Garuda

The Mahabharata tells Garuda’s origin. His mother Vinata was enslaved by her sister Kadru, the mother of the nagas (serpents), after losing a bet. Garuda, born from an egg that incubated for five hundred years, resolved to free his mother. The price the nagas demanded was the amrita, the nectar of immortality, held by the gods.

The Theft

Garuda flew to heaven, defeated the gods’ guards, and seized the amrita. Indra struck him with a thunderbolt. Garuda did not lose a single feather. Vishnu, impressed, offered him a boon. Garuda asked to be Vishnu’s mount forever and to be placed above Vishnu on his flagstaff. Vishnu agreed. Garuda delivered the amrita to the nagas but tricked them: he placed it on sharp grass and told them to purify themselves before drinking. While they bathed, Indra retrieved the nectar. The nagas licked the grass and split their tongues, which is why snakes have forked tongues.

The Enemy of Serpents

Garuda and the nagas are eternal enemies. The conflict is cosmic: sky versus earth, eagle versus serpent, the mount of the preserver versus the creatures of the underworld. In Southeast Asian art, Garuda is often depicted grasping nagas in his talons. The opposition is the same one that appears between Perun and Veles, Zeus and Typhon, Thor and Jormungandr: the sky power and the earth power locked in a conflict that sustains the world.

National Symbol

Garuda Pancasila is the national emblem of Indonesia. The Thai royal Garuda (Krut) appears on government buildings. The Cambodian royal coat of arms features Garuda. In each case, the divine eagle represents sovereignty, power, and legitimacy descending from heaven to the ruler.

Sources

• Mahabharata, Adi Parva: Garuda’s birth and theft of amrita
• Vishnu Purana: Garuda as Vishnu’s mount