Garuda Gets Blessings of MahaVishnu and Ends Slavery of His Mother
When Garuda went to heaven, there was uneasiness in the denizens of heaven. Devaguru Brihaspathi said “Garuda is heading towards heaven to take the nectar. None can oppose him, yet it is your duty to protect it. Be prepared for the event”.
Garuda carried heavy dust that blinded the whole area, and none were able to see. He defeated Gods and proceeded towards heavily guarded nectar. Its outer peripheral was protected by fire. Garuda took the form of 100 faces, collected water from holy rivers, and extinguished the fire.
Going further, he saw lotus shaped iron rods with sharp spokes. Garuda reduced himself to a tiny size and passed through the blockage without getting himself hurt.
Further, two poisonous snakes with sharp eyes were protecting the nectar. Garuda threw dust on its eyes and killed them. He took the nectar and was flying when Maha Vishnu stopped him.
Maha Vishnu observed that Garuda had no intention to consume nectar, though he possessed it. He was carrying it solely to get rid of slavery of his mother. Hence, Maha Vishnu blessed him and asked to seek a boon.
Garuda desired to stay above Him (as a flagpost) on His chariot. He also sought to serve him forever. Mahavishnu was pleased and asked to serve as His vehicle. Garuda sought permission from MahaVishnu to feed on snakes and was agreed.
Garuda was confronted by Indra with his Vajrayuda. Garuda said, “ I respect Vajrayuda, made using bones of the revered Sage Dadichi. I respect you as the lord of 3 worlds”. Garuda politely went away.
Seeing Garuda’s immense strength, Indra asked his guru Brihaspathi,” What made Garuda so powerful as he dared to take away nectar from heaven?
Brihaspathi said, “Garuda has no desire to consume nectar. He is doing it to get rid of his mother’s slavery which is justifiable. He has not committed any errors.”
Indra proposed to befriend Garuda. Indra said “Sharing nectar with snakes is not beneficial to the world. Their reproduction is high and is harmful to the people”.
Garuda said, ‘I am aware of it, and I am doing it for a purpose. I will place the nectar before the snakes and you can find a suitable way to protect it. Indra agreed and followed Garuda incognito.
Nectar was placed on the divine Darba grass. Garuda said to snakes “ The Sun,The Moon, Varuna, Agni, and Prithvi are witnesses to the event”. The snakes were overwhelmed and agreed that slavery had ended for him and his mother, Vinata.
Garuda said “Nectar is divine. Purify yourselves by taking a bath and performing Japa before consuming it”. Snakes readily agreed and did as was told.
Meanwhile, Indra, who was witnessing the event, swiftly took nectar back to heaven. Snakes, on coming back, realized that they were tricked. They blamed themselves for their fate. The snakes licked on darba grass, and their tongue was split.
Why was Indra defeated by Garuda?
Once, Sage Kashyapa desired to perform Yaga and requested Indra to procure required materials from the forest. He also made a similar request to Vaikali sages. Because of their tiny structure, the sages were struggling to lift one single darba grass. Indra mocked them and said such work shouldn't have been assigned to them. The Sages were angry and cursed Indra that he would be defeated by none other than Garuda.
How could Maha Vishnu crush Garuda’s ego?
Garuda was egoistic as he was carrying Maha Vishnu. To crush his ego, Maha Vishnu asked him to lift His hand, but Garuda could not even move it.
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