Shloka 8
Garuḍa, the Brāhmaṇa’s Release, and Kaśyapa’s Counsel
Gajakacchapa-ākhyāna Prelude
नमुचिघ्न नमस्ते<स्तु सहस्राक्ष शचीपते । सर्पाणां सूर्यतप्तानां वारिणा त्वं प्लवो भव,“सहस्र नेत्रोंवाले नमुचिनाशन! शचीपते! तुम्हें नमस्कार है। तुम सूर्यके तापसे संतप्त हुए सर्पोको जलसे नहलाकर नौकाकी भाँति उनके रक्षक हो जाओ
namucighna namas te 'stu sahasrākṣa śacīpate | sarpāṇāṁ sūryataptānāṁ vāriṇā tvaṁ plavo bhava ||
Disse o Ancestral: “Ó matador de Namuci, ó Indra de mil olhos, senhor de Śacī—saudações a ti. Para estas serpentes, abrasadas pelo calor do sol, sê, com a água, como uma jangada: banha-as e protege-as, servindo-lhes de amparo salvador.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames dharma as active protection: one who has power should become a ‘plava’ (saving raft) for beings in distress, offering relief (water) and safety rather than indifference.
Pitāmaha addresses Indra with honorific epithets and urges him to help serpents suffering from the sun’s heat—by providing water, bathing them, and acting like a protective raft for them.