Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 51
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
गरुडो दयितं पुत्र मयूरं चित्रबर्हिणम् । अरुणस्ताम्रचूडं च प्रददौ चरणायुधम्
garuḍo dayitaṁ putra mayūraṁ citrabarhiṇam | aruṇastāmracūḍaṁ ca pradadau caraṇāyudham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Garuḍa bestowed his beloved son—the peacock with its splendid, variegated plumage; and Aruṇa too granted the red-crested one, the ‘foot-weapon’ (the bird famed for striking with its feet).” The verse highlights a pattern of affectionate gifting and lineage-based endowment, where valued beings are entrusted or granted as prized possessions—an ethical reminder that power and privilege in epic narrative often move through bonds of kinship and favor, carrying responsibilities along with honor.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how gifts and honors in the epic world flow through bonds of affection and kinship; what is ‘given’ is also ‘entrusted,’ implying responsibility alongside privilege.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Garuḍa grants his beloved son, the splendid-feathered peacock, and that Aruṇa also bestows the red-crested, foot-weaponed bird—describing notable beings being granted as prized endowments.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.