Shloka 5
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 104: Nārada on Suhṛt and Nirbandha; the Viśvāmitra–Gālava Exemplum Begins
वृतश्नैष महानाग: स्थापित: समयश्न मे । अनेन च मया देव भर्तव्य: प्रसवो महान्
vṛtaśnaiṣa mahānāgaḥ sthāpitaḥ samayaś ca me | anena ca mayā deva bhartavyaḥ prasavo mahān ||
Garuḍa said: “This great serpent was chosen by me as my food, and I also set a fixed time for it. By means of him, O god, I was to sustain my large progeny.”
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: even a powerful being like Garuḍa frames his action in terms of responsibility—he has set an agreed time and depends on that means to sustain his offspring, emphasizing duty, order, and accountability in pursuing one’s livelihood.
Garuḍa explains to the addressed ‘deva’ that he had already selected a particular great nāga as his intended food and had fixed the time for it; he justifies this choice as necessary for maintaining his large progeny.