Shloka 31
Garuḍa’s Breach of the Amṛta-Guard and Boons with Viṣṇu; Encounter with Indra (Ādi-parva, Adhyāya 29)
तावुभौ युद्धसम्मत्ती परस्परवधैषिणौ । उपयुज्याशु कर्मेदं साधयेप्सितमात्मन:,वे दोनों एक-दूसरेको मारनेकी इच्छासे युद्धके लिये मतवाले बने रहते हैं। तुम शीघ्र जाकर उन्हीं दोनोंको भोजनके उपयोगमें लाओ और अपने इस अभीष्ट कार्यका साधन करो
tāv ubhau yuddha-sammattī paraspara-vadhaiṣiṇau | upayujyāśu karmedaṃ sādhayepsitam ātmanaḥ ||
Both of them are intoxicated with the urge for battle, each seeking the other’s death. Go quickly and employ those two for food, and thereby accomplish your own desired purpose. The verse frames a pragmatic, morally charged instruction: the mutual violence of the pair is to be redirected into a utilitarian end, raising questions about expediency versus restraint.
कश्यप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked hostility—two beings bent on mutual killing—can be redirected by an authority figure into a practical objective. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether using others’ violent impulses for one’s own ends is justified, and how expedient action can conflict with ideals of restraint and compassion.
Kaśyapa describes two opponents who are constantly ready to fight and intent on killing each other. He instructs the listener to go quickly and make use of those two as food, thereby fulfilling a personal objective through their ongoing mutual aggression.