नमः पन्नागनाध्याय वैकुंठ वासवर्धिनेः |
श्रुति-सिंधु सुधोथपाद-मंदराय गरुत्तमाथे ||
“I kneel to Garuda, the One with the lovely wings, whose limbs are embellished by the powerful serpents he has slain in combat. I make a prostration to the Person who is always devoted to his Lord, Vishnu. He is equally skilled as the Mandara Mountain at churning the Vedic ocean and distilling their wisdom.”
Garuda is Lord Vishnu’s vahana and the ruler of all birds. Also known as Khageshwara. Vahana, the Gods' and Goddesses’ vehicles, are highly revered in Hinduism. Garuda might even cover the sun because of his size and great power. He had the body of a man and the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle. He looked like a bird. Antique Bronze Garuda is one of the best statues of Garuda in which you can see him having a human body and wings.
The nagas, or serpents, were the constant adversaries of Garuda, who used to devour them. Since it was believed that snakes feared Garuda and avoided his worshippers, his picture is frequently employed as a charm to ward off snakes or snake bites. A hymn called Garudi Vidya is used to cure all snake poison and banish evil from the planet.
Mythology:
In order to liberate himself and his mother Vinata from the snakes’ servitude, Garuda needs Amrit from the gods. He enquired from his mother how he can obtain the Amrit. Vineeta said that You’ll need to travel to the kingdom of Indra, the king of the gods, and retrieve it.
The gods engaged in a violent battle when they learned that Garuda was going to steal the Amrit from them, but Garuda easily vanquished them. He then proceeded to the location where the Amrit was stored. The vessel housing the Amrit was engulfed in enormous flames.
To put out the fires, Garuda flew to the ocean and gulped down a lot of water. He spotted a large wheel with pointed spokes turning in front of the Amrit as he approached it. Garuda shrunk in size and swooped between the wheel’s spokes. Then he noticed two vicious beasts defending the ship.
He quickly flailed his wings, blinding the beasts by blowing dust into their eyes. He eventually approached the vessel and with his claws removed it. Garuda could have consumed the Amrit himself and attained immortality, but in order to set his mother free, he had to give it to the snakes.
Garuda’s act of selflessness moved Vishnu, who bestowed upon him the blessing that he would become immortal even without ingesting the Amrit. Vishnu commanded him to stop the snakes from consuming the Amrit. You can see many Copper Figurine Of Lakshmi Narasimha Seated On Garuda in India.
Garuda delivered the Amrit to the snakes, who immediately freed Vinata and Garuda from captivity. Garuda and Vishnu Garuda interrupted them just as they were ready to drink the Amrit and advised them to first clean themselves. The snakes agreed and then proceeded to groom themselves. Garuda had stolen the Amrit, and the gods were enraged and sought to stop him.
Garuda was attacked by Indra, which led to a conflict. Indra managed to escape with the Amrit despite Garuda smashing his thunderbolt. However, a few Amrit droplets landed on the ground and were lapped by snakes. Their tongues were burned and they were forked due to the Amrit’s extreme strength.
Snakes have forked tongues because of this. Vishnu, who was observing things from a distance, was impressed by Garuda’s fortitude and tenacity. He established him as the top bird. Garuda consented to serve as Vishnu’s horse in exchange, and the two have been traveling together ever since. In India, many temples are dedicated to Garuda and you can see many Copper Lakshmi-Vishnu on Garuda statues there.
Concise:
Garuda is the vahana of Lord Vishnu and the ruler of all birds. He had the body of a man and the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle. Garuda is also known as Khageshwara ( king of all birds). Garuda might even cover the sun because of his size and great power. Garuda could have consumed Amrit himself and attained immortality, but in order to set his mother free, he had to give it to the snakes. Garuda’s act of selflessness moved Vishnu, who bestowed upon him the blessing that he would become immortal even without ingesting the Amrit and make him his Vahana.
