‘Garuda said, “O mother! I am asking you. What are the auspicious signs through which I will recognize a Brahmana? You should tell me.” Vinata replied, “O son! If a man goes down your throat torturing you like a swallowed fish hook or burning it like hot coal, know him to be a bull among Brahmanas.” Out of the great love she bore for her son, Vinata again repeated the words. Vinata knew her son’s valour to be unparalleled. But she nevertheless pronounced a blessing on him. “Let the Maruts protect your wings. O son! Let the moon protect your back. Let the fire protect your head. Let the sun protect all your body. O son! I shall always be engaged in ceremonies that bring you peace and welfare. O son! Go in safety and accomplish your objective.” Having heard his mother’s words, the bird then stretched his wings and flew up into the sky.
‘The powerful one soon descended hungrily on the nishadas, like Yama himself. Determined to destroy the nishadas, he raised a great storm of dust that covered up the sky. This dried up the water in the ocean and shook the mountains that grew around. The king of birds opened his gigantic mouth and stopped the route of the nishadas. In great alarm, the nishadas also entered the mouth of the eater of snakes. Like frightened birds in a forest that rise in thousands into the sky when there is a great storm, the nishadas were blinded by the dust and in thousands entered the wide open mouth of the giant eater of snakes. Then the hungry bird, with great strength and swift speed, the scorcher of his enemies, closed his mouth. The traveller in the sky killed many nishadas, who depend on diverse fish for a living.’
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Souti said, ‘A Brahmana and his wife had entered his throat and began to burn the bird’s throat like a piece of coal. The giant bird said, “O best among the twice-born! Come out of my open mouth quickly. A Brahmana will never be killed by me, even if he is always associated with those who commit sin.” When Garuda said this, the Brahmana replied, “My wife is a nishada. Let her come out with me.” Garuda said, “Take the nishada with you and come out immediately. Save yourself, before you are digested by the energy in my stomach.” Thereupon, the Brahmana emerged with the nishada woman. Praising Garuda, he went to the country where he wished to go. When the Brahmana and his wife emerged, the king of birds, swift as the mind, stretched his wings and rose up into the sky.
‘He then saw his father,69 who asked him about his welfare and he replied, “I have been sent by the snakes to steal the supreme soma. I shall bring it today, to free my mother from her slavery. My mother instructed me to eat the nishadas. But even after eating them in their thousands, my hunger is not yet satisfied. O illustrious one! O lord! Show me some other food that I can eat, so that I am strong enough to steal the amrita.”
‘Kashyapa said, “In ancient times, there was a maharshi named Vibhavasu. He became angry very easily. He had a younger brother named Supratika,70 who was a great ascetic. That great sage was unwilling to maintain their wealth jointly with his brother and Supratika always spoke of dividing it. After some time, Vibhavasu told his brother Supratika, ‘It is from delusion that many wish to divide common property. Once it has been divided, they are deluded from love of wealth. Ignorant from selfishness, enmity is created, though there is a disguise of friendship. Others, knowing them estranged in property matters, increase the enmity on other matters and divided relatives meet their downfall. Absolute ruin soon comes to those who are separated. That is the reason why learned ones never approve partition among brothers. When divided, they do not have any respect for the sacred texts or preceptors. O Supratika! You are beyond my control. Disregarding my advice and out of love for riches, you wish for a partition. I curse you that you will become an elephant.’ Thus cursed, Supratika told Vibhavasu, ‘You will become a tortoise that lives in the water.’ Cursed by each other and their minds deluded by desire, they became an elephant and a tortoise, animals of low birth. Boastful of their strengths and sizes, as earlier, they have continued in their vice of enmity towards each other, living in this huge lake. Look at one of them, the large and handsome elephant, come towards this lake now. Hearing his trumpeting, the giant tortoise that lives under water rises out of the lake, agitating its waters. On seeing him, the valorous elephant curls his trunk and rushes into the water, violently moving his tusks, trunk, tail and feet. The water that is full of fishes is agitated. The valorous tortoise also raises its head and comes up to fight. The elephant is six yojanas71 in height and double that in length. The tortoise is three yojanas in height and ten yojanas in circumference. These two are maddened at the prospect of fighting each other and wish to kill each other. Eat them up and swiftly accomplish the task you wish to perform.” Hearing his father’s words, the bird swooped down from the sky and swiftly grasped the elephant and the tortoise, one in each claw.
‘The bird then flew high up into the sky. It went to the tirtha72 named Alamba and saw many celestial trees there. Struck by the wind raised by his wings, the trees trembled in fear. Those celestial trees had golden branches and were scared that these would be broken. Seeing that the trees bore fruit and shoots capable of granting all desires and that they were quivering in fright, the bird went to other trees, incomparable in colour and shape. Those giant trees had fruit of gold and silver, with branches of lapis lazuli. They were washed by the waters of the ocean.
‘A giant sandalwood73 tree stood there and spoke to the best of the birds, as he was swiftly swooping down with the speed of the mind. “Descend on my giant branch, which extends for one hundred yojanas, and eat the elephant and the tortoise.” Then the supreme among the birds, as giant as a mountain, descended swiftly on the tree, shaking the branches that housed a thousand birds, and broke the branch that was full of leaves.’
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Souti said, ‘As soon as the tree’s branch was touched by the immensely powerful Garuda with his feet, it snapped. He74 held onto it as it was about to fall. As he wonderingly gazed at that large branch that had been broken, he saw the valakhilyas75 hanging from it, their heads facing downwards. The lord of birds was scared of killing them and carefully held the branch in his beak and ascended again. Shaking the mountains, the bird slowly circled the sky and while doing this, passed many countries, with the elephant and the tortoise. In his compassion for the valakhilyas, he could find no place to alight on. At last he went to the best of mountains, the indestructible Gandhamadana.
‘There he saw his father Kashyapa engaged in austerities. His father also saw the bird of divine form, with energy, valour and strength, swift as the wind and the mind, large as a mountain, like the raised staff of a Brahmana, inconceivable, incapable of description, terrible to all beings, the possessor of the valour of delusion,76 as radiant as Agni himself, incapable of being vanquished by devas, danavas and rakshasas, capable of splintering mountain peaks, drying up the water of rivers and whirling the worlds, as terrible as Yama himself.
‘On seeing him approach and knowing his wishes, the illustrious Kashyapa told him, “O son! Do not commit a rash act, because that can bring sudden pain. The valakhilyas sustain themselves on the sun’s rays. If angry, they can scorch you.” Therefore, for his son’s sake, Kashyapa propitiated the valakhilyas, accomplished performers of austerities. He explained the reason and said, “O performers of austerities! Garuda’s endeavour is for the welfare of all creatures. He is trying to perform a great act. Therefore, please give him permission.” Having been thus addressed by the illustrious Kashyapa, the valakhilyas gave up the branch and went off to the sacred Himalayas, in search of more austerities.
‘When they went away, Vinata’s son,77 the branch still extending his beak, asked his father Kashyapa, “O lord! Where will I discard this branch of the tree? O lord! Tell me of a land where there are no Brahmanas.” Kashyapa told him of a mountain that was uninhabited by men, inaccessible and incapable of being penetrated by others even in their thoughts, covered with snow and full of caves. The great bird, Tarkshya,78 carried the branch, the elephant and the tortoise and swiftly, with the power of his mind, entered the mountain’s wide
base. A thin leather strap cut out of a hundred skins wouldn’t have been long enough to encircle that giant branch the giant bird carried in his flight. Garuda, the lord of all the birds, flew over 100,000 yojanas in the briefest possible time. As if in a moment, he reached the mountain his father had described and released the branch, which fell down with a great roar. On being struck by the wind unleashed by the bird’s wings, the king of mountains trembled. As the trees collapsed, they showered down flowers. The peaks of that great mountain, adorned with gold and gems, were shattered on all sides. The falling branch struck many trees with golden flowers and they looked like clouds charged with lightning. Bright as gold, those falling trees mixed with the mountain’s minerals and glowed, as if reflecting the red rays of the sun. The best of birds sat down on the peak of the mountain and ate both the elephant and the tortoise.
‘With the speed of the mind, he79 then arose from the mountain peak. Ominous and fearful portents appeared before the gods. Indra’s vajra blazed forth in great pain. Meteors that trailed flames and smoke were loosened from the sky and descended. The weapons of vasus, rudras, adityas, saddhyas, maruts and other classes of gods began to fight among themselves. Such things had never occurred earlier, not even during the war between devas and asuras. Meteors showered down in all directions, tumultuous winds thundered and the cloudless sky made a tremendous roar. Even the God of the gods rained showers of blood. Garlands on the necks of the gods faded and the sky’s energy withered. Fearful masses of clouds rained down thick showers of blood. The swirling dust darkened the splendour of crowns worn by the gods. Then Shatakratu,80 with the other gods, was greatly alarmed and frightened. Bewildered at these terrible portents, he asked Brihaspati,81 “O illustrious one! Why have these terrible portents suddenly arisen? I do not see any enemy who can withstand us in battle.” Brihaspati replied, “O Shatakratu! O king of the gods! It is because of your own fault and negligence. Through the power of their austerities, the valakhilyas have created a wonderful being—the bird who is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata. He is powerful and capable of assuming any form at will and is coming to take away the soma. The bird is supreme among the strong and is capable of taking away the soma. He is capable of achieving the impossible.” Hearing this, Shakra82 spoke to the guardians of the amrita, “An immensely valorous and strong bird has decided to take the soma away. I am warning you in advance, so that he doesn’t succeed in taking it away by force. Brihaspati has told me that his strength is unparalleled.” When they heard these words, the gods were amazed.
‘Carefully, they took up positions around the amrita. Shatakratu Indra also stood there, vajra in hand. They wisely clad themselves in wonderful golden armour, expensively adorned with lapis lazuli. They brandished diverse terrible weapons in their thousands, emitting flames, sparks and smoke, the edges and points sharpened—chakras, iron clubs, tridents, battle axes, many sharp spears, spotless swords, maces of terrible forms, weapons most appropriate for their respective bodies. Armed with these radiant weapons and decorated with divine ornaments, the army of gods stood there, their fears pacified. With unparalleled strength, energy and radiance, capable of razing the cities of the asuras and displaying themselves in forms as radiant as the blazing fire, the gods stood there, their minds set upon protecting the amrita. Thus, that supreme battlefield, with the gods and with hundreds and thousands of clubs, looked like another firmament, lit up by the radiant rays of the sun.’
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Shounaka asked, ‘O suta! What was Indra’s fault and how was he negligent? How was Garuda born through the austerities of the valakhilyas? How did Kashyapa, a Brahmana, have the king of the birds as a son? How did he83 become invincible and indestructible to all creatures? How did the bird have the power to travel anywhere at will and summon up every power at will? If they are recounted in the ancient tales, I would like to know the answers to these questions.’
Souti said, ‘O Brahmana! What you wish to know is indeed narrated in the ancient tales. Listen to me, as I briefly recount it to you. Prajapati Kashyapa undertook a sacrifice in order to have a son and it is said that he was helped by the rishis, the gods and the gandharvas. Kashyapa appointed Shakra,84 the other gods and the valakhilya sages to bring firewood for the sacrifice. Because of his great strength, the lord Shakra picked up firewood that was as large as a mountain and carried it, without any effort at all. On the way, he saw some rishis who were no larger than the joint of a thumb. Together, they carried a single leaf of a palasha tree.85 The ascetics were extremely weak from lack of food and their bodies were lean. A cow’s hoof had left a print86 and this had filled up with water, causing them grief. Vain about his valour, Purandara87 was amazed at this sight and contemptuously laughing at them swiftly passed over them, stepping over their heads. At this they were angered and began a great act88 that would bring danger to Shakra. According to the rites, these great sages, rigid in their austerities, poured libations into the sacrificial fire and chanted mantras saying, “The gods will have another Indra, capable of going anywhere at will and capable of summoning up any power at will. He will bring great fear to the present king of the gods. Through the fruits of our austerities, there will be born one, swift as the mind, who will be a hundred times better than Indra in strength and valour.” On learning of this, Shatakratu,89 the king of the gods, was greatly alarmed and sought refuge with Kashyapa, rigid in his vows.
‘Hearing everything from the king of the gods, Prajapati Kashyapa went to the valakhilyas and asked them if their act had been successful. The truthful ones replied that it had been. Then Prajapati Kashyapa pacified them and said, “O ones blessed with the power of austerities! The present Indra has been appointed by Brahma as the lord of the three worlds. You are trying to create another Indra. O supreme ones! You should not make Brahma’s words false. Nor should I make your intentions false. Let there be another Indra for winged beings, endowed with great strength and valour. Show mercy to the king of the gods who is a supplicant before you.” Having been thus addressed by Kashyapa, the valakhilya ascetics saluted Kashyapa, supreme among sages, and said, “O Prajapati! Our act was for the purpose of creating an Indra. It is also something that you wish, because it was meant to bring you a son. Please accept this act and its fruits. Do whatever seems to you to be the best course of action.” At that time, the beautiful and illustrious goddess Dakshayani90 Vinata desired to have a son.
‘Having performed austerities and rites for the birth of a son and bathed, the pure one served her husband. Kashyapa told her, “O goddess! This act of yours will bear fruit and you will obtain what you desire. You will give birth to two valorous sons, lords of the three worlds. Owing to the austerities of the valakhilyas and through my own desire, these sons will be extremely fortunate and will be worshipped in the worlds.” Marichi’s illustrious son91 again told her, “Take good care when you bear these auspicious seeds in your womb. One of these will be a valorous bird, the Indra of all winged beings, capable of summoning every power at will and esteemed by the worlds.” Pleased, Prajapati92 then spoke to Shatakratu,93 “O Purandara! You will have two powerful birds as brothers. They will cause no injury to you. O Shakra! Stop worrying. You will continue to be Indra. But in your arrogance, never insult those who have knowledge of the brahman. Their words are like poison, their anger is fearsome.” At these words, Indra’s fears were dispelled and he went to his world. Vinata was delighted, because her wishes had been fulfilled. She gave birth to two sons, Aruna and Garuda. Aruna, with the malformed body, became the one who comes before the sun.94 Garuda was instated as the Indra of the birds. O descendant of the Bhrigu lineage! Now listen to his great deeds.’
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Souti said, ‘O best of the twice born! When this turmoil was going on, Garuda, the king of the birds, swiftly came to where the gods were. Having seen his great strength, the gods began to tremble in fear. They even began to attack each other with their weapons. Among those guarding the soma, was Bhouvana,95 as radiant as the lightning and f
ire and unparalleled in his great valour. But after an instant’s great fight, he lay dead, ripped apart by the beaks, talons and wings of the Indra among birds. Darkening the worlds with a great storm of dust created by his wings, the giant bird overwhelmed the gods, and overcome with that dust, the gods were deluded. Those who were guarding the amrita could not see it because of that dust. Thus, Garuda brought complete turmoil to the world of the gods. He ripped the gods apart with his wings and beak. Then, the god with the thousand eyes96 commanded Vayu,97 “O Marut! It is your duty to drive the dust away.” Then the mighty Vayu drove the dust away.
‘When the darkness had disappeared, the gods attacked the bird. He roared in the sky, like a giant cloud, terrifying all beings. Attacked by the army of the gods, the immensely valorous king of the birds, the destroyer of enemies, rose into the sky, above the heads of the gods. Led by Indra and armoured, they attacked him with many weapons like lances, iron clubs, spears, maces, many sharp swords and chakras as radiant as the sun. Attacked from every side, the king of birds didn’t even tremble. Vinata’s powerful son fought a tremendous battle, showing no signs of tiring out. Like the roar of thunder in the sky, Vinata’s powerful son attacked the gods from all sides with his wings and breast and scattered them in all directions. Oppressed and mangled by Garuda’s beak and talons, a lot of blood flowed from the bodies of the gods and they fled. The saddhyas and gandharvas fled to the east, the vasus and rudras to the south, the adityas to the west and the Nasatyas98 to the north. They retreated while fighting and looked back repeatedly at the immensely energetic enemy. He fought with the brave Ashvakranda, the bird Renuka, the brave Krathana, the bird Tapana, Uluka, Shvasana, the bird Nimesha, Praruja and Pulina. Vinata’s son tore them into pieces with his wings, talons and sharp beak, like the wrathful and enemy-destroying Pinaki99 at the end of a yuga. Those immensely powerful and energetic warriors, draining showers of blood from their many wounds, looked like dark clouds.
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