Padma Purana — Bhumi Khanda, Shloka 17
The Royal Consecration
Cosmic Appointments and Directional Guardians
पक्षिणां चैव सर्वेषां वैनतेयमथापि सः । मृगाणां च ततो राज्ये ब्रह्मा सिंहमथादिशत्
pakṣiṇāṃ caiva sarveṣāṃ vainateyamathāpi saḥ | mṛgāṇāṃ ca tato rājye brahmā siṃhamathādiśat
Dan di antara segala burung, Brahmā melantik Vainateya (Garuḍa) sebagai pemerintah; kemudian atas alam segala binatang, Brahmā menetapkan singa sebagai raja.
Not explicitly specified in the provided verse (narratorial statement within the Adhyaya context).
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: vira
Sandhi Resolution Notes: चैव→च+एव; वैनतेयमथापि→वैनतेयम्+अथ+अपि; सिंहमथादिशत्→सिंहम्+अथ+आदिशत्.
FAQs
Vainateya, i.e., Garuḍa, is traditionally portrayed in Purāṇic literature as the foremost among birds—mighty, swift, and divinely empowered—so the verse presents him as the natural sovereign of the avian realm by Brahmā’s ordinance.
The lion functions as a Purāṇic emblem of supremacy among terrestrial animals; Brahmā’s appointment frames this dominance as part of a divinely structured cosmic order rather than mere physical strength.
The verse underscores dhārmic order: different realms of life have designated leaders, suggesting that hierarchy and governance are ideally rooted in responsibility and cosmic harmony rather than arbitrary power.