Shloka 21
Garuḍa Learns the Cause of Vinatā’s Bondage and the Nāgas Demand Amṛta (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 23)
दिवाकर: परिकुपितो यथा दहेत् प्रजास्तथा दहसि हुताशनप्रभ । भयंकर: प्रलय इवाग्निरुत्थितो विनाशयन् युगपरिवर्तनान्तकृत्,अग्निके समान प्रकाशित होनेवाले देव! जैसे सूर्य क़ुद्ध होनेपर सबको जला सकते हैं, उसी प्रकार आप भी कुपित होनेपर सम्पूर्ण प्रजाको दग्ध कर डालते हैं। आप युगान्तकारी कालके भी काल हैं और प्रलयकालमें सबका विनाश करनेके लिये भयंकर संवर्तकाग्निके रूपमें प्रकट होते हैं
divākaraḥ parikupito yathā dahet prajāḥ tathā dahasi hutāśanaprabha | bhayaṅkaraḥ pralaya ivāgnir utthito vināśayan yugaparivartanāntakṛt ||
Śaunaka disse: “Ó ser radiante, ardente como o fogo: assim como o sol, quando tomado de ira feroz, poderia queimar todas as criaturas, do mesmo modo tu, quando irado, podes abrasar o mundo inteiro dos seres. Terrível como o fogo da dissolução, ergues-te para destruir — o que põe termo na virada das eras, a própria ‘morte’ até do Tempo no fim do mundo.”
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the overwhelming, world-affecting power of the divine: like the sun or the fire of cosmic dissolution, divine wrath is not merely personal emotion but a force that can unmake creation. Ethically, it frames divine power as something to be approached with reverence and restraint, underscoring the stakes of anger and the need for harmony with cosmic order.
Śaunaka addresses a blazing, fire-like divine presence, praising and warning of its destructive capacity by comparing it to the sun’s scorching heat and the terrifying fire at the end of an age (pralaya). The speech heightens the scene’s intensity by invoking yuga-ending imagery and portraying the addressee as an agent of cosmic transition and destruction.