There is a close relationship between mahAdeva and garuDa explained in shAstra.
garuDa is a leader of upAsakAs. mahAdeva is the greatest among upAsakAs (वैष्णवानां यथा शम्भु:). Therefore, he admires & worships garuDa. Here are a few snippets from shAstra+
garuDa is a leader of upAsakAs. mahAdeva is the greatest among upAsakAs (वैष्णवानां यथा शम्भु:). Therefore, he admires & worships garuDa. Here are a few snippets from shAstra+
The first is how bhagavAn praises rudra in the harivamSha for his bhakti to garuDa:
तीव्राय तीव्ररूपाय तीव्ररूपप्रियाय च+
तीव्राय तीव्ररूपाय तीव्ररूपप्रियाय च+
[bhagavAn: ViShApaharaNa mUrti who is very fierce in his meditation on garuDadhvaja while drinking the poison (तीव्र), who has the mark of the fierce poison on the neck (तीव्ररूप), who is fond of garuDa of fierce form (तीव्ररूपप्रिय).]+
Here, “तीव्ररूपप्रिय” means one who is dear to garuDa called “तीव्ररूप” or one who is fond of garuDa’s fierce form.
Why? It is because while swallowing hAla-hAla viSha, mahAdeva meditated on garuDa as mentioned in the atharva veda saMhita+
Why? It is because while swallowing hAla-hAla viSha, mahAdeva meditated on garuDa as mentioned in the atharva veda saMhita+
सुपर्णस् त्वा गरुत्मान् विष प्रथमम् आवयत् . नामीमदो नारूरुप उतास्मा अभवः पितुः (~ atharva veda 4.6.3)
[Poison! garuDa who is strong, suparNa of bright feathers, consumed you first before Rudra. You did not cause harm, did not burn like the sun, you became nourishment for him]+
[Poison! garuDa who is strong, suparNa of bright feathers, consumed you first before Rudra. You did not cause harm, did not burn like the sun, you became nourishment for him]+
This atharva veda mantra is addressed to abhimAni devata of viSha, or to viSha-sharIraka-paramAtma himself. There is the following upabrahmaNa for this:
अप्रकाशमिदं देवि गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं पदम् । पुराहम् अब्धिमथने पतगेन्द्र विषावहम् । अवध्यं गरलं घोरमञ्भुजम् अमृतंयथा ॥+
अप्रकाशमिदं देवि गुह्याद् गुह्यतरं पदम् । पुराहम् अब्धिमथने पतगेन्द्र विषावहम् । अवध्यं गरलं घोरमञ्भुजम् अमृतंयथा ॥+
[Devi, this is the secret of secrets. During samudra-mathana, garuDa, the King of Birds, conveyed the poison to me (ie, digested it for me). I was able to drink that terrible poison as if it was nectar being invulnerable to it]+
In some kalpAs, garuDa consumed the virulent portion of the poison. In others, mahAdeva drunk it while meditating on garuDa-dhvaja to remove potency+
Why is it a great secret? Because garuDa wanted mahAdeva to attain the name of nIlakaNTha. bhagavAn always wants his bhaktAs to gain glory, so do the nitya sUrIs like garuDa+
The Madhva tradition considers this to be vAyu deva. To each his own. No matter what the opinion, we attribute the glory to bhagavAn and his bhaktAs, which is what matters+
Anyway, because of this act, mahAdeva has a fondness for garuDa’s form of fierce strength (तीव्ररूपप्रिय). After all, strength is important for an upAsaka, and who is stronger than garuDa?
So, desiring this strength, he meditates on garuDa and emulates his features as follows+
So, desiring this strength, he meditates on garuDa and emulates his features as follows+
garuDa is ornamented by snakes. Acharyas say that since snakes are powerful, wearing them is a sign of great strength.
mahAdeva too, like garuDa wears snakes by the power of his upAsaNa and to emulate garuDa+
mahAdeva too, like garuDa wears snakes by the power of his upAsaNa and to emulate garuDa+
AdhytAmic meaning is that the snakes constitute duties in the Veda or worldly actions which have the “poison” of attachment.
But yogIs wear them, meaning, they perform those duties without attachment to fruits, signified by garuDa and rudra wearing the snakes without harm+
But yogIs wear them, meaning, they perform those duties without attachment to fruits, signified by garuDa and rudra wearing the snakes without harm+
Besides wearing snakes, garuDa also drinks human blood as per the pramANa,
ततः खगो वदनममित्रतापनः समाहरत्परिचपलो मत्बलाः । निषूदयन्बहुविधमत्स्यजीविनो बभुक्षितो गगनचरेश्वरस्तदा (~ Adi Parva, MB)+
ततः खगो वदनममित्रतापनः समाहरत्परिचपलो मत्बलाः । निषूदयन्बहुविधमत्स्यजीविनो बभुक्षितो गगनचरेश्वरस्तदा (~ Adi Parva, MB)+
[Then that bird, with a beak always stained with blood, the scorcher of his foes, who is moving about with great strength to take away his prey, ate the Nishadas, the fishermen]+
vedAnta desikan comments on this by saying, he cracked open their skulls and drank their blood. His beak is perpetually stained with the blood of his prey.
The Nishadas are called fishermen to show that just as they eat fish for living, garuDa eats them due to him being a bird+
The Nishadas are called fishermen to show that just as they eat fish for living, garuDa eats them due to him being a bird+
mahAdeva too drinks blood from human skulls. Just as garuDa’s act is not a dosha, neither is mahAdeva’s –he does it to make the bhUtAs trust and follow him, so that they do not do jIva-hiMsa.
As garuDa only drinks blood of sinners, mahAdeva only drinks blood to reform sinners+
As garuDa only drinks blood of sinners, mahAdeva only drinks blood to reform sinners+
There is also the fact that both garuDa and mahAdeva are amShAs of saMkarShaNa, delighting in j~nAna and bala. garuDa himself recognizes mahAdeva’s affection for him by pointing out the glories of kailAsa to his friend Galava in udyoga parva+
अत्र वै हिमवत्पृष्ठे नित्यमास्ते महेश्वरः । `प्रकृत्या पुरुषः सार्धं युगान्ताग्निसमप्रभः
[garuDa: maheshvara dwells on the peak of Himavat. He, the puruShAtmaka, is accompanied by umA, who performs excellent services, with a reddish effulgence of the fire of dissolution.]//
[garuDa: maheshvara dwells on the peak of Himavat. He, the puruShAtmaka, is accompanied by umA, who performs excellent services, with a reddish effulgence of the fire of dissolution.]//
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