SanskritIASTMeaning
एतत् अमृतं मथितं यथा ते आख्यातम्etat amṛtaṃ mathitaṃ yathā te ākhyātamso it has been told to you, how the nectar of immortality was churned
यत्र सः अश्वः समुत्पन्नः अतुल-विक्रमःyatra saḥ aśvaḥ samutpannaḥ atula-vikramaḥwhere that horse of incomparable might was born
कद्रूः विनताम् अब्रवीत्kadrūḥ vinatām abravītKadru said to Vinata
उच्चैःश्रवाः किं-वर्णः जानीहि मा चिरम्uccaiḥśravāḥ kiṃ-varṇaḥ jānīhi mā ciramwhat color is Uccaihshravas — find out, without delay
विनता श्वेतः एव अश्व-राजः अयम्vinatā śvetaḥ eva aśva-rājaḥ ayamVinata: this king of horses is white
ब्रूहि वर्णं ततः अत्र विपणावहेbrūhi varṇaṃ tataḥ atra vipaṇāvahename his color, and then let us make a wager on it
कद्रूः कृष्ण-वालम् अहं मन्ये हयम् एनम्kadrūḥ kṛṣṇa-vālam ahaṃ manye hayam enamKadru: I think this horse has a black tail
एहि सार्धं मया दीव्य दासी-भावायehi sārdhaṃ mayā dīvya dāsī-bhāvāyacome, let us wager together on slavery
समयं कृत्वा दासी-भावाय जग्मतुः स्वगृहान्samayaṃ kṛtvā dāsī-bhāvāya jagmatuḥ svagṛhānhaving made the pact of slavery, they went to their own homes
श्वः द्रक्ष्यावः इतिśvaḥ drakṣyāvaḥ iti"tomorrow we shall see"
सूतsūtaoriginal form "sūta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वम्sarvamoriginal form "sarvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सोsooriginal form "so", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽश्वः'śvaḥoriginal form "'śvaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रीमान्śrīmānoriginal form "śrīmān", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अतुलविक्रमःatulavikramaḥoriginal form "atulavikramaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यंyaṃoriginal form "yaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निशाम्यniśāmyaoriginal form "niśāmya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाtadāoriginal form "tadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कद्रूर्kadrūroriginal form "kadrūr", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इदम्idamoriginal form "idam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उच्चैःश्रवाuccaiḥśravāoriginal form "uccaiḥśravā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नुnuoriginal form "nu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
किंवर्णोkiṃvarṇooriginal form "kiṃvarṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भद्रेbhadreoriginal form "bhadre", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
माचिरम्māciramoriginal form "māciram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विनतोवाचvinatovācaoriginal form "vinatovāca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्वेतśvetaoriginal form "śveta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवाश्वराजोevāśvarājooriginal form "evāśvarājo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽयं'yaṃoriginal form "'yaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
किंkiṃoriginal form "kiṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाvāoriginal form "vā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वंtvaṃoriginal form "tvaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मन्यसेmanyaseoriginal form "manyase", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुभेśubheoriginal form "śubhe", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वम्tvamoriginal form "tvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अप्य्apyoriginal form "apy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्यasyaoriginal form "asya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽत्र'traoriginal form "'tra", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कद्रूर्kadrūroriginal form "kadrūr", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृष्णवालम्kṛṣṇavālamoriginal form "kṛṣṇavālam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एनंenaṃoriginal form "enaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुचिस्मितेśucismiteoriginal form "śucismite", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दासीभावायdāsībhāvāyaoriginal form "dāsībhāvāya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भामिनिbhāminioriginal form "bhāmini", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सूतsūtaoriginal form "sūta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एवंevaṃoriginal form "evaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तेteoriginal form "te", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दासीभावायdāsībhāvāyaoriginal form "dāsībhāvāya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मिथःmithaḥoriginal form "mithaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्वोśvooriginal form "śvo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्रक्ष्यावdrakṣyāvaoriginal form "drakṣyāva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्मsmaoriginal form "sma", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हhaoriginal form "ha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
The sisters' dispute over the horse's color is the seed of a drama in which a small vanity breeds great misfortune. Both are wives of the sage Kashyapa, yet rivalry and the thrill of the wager drive them to a reckless bet 'on slavery.' The scripture shows how envy and competitiveness cloud the mind: instead of simply finding out the truth, the sisters turn it into a stake whose price is freedom itself. Here is a lesson on the ruinous nature of rivalry and gambling (dyuta): a like wager will later, in the great dice game, cast the Pandavas and Draupadi themselves into slavery — a motif repeated throughout the epic. The root of misfortune lies in the wish to outdo another and the unwillingness to humbly accept the truth. Thus from a trifling quarrel over the color of a tail, born of pride, a thread stretches forward to curse, bondage, and the sacrifice of the serpents. A small adharma sown in the heart yields bitter fruit.