Shloka 80
Brahmin Conduct, Purificatory Baths, and the Garuḍa–Nectar Episode
Illustrative Narrative
नखैर्भित्वा कूर्मगजौ महासत्वौ महाजवः । खमुत्पपात तौ धृत्वा विद्युद्वेगो महाबलः
nakhairbhitvā kūrmagajau mahāsatvau mahājavaḥ | khamutpapāta tau dhṛtvā vidyudvego mahābalaḥ
Habiendo desgarrado con sus garras a la poderosa tortuga y al elefante, el gran y veloz Vidyudvega, de inmensa fuerza, los asió a ambos y se lanzó al cielo.
Narrator (context not provided to identify a dialogue-speaker with certainty)
Primary Rasa: raudra
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: नखैर्भित्वा = नखैः + भित्वा (ः + भ → र्भ); खमुत्पपात = खम् + उत्पपात (म् + उ → मु); विद्युद्वेगो = विद्युत् + वेगः (त् + व → द्व);
FAQs
In this shloka, Vidyudvega is presented as a powerful, extremely swift figure whose name suggests “lightning-speed,” performing a dramatic feat of strength by seizing two great creatures and leaping into the sky.
The verse depicts Vidyudvega tearing (or splitting) a tortoise and an elephant with his claws, then holding them and vaulting upward into the sky—an image emphasizing speed, force, and dominance.
The imagery foregrounds raw power and velocity; symbolically, it can be read as a warning about unchecked might, or as a narrative device to mark an extraordinary being whose actions disrupt ordinary limits.