Mahabharata 1.20.13 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 20, Shloka 13

गरुडजन्म तथा विनतादास्यवृत्तान्तः

Garuḍa’s Birth and Vinatā’s Enslavement

Devanagari script

तेषां प्राणान्‍्तको दण्डो देवेन विनिपात्यते । एवं सम्भाष्य देवस्तु पूज्य कद्रें च तां तदा

Transliteration

teṣāṃ prāṇāntako daṇḍo devena vinipātyate | evaṃ sambhāṣya devastu pūjya kadrūṃ ca tāṃ tadā |

Translation

Śaunaka said: “For such beings, a life-ending punishment is cast down by the divine. Having spoken thus, the god (Brahmā) then honored Kadrū and praised her decision: those mighty serpents, unbearable in prowess and fierce with venom, roam about ever eager to harm others; therefore, for the welfare of all creatures, it was right that their mother cursed them. Upon those who continually injure living beings, a deadly chastisement inevitably descends by the ordinance of fate.”

Word by Word

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• प्राणान्तकः: life-destroying
• प्राणान्तकः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्राणान्तक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दण्डः: punishment
• दण्डः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दण्ड
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देवेन: by the god / by divine agency
• देवेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• विनिपात्यते: is inflicted / is made to fall upon
• विनिपात्यते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नि-पत्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Passive

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• सम्भाष्य: having spoken / having conversed
• सम्भाष्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-भाष्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund), Active

• देवः: the god (Brahmā)
• देवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• पूज्य: honoring / having honored (worthy of honor)
• पूज्य: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य
• Form: Gerundive (to be honored), Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कद्रूम्: Kadrū
• कद्रूम्: Karma
• Type: ProperNoun
• Root: कद्रू
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śaunaka
• Brahmā (implied by 'deva' in context)
• Kadrū
• Serpents/Nāgas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Those who habitually harm living beings invite inevitable retribution; divine/cosmic order (daiva) brings a fitting punishment for persistent violence, and actions taken for the welfare of all creatures are affirmed as righteous.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka reports that the deity (in context, Brahmā) declares that a death-dealing punishment befalls the harmful serpents and then honors Kadrū, approving her curse as a protective measure for the good of all beings.