शनैः साधु भवान् यातु ब्रह्महत्याम् अनुस्मरन् ॥
न दृश्यते रविस् तात न दिशो न च खं खग ॥
तम एव तु पश्यामि शरीरं ते न लक्षये ॥
मणीव जात्यौ पश्यामि चक्षुषी ते ऽहम् अण्डज ॥
शरीरे तु न पश्यामि तव चैवात्मनश् च ह ॥
पदे पदे तु पश्यामि सलिलाद् अग्निम् उत्थितम् ॥
स मे निर्वाप्य सहसा चक्षुषी शाम्यते पुनः ॥
तन् निवर्त महान् कालो गच्छतो विनतात्मज ॥
न मे प्रयोजनं किं चिद् गमने पन्नगाशन ॥
संनिवर्त महावेग न वेगं विषहामि ते ॥
śanaiḥ sādhu bhavān yātu brahmahatyām anusmaran ||
na dṛśyate ravis tāta na diśo na ca khaṃ khaga ||
tama eva tu paśyāmi śarīraṃ te na lakṣaye ||
maṇīva jātyau paśyāmi cakṣuṣī te 'ham aṇḍaja ||
śarīre tu na paśyāmi tava caivātmanaś ca ha ||
pade pade tu paśyāmi salilād agnim utthitam ||
sa me nirvāpya sahasā cakṣuṣī śāmyate punaḥ ||
tan nivarta mahān kālo gacchato vinatātmaja ||
na me prayojanaṃ kiṃ cid gamane pannagāśana ||
saṃnivarta mahāvega na vegaṃ viṣahāmi te ||
"Fly slowly, my lord, I pray, remembering that otherwise a brahmin will perish. O dear one, O bird, I see neither the sun, nor the quarters of the sky, nor the sky itself. I see only darkness and cannot make out your body; only your two eyes, O egg-born one, appear to me like pure gems. I see neither your body nor my own; at every step fire seems to rise up out of the water. It suddenly scorches my eyes and then subsides again. Therefore turn back, son of Vinata: we have already flown a long time. O devourer of serpents, I have no further need to continue this journey. Turn back, O swift one: I cannot bear your speed."
43bc000a7793 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:30:30 AM UTC
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Here Galava's resolve meets the limit of body and senses. His words do not annul the vow, but show that the true fulfillment of duty requires humility before reality. Even a righteous goal becomes dangerous when a person tries to reach it by a means he is not equal to.