Image Source: Vaartha Online Edition
When we say Garuda, we are referring to Lord Vishnu's vehicle. We see him in many places in Tirupati and other religious places. We all know that he is a great devotee of Vishnu. His story is great and very inspiring. Garuda is a great man who even battled with the gods for his mother.
There was a Maharshi(sage) called 'Kashyapa'. He is one of the Saptarishis. He has two wives. The name of the first wife is Vinatha and the name of the second wife is Kadruva. Vinatha has a very sensitive mind, but Kadru does not like Vinata. The only thing Kadruva does is blaming Vinatha for each and everything she does.
She holds a huge grudge on Vinata. Vinata has a son whose name is Garuda. Kadruva has a hundred snakes as her children.
One morning both of them went for a walk along the beach. They saw a white horse near the shore. Both of them looked at it and were amazed by its beauty. Vinatha told her sister (Kadruva) that the horse is a feast to watch & how beautiful it was. She compares it with the color of the milk and says "It looks like, as if the horse came right out after taking a bath in milk". To which Kadruva replies, "The horse is no beauty... its tail is pitch black". Vinatha wonders why her sister can't see the horse in the same way as she does. She tries to convince Kadruva that the horse is completely white. But Kadruva won't agree no matter what. "Let's call our sons and let them decide if the horse is white or black" said Kadruva. They both made a bet that whoever loses, she has to be the slave of the winner.
Immediately Kadruva called her hundred children. After saying the whole thing, some of the children said, "Mother, why are you bothering stepmother? We saw the horse mother, it is all white. what's wrong with you?". This made Kadruva angry and she cursed her own children that they will die in the "Sarpayagam". Some children were afraid and sided with their mother. The two snakes went and wrapped around that horse's tail to make it look black.
Kadruva took the Vinatha that very evening & in the dim lighting conditions of that evening the horse's tail appeared black. Vinatha admitted her defeat & she remained enslaved to Kadruva. Then Garuda came to his mother and said, "Mother, I will free you from this slavery. I just can't see you in this situation. I'm ready to beg her to free you!!".
Garuda went to Kadruva and said, "Mother!!, please free my mother from this slavery and in return, I will do whatever you want." Kadruva says that she wants the eternal Amrutham(a drink which makes anyone immortal) from heaven. "Bring it to me, and I will set your mother free." said Kadruva. Garuda flew at light speed to heaven to acquire the Amrutham.
On the way to heaven, Garuda thought of one thing that if all the snakes consume the eternal amrutham, they become immoral & he won't survive as he feeds on snakes. He got an idea and then flew to heaven. He then had a rigorous battle with Indra (the king of gods). He acquires the drink and goes home. Garuda calls his mother and says, "Mother, here is the elixir you asked for. Accept it and free my mother." Kadruva freed Vinatha from slavery. While Kadruva was taking the elixir, Garuda said, "Mother, this elixir is very sacred. It should not be placed on bare ground. I will place it on a table & you can drink it after taking a bath". Kadruva agrees and goes for a bath. While she's out taking a bath, Indra comes in and takes away the Amrutham.
On her return, Kadruva noticed all this and she's enraged. She curses Garuda saying "You wicked soul, How dare you give away my elixir to Indra while I was gone? You failed to bring the elixir to me, so your mother will still be a slave to me!" Garuda said, "Mother, I never fail to fulfill my word. You never mentioned that I should make you drink the elixir. Our deal was that I hand you over the elixir and that I did. The post actions won't concern me in any way". Garuda immediately took his mother and flew away.
We can understand a lot of things if we look at this story. For her selfish deeds, Kadruva asks her children to lie & curses those who say she is wrong. We do a lot of things for selfishness. We also sacrifice ourselves for that selfishness. What good is it to involve our friend and family in our selfish deeds.
Garuda was brave enough to confront the mighty gods for his mother. How good are we? What did we ever do for our mother? We often see people leaving their fathers on roads by refusing the debts that their father have. The way you behave with your parents comes back to you from your children. Please help your parents!! Set an example to your children.
One of the many stories comes to an end.
Thanks for reading.
-Bharata Samhitham.
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