गरुड उवाच सख्यं मेऽस्तु त्वया देव यथेच्छसि पुरंदर। बलं तु मम जानीहि महच्चासह्यमेव च॥
Garuda said: “O Purandara, Let there be friendship between us as you desire. Know, my strength is great and is hard to bear.
काम नैतत्प्रशंसन्ति सन्तः स्वबलसंस्तवम्। गुणसंकीर्तनं चापि स्वयमेव शतक्रतो॥
O Shatakratu, the learned do not approve of speaking highly of their own strength or of their own merits.
सखेति कृत्वा तु सखे पृष्टो वक्ष्याम्यहं त्वया। न ह्यात्मस्तवसंयुक्तं वक्तव्यमनिमित्ततः॥
O friend, as we are now made friends and as you ask me, I will tell you, although selfpraise without reason is always improper.
सपर्वतवनामुर्वी ससागरजलामिमाम्। वहे पक्षेण वै शक्र त्वामप्यत्रावलम्बिनम्॥
O Indra, I can bear, on a single feather of mine, this earth with her mountains forests, oceans and even you with it.
सर्वान्सपिण्डितान्वापि लोकान्सस्थाणुजङ्गमान्। वहेयमपरिश्रान्तो विद्धीदं मे महद् बलम्॥
Know, my strength is such that I can bear, without fatigue, even all the worlds put together, with their mobile and immobile objects.
सौतिरुवाच इत्युक्तवचनं वीरं किरीटी श्रीमतां वरः। आह शौनक देवेन्द्रः सर्वलोकहितः प्रभुः॥
Sauti said: O Shaunaka, when the great hero (Garuda) said all this, the great Lord, the king of the celestials, the wearer of the heaven's crown, the possessor of wealth, the benefactor of all the worlds said:
एवमेव यथास्थ त्वं सर्वं संभाव्यते त्वयि। संगृह्यतामिदानीं मे सख्यमत्यन्तमुत्तमम्॥
It is true what you say, Everything is possible in you. Accept now my sincere and eternal friendship
न कार्यं यदि सोमेन मम सोमः प्रदीयताम्। अस्मांस्ते हि प्रबाधेयुर्येभ्यो दद्याद्भवानिमम्॥
If you do not require the Soma, kindly return it to me. Those to whom you will give it will always quarrel with us.
गरुड उवाच किंचित्कारणमुद्दिश्य सोमोऽयं नीयते मया। न दास्यामि समादातुं सोमं कस्मैचिदप्यहम्॥
Garuda said: There is a reason why I am taking away the Soma. I shall not give the Soma to any body to drink.
यत्रेम तु सहस्राक्ष निक्षिपेयमहं स्वयं। त्वमादाय ततस्तूर्णं हरेथास्त्रिदिवेश्वर॥
O deity of thousand eyes, after I shall place it down, O King of heavens, you can instantly take it up and bring it away.
शक्र उवाच वाक्येनानेन तुष्टोऽहं यत्त्वयोक्तमिहाण्डजा यमिच्छसि वरं मत्तस्तं गृहाण
Indra said: O oviparous One, I am highly pleased with what you have just now said. O best of birds, accept from me any boon you like to have.
सौतिरुवाच इत्युक्तः प्रत्युवाचेदं कदूपुत्राननुस्मरन्। स्मृत्वा चैवोपधिकृतं मातुर्दास्यनिमित्ततः॥
Sauti said : Being thus addressed, Garuda recollecting the sons of Kadru and the slavery of his mother by deception said,
खगोत्तम॥ ईशोऽहमपि सर्वस्य करिष्यामि तु तेऽर्थिताम्। भवेयुर्भुजगाः शक्र मम भक्ष्या महाबलाः॥
“Though I have power to do everything over all creatures, yet, O Indra, I shall do your bidding. Let the mighty snakes be my food.”
तथेत्युक्त्वाऽन्वगच्छत्तं ततो दानवसूदनः। देवदेवं महात्मानं योगिनामीश्वरं हरिम्॥
"Be it so." said the destroyer of the Danavas and he went to Hari, the god of gods, the great Soul, the lord of Yogis.
स चान्वमोदत्तं चार्थं यथोक्तं गरुडेन वै। इदं भूयो वचः प्राह भगवांस्त्रिदशेश्वरः॥
He (Vishnu) sanctioned all that was said by Garuda. The illustrious lord of all the worlds thus spoke to him,
हरिष्यामि विनिक्षिप्तं सोममित्यनुभाष्य तम्। आजगाम ततस्तूर्णं सुपर्णो मातुरन्तिकम्॥
"I shall take away the Soma when you will place it down." Having said this he bade farewell to Garuda, And Suparna (Garuda) went to the presence of his mother with great speed.
अथ सर्पानुवाचेदं सर्वान्परमहष्टवत्। इदमानीतममृतं निक्षेप्स्यामि कुशेषु वः॥
He then said to all the snakes in joy, "Here have I brought the Ambrosia. I shall place it on the (sacred) Kusha grass.
स्नाता मङ्गलसंयुक्तास्ततः प्राश्नीत पन्नगाः। भवद्भिरिदमासीनैर्यदुक्तं तद्वचस्तदा॥
O snakes, drink it after performing your ablutions and religious rites. I have done what you asked me to do.
अदासी चैव मातेयमद्यप्रभृति चास्तु मे। यथोक्तं भवतामेतद्वचो मे प्रतिपादितम्॥ ततः स्नातुं गताः सर्पाः प्रत्युक्त्वा तं तथेत्युत। शक्रोप्यमृतमाक्षिप्य जगाम त्रिदिवं पुनः॥
Therefore, as you promised, let my mother become free from this day," "Be it so," said the snakes and went to perform their ablutions. In the meantime, Indra taking up the Ambrosia, went away to heaven.
अथागतास्तमुद्देशं सर्पाः सोमार्थिनस्तदा। स्नाताश्च कृतजप्याश्च प्रहृष्टाः कृतमङ्गलाः॥
The snakes, after performing their ablutions, their daily devotions and other sacred rites, came in joy to drink the Ambrosia.
यत्रैतदमृतं चापि स्थापितं कुशसंस्तरे। तद्विज्ञाय हृतं सर्पाः प्रतिमाया कृतं च तत्॥
They saw that the Kusha grass on which the Ambrosia had been placed was empty. It had been taken away by a counter act of deception.
सोमस्थानमिदं चेति दर्खास्ते लिलिहुस्तदा। ततो द्विधाकृता जिह्वाः सर्पाणां तेन कर्मणा॥
They began to lick with their tongues the Kusha grass in which the Ambrosia had been placed; and by that act, their tongues became divided into two.
अभवंश्चामृतस्पर्शाद्दर्भास्तेऽथ पवित्रिणः। एवं तदमृतं तेन हृतमाहतमेव च। द्विजिह्वाश्च कृताः सर्पा गरुडेन महात्मना॥
The Kusha grass, from the contact of the Ambrosia, became sacred from that day. Thus did the illustrious Garuda bring the Ambrosia and bring it for the snakes, and thus were their tongues divided by what he did.
ततः सुपर्णः परमप्रहर्षवान् विहृत्य मात्रा सह तत्र कानने। रहीनकीर्तिविनतामनन्दयत्॥
Then Suparna (Garuda) lived in that forest with his mother in great joy. The son of Vinata delighted his mother by becoming the eater of snakes, by being respected by all birds and by doing other great acts.
इमां कथां यः शृणुयान्नरः सदा पठेत वा द्विजगणमुख्यसंसदि असंशयं त्रिदिवमियात्स पुण्यभाक् महात्मनः पतगपतेः प्रकीर्तनात्॥
He, who would listen to this story or read it to an assembly of Brahmanas, will must surely go to heaven, acquiring great merit from its recitation.