Garuda said: -
1. “O Purander, Let there be friendship between us as you desire. Know, my strength is great and is hard to bear.
2. O Satakratu, the learned do not approve of speaking highly of their own strength or of their own merits.
3. O friend, as we are now made friends, and as you ask me, I will tell you, although self-praise without reason is always improper.
4. O Indra, I can bear, on a single feather of mine, this earth with her mountains forests, oceans, and even you with it.
5. Know, my strength is such that I can bear, without fatigue, even all the worlds put together, with their mobile and immobile objects.
Souti said: —
6. O Saunaka, when the great hero (Garuda) said all this, the great Lord, the king of the celestials, the wearer of the heavens crown, the possessor of wealth, the benefactor of all the worlds said:
7. “It is true what you say. Everything is possible in you. Accept now my sincere and eternal friendship.
8. If you do not require the Soma, kindly return it to me. Those to whom you will give it will always quarrel with us.
Garuda said: -
9. There is a reason why I am taking away the Soma. I shall not give the Soma to anybody to drink.
10. 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.
Indra said: —
11. O oviparous One, I am highly pleased with want you have just now said. O best of birds, accept from me any boon you like to have.
Souti said: -
12. Being thus addressed, Garuda recollecting the sons of Kadru and the slavery of his mother by deception said.
13. “Though I have power to do every thing over all creatures, yet, O Indra, I shall do your bidding. Let the mighty snakes be my food.”
14. “Be it so,” said the destroyer of the Danavas, and he went to Hari, the god of gods, the great Soul, the lord of Yogees.
15. He (Vishnu) sanctioned all that was said by Garuda. The illustrious lord of all the worlds thus spoke to him,
16. “I shall take away the Soma when you will place it down.” Having said this e bade farewell to Garuda, and Suparna (Garuda) went to the presence of his mother with great speed.
17. He (hen said to all the snakes in joy, “Here have I brought the Ambrosia. I shall place it on the (sacred) Kusha grass.
18. O snakes, drink it after performing your ablutions and religious rites. I have done what you asked me to do.
19-20. Therefore as you promised, let my mother became 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.
21. The snakes, after performing their ablutions, their daily devotions, ana other sacred rites, came in joy to drink the Ambrosia.
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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, but thus were their tongues divided by what he did.
25. 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.
26. He, who will listen to this story or read it to an assembly of Brahmanas, must surely go to heaven, acquiring great merit from its recitation.
Thus ends the thirty fourth chapter, Sauparna, in the Adi Parva.