Shloka 17
Garuḍa’s Inquiry on Permissible Prey and Vinatā’s Counsel (ब्राह्मणावध्यता–उपदेशः)
महाकायो महातेजा: स स्थास्यति पुरो रवे: । करिष्यति च सारथ्यं तेजश्नलास्य हरिष्यति
mahākāyo mahātejāḥ sa sthāsyati puro raveḥ | kariṣyati ca sārathyaṃ tejaśnalāsya hariṣyati
Der Grandsire sprach: „Von mächtiger Gestalt und strahlender Kraft wird er vor der Sonne stehen. Er wird auch das Amt des Wagenlenkers übernehmen, und durch den Glanz seiner eigenen Herrlichkeit wird er das brennende Strahlen der Sonne nehmen—das heißt: es verdunkeln.“
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights tejas—extraordinary inner power and earned brilliance—as a force that can surpass even cosmic symbols like the Sun. Ethically, it implies that true greatness is recognized through capacity and duty: the same hero who can ‘stand before the Sun’ is also willing to serve in the demanding, responsible role of a charioteer.
Pitāmaha delivers a laudatory, predictive description of a formidable figure: someone immense and radiant who can face the Sun and even outshine its glare, and who will take up charioteership—signaling both martial readiness and the acceptance of a crucial supportive role in forthcoming events.