Shloka 12
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
तस्माद् भक्ष्यं त्वमपरं भगवन् प्रदिशस्व मे । यद् भुक्त्वामृतमाहर्तु समर्थ: स्यामहं प्रभो
tasmād bhakṣyaṁ tvam aparaṁ bhagavan pradiśasva me | yad bhuktvāmṛtam āhartu samarthaḥ syām ahaṁ prabho ||
Therefore, O Blessed Lord, appoint for me some other food. Having eaten it, may I become capable, O Master, of bringing back the amṛta. Garuḍa, mindful of his pledge and the moral constraint against harming the innocent, asks for an alternative sustenance that will empower him to fulfill his duty without committing wrongdoing.
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when pursuing a high goal, one should seek means that do not violate dharma; Garuḍa requests an alternative that enables success without harming those who should not be harmed.
Garuḍa, preparing to obtain amṛta, asks the addressed lord to specify another kind of food so that, after eating, he will have the strength to bring the nectar.