Shloka 2
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
द्विजोत्तम विनिर्गच्छ तूर्णममास्यादपावृतात् । नहि मे ब्राह्मणो वध्य: पापेष्वपि रत: सदा,उग्रश्रवाजी कहते हैं--निषादोंके साथ एक ब्राह्मण भी भार्यासहित गरुडके कण्ठमें चला गया था। वह दहकते हुए अंगारकी भाँति जलन पैदा करने लगा। तब आकाशचारी गरुडने उस ब्राह्मणसे कहा--(द्विजश्रेष्ठ! तुम मेरे खुले हुए मुखसे जल्दी निकल जाओ। ब्राह्मण पापपरायण ही क्यों न हो मेरे लिये सदा अवध्य है”
dvijottama vinirgaccha tūrṇam amāsyād apāvṛtāt | nahi me brāhmaṇo vadhyaḥ pāpeṣv api rataḥ sadā ||
Garuḍa said: “O best of the twice-born, come out quickly from my open mouth. For to me a Brāhmaṇa is never to be slain—even if he is always devoted to sinful acts.”
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a dharmic restraint: Garuḍa treats the Brāhmaṇa as avadhya (not to be slain), emphasizing reverence for the Brāhmaṇa-status and the principle that certain protected persons are not to be harmed even when morally compromised.
A Brāhmaṇa has ended up in Garuḍa’s mouth along with others; the Brāhmaṇa causes burning discomfort, and Garuḍa addresses him directly, ordering him to exit quickly because Garuḍa will not kill a Brāhmaṇa.