Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 19: Khara Sends Fourteen Rākṣasas to Destroy Rāma
Text 3.19.3
कः कृष्णसर्पमासीनमाशीविषमनागसम्।
तुदत्यभिसमापन्नमङ्गुल्यग्रेण लीलया॥
kaḥ kṛṣṇa-sarpam āsīnam āśī-viṣam anāgasam
tudaty abhisamāpannam aṅguly-agreṇa līlayā
kaḥ = who; kṛṣṇa-sarpam = black snake; āsīnam = to an unmoving; āśī-viṣam = poisonous 1; anāgasam = inoffensive; tudati = gives pain; abhisamāpannam = that has arrived; aṅguli-agreṇa = with the tip of his finger; līlayā = sportingly.
Who sportingly gives pain with the tip of his finger to an unmoving, poisonous, inoffensive black snake that has arrived?
Khara asks this question while indicating that the offender will later attain the undesirable.
He intends to convey the following: “Who [is it the man who] sportingly gives pain, with the tips of his finger, to an unmoving snake whose fangs are filled with unfailing poison when it has come before [him]?”
Because the snake has come before [the offender], it can quickly inflict [harm] in return. “Sportingly” and “with the tip of his finger” indicate that [the offender] is unaware of the power [of the snake].
Khara hints at his ability to retaliate effortlessly and immediately.