sarpāṇām

 The Sanskrit word "sarpāṇām" is written in 

Devanagari as: सर्पाणाम्

The Sanskrit word "sarpāṇām" means "of serpents" 

or "among snakes" and is the genitive plural form 

of "sarpa," meaning serpent or snake.

Definition and Grammatical Information

• Root word: sarpa (सर्प) — serpent or snake 

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• Form of "sarpāṇām": Genitive (possessive), masculine plural. 
• This indicates something belonging to or associated with 
• snakes, e.g., "of snakes" or "among snakes" 

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Usage in Classical Texts

In Sanskrit literature and scriptures, "sarpāṇām" appears in contexts 

describing snakes literally or metaphorically:

• Bhāgavatam example: In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is used in 
• a phrase to compare crooked and envious beings to snakes: 
• “as dangerous as giving milk to snakes”, where sarpāṇām 
• denotes the class of serpents 

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• Mahābhārata verse: A verse describes the Sun being best 
• among radiants, and compares the venomous snake to 
• the foremost among serpents using sarpāṇām

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The word is widely used in religious, astronomical, and mythological 

contexts to refer to serpents in general, or symbolically for cunning 

and dangerous entities 

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Summary

Sarpāṇām = "of serpents" / "among snakes," used both literally 

to describe actual snakes and metaphorically in classical Sanskrit 

texts to convey qualities like danger, cunning, or enmity. It is the 

genitive plural of sarpa, reflecting possession, relation, or inclusion

among snakes 

Sanskrit Dictionary+1

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