Shloka 10
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
अहं हि सर्प: प्रहित: सोममाहर्तुमुत्तमम् । मातुर्दास्यविमोक्षार्थमाहरिष्ये तमद्य वै,मुझे सर्पोने उत्तम अमृत लानेके लिये भेजा है। माताको दासीपनसे छुटकारा दिलानेके लिये आज मैं निश्चय ही उस अमृतको लाऊँगा
ahaṃ hi sarpaḥ prahitaḥ somam āhartum uttamam | mātur dāsyavimokṣārtham āhariṣye tam adya vai ||
Garuḍa declares that he has been dispatched by the serpents to fetch the supreme Soma (nectar of immortality). He vows that he will bring it that very day, not for personal gain, but to free his mother from the humiliation and bondage of servitude—framing his perilous mission as an act of filial duty and moral resolve.
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma expressed as filial responsibility: a righteous goal (freeing one’s mother from servitude) justifies undertaking extreme risk, guided by a firm vow and selfless intent rather than greed.
Garuḍa announces his mission: the Nāgas have commissioned him to obtain the supreme Soma/Amṛta, and he resolves to bring it immediately so that his mother Vinātā can be released from enslavement.