Brahma, the great creator, heard the harsh curse pronounced by Kadru upon her serpent sons. Recognizing the curse as divinely ordained, Brahma understood its deeper purpose. Surrounded by the hosts of gods, he approved Kadru’s words, for he saw the multitude of serpents and wished for the welfare of all living beings. These serpents were fierce, mighty, and possessed potent venom. Their poison was sharp and deadly, and for the protection of creatures, Brahma established a measure: those snakes who approached others with harmful intent, and those beings who were ever intent on wrongdoing, would be subject to death as a divinely ordained punishment. Having spoken thus, Brahma honored Kadru. Then, summoning Kasyapa, the father of the serpents, Brahma addressed him: “O sinless one, these snakes and serpents have been born from you. They are endowed with poison and great power, and now, cursed by their mother. O scorcher of foes, do not be angry in this matter. This destruction of snakes at the sacrifice is ancient and foreseen.” Having thus spoken, Brahma, pleased with the lord of creatures, bestowed upon the great-souled Kasyapa the knowledge to dispel poison. Meanwhile, as the serpents suffered under the curse, Karkotaka, undisturbed by it, spoke to Kadru. The best among serpents, Karkotaka, greatly pleased, addressed his mother and entered the chief horse, transforming himself into a child whose body shone like collyrium. He assured his mother, “I will show myself there as I wish, so be at ease.” Kadru, illustrious, replied to her son, granting him comfort. When night had passed and the sun rose in the morning, Kadru and Vinata, the two sisters and daughters of Daksha, resentful and greatly enraged, having made a wager of servitude, set out to see the divine horse Ucchaihshravas at the farthest shore, adorned with sandbanks. As they journeyed, they beheld the majestic ocean, a treasury of waters—vast, deep, agitated, and resounding. It was filled with timi, makara, giant fish, and crowded with thousands of creatures of various forms. The ocean teemed with terrifying, deformed, and dreadful aquatic beings, fierce and unassailable, including turtles and crocodiles. It was a mine of all jewels, the abode of Varuna, the delightful home of serpents, and the supreme lord of rivers. The ocean was also the dwelling of the fire of the netherworld, kin to the asuras, a terror to creatures—a vast and shining treasury of waters. It was a splendid, divine place for immortals, the supreme source of nectar, immeasurable and inconceivable, with supremely pure waters, wondrous to behold. Its terrible cries and fearsome sounds echoed, filled with deep whirlpools, frightening to all creatures. Stirred by the wind, the ocean swayed at the shore, its waves rising high and dancing as if with restless hands. Due to the waxing and waning of the moon, the ocean surged with waves and became the birthplace of Pāñcajanya. When Govinda, of immeasurable might, took the form of a Boar to seek the Earth, the waters were disturbed and muddied. The sage Atri, steadfast in his vows, for a hundred years could not attain the unfathomable and imperishable netherworld. Serving the yoga-nidra of Padmanābha, who lies at the beginning of the ages, was Viṣṇu of boundless energy. The ocean granted safety to Maināka, frightened by the thunderbolt, and served as refuge for the Asuras struck by Dimbāha’s arms. The ocean, lord of rivers, was the sacred offering to the blazing fire at Baḍavā’s mouth, unfathomable, vast, and immeasurable. Kadru and Vinata saw the great ocean, ever filled by thousands of mighty rivers, its waves dancing as if in competition. They beheld its deep, immeasurable, and endless expanse, filled with whales and makaras, roaring with dreadful cries, vast and shining like the sky. Meanwhile, the Nāgas, conferring together, pondered their fate. “A mother without affection burns if her desire is not fulfilled,” they said. “If she is pleased, she will release us from this curse. Therefore, we shall make the horse’s tail black, without doubt.” Resolving thus, they stood as black hairs upon the horse’s tail, while at that moment the two co-wives made their wager. Having made the wager, Kadru and Vinata departed joyfully to the far shore of the great ocean. Moving through the sky, the sisters gazed upon the unshakable ocean, the inexhaustible treasure of waters. The ocean was violently agitated by the wind, making a great sound, filled with whales, giant fish, and covered with makaras. It teemed with countless diverse creatures, dreadful and unassailable, deep and terrifying. It was the source of all gems, the abode of Varuṇa, the dwelling of the Nāgas, delightful, and lord of rivers. It was also the abode of the fire of the netherworld, the home of the Asuras, the dwelling of fearsome beings, and the inexhaustible treasure of waters. Radiant and divine, it was the source of immortality for the immortals, supreme, immeasurable, inconceivable, and equal to the pure waters of heaven. There, in many places, countless great rivers filled the ocean exceedingly, their waves dancing as if in joy.