Shloka 38
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
नखेन गजमेकेन कूर्ममेकेन चाक्षिपत् । समुत्पपात चाकाशं तत उच्चैविंहंगम:,उन्होंने देखा, सरोवरका जल अत्यन्त निर्मल है और नाना प्रकारके पक्षी इसमें सब ओर चहचहा रहे हैं। तदनन्तर भयंकर वेगशाली अन्तरिक्षगामी गरुडने पिताके वचनका स्मरण करके एक पंजेसे हाथीको और दूसरेसे कछुएको पकड़ लिया। फिर वे पक्षिराज आकाशमें ऊँचे उड़ गये
nakhena gajam ekena kūrmam ekena cākṣipat | samutpapāta cākāśaṃ tata uccair vihaṅgamaḥ ||
With one talon he seized an elephant, and with the other a tortoise. Then that mighty bird sprang up into the sky and soared aloft. In the narrative, Garuḍa’s tremendous strength is shown as guided by remembrance of his father’s instruction—power placed in the service of a vowed purpose rather than mere display.
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power gains ethical meaning when governed by remembrance of rightful instruction and a disciplined purpose; strength is portrayed as an instrument of duty rather than vanity.
Garuḍa, described as a mighty bird, grasps an elephant with one talon and a tortoise with the other and then rises high into the sky—an image emphasizing his immense might and swift action in pursuit of his objective.