Garuda The Divine Vahana of Lord Vishnu

Garuda, the Mighty Eagle

The mythical Eagle, Garuda, is important in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. In Hinduism, Garuda has the status of an Upadevata (a divine entity), and is the mount or vehicle of Lord Vishnu. In popular iconography, Garuda is depicted as a strong man with a golden body, a white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak. He has a crown on his head. He has a gigantic form that can even block out Surya, the Sun God. Garuda is a sworn enemy of the Nagas or serpents. Supposedly, Garuda eats only snakes. Garuda’s image is worn as a charm or amulet by many who believe that it can protect them from snake bites and poisons. His Mantra, Garuda Vidya, is also used to remove the effects of snake venom and also to remove other kinds of evil that afflict a person.

Garuda in Hinduism

Garuda is the main character in two ancient Hindu texts, the Garudopanishad and the Garuda Purana. The Vedas refer to him as Syena (Sanskrit word for eagle) and describe how he brought nectar from heaven to earth. The Puranas also mention this. One of the five faces of Panchamukha (five-faced) Hanuman, pointing in the Westerly direction, belongs to Mahavira Garuda. Krishna describes himself as Garuda, the King of the birds, as he stands on the battlefield of Kurukshetra and makes his discourse to Arjuna, which is called the Bhagavad Gita. Garuda's wings can supposedly chant the Vedas when he flies around the heavens. Garuda has many other names - Chirada, Gaganeshwara, Nagantaka, Suparna, Tarkshya, Vishnuratha, Vainateya, Kashyapi, Sitanana, Khageshwara, Kamayusha, etc. Tantriks worship the Garuda Vyuha during several Abhichara (witchcraft or black magic) kriyas. It is also used to protect one against Abhichara.

Garuda’s Birth

The Mahabharata describes Garuda's birth. It says that when Garuda first emerged from his egg, he appeared as a very brilliant light emitted by a powerful inferno, similar to the cosmic conflagration that annihilates the world at the end of an age. On seeing this, the frightened Devas went to him and asked for mercy. Garuda complied and reduced his size and energy.

Garuda and the Nagas

Garuda was Sage Kashyapa's and Vinata's son. Vinata's sister, Kadru, was also Kashyapa’s wife. She gave birth to a thousand snakes, and these were the ancestors of all the snakes on earth today. Once, Vinata had a bet with Kadru about the color of Uchaishravas’ tail.. Uchaishravas was the divine, seven-headed, flying horse which emerged from the Milky Ocean during Samudra Manthan. Kadru said its tail was black, while Vinata claimed it was white. Whoever lost the bet had to become the slave of the winner. To win the bet, Kadru told her sons, the Nagas, to hang onto the horse’s tail (it was actually white-colored), which made it turn black. Thus, Vinata lost the bet and became Kadru's slave. Kadru and her sons ill-treated Vinata and inflicted untold suffering on her.

Garuda Frees his Mother

This angered Garuda. As he wished to free his mother from bondage, he asked the serpents what they wanted as the price for her freedom. The Nagas asked him to bring them Amrit, Nectar of Immortality. This was a near-impossible task as the Devas guarded the elixir zealously. Surrounding the nectar on all sides was a fire that covered the sky. A dangerous contraption with sharp rotating blades made it difficult to access the nectar from above as well. Also, two huge poisonous snakes were always next to the elixir. But Garuda was determined to get the nectar. Aware of his intention, the Gods waged war against him. But Garuda defeated them. Then he gathered water from many rivers into his mouth and poured them on the wall of fire, and extinguished it. Next, he made himself very small and flew past the rotating blades to reach the place where the Amrit was. He battled the poisonous snakes and defeated them. Then he leaped into the air with the pot of Amrit in his mouth and went to see the Nagas. On the way back, Vishnu accosted him, and they reached a compromise. Vishnu promised to give Garuda immortality without drinking the Amrit. Garuda promised to become Vishnu’s mount. Garuda also met Indra and reached another compromise. Garuda assured Indra that after delivering the elixir to the Nagas, he would make sure that Indra would get it back. Indra promised to give the serpents to Garuda as food. On reaching the land of the Nagas, Garuda kept the pot of elixir on the grass, and asked them to free Vinata. He also told the serpents to perform some religious rites before drinking the elixir. When the Nagas went to perform the rites, Indra arrived there and made off with the pot of Amrit. When the serpents returned, after a while, they were shocked to find it missing. But they saw some small droplets on the grass, and they tried to lick them. Due to this, their tongues split in two. Legend says this is why snakes have split tongues and they shed their skin (a sign of immortality). Mission accomplished, Garuda fulfilled his promise to Vishnu. He became Vishnu's vahana and also killed his eternal foes – snakes – whenever he got a chance.

Other Garuda Legends

Garuda always accompanied Vishnu on major missions. For instance, he carried Vishnu to Gajendra, the King of Elephants, and helped him save the elephant from the clutches of a crocodile that grabbed one of his legs. During Samudra Manthan, Vishnu placed the Mount Mandara on Garuda's back. He then sat on Garuda’s back and told him to fly to the middle of the ocean. Garuda placed the mountain in the spot mentioned by Vishnu. Then Vishnu told Garuda to leave, as Vasuki, the serpent King, would not come there, otherwise, fearing Garuda. After Garuda left, Vasuki came there and became the churning rod to churn the ocean. Garuda’s flapping wings supposedly form the basis of the Sama Veda. The two wings of Vishnu Vahana, Garuda, are believed to be the two branches of the Sama Veda, called Brihat and Rathantara. Garuda vibrated the Sama Veda to calm Vishnu. Garuda worship is prevalent in Thailand, Indonesia, and Mongolia. Indonesia’s national airline bears Garuda’s name. Bali in Indonesia has the tallest statue of Garuda. In Thailand, the Khrut or Garuda is the national symbol. The Mongolian soccer team is called Khangarid, after Garuda.