शौनक उवाच
ये सर्पाः सर्पसत्रे ऽस्मिन् पतिता हव्यवाहने ॥
तेषां नामानि सर्वेषां श्रोतुम् इच्छामि सूतज ॥
सूत उवाच
सहस्राणि बहून्य् अस्मिन् प्रयुतान्य् अर्बुदानि च ॥
न शक्यं परिसंख्यातुं बहुत्वाद् वेदवित्तम ॥
यथास्मृति तु नामानि पन्नगानां निबोध मे ॥
उच्यमानानि मुख्यानां हुतानां जातवेदसि ॥
वासुकेः कुलजांस् तावत् प्राधान्येन निबोध मे ॥
नीलरक्तान् सितान् घोरान् महाकायान् विषोल्बणान् ॥
कोटिको मानसः पूर्णः सहः पैलो हलीसकः ॥
पिच्छिलः कोणपश् चक्रः कोणवेगः प्रकालनः ॥
हिरण्यवाहः शरणः कक्षकः कालदन्तकः ॥
एते वासुकिजा नागाः प्रविष्टा हव्यवाहनम् ॥
तक्षकस्य कुले जातान् प्रवक्ष्यामि निबोध तान् ॥
पुच्छण्डको मण्डलकः पिण्डभेत्ता रभेणकः ॥
उच्छिखः सुरसो द्रङ्गो बलहेडो विरोहणः ॥
शिलीशलकरो मूकः सुकुमारः प्रवेपनः ॥
मुद्गरः शशरोमा च सुमना वेगवाहनः ॥
एते तक्षकजा नागाः प्रविष्टा हव्यवाहनम् ॥
śaunaka uvāca
ye sarpāḥ sarpasatre 'smin patitā havyavāhane ||
teṣāṃ nāmāni sarveṣāṃ śrotum icchāmi sūtaja ||
sūta uvāca
sahasrāṇi bahūny asmin prayutāny arbudāni ca ||
na śakyaṃ parisaṃkhyātuṃ bahutvād vedavittama ||
yathāsmṛti tu nāmāni pannagānāṃ nibodha me ||
ucyamānāni mukhyānāṃ hutānāṃ jātavedasi ||
vāsukeḥ kulajāṃs tāvat prādhānyena nibodha me ||
nīlaraktān sitān ghorān mahākāyān viṣolbaṇān ||
koṭiko mānasaḥ pūrṇaḥ sahaḥ pailo halīsakaḥ ||
picchilaḥ koṇapaś cakraḥ koṇavegaḥ prakālanaḥ ||
hiraṇyavāhaḥ śaraṇaḥ kakṣakaḥ kāladantakaḥ ||
ete vāsukijā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhanam ||
takṣakasya kule jātān pravakṣyāmi nibodha tān ||
pucchaṇḍako maṇḍalakaḥ piṇḍabhettā rabheṇakaḥ ||
ucchikhaḥ suraso draṅgo balaheḍo virohaṇaḥ ||
śilīśalakaro mūkaḥ sukumāraḥ pravepanaḥ ||
mudgaraḥ śaśaromā ca sumanā vegavāhanaḥ ||
ete takṣakajā nāgāḥ praviṣṭā havyavāhanam ||
Shaunaka said: 'Those serpents that fell into the fire in this serpent-sacrifice — I wish to hear the names of them all, O son of a suta.' Suta said: 'Many thousands, millions, and hundreds of millions of them took part in this rite; they cannot be counted because of their multitude, O best of the knowers of the Vedas. But learn from me by memory the names of the chief nagas offered into the fire. Learn from me first, in order of precedence, those born in the line of Vasuki — blue, red, white, terrible, huge-bodied, filled with venom: Kotika, Manasa, Purna, Saha, Paila, Halisaka, Picchila, Konapa, Chakra, Konavega, Prakalana, Hiranyavaha, Sharana, Kakshaka, Kaladantaka — these nagas, born of Vasuki, entered the fire. And I will name those born in the line of Takshaka — learn them: Puchchhandaka, Mandalaka, Pindabhetta, Rabhenaka, Uchchhikha, Surasa, Dranga, Balaheda, Virohana, Shilishalakara, Muka, Sukumara, Pravepana, Mudgara, Shasharoma, Sumana, Vegavahana — these nagas, born of Takshaka, entered the fire.'
79bfb4eb069b · published Jul 12, 2026, 3:23:56 PM UTC
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Here begins the roll call (saṃkīrtana) of the burned nagas by lineage — Vasuki, Takshaka, and others. At first glance this looks like a dry list of names, but a deeper meaning lies within it. First, naming the dead honors them: each of the countless serpents was not a faceless creature but a named being — and the scripture does not let oblivion swallow them. Second, the sheer abundance of names lays bare the enormity of the slaughter: behind each name lies a death, and behind them all stand 'many thousands, millions' who cannot be counted. In this way the list becomes a lament, calling out for the mercy that Astika will bring. Note that Suta qualifies his words: 'they cannot be counted because of their multitude' — even the memory of tradition cannot hold the full measure of the suffering; only the chief ones are named. In Indian tradition such a naming of lineages also carries ritual significance — it binds the listener to the ancient generations of nagas and preserves their memory among their descendants.