Sincere Thanks To:

1. Mannargudi [Link] Narayanan for compiling the source document as

well as providing the Sanskrit Texts and their English transliterations along
with proof reading this document.
[Link]

2. Nedumtheru [Link] Srinivasan for coordinating the effort for

providing images for this eBook

3. [Link] Kannan, [Link], [Link] Sowmianarayanan,

[Link] Sampathkumar of Chennai (Exclusive images of the 11
Garuda Sevai of ThirunAngur Divya Desams), [Link] Bhattar,
[Link], Sri. Diwakar Kannan and [Link]
Lakshminarasimhan (for exclusive Karnataka temples related images) for
generously providing the images to enrich this eBook

4. Smt. & [Link] Desikachari for eBook assembly.

 CONTENTS

Introduction 1

SlOkams and Commentaries 3

Paravyooha varNakam – SlOkams 1 to 8 5 - 30

amrtaaharaNa varNakam – SlOkams 9 to 25 31 - 64

naagadamana varNakam – SlOkams 26 to 35 65 - 82

Parishkaara varNakam – SlOkams 36 to 45 83 - 100

[Link]
adbhuta varNakam – SlOkams 46 to 50 101 - 111

SlOkam 51 – Description of Garuda’s glories 113 - 114

palaSruti – SlOkam 52 /nigamanam 115 - 116

Sri Garuda PancaaSat - Translation in Tamil as poems by 119 - 148

Sri Anbil Srinivasan Sowmianarayanan, New Delhi

Vaibhavam of Garuda BhagavAn By 149- 156

Oppliappan Koil Sri. V. SaThakopan

Garuda Ashtottaram by Oppliappan Koil Sri. V. SaThakopan 157 - 172

Appendix 1

Divya Desa Kaimkaryam 173

Appendix 2

Complete List of sundarasimham-ahobilavalli eBooks 177

[Link]

Thirunarayur Kalgaruda sevai - Thanks Sri Senthil

 . ïI>.

ïImte ingmaNtmhadeizkay nm>

INTRODUCTION

This work comprises of 50 slokas on Sri Garuda which were composed by Desika
on the command of Garuda who appeared in his dream. Desika was instructed
the hayagreevamanthra by Garuda who appeared in front of him when he
chanted the Garuda mantra.

[Link]
Garuda mantra has five letters and Desika has correspondingly divided this
stotra into five sections. They are:

paravyuha varNakam-(slokas 1 to 8): This describes the pararoopa, the supreme

manifestation of Garuda and that the sankarshaNa, the second of the five
vyuhas of the Lord, has Himself manifested as Garuda.

amrthaaharaNa varNakam- (slokas 9 to 25): This varnaka relates the episode of

carrying off nectar from devaloka by Garuda to free his mother from slavery.

naagadhamana varNakam-(slokas 26 to 35): This describes the method of

subduing the serpents.

parishkaara varNakam – (slokas36 to 45): This section is in praise of the

serpents which serve as the ornaments of Garuda.

adhbhutavarnakam-(slokas 46 to 50): This describes the wonderful deeds of

Garuda.

Desika concludes the stotra by saying that for those who chant these slokas

1
 there will not be any fear from poisonous creatures and they will be free from
illness and worries and their wishes will be fulfilled soon and they will become
glorious like Garuda himself.

It is said ‘daivam manushyaroopena’, and hence when Dr. Sadagopan asked me to

start writing on GarudapancaaSat, I took it as the divine command as everyone
of my works just happen by His will and not due to any desire of mine. So I
started on the Vijayadasami day (Sarvajit samvatsaram) and hope that the Lord
will shower His grace to make my effort fruitful. I also seek the good wishes of
all devotees to make this a success.

-[Link] Ramanujam M.A, Ph.D, Siromani in Sanskrit

[Link]

2
3
[Link]

Svami Desikan

ïIman! ve»qnawayR> kivtaikRkkesrI,

vedaNtacayRvyaeR me siÚxÄa< sdaùid.

SrImAn venkaTa nAthArya: kavitArkikakesarI |

vedAntAcAryavaryO me sannidhattAm sadAhrudi ||

4
 SlOkam 1

A¼e:vanNd muOy ïuitizor im¦Î{fk< g{fpUv¡

àageva_ySy ;q!su àitidzmn"< NySt zuÏaô bNxa>,

pi] VyTySt pi] iÖty muo puq àS)…qaedar tar<

mNÇ< gaéTmt< t< hutvh diyta zeor< zIlyam>. 1.

[Link]
angeshu Aananda mukhya Sruti Sikhara miLat-daNDakam gaNDapoorvam

prAgeva abhyasya shaTsu pratidiSam anagham nyasta SuddhAstra bandhA: |

pakshi vyatyasta pakshi dvitaya mukha puTa prasphuTodAra tAram

mantram gArutmatam tam hutavaha dayitA Sekharam SeelayAma: ||

Meaning

We practice the chanting of the garudamanthra with pranava, the main import
of all the Vedanta, as it is Brahman, the embodiment of bliss absolute, after
doing anganyasa, karanyasa and digbandha, and then start the japa. The word
pakshi or the reverse of it with praNava either in the beginning or after the
word, along with the name of the wife of agni, is the manthra which has garuda
as its invocatory deity.

This sloka describes the method of japa of Garudamanthra. First one starts
the sankalpa that he will do the japa on Garuda. This is indicated by daNDakam
gaNDdapoorvam, the word gaNDa indirectly denoting the name of Garuda, by

5
 referring to letters ‘ga’ and ‘da’.

Before starting the japa, praak eva, one should do anganyaasa by chanting, along
with the manthraakshara, the pranava which is the embodiment of Brahman, the
bliss absolute, aananda mukhya and the purport of all Upanishads, SrutiSikhara.
The Upanishads are referred to as the top of the Vedas, as the main purport of
the Vedas is Brahman, the main purport of the Upanishads, signified by the
pranava. Hence at the outset the pranava should be uttered when doing the
anganyasa and karanyasa and digbandha, shaTsu angeshu abhyasya pratidiSam
nyasta Suddha astrabandham. Then this mantra which is anagha, faultless,
should be chanted with the word pakshi in the regular order or in the reverse
with the praNava before or after the word ending with the name of the wife of
agni, which is svaha.
[Link]

Though the method of chanting is given here the manthra should be learnt from
an acharya only to become fruitful. This manthra has five letters and there are
four different methods of chanting it according to the instruction of the
acharya.

First is the praNava, then the word pakshi and then the word svaahaa.

Second is the same order but the word pakshi is said in reverse as kshipa.

Third is by saying the word pakshi first and then praNava and then svaahaa.

Fourth is the same order but the word pakshi is reversed as kshipa.

6
 [Link]

11 Garuda sevai - Sri Vaikunthanathar - ThirunAngur

7
[Link]

GarudArUdan - Kanchi

8
 SlOkam 2

ved> SvawaRixêFae bihrbihriÉVyi´m_yeit ySya<

isiÏ> sa<k;R[I sa pir[mit yya sapvgR iÇvgaR,

àa[Sy àa[mNy< ài[iht mnsae yÇ inxaRryiNt

àacI sa äüiv*a pirictghna patu gaéTmtI n>. 2.

veda: svArthAdhirooDha: bahi: abahi: abhi-vyaktim abhyeti yasyAm

siddhi: sAnkarshaNee sA pariNamati yayA sApavarga trivargA |

[Link]
praaNasya praaNam anyam praNihita manasa: yatra nirdhArayanti

prAcee sA brahmavidyA paricita gahanA pAtu gArutmatee na: ||

Meaning

The Garuda mantra manifests the Lord who shines in and out of Garuda, (inside
as the import of the Vedas of which Garuda is the personification and outside
as garudaarooda, seated on Garuda) and it gives all the purusharthas including
moksha, as Garuda is described as the amsa of Sankarshana. Those who become
engrossed in this manthra consider it as even above the life force, praaNa. This
mantra is quite ancient and difficult to comprehend even with successive
chanting. May that mantra protect us!

‘Vedaaatmaa vihageSvara:’, Garuda is the personification of Vedas, which has

been mentioned in the Veda itself. The symbolism of his being the vehicle of
Lord is that Vedas are the sole means of communication of the glory of the
Lord, as declared in the brahmasuthra, ‘Saastrayonitvaat’. Ramanuja explaining

this sootra says, Brahman is known only through Vedas. zaôyaeinTvat! -

SaastrayOni: = SaaAstram yasya yOnih; kAraNam pramaaNam; of whom the

9
 scriptures are the source of knowledge. tasya bhAvah Saastrayonotvam.
tasmAt=SaastrayonitvAt, therefore scripture is the proof of Brahman.

Thence it follows that the import of the Vedas is Brahman only. So Garuda as
the vedasvaroopa, shows the Lord, who is svArthAdhirooDha, who is riding on
the Vedas which are His vehicle as well as being the substance, svArtha of the
Vedas, bahih and abahih, in and out of himself.

Garuda is said to be the Sankarshana amsa of the Lord. Sankarshana stands for
jn~ana, knowledge and bala, strength. Garuda’s strength is well known and made
explicit in the later portion of the stotra. Being the vedasvaroopa he is also
jn~anasvaroopa. As such the attainment of all the four purusharthas is made
possible by the Garuda mantra.
[Link]

The wise who are established in Brahman consider Garuda mantra as the praNaa
or life force over and above the praNaa, the main life breath, as it pertains to
the Lord Himself who is the power behind the mantra.

The import of the mantra cannot be comprehended by chanting or learning the

meaning of the words because it denotes Garuda who is the Veda, the subject
matter of which is the Lord Himself whose real nature cannot be understood
except through His grace. The scripture says,

naymaTma àvcnen l_yae n mexya n bhuna ïuten,

ymevE; v&[ute ten l_yStSyE; AaTma ivv&[ute tnU< Svam!.

nAyam AtmA pravacanena labhya:

na medhayA na bahunA Srutena |

yamevaisha vrNutE tena labhya:

tasyaisha Atma vivrNutE tanoom svAm --(KaThopanishad 2-2-23)

10
It means that the Self cannot be obtained by instruction, nor by intellect, nor
by much hearing. Whomsoever the Self chooses to reveal itself by him only it is
obtained.

The same idea is stressed by KrishNa in the Gita by,

ɮya TvnNyya zKy Ahmev<ivxae=juRn,

}atu< Ôòu< c tÅven àveòu< c prNtp.

bhaktyA tvananyayA Sakya aham evamvidho arjuna |

jn~Atum drashTum ca tattvena praveshTum ca parantapa ||

--(Bhagavad Gita: 11-54)

[Link]
May such mantra protect us says Desika in this sloka!

11
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Thiru Semponarangan -ThirunAngUr

12
 SlOkam 3

neÇ< gayÇmUce iÇv&idit c izrae namxey< yjU<i;

DNda<Sy¼ain ix:{yaTmiÉrjin z)EivR¢hae vamdeVym!,

ySy StaemaTmnae=saE b&hidtrgét! ta†zaçatpuCD>

SvaCDN*< n> àsUta< ïuitzt izoraiÉòutaTma géTman!. 3.

netram gAyatramUce trivrut iti ca SirO nAmadheyam yajUmshi

chandAmsi angAni dhishNyAtmabhi: ajani Saphai: vigraho vAmadevyam |

[Link]
yasya stOmAtmana: asau brhat itara garut tAdrSaamnAta puccha:

svAcchandyam na: prasUtAm SrutiSata Sikhara abhishTutAtmAa garutmAn ||

Meaning

The self of Garuda is the stoma part of samaveda and his eyes are Gayathri
manthra. His head is the trivrth manthra. His name itself is the yajurveda. His
limbs are the Chandhas of the Vedas. The altar called dhishNya in front of
which certain rthviks, priests sit while conducting the sacrifice are the hoofs
of Garuda. The samans called vaamadevyam is his sareera and, brhath and
rathantara are his wings. The other called yajnaayajnyam is his tail. The Garuda
who is extolled by the Vedas as such may show us the way for freedom.

Garuda is termed as vedatma, embodiment of the Vedas and accordingly Desika

describes Garuda here as such. Of the four Vedas Sama is the most important
and the Lord says in Gita, ‘vedaanaam saamavedo asmi’ ([Link].10) the manthras
of rkveda are set to metrical hymns in saama and hence it is known as
saamagaana. The Aathma of Garuda is stoma part of the sama, stoma meaning
eulogism and denotes the hymns sung in praise and his name is said to be the
yajurveda, which deals with the ritualistic portion of the veda.

13
 The Gayathri manthra which is the most important of all and set in the Gaythri
metre is the eyes of the Garuda. Krishna says that he is the Gayathri among
the metres, ‘gaayathree Chandhasam aham’. It is said that Gayathri is the
mother of all metres, gayathree Chandhasaam maathaa, and the name Gayathri
itself is derived as gaayantham thraayathi ithi, that which protects one who
chants it. Hence it is described as the eyes of Garuda.

The saaman called brhat is of prime importance in samaveda as Krishna says

‘brhathsaama tathaa saamnaam’ in the Gita. So it is referred to as the wing of
Garuda and the other wing is the other manthra called rathandhra. Garuda
being such, is extolled by the Upanishads which are the crown of the Vedas,
SrutiSatha Sikhara abhishTuta, the implication here being that Garuda is non-
different from the Lord Himself, as made out in the previous sloka that he
[Link]

shines as the manifestation of the lord inside and outside.

Another saaman yajn~aayajn~eeyam forms his tail, the chandhas of the

samaveda are his limbs and dhishNya the platform forms his hoofs, which
means that he supports the whole yajn~a. His body is the saman called
vaamadevya.

The head of Garuda is the trvrtmantra and yajur veda is his name. The yajus is
a kind of manthra in which the number of letters and feet and the length of the
lines are not restricted. The word yajus denotes prose and hence referred to
as the name of Garuda. The thrvrth manthra refers to the Rk manthras which
are to be repeated thrice in the beginning and in the end. The mantras are
considered to be identical with Brahman and therefore they are said to form
the part of the body of Garuda.

14
 SlOkam 4

yae y< xÄe Svinó< vhnmip vr> SpizRtae yen ySmE

ySmad! ySyahvïIivRdxit Éjn< yÇ yÇeit sNt>,

àayae dev> s #Tw< hirgéf iÉdakiLptaraeh vah-

SvaÉaVy> SvaTmÉVy> àidztu zk…inäRü säüta< n>. 4.

yO yam dhatte svanishTham vahanam api vara: sparSitO yena yasmai

yasmAt yasya AhavaSrI: vidadhati bhajanam yatra yatreti santa: |

[Link]
prAyo deva: sa ittham hari garuDa bhidA kalpita Aroha vAha

svAbhAvya: sva Atma bhavya: pradiSatu Sakunir-brahma sabrahmatAm na: ||

Meaning

This sloka points out the identity of Garuda with the Lord.

Garuda who carries the Lord and who has given the boon to the Lord Himself to
be his vehicle and who acquires victory to the Lord in battles, and the Lord who
has Garuda as His banner, who has given the boon to Garuda to carry Him and
because of whom Garuda was victorious in his battles, both are worshipped as
one by the devotees. The Lord divides Himself into the carrier and carried and
may that Garuda, who manifests himself as the one who is sesha to Bhagavan,
show us the means of attaining Brahman.

Once when Garuda tried to carry the amrtha from heaven he was challenged by
the Lord Himself. The Lord appreciated the valour of Garuda and told him to
ask for a boon when Garuda said that the Lord Himself can ask for anything He
wished for and the Lord asked Garuda to become His vehicle and Garuda
agreed. This is what Desika refers to here as ‘vahanam api vara: sparSito yena

15
 yasmai,’ meaning, by whom, (Garuda,) the boon of being the vehicle was given to
whom, the Lord. This can also be construed to indicate the Lord Himself and
not Garuda who gave the boon, when read as, by whom, (the Lord), the boon of
being His vehicle was given to whom (Garuda).
[Link]

The Lord has Garuda as His banner

Garuda Padam - Thanks: [Link] Bhattar

16
Similarly the phrase ‘yo yam dhatte,’ can be taken to mean who (Garuda) carries
whom (the Lord) and also as who (the Lord) has whom (Garuda) as His banner.
The root ‘dhaa’ has the meaning ‘to carry’ or ‘to bear’ as well as ‘to hold up’. And
in the latter sense it may mean a flag.

Likewise, ‘yasmAt yasya AhavaSrI: vidadhati,’ has double denotation when the
words yasmAth and yasya are considered to mean Garuda and the Lord
respectively and vice versa, as it means ‘from whom the glory of battle comes
to whom’.

The idea is that the Lord and Garuda are the cause of glory to each other. The
reason for this is mentioned by Desika as ‘hari garuDabhidA kalpita’, that is, the
Lord Himself appears as both and this truth being known to the ardent
devotees they worship both Garuda and the Lord as one.

[Link]
This is a further elucidation of the idea in the second sloka, ‘bahi: abahi:
abhivyakti’. Garuda manifests the Lord Himself inside and outside.

Thus Garuda being non-different from the Lord, Desika says, ‘sa: deva: na:
brahma sabrahmatAm pradiSatu’. The first word brahma may be taken to mean
the veda and the second to denote Brahman. Thus construed it means that may
Garuda who is vedathma, embodiment of the Vedas show us the Brahman who is
the content of the Vedas. (the word brahma means yajna, veda and Brahman).
The word Sakuni means a kite, vulture or eagle, here meaning Garuda.

17
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Thiru Kannan Perumal - Thirukkavalampadi - ThirunAngur

18
 SlOkam 5

@kae iv:[aeiÖRtIyiSÇ ctur ividt< pÂv[IR rhSy<

;af!gu{y Smer sÝ Svr gitri[ma*ò s<pÚvaTma,

devae dvIRkrairdRz zt nynaraitsahöl]e

iv³IfTp] kaeiqivR"qytu Éy< vIt s<Oyaedyae n>. 5.

yEkO vishNo: dvitIya: tri catura viditam pancavarNee rahasyam

shaaDguNya smera sapta svara gati: aNimA Aadi yashTa sampat navAtmA |

[Link]
devO darvIkarAri: daSa Sata nayanArAti-sAhasra lakshe

vikreeDat pakshakoTi: vighaTayatu bhayam veeta sankhyOdayO na: ||

Meaning

In this sloka Desika describes the glory of Garuda by sankhyAtha, enumeration

mentioning the numbers on to ten, hundred, thousand and lakh and a crore, to
show that he is sankhyAvAn, learned. (the word sankhya means both number
and intellect.)

Garuda is yEka:, only one. He is vishnOh dviteeya:, the second manifestation of

vyuha form of Lord Vishnu, that is, SankarshaNa. Only three or four know. tri
catura viditam the secret meaning of his mantra which consists of five
syllables, pancavarNeerahasyam. He shines with the six guNas of bhagavan,
shADguNyasmera:, namely, jn~ana, knowledge, Sakti, power, bala, strength,
aisvarya, lordship, valour and, splendour.

He is the embodiment of Saamaveda which is the source of the seven svaras of

music, saptasvaragati:. He is endowed with the eight kinds of yogic powers,
known as the aNimAdhi siddhis.

19
 ‘aNimA na mahimA caiva laghimA garimA tathA

prApti prAkAmyam eesatvam vaSitvam ca ashTasiddhaya:’

They are:

aNimA- contracting the body,

mahimA- enlarging the body,

laghimA- lightening the body,

garimA - making it heavy,

prApti - acquiring the desired object,

[Link]

prAkAmyam- appearing wherever desired,

eeSatvam- lording over others,

vaSitvam- controlling others by will.

The magnificent form of Garuda appears new and fresh every time, navAtmA.
Thus the word nava, meaning nine is used in its alternative meaning of ‘new’. The
numbers ten and hundred and thousand are cleverly used in the same word by
daSaSatanayana arAtisAhasra, meaning, the thousands of the enemies of Indra
who has daSaSata nayana, 10x100, that is, thousand eyes. The words denoting
lakh and crore are skillfully used in their alternative meaning in describing
Garuda as having daSaSatasahasra arAti lakshe vikreeDat pakshakoTi. The
sharp tips of the wings, pakshakoTi, playfully makes the enemies of Indra as its
target, lakshe vikreeDat.

Garuda is veetasankhya udaya:, manifesting in innumerable forms to protect his

devotees. Thus the sankhyA or enumeration ends with the word veetasankhyA,
countless, after mentioning the numbers one to crore which is the illustration
of sankhAvattvam, the intellectual caliber of Desika.

20
May that Garuda destroy our fear, na: bhayam vighaTayatu, as he is, besides all
that have been mentioned, also darveekara ari:, enemy of snakes. The snake is
called darveekara, the word darvee meaning the expanded hood of a snake and
darveekara is derived as darvee eva kara: yasya, the hood of the serpent is his
hand.

[Link]

21
[Link]

11 Garuda sevai - Thiru Pallikonda Perumal - ThirunAngur

22
 SlOkam 6

sTya*E> saTvtaid àiwt mihmiÉ> pÂiÉVyRUhÉedE>

pÂaiÉOyae inéNxn! Évgr¦Év< àai[na< pÂÉavm!,

àa[apanaid Éedat! àittnu métae dEvt< p v&Äe>

pÂaTma pÂxa=saE pué; %pin;d!xaeei;tStae;yeÚ>. 6.

satyAdyai: sAtvatAdi prathita mahimabhi: pancabhi: vyUha bhedai:

pancAbhikhyo nirundhan bhavagaraLa bhavam prANinAm panca bhAvam |

[Link]
praaNaapAnAdi bhedAt pratitanu maruta: daivatam panca vrutte:

pancAtmA pancadhA asau purusha upanishad ghoshita: tOshaye na: ||

Meaning

May Garuda who is renowned for his five-fold forms, names and actions as
acclaimed in the Vedas and in the pAncharAtra Agama, make us happy. He has
five names Sathya etc., proclaimed by the Paancharaathra sasthra,
corresponding to his vyuhas or five powers. He destroys the poison of samsara
for all beings and frees them from death. He is the fivefold devatha controlling
the five vital airs in every body, functioning in five-fold manner. This is
affirmed by the Upanishads also.

The pAncharAtra agama, which is the most sacred scripture next to vedas for
vaishnavites, due its being spoken by Lord Narayana Himself, contains many
books called samhithas out of which sAthvatha, poushkara and jayAkhya
samhithas are most sacred.

This sloka refers to the Lord also as He has the five forms, parathva, vyUha,
vibhava, archa and antharyami and is referred to as sathyam, jn~anam,

23
 Anandam, Sivam and Sundaram in the Upanishads and Paancharaathra. He is the
controller of the vital airs and destroys the evils of samsara. Thus the identity
of Garuda with the Lord is emphasized.

The five names of Garuda are: sathya, suparNa, Garuda, thArkshya and
vihageSvara. In pAncharAthra these five names and the forms that represent
the five-fold powers are described.

The five vital airs are: praaNa, apAna, udhAna, vyAna and samAna,
which discharge the functions of breathing, excretion, etc.
[Link]

24
 SlOkam 7

ið:yÑaegINÔÉaege ïuitinkr inxaE mUitRÉede SvkIye

v[RVy´IivRicÇa> pirklyit yae vKÇbahUépadE>,

àa[> svRSy jNtae> àkiqtprmäüÉav> s #Tw<

¬ez< iDNdn! ogez> spid ivpid n> siÚix> siÚxÄam!. 7.

Slishyat bhogIndra bhoge Sruti nikara nidhau mUrtibhede svakIye

varNa vyaktI: vicitrA: parikalayati ya: vaktra bAhUrupAdai: |

[Link]
praaNa: sarvasya jantO: prakaTita parama brahmabhAva: sa ittham

kleSam chindan khageSa: sapadi vipadi na: sannidhi: sannidhattAm ||

Meaning

May Garuda, who displays his manifestation as Brahman, who wears the
serpents close to his body, which personifies the Vedas, whose face, arms,
thighs and feet show different colours, who is the life force for all beings and
treasure for the good souls, arrive near us at once when we are in trouble in
order to remove our suffering.

This sloka, like the slokas 4 and 6 denote both Garuda and the Lord by use of
pun on the words.

The word used to denote Garuda is khageSa, the Lord of the birds (khaga). The
Lord is also khageSa being the master of Garuda, the khaga.

The Lord is the life force, prANa: of all beings, sarvajanthu, as without Him
they cannot live.

prakaTita brahmabhAva, refers to Garuda as he is identical with Brahman, the

25
 Lord who Himself is Brahman and hence prakaTita brahamabhAva.
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Thiru Parthasarathy - Thirupartthanpalli

26
The line varNavyaktIrvicitrA: parikalayati yO vaktra bAhUrupAdaih, means
with reference to Garuda that he displays variegated colours, varnavyaktI:
vicitrA:, through his face, arms, thighs and feet.

Referring to the Lord, the word varNa is taken to mean the four varNas of
brahma, kshathriya, vaiSya and Sudra who are said to be born from the head,
arms, thighs and feet respectively. (vide. Purushasuktha)

The Lord is the real purport of the Vedas and hence He is the nidhi, treasure
to be found in the Vedas, Srutinikara.

Finally the epithet Slishyat bhogIndra bhoge, which means that serpents are
found clinging to the body of Garuda applies to the lord when construed to
mean that He is in close contact with the bhogIndra, the king of serpents,

[Link]
AdhiSesha.

Thus the prayer that Garuda should come quickly when we are in trouble and
remove our suffering is made to the Lord Himself that He should speedily come
mounted on Garuda as He did to save Gajendhra, when He hurried with Garuda
hastening behind.

27
[Link]

Thirupathi Garuda Sevai - Thanks:[Link] Kannan

28
 SlOkam 8

A¢e itón! %d¢ae mi[muk…r #vanNy †òemRurare>

payaNmaya Éuj¼I iv;m iv; Éyad! gaFmSman! géTman!,

]u_yT]IraiBx pawSshÉv gr¦ SpzRz»I s z»e

Daya< xÄe ydIya< ùid hir ùdyaraeh xNyae m[INÔ>. 8.

agre tishThan udagra: maNimukura iva ananya drshTe: murAre:

pAyAn mAyA bhujanNgI vishama visha bhayAt gADham asmAn garutmAn |

[Link]
kshubhyat shIrAbdhi pAtha: sahabhava garaLa sparSa SankI sa Sanke

chAyAm dhatte yadIyAm hrdi hari hrdaya Aroha dhanyO maNeendra: ||

Meaning

To the Lord who looks at His dependents with steady gaze to grace them,
Garuda standing in front of Him serves as the mirror for Him. The reflection of
Garuda falls on the Kousthubha gem in the chest of the Lord and it appears as
though Kousthubha desired to purify itself from the contamination with the
halahala being born from the same source, that is, the milky ocean. May such
Garuda protect us from the poison of sense indulgence!

Garuda is standing in front of the Lord, agre tishThan, ready to serve him and
The Lord is looking at Garuda pleased with his devotion. When the devotee
acquires the sesha-bhava the Lord directs His full loving gaze at the devotee
who belongs to Him and to none else. This is indicated by the word
ananyadhrshTi.

Garuda is said to serve as a mirror to the Lord because he is identical with the
Lord as made out in the earlier slokas. As such Garuda reflects not only the

29
 rupa, form, but also the svarupa of the Lord, that is, the infinitely auspicious
qualities, ananthakalyanagunas.

Garuda is reflected, chAyAm dhatte, in the Kousthubha, the gem worn by the
Lord on his chest. Kousthubha came out of the milky ocean and it appears as
though the gem wishes to purify itself by reflecting Garuda who is the
vedathma. Desika says he thinks that the gem is fearful of being contaminated
with the poison of halahala which also came out during the churning of the
ocean. The poison, Desika says, was the sahabhava, sibling of Kousthubha and
the latter doubts its own purity because of the connection even after acquiring
the good fortune of finding its place on the chest of the Lord. May be
Kousthubha wishes to be blemishless being associated with the Lord who is
heyagunaprathyaneeka, free from all blemishes.
[Link]

We are also affected by the poison of vishayaanubhava, sense indulgence which

is even stronger than halahala because the former may end this life but the
latter will follow you in next life also. So Desika prays that Garuda, who is
sought after even by the divine gem kousthubha for purification from poisonous
contamination, to protect us from the poison of vishayaanubhava.

30
 SlOkam 9

AahtaRr< suxaya Êrixgm mhac³ ÊgRiSwtaya>

jetar< v¿pa[e> sh ivbux g[Erahve bahuvegat!,

iv:[aE s<àIyma[e vrivinmytae ivñ ivOyat kIit¡

dev< ya=sUt sa=saE idztu ÉgvtI zmR da]ay[I n>. 9.

[Link]
AhartAram sudhAyA duradhigama mahAcakra durgasthitAyA:

jetAram vajrapANe: saha vibudha gaNai: Ahave bAhu vegAt |

vishNau samprIyamANe varavinimayato viSva vikhyAta keertim

devam yA asUta sA asau diSatu bhagavatI Sarma dAkshayaNee na: ||

Meaning

May the daughter of Daksha, who gave birth to the one who, while bringing the
nectar from the inaccessible fort protected by the wheel, fought and won the
devas including Indra wielding vajrayudha, and who acquired renown in the world
by pleasing the Lord nArAyaNa and exchanged the boon with Him, give us
comfort.

In this sloka, Desika invokes Vinatha the mother of Garuda. Starting from this
till the 25th sloka, we have the description of the exploits of Garuda in bringing
the nectar from the celestial capital to free his mother.

31
 Vinatha is the mother of Garuda and Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun. She was
enslaved by Kathru another wife of her husband, sage Kasyapa, one of the
prajapathis, who was entrusted with the work of procreation and had many
wives through whom almost all beings including the devas and asuras came into
being. Kathru was the mother of serpents. Once when both of them were
bathing in the river they saw the celestial horse, Ucchaisravas flying in the air
and Kathru entered into a wager with Vinatha that the tail of Ucchaisravas
contains black colour. When Vinatha said it was all white Kathru said that if it is
proved otherwise Vinatha has to become her slave. Kathru won by deceit as her
children the nagAs went and circled the tail of Ucchaisravas to make it look
black.

When Vinatha was in bondage Garuda wanted to know whether he could free
[Link]

her by any means and was told that by bringing the nectar from the heaven he
could buy her back. This is the reason for Garuda to go to devaloka to seize
nectar and fight with the devas in consequence. Garuda brought the nectar but
the serpents did not have a chance to drink it as Garuda played a trick on them
and Indra carried it back before they could taste it. Garuda gave them the
vessel containing nectar and Vinatha was freed. Indra by agreement followed
close on heels and was waiting and when Garuda told the serpents to go and
take bath Indra stole it and took it back to devaloka. The serpents are
supposed to have licked the darba grass on which the amrtha was spilt and
hence got split tongue. This was the cause of enmity between the serpents and
Garuda.

The fight between Garuda and his becoming the vehicle of the Lord as a
consequence are related in detail in the slokas that follow.

32
 [Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Sri Madhava Perumal - thirunangur

33
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Thirunangur

34
 SlOkam 10

ivÇasad! vIithaeÇ< àwmmixgtEriNtke mNdxaça

ÉUyStenEv sax¡ Éy Ér tr¦EvRiNdtae devb&NdE>,

kLpaNt ]aeÉ d]< kwmip k«pya s<i]pn! xam c{f<

iÉÅva={f< inijRhanae ÉvÉyimh n> o{fyTv{fjeNÔ>. 10.

vitrAsAt vItihotram prathamam adhigatai: antike mandadhAmnA

bhUya: tenaiva sArdham bhaya bhara taraLai: vandito deva brndai: |

[Link]
kalpAnta kshobha daksham kathamapi krpayA samkshipan dhAma caNDam

bhittvA aNDam nirjihAna: bhavabhayamiha na: khaNDayat aNDajendra: ||

Meaning

May Garuda, the lord of birds remove the fear of samsara for us, whom Devas
prayed to, being frightened at his brilliance when he broke open the egg and
emerged in full form, they, first approaching the fire and finding that his
lustre was diminished by that of Garuda and then went to Garuda himself along
with agni, and who has reduced his luminescence to please them.

When Garuda came out of the egg his brilliance was unbearable when he flew in
the heavens above and the Devas became frightened. They first thought that it
was the fire god who is emitting such light and approached him only to find that
his light was much reduced due to the brilliance of that of Garuda. Then they
went to Garuda and prayed to him to reduce his luminescence and he obliged.
Desika says that may such Garuda remove our fear too as he did for the Devas,
the fear of samsara.

35
[Link]

11 garuda Sevai - Sri Varadaraja Perumal - ThirumaNikoodam

36
 SlOkam 11

]u{[ ]ae[Ixrai[ ]uiÉt cturkUpar itMyÌéiNt

Çuq(Äarasrai[ Swpuiqt ivbux Swankain i]peyu>,

pata¦ äüm saExavix iviht muxa==vtRnaNySmdait¡

äüa{fSyaNtra¦e b&hit ogpterÉRk ³Iiftain. 11.

kshuNNa kshoNee dharANi kshubhita catu:akUpAra timyat garunti

truTyat tArA saraaNi sthapuTita vibudha-sthAnakAni kshipeyu:|

[Link]
paataaLa brahma saudhAvadhi vihita mudhA AvartanAni asmat Artim

brahmaaNDasyAntaraaLe brhati khagapate: arbhaka kreeDitAni ||

Meaning

May our sufferings be overthrown by (contemplating on) the childhood exploits

of Garuda, who when roaming around between the netherworld and the world of
Brahma, shredded the mountains by his speed, agitated the seas which wetted
his wings, broke the stars into pieces and the mansions of the devas were
displaced and became uneven. These were the playful acts of Garuda in the
region of the cosmos.

Garuda was flying all over the universe, brahmaaNDasya antaraaLe, just for
fun, mudhA, while he was a fledgling, traversing the space between the
netherworld and the world of Brahma, paataaLa brahma saudhAvadhi. The
force of his flying reduced the mountains into shreds, kshuNNa kshonee
dharANi, the four oceans, catu: akUpAra, were agitated when he dipped his
wings in them, timyat garunti. The stars were broken into pieces, trutTyat tArA
saraaNi and the mansions of the devas experienced an upheaval and were
displaced, sthapuTita vibudha sthAnakAni. Desika says that may such childhood

37
 exploits, arbhaka kreeDitAni of Garuda, khagapati exploits uproot our troubles
also.
[Link]

Thiruevvul - SrI Veeraraghavaperumal - Garuda Vahanam

38
 SlOkam 12

s<ivCDô< idzNTya sh ivjy cmUraiz;> àe;yNTya

s<b×NTya tnuÇ< sucirtmzn< pŠ[< inidRzNTya,

@nae=SmÖEnteyae nudtu ivntya K¤Ý r]aivze;>

kÔU s<ket daSy ]p[ p[ suxa l] ÉE]< ij"&]u>. 12.

samvit Sastram diSantyA saha vijaya camoo:AShisha: preshayantyA

sambadhnantyA tanutram sucaritamaSanam pakkaNam nirdiSantyA |

[Link]
yEno asmat vainateyo nudatu vinatayA klupta rakshA viSesha:

kadrU sanketa dAsya kshapaNa paNa sudhA laksha bhaiksham jighrkshu: ||

Meaning

May our sins be destroyed by Garuda who, wanted to get the nectar as the
biksha in order to free Vinatha, his mother from the slavery to Kadru due to
her commitment and who got from his mother, wisdom as his weapon, her
blessings as his army, righteous conduct as his armour and sowed as his food
the huts of hunters who were wicked.

When Garuda set out to get the nectar, as it is the custom when sending the
warrior to battle, he was given the weapon, armour and army to assist and also
to give him food. Vinatha instructed him with jn~ana which was the best
weapon, samvit Sastram and her blessings were his army, ASisha: vijaya camoo:
to help him in the battle. The good conduct in fighting a righteous war was his
armour provided by her advice, sucaritam tanutram and she showed him a
habitation of hunters, pakkaNa for his food as they were wicked and to be
destroyed.

39
 dAsya kshapaNa paNa means the price to be paid for freedom from slavery for
which Kadru asked nectar to be brought.
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - ThirunAngur

40
 SlOkam 13

iv]epE> p]tIna< AinÉ&t gitiÉvaRidt VyaemtUyR>

vacalaMÉaeix vIcIvly ivrictalaek zBdanubNx>,

idŠNya kIyRma[ ]rÊfu inkr Vyaj lajaiÉ;ek>

nakaeNmaway gCDn! nrkmip s me naghNta inhNtu. 13.

vikshepai: pakshateenAm anibhrta gatibhi:vAdita vyomatoorya:

vAcAlAmbhodhi veeceevalaya viracita Aloka SabdAnubandha: |

[Link]
dikkanyA keeryamaaNa ksharat uDu nikara vyAaja lAjAbhisheka:

nAkonmAthAya gacchan narakamapi sa me nAgahantA nihantu ||

Meaning

May the Garuda, the enemy of the serpents, for whom, advancing for the battle
with the devas, his own wings blew the trumpet with their incessant flapping,
the sea with its circle of waves sounded as though it was wishing him victory,
the stars thrown by the maidens of directions were like the auspicious rice
particles showered on him, remove the fear of hell for us.

Normally when a prince goes to battle, there will be trumpets, mangalavadhya,

sounding and the people around will hail him to be victorious and the damsels
will throw the auspicious rice flakes on him. Here for Garuda his incessant
flapping of wings when he flew to the heavens sounded like the trumpets in the
sky, vAdita vyoma tooryah. The sea, ambhodhi, with its ever sounding waves,
vAcAlan veeceevalaya hailed him, viracita Aloka, sabda as though saying ‘victory
to thee’. The stars appearing in the sky, uDunikara, looked as though
the directions like maidens are throwing the laajaa grains, dikkanyA
keeryamaaNa lAjabhisheka, on him.

41
 Desika uses the epithet, nAga hanta to denote Garuda, meaning, the killer of
serpents. nAkonmAthAya gacchan- means one who is going to devaloka, nAka to
crush it, unmAtha.
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Sri Purushottama Perumal - Thirunangur

42
 SlOkam 14

\]a] ]ep d]ae imihr ihmkraeÄa¦ ta¦aiÉ"atI

velava> kei¦ laelae ivivx "n"qa kNÊka"at zIl>,

payaÚ> patke_y> ptg k…lpte> p]iv]ep jat>

vat> pata¦ lehapqh pqurvarMÉ s<rMÉ xIr>. 14.

rkshAksha kshepa daksho mihira himakara uttaaLa taaLaabhighAtee

velAvA: keLi lolo vividha ghanaghaTaa kandukAghAta Seela: |

[Link]
pAyAt na: pAtakebhya: pataga kulapate: pakshavikshepa jAta:

vAta: paataaLa lehApaTaha paTurava Arambha samrambha dheera: ||

Meaning

May the wind, arising out of the flapping of wings of Garuda, which played with
the stars as though they are dice, beat time with the Sun and the Moon as with
cymbals, intent on water-sport in the sea, threw the clouds like balls and
sounded like a great drum called paTaha in the pAthALa, sweep away our sins.

The alliteration which is found in most of the works of Desika is evident in this
sloka.

rkshAksha kshepa daksha- the word used for star is rksha which is in keeping
with the words aksha, dice, kshepa, throwing and daksha, skill. Similar is the
alliteration in the lines that follow.

The force of the flapping of wings of Garuda, pataga pate: pakshavikshepa,

flung the stars here and there which looked as though he is playing with them
using them as dice. It displaced Sun and the moon bringing them together as

43
 though Garuda was beating time with them using them as cymbals, mihira
himakara uttaaLa taaLbhighAtee. The word mihira manes the Sun and himakara
is the moon.

When he went near the sea the movement of his wings agitates the sea as
though he was having water-sport in the sea. When he was flying in the sky the
force of the wind from his wings tossed the mass of the clouds, ghanaghaTaa
as though he was playing balls, kandukAghAta SeelA, with them. The sound of
the flapping the wings reached as far as the nether world and sounded like the
big drum, paTaha. Desika says, let the great wings of Garuda sweep our sins
away.
[Link]

44
 SlOkam 15

ik< in"aRt> ikmkR> pirptit idv> ik< simÏae=ymaEvR>

ik<iSvt! katRSvraiÔnRnu ividtimd< VyaemvTmaR géTman!,

AasIdTyaijhI;RTyiÉptit hrTyiÄ ha tat ha=Mbeit

Aalapae*u´ iÉ‘ak…l jQr puq> patu n> piÇnaw>. 15.

kim nirghAta: kim arka: paripatati diva: kim samiddha: ayam ourva:

kimsvit kArtasvarAdri: nanu viditamidam vyOmavartmA garutmAn |

[Link]
Aaseedati Ajiheershati abhipatati harati atti hA tAta hA amba iti

AlApa udyukta bhillAkula jaThara puTa: paatu na: patrinAtha: ||

Meaning

May Garuda, whose stomach as filled with the hunter tribe who were shouting
when he was seen flying towards them from the sky and picked them up and
devoured them, who was first suspected as either the thunder, or the Sun or
the fire from the sea or the golden mount Meru and then seen as Garuda,
protect us.

The Garuda flew from the sky to the habitation of the hunters, they
first feared that it was the thunder, nirghAta, then thought it was the Sun,
arka, falling from the sky, or the fire rising from the sea, samiddha: ayam
ourvah and coming towards them, or the mount Meru which is golden,
kArtasvarAdri.

Then they saw that it was Garuda and found that he was coming towards them
to pick them and devour them and shouted, “he is coming near, Aseedati, he
wants to pick us, Aajiheershati, he falls on us and harati carries us off, and

45
 eats our people, atti, Oh! mother! Oh! father!”, etc.
[Link]

11 Garuda Sevai - Thirunangur

46
 Slokam 16

Aas&KVyaÝErs&iGÉÊRépzm t&;a zatnI zatd<ò+a-

kaeiq laeqTkraeqI ivkq kqkqarav "aeravtara,

iÉN*at! sax¡ pui¦N*a spid pirùt äüka ijügare>

%Öe‘iÑ‘p‘I ingr[ kr[a par[a kar[a< n>. 16.

AasrkvyAptai: asrgbhi: durupaSama trshA Saatanee Saata damshTrA

koTi loTat karoTee vikaTa kaTakaTa AarAva ghorAvatArA |

[Link]
bhindyAt sArdham puLindyA sapadi parihrta brahmakA jihmagAre:

udvEllat bhilla pallee nigaraNa karaNaa pAraNaa kAraNaam na: ||

Meaning

May Garuda, the enemy of the serpents, whose terrible breakfast consisted of
swallowing the slum of the hunters, whose skulls being broken by his canine
teeth sounded ‘kaTakaTa’, his unquenchable thirst quenched buy their blood
spilled through his molars, and who spitted out the Brahmin along with his
huntress wife, cut off the cause of our suffering.

Garuda was swallowing the slum of the hunters who were rolling with fear,
udvEllat, and when he chewed them, their skulls being broken, loTat karoTee, by
his canine teeth, Saata damshTrA, there was a terrible sound of ‘kaTa kaTa’,
which was terrible. The thirst of Garuda could not be quenched by anything
else, durupaSama trshA, except the blood of the hunters which covered all his
teeth.

Among the hunters there was a Brahmin who lived with them because he
married a huntress and Garuda swallowed him also.

47
 [Link]

Garuda fighting the Serpents - artwork - devarayandurga- karnataka - thanks SrI Sridhar

48
But his mother had told him not to eat a Brahmin and when he asked her as to
the means of finding out whether one is a Brahmin, she told him that when his
mouth feels hot he should know that he had swallowed a Brahmin. Hence he as
able to make out the Brahmin and spitted him out. But the Brahmin refused to
come out with out his wife and Garuda spit them both out.

It is to be noted that Desika employs all hard consonants to create a scene of

horror. Even the word denoting Garuda is chosen accordingly as jihmaga ari,
enemy of serpents, jihmaga meaning a serpent because it moves in a crooked
manner.

[Link]

49
 SlOkam 17

SvCDNd SvigRb&Nd àwmtm mhaeTpat in"aRt "aer>

SvaNtXvaNt< inéNXyad! xut xri[ pyaeraizrazIiv;are>,

àTyu*iÑ‘p‘I Éq éixr sir‘ael k‘ael mala-

hala inveRz hela hlhl bhu¦ae h;R kaelahlae n>. 17.

svacchanda svargibrnda prathamatama mahA utpAta nirghAta ghora:

svAntadhvAntam nirundhyAt dhuta dharaNi payo-raaSi: aaSeevishAre: |

[Link]

pratyudyut bhilla pallee bhaTa rudhira sarit lola kallola mAlA-

hAlA nirveSa helA halahala bahuLo harsha kolAhalo na: ||

Meaning

May the shout of joy of Garuda, as though intoxicated as a result of drinking

the blood of the hunters which flowed like waves, and which was like the
thunder heralding the calamity that was going to befall to the hitherto
unrestricted movement of the devas, and resulted in a total upheaval for the
earth and the sea, destroy our inner darkness.

Garuda became excited as though with wine on drinking the blood of the
hunters that flowed in waves, rudhira sarit lola kallola mAlA and shouted with
joy. It tossed away the earth and the seas by its force, dhuta dharaNi
payoraaSi.

The devas were freely roaming around, svacchanda svargibrnda, without

having opposition of any sort, and the shout of Garuda was like terrible
thunder, nirghAta ghora and it portended unforeseen calamity, prathamatama
mahA utpAta for them because Garuda was getting ready to attack the devas.

50
This sloka also abounds in alliterations, such as ‘svacchanda svargabrnda, lola
kallola mAlA, hAlA and helAhalahala bahuLa’, etc.

Desika uses the word ASeevisha ari, for Garuda meaning ‘the enemy of
serpents’, ASeevisha means a serpent, because it has visha, poison in ASee, its
fangs.

[Link]

51
 Slokam 18

saNÔ ³aexanubNxat! sris nomuoe padpe g{fzEle

tu{fa¢e k{QrNØe tdnu c jQre inivRze;< yuyuTsU,

AVyadSman! AÉVyadividt nor ïei[d<ò+aiÉ"ataE

jIv¢ah< g&hITva kmQ kriqnaE É]yn! pi]m‘>. 18.

sAndra krodhAnubandhAt sarasi nakhamukhe pAdape gaNDaSaile

tuNDaagre kaNTharandhre tadanu ca jaThare nirviSesham yuyutsU |

[Link]

avyAdasmAn abhavyAt avidita nakhara SreNi damshTrA abhighAtau

jeevagrAham grheetvA kamaTha karaTinau bhakshyan pakshi malla: ||

Meaning

May Garuda who ate the elephant and the tortoise alive, who were fighting with
excessive anger in the lake, at the tip of the nails, on the tree, on the rock, on
the tip of his beak, in the crevice of his neck, and inside of his stomach,
oblivious of the attack from his nails and teeth, protect us from ill-fortune.

There were two hermit- brothers, Vibhaavasu and Supradheeka who were cross
with each other on account of some property and they cursed each other: one
to become an elephant and the other a tortoise. Even in the next birth their
anger did not subside, sAndra krodhAnubandha, and the elephant and the
tortoise were fighting. The hunger of Garuda not being appeased even after
eating the whole slum of hunters he asked his father, Kasyapa who told him to
eat the elephant, karaTi, and the tortoise, kamaTa. Thereupon he carried them
both to a lake, saras, where they continued to fight. He then transferred them
to a tree by placing them between his nails, nakhamukha and then to a rock,
gaNDa Saila then to the tip of his beak, tuNDaagra and to the crevice in his

52
neck, kaNTha randhra and finally into his stomach, gather. The two were intent
on fighting with each other everywhere, nirviSesham yuyutsu:, unmindful of the
injury done to them by the nails and the teeth, avidita nakhara SreNi
damshTrAbhighAtau of Garuda.

May that Garuda protect us from abhavya, inauspicious circumstance, says

Desika, referring to Garuda as pakshimalla, meaning the mighty bird.

[Link]

53
 Slokam 19

ALp> kLpaNt lIla nqmk…q suxa sUit o{fae bhUna<

in>sarSTvÑujaÔernuÉvtu muxa mNwn< Tve; isNxu>,

raka cNÔStu rahae> Svimit kwyt> àeúy kÔUk…maran!

saNthaRs< ogeNÔ> spid ùtsuxSÇayta< AaytaÚ>. 19.

alpa: kalpAanta leelA naTamakuTa sudhA sooti khaNDo bahUnAm

nissArastvat bhujAdre: anubhavatu mudhA manthanam tvesha sindhu: |

[Link]

rAkaa candra: tu rAhO: svam iti kathayata: prekshya kadrU kumArAn

sAntarhAsam khagendra: sapadi hrta sudha: trAyatAm aayatAt na: ||

Meaning

May Garuda, who brought the nectar immediately while laughing inside at the
serpents who were saying that whether Garuda would get nectar from the
crescent moon on Siva's head, which is not enough for them, or from the ocean
which had been emptied of its content of nectar by churning it with his mighty
arms in vain or from the full moon, who is the possession of Rahu, protect us for
long.

Seeing Garuda preparing to bring nectar, the serpents, kadrukumArA: teased

him. They said that if he tries to bring it from the crescent moon on the head
of Siva, who dances at the end of kalpa, kalpAnta leelAa nata makuTa sudhA
sooti khaNDa, it is not enough for them who are many, bahUnAm because it is
small, alpa. If on the other hand he would try to churn the ocean, esha sindhu,
with his mountainous arms bhujAdri, it would be futile because the ocean is
devoid of nectar, nissArastvAt, which was already taken out from it.

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It is also not possible for him to get nectar from the full moon, rAkendhu,
because it is the right of Rahu, rAho: svam who would not allow that to be
taken. So they were making fun of Garuda pointing out the impossibility of
freeing his mother from slavery.

Garuda was laughing inwardly at their ignorance and brought the nectar while
they were conversing among themselves thus.

The moon is supposed to be made of nectar and hence called sudhamsu.

[Link]

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 SlOkam 20

Aarad_yuiTwtEravt< Aimt jvaedÂʽE>ïvSk<

jat]aeÉ< ivmWnn! idiz idiz idiv;ÖaihnIz< ][en,

æaMyn! sVyapsVy< sumhit im;it SvigRsaweR suxaw¡

àeeŒÚeÇ> iïy< n> àkqytu icr< p]van! mNwzEl>. 20.

aarAt abhyutthita airAvatam amita java udancat uccai:Sravaskam

jAtakshobham vimathnan diSi diSi divishat vAhineeSam kshaNena |

[Link]

bhrAmyan savyApasavyam sumahati mishati svargi sArthe sudhArtham

prenkhat netra: Sriyam na: prakaTayatu ciram pakshavAn manthaSaila: ||

Meaning

Garuda, who was like the Manthara mountain with wings, against whom
Airavatha and Ucchaisravas rose up, made Indra agitated with the tumult of
his movement left and right in every direction, rolling his eyes seeking nectar
while the devas were looking on, manifest prosperity for us for a long time.

In this sloka Garuda is compared to the Manthara Mountain with all the
adjectives used being appropriate for both.

Airavatha which arose from the ocean while the Manthara Mountain was being
churned, aarAt utthita airAavatam, also rose against Garuda. Uccai:Sravas rose
with great speed against Garuda as he emerged out of the ocean, amita java
udancat uccai:Sravaskam.

Garuda was flying left and right, savya apasavyam, in all directions, diSi diSi
bhrAmyan, and agitated jAta kshobham, Indra, divishat vAhineeSam, the

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master of the army of the devas. The word divishad means devas who reside in
the heaven, divi.

The Manthara Mountain was being churned, vimathnan, right and left and
agitated the ocean, vaahineeSa, who is also divishadeeSa, the Lord of Ganges,
who is referred to as divishad, residing in the heavens.

prenkhat netra, on the part of Garuda means rolling eyes and on the part of
Manthara denotes Vasuki, used as the churning rope, the word netra having the
meaning of the rope of a churning stick.

na: Sriyam prakTayatu Like the Manthara which caused the manifestation of
Sri, Goddess Lakshmi, may Garuda fetch Sri to us also.

[Link]

Thirupperai Nacchiyar

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 SlOkam 21

ASwane;u ¢ha[amainyt ivihtanNt v³aitcara>

ivñaepaix VyvSwa ivgm ivlui¦t àagvagaidÉeda>,

iÖÇa> suÇam É´ ¢h klh ivxav{fjeNÔSy c{fa>

p]aeT]epa ivp] ]p[ srÉsa> zmR me inimRmIrn!. 21.

asthAneshu grahaaNaam aniyata vihita ananta vakrAticArA:

viSvopAdhi vyavasthA vigama viluLita prAg avAgAdibhedA: |

[Link]

dvitrA: sutrAma bhakta graha kalaha vidhau aNDajendrasya caNDaa:

pakshotkshepA vipaksha kshapaNa sarabhasA: Sarma me nirmimeeran ||

Meaning

May the shaking of the feathers by Garuda, in the tumult that ensued in trying
to grab the food of Indra, that is, nectar, which made the movements of the
planets and the directions topsy-turvy, secure my well-being!

Garuda tried to grab, graha, the nectar which was the food, bhaktha of Indra,
sutrAma and devas, and in the battle, kalahavidhou that ensued Garuda shook
his wings in fury and two or three of his feathers fell, dvitrA: paksha
utkshepA: and the wind arose from that, vipaksha kshapaNa sarabhasa,
displaced the planets and they went astray from their usual movements of the
zodiac, grahaaNaam aniyata vakra aticArA:. The directions east and west
became unintelligible, viluLita prAg avAgAdibhedA: because of that since the
Sun and the Moon from whom the directions are understood were not at all
following their normal course.

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 SlOkam 22

tÄTàTyiwR saravix iviht m&;a rae; gNxae é;a=NxE>

@k> ³IfÚnekE> surpit suÉqEr]tae r]taÚ>,

ANyaeNyabÏ l]aphr[ ivihtamNd maTsyRtu¼E>

A¼Erev SvkIyErhmhimkya maintae vEntey>. 22.

tattat pratyarthi sArAvadhi vihita mrshA rosha gandho rushA andhai:

yEka: kreeDan anekai: surapati subhaTai: akshato rakshatAnna: |

[Link]
anyonyAbaddha lakshApaharaNa vihita amanda mAtsaryatungai:

angaireva svakeeyai: aham ahamikayA mAnito vainateya: ||

Meaning

May Garuda, who played with the fighting devas who were blind with fury,
pretending a little anger, combating with many of them yet unharmed, whose
limbs competed with each other in confiscating the nectar as though envious of
each other, protect us.

Garuda was playing with the devas, kreeDan, who were blind with anger,
rushAndhai:, confronting single-handed, yEka:, the devas who were many,
anekai:, showing anger, not real but assumed, now and then, vihita mrshA
roshagandhah. His limbs were competing with each other, aham ahamikayA, in
taking the nectar away, apaharaNa, as though they were envious of one another,
amanda mAtsarya, each one of them having nectar as their goal, anyonya
aabaddha laksha.

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