The Serpents Fall into the Fire

Verse 1 (1.52.1)

ततः कर्म प्रववृते सर्पसत्रविधानतः । पर्यक्रामंश्च विधिवत्स्वे स्वे कर्मणि याजकाः ॥

tataḥ karma pravavṛte sarpasatravidhānataḥ | paryakrāmaṃśca vidhivatsve sve karmaṇi yājakāḥ

Then the rite began, in accordance with the ordinance of the snake sacrifice, and the priests moved about duly, each at his own task.

Note on the text: Corrected विदिवत् → विधिवत् (misprint in Wikisource; द for ध, the critical edition reads vidhivat).

Verse 2 (1.52.2)

प्रावृत्य कृष्णवासांसि धूम्रसंरक्तलोचनाः । जुहुवुर्मन्त्रवच्चैव समिद्धं जातवेदसम् ॥

prāvṛtya kṛṣṇavāsāṃsi dhūmrasaṃraktalocanāḥ | juhuvurmantravaccaiva samiddhaṃ jātavedasam

Wrapped in black garments, their eyes reddened by the smoke, they poured offerings with mantras into the kindled fire.

Verse 3 (1.52.3)

कम्पयन्तश्च सर्वेषामुरगाणां मनांसि च । सर्पानाजुहुवुस्तत्र सर्वानग्निमुखे तदा ॥

kampayantaśca sarveṣāmuragāṇāṃ manāṃsi ca | sarpānājuhuvustatra sarvānagnimukhe tadā

Making the hearts of all the serpents tremble, they then called all the snakes there into the mouth of the fire.

Verse 4 (1.52.4)

ततः सर्पाः समापेतुः प्रदीप्ते हव्यवाहने । विचेष्टमानाः कृपणमाह्वयन्तः परस्परम् ॥

tataḥ sarpāḥ samāpetuḥ pradīpte havyavāhane | viceṣṭamānāḥ kṛpaṇamāhvayantaḥ parasparam

Then the snakes came falling into the blazing fire, writhing and crying piteously to one another.

Verse 5 (1.52.5)

विस्फुरन्तः श्वसन्तश्च वेष्टयन्तः परस्परम् । पुच्छैः शिरोभिश्च भृशं चित्रभानुं प्रपेदिरे ॥

visphurantaḥ śvasantaśca veṣṭayantaḥ parasparam | pucchaiḥ śirobhiśca bhṛśaṃ citrabhānuṃ prapedire

Quivering, hissing, coiling about one another, they plunged with tails and heads into the bright-flamed fire.

Verse 6 (1.52.6)

श्वेताः कृष्णाश्च नीलाश्च स्थविराः शिशवस्तथा । नदन्तो विविधान्नादान्पेतुर्दीप्ते विभावसौ ॥

śvetāḥ kṛṣṇāśca nīlāśca sthavirāḥ śiśavastathā | nadanto vividhānnādānpeturdīpte vibhāvasau

White, black and blue, old and young, they fell into the blazing fire, crying out with every kind of cry.

Verse 7 (1.52.7)

क्रोशयोजनमात्रा हि गोकर्णस्य प्रमाणतः । पतन्त्यजस्रं वेगेन वह्नावग्निमतां वर ॥

krośayojanamātrā hi gokarṇasya pramāṇataḥ | patantyajasraṃ vegena vahnāvagnimatāṃ vara

Some a krosha long, some a yojana, some only a gokarna in length, they fell ceaselessly and swiftly into the fire, O best of those who keep the sacred fires.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 8 (1.52.8)

एवं शतसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च । अवशानि विनष्टानि पन्नगानां तु तत्र वै ॥

evaṃ śatasahasrāṇi prayutānyarbudāni ca | avaśāni vinaṣṭāni pannagānāṃ tu tatra vai

Thus hundreds of thousands, millions and hundreds of millions of serpents perished there, helpless.

Verse 9 (1.52.9)

तुरगा इव तत्रान्ये हस्तिहस्ता इवापरे । मत्ता इव च मातङ्गा महाकाया महाबलाः ॥

turagā iva tatrānye hastihastā ivāpare | mattā iva ca mātaṅgā mahākāyā mahābalāḥ

Some there were like horses, others like elephants' trunks; others, huge-bodied and mighty, were like elephants in rut.

Verse 10 (1.52.10)

उच्चावचाश्च बहवो नानावर्णा विषोल्बणाः । घोराश्च परिघप्रख्या दन्दशूका महाबलाः । प्रपेतुरग्नावुरगा मातृवाग्दण्डपीडिताः ॥

uccāvacāśca bahavo nānāvarṇā viṣolbaṇāḥ | ghorāśca parighaprakhyā dandaśūkā mahābalāḥ | prapeturagnāvuragā mātṛvāgdaṇḍapīḍitāḥ

Many of them, great and small, of many colours, deadly with venom, terrible, thick as iron bars, biters of great strength, fell into the fire, struck down by the rod of their mother's curse.