Shloka 3
Garuḍa, Saubhari’s Curse, Kāliya’s Refuge, and Kṛṣṇa Saves Vraja from Forest Fire
श्रीशुक उवाच उपहार्यै: सर्पजनैर्मासि मासीह यो बलि: । वानस्पत्यो महाबाहो नागानां प्राङ्निरूपित: ॥ २ ॥ स्वं स्वं भागं प्रयच्छन्ति नागा: पर्वणि पर्वणि । गोपीथायात्मन: सर्वे सुपर्णाय महात्मने ॥ ३ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca upahāryaiḥ sarpa-janair māsi māsīha yo baliḥ vānaspatyo mahā-bāho nāgānāṁ prāṅ-nirūpitaḥ
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: “O mighty-armed Parīkṣit, to avoid being eaten by Garuḍa, the serpents had long before decreed that each month a tribute of vegetation be placed at the foot of a tree. Thus, at the appointed times, every nāga offered his own share to the great Suparṇa Garuḍa as the price of protection.”
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has given an alternate explanation of this verse. Upahāryaiḥ may also be translated as “by those who are to be eaten,” and sarpa-janaiḥ as “those human beings who were dominated by or who belonged to the serpent race.” According to this reading, a group of human beings had fallen under the control of the serpents and were prone to be eaten by them. To avoid this, the human beings would make a monthly offering to the serpents, who in turn would offer a portion of that offering to Garuḍa so that he would not eat them. The particular translation given above is based on the commentary of Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī and the translation by Śrīla Prabhupāda in his Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In any case, all the ācāryas agree that the serpents purchased protection from Garuḍa.
FAQs
This verse explains that the serpents had an established duty to offer periodic tribute—forest produce—to Suparṇa (Garuḍa) as a means of securing protection and avoiding danger.
Suparṇa (“beautiful-winged”) is a traditional name for Garuḍa, highlighting his divine power and identity as the mighty protector/enforcer who the serpents fear and therefore propitiate.
The verse models disciplined giving: regularly offering one’s rightful portion—time, resources, and gratitude—to the Lord and His devotees as a conscious practice of dharma and spiritual safety.