Shloka 2
Garuḍa Learns the Cause of Vinatā’s Bondage and the Nāgas Demand Amṛta (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 23)
ततस्ते तं॑ हयश्रेष्ठ ददूशाते महाजवम् । शशाड्ककिरणप्रख्यं कालवालमुभे तदा,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं-शौनक! तदनन्तर शीघ्रगामिनी कद्ू विनताके साथ उस समुद्रको लाँधकर तुरंत ही उच्चै:श्रवा घोड़ेके पास पहुँच गयीं। उस समय चन्द्रमाकी किरणोंके समान श्वेत वर्णवाले उस महान् वेगशाली श्रेष्ठ अश्वको उन दोनोंने काली पूँछवाला देखा
tatas te taṁ hayaśreṣṭha dadṛśāte mahājavam | śaśāṅkakiraṇaprakhyaṁ kālavālam ubhe tadā ||
Then those two—Kadru and Vinatā—beheld that foremost of horses, of tremendous speed. At that moment they saw him shining white like the rays of the moon, yet with a black tail. The scene advances the moral tension of the episode: a small visible feature (the tail’s color) becomes the basis for a high-stakes wager, revealing how attachment to winning can distort judgment and lead toward deceit.
शौनक उवाच