The Story of Garuda: The Divine Eagle

Introduction

Garuda is often associated with power, morality, strength and speed. He is often referred to as "Destroyer of Serpents" as he devours snakes as his preferred food. The word is usually rendered into English as "eagle", though the name literally means "devourer", because Garuda was originally identified with the "all-consuming fire of the sun's rays".

Garuda traditionally has the torso and arms of a man and the wings, head, beak and talons of an eagle or vulture. His body is gold in colour, his wings are red and his face is white. Garuda is also known as the 'king of the birds' (Khagesvara), as 'he who has beautiful feathers' (Suparna), as 'golden bodied' (Suvarnakaya) and 'the devourer' (Nagantaka). The latter name is in reference to his role as the enemy of all snakes which are symbolic of death and the underworld. In contrast, Garuda represents birth and heaven; in addition he is associated with the sun and fire.

Garuda's is most known from a story told in Mahabharata, where an origin of the animosity between Garuda and the serpents is given, along with a tale of how Garuda met and pledged his loyalty to Vishnu.

Garuda's wife is Unnati (or Vinayaka in other versions) and his son is Sampati, another mythical bird and ally of Rama. Garuda is the offspring of Kasyapa and Vinata. It was following his mother's quarrel with her co-wife Kadru, the queen of serpents, that Garuda acquired his dislike of snakes.

Birth

Garuda is descended from Vishnu thus: Brahma – Marici – Kasyapa – Garuda.

Once Kasyapa who was much pleased with the service of Vinata and Kadru asked them to select any boon they desired. Kadru chose to have a 1,000 nagas as her children while Vinata chose to have two sons more powerful and heroic than the thousand sons of Kadru.

After some time Kadru laid 1,000 eggs and Vinata two eggs. In the 500th year the eggs of Kadru hatched and 1,000 serpents of various kinds emerged out of them. But Vinata's eggs did not hatch yet, which pained her much. She, therefore, broke open one of her eggs in secret, and a half-grown child stepped out of it. That child was Aruna. Aruna got angry and cursed her to become a slave of Kadru.

But, Aruna granted her redemption from the curse thus: After another 500 years the remaining egg of yours will hatch and a son endowed with exceptional power and prowess will be born to you. He will liberate you from slavery." After telling his mother so much Aruna rose to the sky where he became the charioteer of the Sun.

After 500 years the egg broke itself open and out came Garuda with blazing effulgence, and he rose up in the sky. His body glowed like the sun. His effulgence was equal to that of Agnideva.

Slavery of Vinata

The churning of the Milk-ocean was done before Garuda was born. Indra got a horse named Uccaihsravas from the Ocean of Milk. Between Kadru and Vinata a dispute arose as regards the colour of the horse's tail, Kadru saying that it was black while Vinata asserted that it was white. They further agreed to test the colour the next day, betting that she who was proved to be wrong would become the slave of the victor. As the naga sons of Kadru hung on to the tail of the horse the tail appeared to be black and Vinata lost the bet and became Kadru's slave.

It was at this juncture that Garuda was born, and he felt highly mortified to find his mother working as a slave of Kadru. The serpents agreed to free his mother if he could bring them the amrita that was captured by the Gods.

Garuda goes to Devaloka and steals the Pot of Nectar

Garuda went on a journey to Devaloka to retrieve the amrita. The Devas and Indra, nay, even the sun and the Moon lined up against Garuda, but he defeated them all, and entered the particular place where the pot of nectar was kept. Two terrific wheels were rotating round the pot and they would cut into mince-meat anybody who tried to lay hands on the pot and a machine circled the wheels. Below the wheels were two monstrous serpents with glowing eyes and protruding tongues like flashes of fire, and the serpents never closed their eyes. The very look with those eyes was death. Garuda blinded those eyes by raising a torrent of dust, pierced them in the middle with his beak and through the hole, his body reduced to such a tiny shape, went nearer to the pot. He destroyed the wheels and the machine, and carrying the pot of nectar in his beaks rose to the sky shielding the light of the sun by his outspread wings. Mahavishnu, who became so much pleased with the tremendous achievements of Garuda asked him to choose any boon. Garuda requested Vishnu that he should be made his (Vishnu's) vehicle and rendered immortal without his tasting amrita. Both the boons were granted.

After seeing the invincibility of Garuda, Indra, who's Vajra couldn't penetrate this majestic being either, asked to become friends and return amrita. After that both of them devise a plan to trick the serpents.

Garuda handed over amrita and Indra cheated them of it

Garuda handed over the pot of nectar to the nagas, who on the suggestion of the former placed the pot on darbha grass spread on the ground. Also, in accordance with Garuda's advice that they should take a purificatory bath before tasting the amrita the nagas went out to have the bath, and in their absence Indra carried off the pot of nectar back to Devaloka.

Failing to find the pot of nectar on their return from bath the aggrieved nagas licked the darbha on which the pot was placed with the result that their tongues were cloven into two. It was from that day onwards that the nagas became double-tongued (dvijihvas). And, thus Garuda redeemed his mother from slavery.

Garuda's relationship with snakes

There's always an undercurrent of conflict between Garuda and Vishnu over snakes and an open one between Garuda and the Nagas. When Vishnu gives the snake Sumukha shelter, Garuda challenges Vishnu, who eventually throws the snake over Garuda's neck. His antagonism towards control of snakes has given him the title Vinayaka (which he shares with Ganesha) as the remover of obstacles, snakes being the obstacles in this case. There is a continuous enmity between him and the snakes, which Garuda constantly on the lookout to devour them. He is credited with the power to cure those bitten by snakes. Thus the bird is invariably represented with a snake over his neck.