03177001a yudhiSThiras tam AsAdya sarpabhogAbhiveSTitam 'yudhiSThira, finding his beloved brother coiled by the body of the serpent,
03177001c dayitamM bhrAtaraM vIram idaM vacanam abravIt said these words:
03177002a kuntImAtaH katham imAm ApadAM tvam avAptavAn 'O son of kuntI, how hast thou come by this misfortune!
03177002c kaz cAyamM parvatAbhogapratimaH pannagottamaH And who is this best of serpents having a body like unto a mountain mass?'
03177003a sa dharmarAjam AlakSya bhrAtA bhrAtaram agrajam
03177003c kathayAmAsa tat sarvaGM grahaNAdi viceSTitam bhImasena said, 'O worshipful one, this mighty being hath caught me for food. He is the royal sage nahuSa living in the form of a serpent.' yudhiSThira said, 'O longlived one, do thou free my brother of immeasurable prowess; we will give thee some other food which will appease thy hunger.' The serpent said, 'I have got for diet even this son of a king, come to my mouth of himself. Do thou go away. Thou shouldst not stay here. (If thou remainest here) thou too shall be my fare to-morrow. O mighty-armed one, this is ordained in respect of me, that he that cometh unto my place, becometh my food and thou too art in my quarter. After a long time have I got thy younger brother as my food; I will not let him off; neither do I like to have any other food.'
03177004a devo vA yadi vA daitya urago vA bhavAn yadi 'O serpent, whether thou art a god, or a demon, or an uraga,
03177004c satyaM sarpa vaco brUhi pRcchati tvAM yudhiSThiraH do thou tell me truly, it is yudhiSThira that asketh thee, wherefore, O snake, hast thou taken bhImasena?
03177005a kim AhRtya viditvA vA prItis te syAd bhujaGMgama By obtaining which, or by knowing what wilt thou receive satisfaction, O snake,
03177005c kim AhAramM prayacchAmi kathamM muJced bhavAn imam and what food shall I give thee? And how mayst thou free him.'
03177006 sarpa uvAca The serpent said,
03177006a nahuSo nAma rAjAham AsamM pUrvas tavAnagha I was a king celebrated under the name of nahuSa, O sinless one,
03177006c prathitaH paJcamaH somAd AyoH putro narAdhipa I was thy ancestor, the son of Ayu and fifth in descent from the Moon.
03177007a kratubhis tapasA caiva svAdhyAyena damena ca And by sacrifices and asceticism and study of the Vedas and self-restraint
03177007c trailokyaizvaryam avyagramM prApto vikramaNena ca and prowess I had acquired a permanent dominion over the three worlds.
03177008a tad aizvaryaM samAsAdya darpo mAm agamat tadA And when I had obtained such dominion, haughtiness possessed me.
03177008c sahasraM hi dvijAtInAm uvAha zibikAmM mama And thousands of brAhmaNas were engaged in carrying my chair.