Shloka 16
Udyoga Parva Adhyāya 103: Garuḍa’s Protest, Viṣṇu’s Demonstration, and Counsel Toward Śama
भक्षितो वैनतेयेन दुःखातास्तेन वै वयम् । पुनरेव च तेनोक्तं वैनतेयेन गच्छता । मासेनान्येन सुमुखं भक्षयिष्य इति प्रभो,परंतु माननीय महामुने! कारणकी दुर्बलतासे मैं चिन्तामें पड़ा रहता हूँ। महाद्युते! इस बालकका पिता, जो मेरा पुत्र था, गरुड़का भोजन बन गया। इस दुःखसे हमलोग पीड़ित हैं। प्रभो! जब गरुड़ यहाँसे जाने लगे, तब पुनः यह कहते गये कि दूसरे महीनेमें मैं सुमुखको भी खा जाऊँगा। अवश्य ही ऐसा ही होगा; क्योंकि हम गरुड़के निश्चयको जानते हैं। गरुड़के उस कथनसे मेरी हँसी-खुशी नष्ट हो गयी है
bhakṣito vainateyena duḥkhātās tena vai vayam | punar eva ca tenoktaṃ vainateyena gacchatā | māsenānyena sumukhaṃ bhakṣayiṣya iti prabho ||
Āryaka said: “My son—this boy’s father—was devoured by Vainateya (Garuḍa). Because of that we are afflicted with grief. And as Garuḍa was departing from here, he said again: ‘In another month, O lord, I shall also eat Sumukha.’ That will surely come to pass, for we know the firmness of Garuḍa’s resolve. From that declaration of Garuḍa, my joy and ease have been destroyed, and I remain anxious, weakened by the cause of this fear.”
आर्यक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the certainty of a powerful being’s resolve can create sustained anxiety and moral urgency: elders feel responsible to protect the vulnerable, and grief can become a continuing ethical pressure to seek a remedy rather than remain passive.
Āryaka laments that Garuḍa has already eaten his son (the father of the boy Sumukha) and, while leaving, declared he would return in a month to devour Sumukha as well. Knowing Garuḍa’s determination, Āryaka is overwhelmed with fear and sorrow.