Shloka 6
Udyoga Parva, Adhyaya 104: Nārada on Suhṛt and Nirbandha; the Viśvāmitra–Gālava Exemplum Begins
एतसस्मिंस्तु तथाभूते नान्यं हिंसितुमुत्सहे । क्रीडसे कामकारेण देवराज यथेच्छकम्,वह नाग जब दीर्घायु हो गया, तब अब मैं उसके बदलेमें दूसरेकी हिंसा नहीं कर सकता। देवराज! आप स्वेच्छाचारको अपनाकर मनमाने खेल कर रहे हैं
etasmim̐s tu tathābhūte nānyaṃ hiṃsitum utsahe | krīḍase kāmakāreṇa devarāja yathecchakam ||
Garuḍa disse: “Agora que as coisas chegaram a este ponto, não consigo levar-me a ferir outro em seu lugar. Ó rei dos deuses, ages por mero capricho—brincando como queres, sem freio.”
गरुड उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when provoked or wronged, substituting one victim for another is ethically unacceptable; moral responsibility requires refusing unjust harm, and power exercised by mere whim is criticized.
Garuda addresses Indra, declaring that given the present circumstances he will not harm some other being as a substitute, and he reproaches Indra for acting capriciously—treating events like a game.