhu, Śaraṇa, Kakṣaka, Kāladantaka.

ete vāsukijā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhane

anye ca bahavo vipra tathā vai kulasaṁbhavāḥ

pradīptāgnau hutāḥ ghorarūpā mahābalāḥ

takṣakasya kule jātānpravakṣyāmi nibodha tān

These are snakes, born of Vāsuki, that fell into fire. O Brāhmaṇa, numerous other fearful and powerful snakes, born in the family of Takṣaka, were burnt in blazing fire. Hear, I shall mention their names now.

pucchāṇḍako maṇḍalakaḥ piṇḍasektā rabheṇakaḥ

ucchikhaḥ śarabho bhaṅgo bilvatejā virohaṇaḥ

śilī śalakaro mūkaḥ sukumāraḥ pravepanaḥ

mudgaraḥ śiśuromā ca suromā ca mahāhanuḥ

Pucchāṇḍaka, Maṇḍalaka, Piṇḍasektā, Rabheṇaka, Ucchikha, Śarabha, Bhaṅga, Bilvatejā, Virohaṇa, Śilī, Śalakara, Mūka, Sukumāra, Pravepana, Mudgara, Śiśuromā, Suromā, Mahāhanu.

ete takṣakajā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhanam

pārāvataḥ pāriyātaḥ pāṇḍaro hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ

vihaṅgaḥ śarabho medaḥ pramodaḥ saṁhatāpanaḥ

airāvatakulādete praviṣṭā havyavāhanam

These snakes, born of Takṣaka, fell into the fire. Pārāvata, Pāriyāta, Pāṇḍara, Hariṇa, Kṛśa, Vihaṅga, Śarabha, Meda, Pramoda, Saṁhatāpana. These, born in the family of Airāvata, fell into the fire.

kauravyakulajānnāñcchṛṇu me tvaṁ dvijottama

erakaḥ kuṇḍalo veṇī veṇīskandhaḥ kumārakaḥ

bāhukaḥ śṛṅgaveraśca dhūrtakaprātarātakau

kauravyakulajāstvete praviṣṭā havyavāhanam

Now hear, O best of Brāhmaṇas, names of the snakes, born in the family of Kauravya, that I mention. Eraka, Kuṇḍala, Veṇī, Veṇīskandha, Kumāraka, Bāhuka, Śṛṅgavera, Dhūrtaka, Prātara, Ātaka. These, born in Kaurāvya family, fell into the fire.

dhṛtarāṣṭrakule jātāñcchṛṇu nāgānyathātatham

kīrtyamānānmayā brahmanvātavegānviṣolbaṇān

Now her, O Brāhmaṇa! I mention those born in the family of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They were all exceedingly powerful, as swift as the wind and full of virulent poison.

śaṅkukarṇaḥ piṭharakaḥ kuṭhāramukhasecakau

pūrṇāṅgadaḥ pūrṇamukhaḥ śakunirdariḥ

amāhaṭhaḥ kāmaṭhakaḥ suṣeṇo mānaso ̍vyayaḥ

bhauravo muṇḍavedāṅgaḥ piśaṅgaścodrapārakaḥ

ṛṣabho vegavānnāgaḥ piṇḍārakamahāhanū

raktāṅgaḥ sarvasāraṅgaḥ samṛddhapaṭavāsakau

varāhako vīraṇakaḥ sucitraścitravegikaḥ

parāśarastaruṇako maṇiḥ skandhastathāruṇiḥ

Śaṅkukarṇa, Piṭharaka, Kuṭhāra, Mukha, Secaka, Pūrṇāṅgada, Pūrṇamukha, Prahāsa, Śakuni, Dari, Amāhaṭha, Kāmaṭhaka, Suṣeṇa, Nānasa, Avyaya, Bhairava, Muṇḍavedāṅga, Piśāṅga, Udrapāraka, Ṛṣabha, Vegavān, Nāga, Piṇḍāraka, Mahāhanū, Raktāṅga, Sarvasāraṅga, Samṛddha, Paṭa, Vāsaka, Varāhaka, Varāhaka, Vīraṇaka, Sucitra, Citravegika, Parāśarastaruṇka, Maṇi, Skandha, Aruṇi.

itināgā mayā brahmankīrtitāḥ kīrtivardhanāḥ

prādhānyena bahutvāttu na sarve parikīrtitā

O Brāhmaṇa! Thus have I recited names of the chief snakes, all famous for their gret deeds. I have not been able to mention all, their number being countless.

eteṣāṁ prasavo yaśca prasavasya ca saṁtatiḥ

na śakyaṁ parisaṅkhyātuṁ ye dīptaṁ pāvakaṁ gatāḥ

I am unable to mention the names of sons of these and again sons of their sons who fell into blazing fire. They are countless.

triśīrṣāḥ saptaśīrṣāśca daśaśīrṣāstathāpare

kālānalaviṣā ghorā hutāḥ śatasahasraśaḥ

Some of them had 3 heads, some 7 and some 10. They had poison like fire at the end of the Yuga and they were all terrible in appearance.

mahākāyā mahāvegāḥ śailaśṛṅgasamucchrayāḥ

yojanāyāmavistārā dviyojanasamāyatāḥ

They had huge bodies and great speed. They were as tall as mountain peaks. Some of them were as lomg as Yama, soma a Yojana and some 2 Yojanas.

kāmarūpāḥ kāmabalā dīptānalaviṣolbaṇāḥ

dagdhāstatra mahāsatre brahmadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ

They were capable of assuming any form at will and of mustering any strength at will. They had poison like blazing fire, such were snakes who were burnt in the great sacrifice, affected by Brahmā ̍s punishmant, their mother ̍s curse.