Canto 3: The Status QuoChapter 19: The Killing of the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.19.14

tad ojasā daitya-mahā-bhaṭārpitaḿ

cakāsad antaḥ-kha udīrṇa-dīdhiti

cakreṇa ciccheda niśāta-neminā

harir yathā tārkṣya-patatram ujjhitam

SYNONYMS

tat — that trident; ojasā — with all his strength; daitya — among the demons; mahā-bhaṭa — by the mighty fighter; arpitam — hurled; cakāsat — shining; antaḥ-khein the middle of the sky; udīrṇa — increased; dīdhiti — illumination; cakreṇa — by the Sudarśana disc; cicchedaHe cut to pieces; niśāta — sharpened; neminā — rim; hariḥIndra; yathāas; tārkṣya — of Garuḍa; patatram — the wing; ujjhitam — abandoned.

TRANSLATION

Hurled by the mighty demon with all his strength, the flying trident shone brightly in the sky. The Personality of Godhead, however, tore it to pieces with His discus Sudarśana, which had a sharp-edged rim, even as Indra cut off a wing of Garuḍa.

PURPORT

The context of the reference given herein regarding Garuḍa and Indra is this. Once upon a time, Garuḍa, the carrier of the Lord, snatched away a nectar pot from the hands of the demigods in heaven in order to liberate his mother, Vinatā, from the clutches of his stepmother, Kadrū, the mother of the serpents. On learning of this, Indra, the King of heaven, hurled his thunderbolt against Garuḍa. With a view to respect the infallibility of Indra's weapon, Garuḍa, though otherwise invincible, being the Lord's own mount, dropped one of his wings, which was shattered to pieces by the thunderbolt. The inhabitants of higher planets are so sensible that even in the process of fighting they observe the preliminary rules and regulations of gentleness. In this case, Garuḍa wanted to show respect for Indra; since he knew that Indra's weapon must destroy something, he offered his wing.

<<< >>>

Buy Online Copyright © The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness