Shloka 6
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 104: Nārada on Suhṛt and Nirbandha; the Viśvāmitra–Gālava Exemplum Begins
एतसस्मिंस्तु तथाभूते नान्यं हिंसितुमुत्सहे । क्रीडसे कामकारेण देवराज यथेच्छकम्,वह नाग जब दीर्घायु हो गया, तब अब मैं उसके बदलेमें दूसरेकी हिंसा नहीं कर सकता। देवराज! आप स्वेच्छाचारको अपनाकर मनमाने खेल कर रहे हैं
etasmim̐s tu tathābhūte nānyaṃ hiṃsitum utsahe | krīḍase kāmakāreṇa devarāja yathecchakam ||
Garuḍa sprach: „Da die Dinge nun so weit gekommen sind, vermag ich es nicht, an seiner Statt einen anderen zu verletzen. O König der Götter, du handelst aus bloßer Laune — du spielst nach Belieben, ohne Zügel.“
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when provoked or wronged, substituting one victim for another is ethically unacceptable; moral responsibility requires refusing unjust harm, and power exercised by mere whim is criticized.
Garuda addresses Indra, declaring that given the present circumstances he will not harm some other being as a substitute, and he reproaches Indra for acting capriciously—treating events like a game.