Astika Parva — Story of the snake-sacrifice

Sauti said : The Snake-sacrifice then began in due form. The sacrificial priests, expert in their respective duties according to the ordinance, their bodies with black garments and their eyes red from the smoke, poured ghee in the blazing fire, uttering the Mantras.

Making the hearts of all the snakes tremble in fear, they began to pour ghee in the mouth of the Agni, uttering the names of the snakes.

Thereupon the snakes fell into the blazing fire one after another, each be-numbed and calling piteously to one another.

Breathing hard, swelling to enormous sizes, intwining one another with their heads and tails, they came in large numbers and fell into the blazing fire.

The white, the black, the blue, the old and the young, those measuring a crosa those measuring a Yojana and those measuring a Gokarna, all fell violently into that blazing fire uttering various cries.

Hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands came be-numbed and perished on that occasion.

Amongst those that perished, there were some that were like the horses, some like the trunks of elephants and others with the huge bodies and strength of mad elephants.

The snakes of various colours and of virulent poison, of terrible look, like maces furnished with iron spikes, of enormous strength and of the greatest biting propensity, fell into the fire as the result of their mother's curse.