Shloka 16
अध्याय ३४ — एलापत्रस्योपदेशः
Elāpatra’s Counsel on the Nāgas’ Deliverance
हरिष्यामि विनिक्षिप्तं सोममित्यनुभाष्य तम् । आजगाम ततत्तूर्ण सुपर्णो मातुरन्तिकम्,श्रीहरिने भी गरुडकी कही हुई बातका अनुमोदन किया। तदनन्तर स्वर्गलोकके स्वामी भगवान् इन्द्र पुन गरुडको सम्बोधित करके इस प्रकार बोले--'तुम जिस समय इस अमृतको कहीं रख दोगे उसी समय मैं इसे हर ले आऊँगा' (ऐसा कहकर इन्द्र चले गये)। फिर सुन्दर पंखवाले गरुड तुरंत ही अपनी माताके समीप आ पहुँचे
śakra uvāca | hariṣyāmi vinikṣiptaṃ somam ity anubhāṣya tam | ājagāma tataḥ tūrṇaṃ suparṇo mātur antikam ||
Śakra (Indra) said: “When you set the Soma down somewhere, I will seize it and take it away.” Having spoken thus to him, Indra, lord of heaven, departed. Then Suparṇa (Garuḍa), swift of wing, hurried at once to his mother’s side. The passage underscores Indra’s guardianship over the divine treasure and Garuḍa’s resolute filial purpose in securing freedom for his mother, even amid competing claims over sacred power.
शक्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sacred power (Soma/amṛta) is not merely a prize to possess; it is guarded by divine responsibility. At the same time, Garuḍa’s urgency to reach his mother highlights the ethical force of filial duty—yet such duty operates within a world where higher custodianship (Indra’s) can reclaim what is not meant for improper transfer.
Indra tells Garuḍa that the moment Garuḍa sets the Soma down, Indra will take it back. Indra then departs, and Garuḍa quickly goes to his mother’s vicinity, continuing the larger episode in which Garuḍa seeks the divine nectar as the price to secure his mother’s release.