Tiruchirupuliyur

It is said that Garuḍa and Ādisheshan were once mortal enemies, engaging in a fierce battle due to the injustice committed by Ādisheshan's mother against Garuḍa's mother. The story is as follows. Kadrū ( Ādisheshan's mother) and Vinatā ( Garuḍan's mother) were both wives of Kashyapa Maharshi. One day, Kashyapa Maharshi asked his wives to ask him for a boon each. Kadrū asked that she be blessed with a thousand sons. Vinatā asked for two sons who would be brighter and stronger than all of Kadrū's sons combined.

Thus, both Kadrū and Vinatā were blessed. Slowly, all of Kadrū's children were born. Five hundred years passed, but neither of Vinatā's eggs hatched into a thousand nagas (snakes). In desperation, Vinatā opened one of the eggs manually.

The offspring in the egg was still half-formed and, in anger at Vinatā's impatience, cursed her, saying she would become Kadrū's slave. But he also told her that in another five hundred years' time, his brother would hatch, and he would be extremely powerful, and he would relieve Vinatā of this curse. This offspring is known to us by the name of Arunan, the charioteer of Sūryan. Even though he was half-formed, he had extreme tolerance and power. Hence, he was taken by Sūryan as a charioteer. As time passed, the curse came into effect.

One day, Kadrū and Vinatā were arguing about the color of Uchchaihshravas' tail. Vinatā claimed that the divine horse was a pure white color throughout, but Kadrū said the horse's body was white, but the tail was black. Thus, the two had a bet to see who was right. The one who would lose the bet would become the other's slave. Kadrū knew very well that the tail of Uchchaihshravas was pure white, and knowing she would lose the bet, she told her sons to wrap themselves around the tail of Uchchaihshravas so that she could win the bet.

One day, in the presence of Kadrū and Vinatā, Uchchaihshravas passed by with a black tail. Thus, Kadrū won the bet, enslaving Vinatā. For five hundred years, Vinatā was a slave to Kadrū. After five hundred years, Vinatā's second egg hatched, and from that egg was born Garuḍan. As soon as he was born, he went straight to his aunt and demanded that his mother be freed from slavery.

To this, Kadrū put a condition, saying that if Garuḍan could bring the Amrutakalasham (the divine pitcher that contained the sacred nectar of immortality) for her and her children, she would release Vinatā from slavery. Thus, Garuḍan immediately left for Svargalokam and defeated all the Devas in battle, successfully retrieving the Amrutakalasham. After retrieving the Amrutakalasham, Garuḍan returned to Bhūlokam. On Bhūlokam, Lord Vishṇu was very impressed with Garuḍan for his strength and dedication. The Lord then offered Garuḍan a boon.

Garuḍan asked that he should always be soaring far above the Lord; thus, Garuḍan is present in the Dhvajasthambham outside the temple. The Lord also then told Garuḍan that he wanted Garuḍan to be constantly under his command, and thus asked Garuḍan to become his vaahanam. The Lord also relieved Vinatā from slavery and returned the Amrutakalasham to the Devas.

In one of the battles between Garuḍan and Ādisheshan, Ādisheshan is said to have hidden in the pushkariṇī and performed tapas to the Lord to save him. Thus, the Lord appeared on the bank of the pushkariṇī and made Ādisheshan his recliner. Hence, the Lord made sure that as long as He is present, both of His bhaktas do not fight amongst themselves.

It is said that if one prays to the Lord here, they will be relieved of all and any sarpa-dhosham.

Tirumangai Āzhwār – 10 Pāsurams