Shloka 1236
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
क्षुत्पिपासाविघातार्थ भक्ष्यमाख्यातु मे भवान् । अतः भगवन्! आप मेरे लिये कोई दूसरा भोजन बताइये। प्रभो! वह भोजन ऐसा हो जिसे खाकर मैं अमृत लानेमें समर्थ हो सकूँ। मेरी भूख-प्यासको मिटा देनेके लिये आप पर्याप्त भोजन बताइये
kṣutpipāsāvighātārthaṁ bhakṣyam ākhyātu me bhavān | ataḥ bhagavan, āpa mere liye koī dūsarā bhojana batāiye | prabho, vah bhojana aisā ho jise khākara maiṁ amṛta lāne meṁ samartha ho sakūṁ | merī bhūkh-pyās ko miṭā dene ke liye āpa paryāpta bhojana batāiye |
Garuḍa said: “To ward off my hunger and thirst, tell me what I may eat. Therefore, O Blessed One, point out some other food for me—food such that, having eaten it, I will be able to bring the amṛta, the nectar of immortality. Tell me a sufficient meal that will fully remove my hunger and thirst.”
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a mighty being must acknowledge bodily limits and seek rightful means to fulfill a higher duty; strength is to be directed by purpose and restraint, not mere appetite.
Garuḍa, preparing for the arduous task of obtaining amṛta, requests guidance about an adequate and permissible food that will satisfy his hunger and thirst and enable him to complete his mission.