The Quest for the Amritam

Garuḍa's anger knew no bounds, and he vowed to free his mother. When he confronted Kadrū and the Nāgas, they set him a near-impossible condition: he must bring them the amritam, the nectar of immortality, jealously guarded by Indra and the Devas in Svarga. Only then would his mother be set free.

Undaunted, Garuḍa set out. But before he could reach Svarga, an overpowering hunger seized him. He sought the counsel of his father Kashyapa, who told him of a great lake where two mighty creatures were locked in endless struggle: a colossal elephant and a tortoise.

They were no ordinary animals, but two brothers under a curse, Vibhāvasu and Supratīka, born into a noble line. Greed and enmity had taken root in their hearts. Vibhāvasu accused Supratīka of coveting his wealth, while Supratīka claimed that Vibhāvasu had cheated him. Their quarrel grew so bitter that, in a fit of rage, they cursed each other into the forms of beasts: Vibhāvasu became a tortoise and Supratīka an elephant, and even in these forms they fought on without end.

Garuḍa seized both creatures in his mighty talons and flew off in search of a place to eat them. He alighted on a great tree, upon a massive branch, only to hear the wood crack beneath his weight. To his astonishment, he saw that the branch was the dwelling of the Vālakhilya rishis, tiny sages absorbed in deep tapas. Lest he crush them, Garuḍa caught the branch in his beak and flew on. Finding a secluded spot, he set the sages down gently on the ground, and only then did he eat the elephant and the tortoise and satisfy his hunger.

His strength now complete, Garuḍa soared towards Svarga, his mind fixed on his task. As he approached, Indra and the Devas stood ready for battle, but none could withstand him. He shattered their defences, evaded their celestial weapons, and overpowered even Indra's vajram. Unmatched in strength, he stormed the chamber of the amritam and seized the divine nectar.

As he rose again, he came face to face with Sriman Nārāyaṇa Himself, and Garuḍa was overwhelmed with devotion. He had just conquered Svarga, yet before the Lord he felt only surrender. The Supreme Lord, recognising Garuḍa's valour and righteousness, offered him a boon. Garuḍa asked only to serve at the Lord's feet forever. In return, Sriman Nārāyaṇa made Garuḍa His eternal vāhanam, the one who would bear Him across the three worlds.

One duty remained. Garuḍa returned to the Nāgas and set the amritam before them. But just as they were about to drink, Indra, at the Lord's direction, took the nectar back, and the Nāgas remained mortal. Their greed had led them to demand the amritam, but it was not theirs to receive.

His mission complete, Garuḍa had won his mother's freedom, and from that day he became inseparable from Sriman Nārāyaṇa, the very symbol of bhakti and dharma.