Shloka 16
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 33: Vāsuki’s Council on Averting the Sarpa-satra
भवते<पि वरं दद्यां वृणोतु भगवानपि | त॑ं वव्रे वाहनं विष्णुर्गरुत्मन्तं महाबलम्,“देव! मैं भी आपको वर देना चाहता हूँ। भगवान् भी कोई वर माँगें।” तब श्रीहरिने महाबली गरुत्मानसे अपना वाहन होनेका वर माँगा
bhavate 'pi varaṁ dadyāṁ vṛṇotu bhagavān api | taṁ vavre vāhanaṁ viṣṇur garutmantaṁ mahābalam ||
Garuḍa sprach: „Auch ich möchte dir eine Gabe gewähren; der erhabene Herr möge selbst eine Gabe wählen.“ Da wählte Viṣṇu als Gabe den mächtigen Garutmān selbst: er sollte sein Reittier sein.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharmic reciprocity and humility: a boon is not merely a reward but a relationship. Viṣṇu’s choice—accepting Garuḍa as his vehicle—honors the giver, channels power into service, and establishes a righteous, enduring bond rather than a self-serving gain.
Śaunaka reports that the other party offers to grant a boon and invites the Lord to choose. Viṣṇu then selects the boon that Garutmān become his vāhana (mount), thereby making Garuḍa the divine carrier and emblem of strength devoted to divine purpose.