Shloka 23
अर्जुनस्योत्तरदिग्विजयः
Arjuna’s Northern Conquests and Tribute Collection
चिन्तयामास कृष्णो5थ गरुत्मन्तं स चाभ्ययात् | क्षणे तस्मिन् स तेनासीच्चैत्यवृक्ष इवोत्थित:
cintayāmāsa kṛṣṇo ’tha garutmantaṃ sa cābhyayāt | kṣaṇe tasmin sa tenāsīc caityavṛkṣa ivotthitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Kṛṣṇa called Garuḍa to mind, and Garuḍa came at that very instant. In that moment, the chariot’s standard, now bearing him, rose up and appeared like a lofty sacred caitya-tree.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediacy of divine support when rightly invoked: remembrance (smaraṇa) and alignment with dharma bring timely protection, symbolized by Garuḍa’s instant arrival and the auspicious elevation of the standard.
Kṛṣṇa mentally invokes Garuḍa; Garuḍa appears at once and becomes associated with the chariot’s standard, which then looks splendid and uplifted like a sacred caitya-tree—marking a powerful, auspicious presence in the scene.