Skandapurana 3.1.38
English (machine translation) 3.1.38
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3.1.38.1
The seers said:
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“O Sūta, how was Kadru freed by plunging into Kṣīrakuṇḍa?
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How did she, whose resolve was sinful, act deceitfully toward her co-wife?
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Whose daughter was that Kadru, and whose co-wife was she indeed?
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For what purpose did Kadru conquer her own co-wife through deceit?
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Tell this to us who are faithful, O Sūta, treasure-house of compassion!”
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Śrī Sūta said:
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“Hear, all you sages, the narrative that brings great fruit.
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In ancient times, in the Kṛtayuga, O brahmins, the two daughters of Prajāpati,
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Kadru and Vinatā, were sisters.
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They were the two wives of Kaśyapa, namely Kadru and Vinatā.
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Vinatā gave birth to two sons: Aruṇa and Garuḍa.
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And Kadru obtained from her husband many sons, the serpents,
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headed by Ananta and Vāsuki, endowed with poison and pride.
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Once, those two sisters, Kadru and Vinatā,
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saw Uccaiḥśravas approaching nearby.
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Having seen the horse, Kadru said this to Vinatā:
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‘Is the horse's tail white or black? Tell me the truth, O Vinatā!’”
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Having said this, O brahmins, Vinatā said this to Kadrū:
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“The horse's tail appears white to me, O woman of slender waist.
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Or what do you think, Kadrū?” Vinatā said to her.
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Having thus questioned Vinatā, Kadrū also spoke her own opinion:
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“I consider the tail of this horse to be black, O blameless one.”
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Then, having mutually made a wager of servitude upon defeat,
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those two fortunate co-wives stood firm [by it], O best of brahmins.
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Then Kadrū [spoke] to her sons, the serpents headed by Vāsuki:
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“Act in such a way, my sons, that I do not become her slave!”
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For the attainment of her desired goal, greatly agitated, she said:
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“The tail of Uccaiḥśravas must be covered by you.”
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The serpents did not accept her proposal; then Kadrū, in anger,
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enraged, burning, and faint with fury, cursed her sons:
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“You shall all surely die at the sacrificial session of the son of Parīkṣit!”
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When this curse was pronounced by their mother, Karkoṭaka was terrified then;
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bowing at Kadrū's feet, he spoke these words despondently:
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“I will make the tail of Uccaiḥśravas have the radiance of collyrium.
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Do not fear, mother!” he said, distraught over the curse.
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Then the serpent Karkoṭaka covered the white tail of Uccaiḥśravas
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with his own body and made it gleam like collyrium.
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Then Vinatā and Kadrū, both having made a wager on servitude,
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went with eager haste to see the horse of the king of gods.
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Passing over the ocean, the lord of rivers, the source of the moon, / the conch, ruby, pearl, and Airāvata,
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which is the couch of Hari at the dissolution of an age / when he adopts yogic sleep,
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Kadrū and Vinatā crossed over the ocean, the lord of rivers,
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and going there, they saw the horse, the mount of the king of gods.
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Seeing the horse with a black tail, Vinatā became distressed.
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Kadrū assigned the distressed Vinatā to the work of a slave.
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In the meantime, Tārkṣya, breaking open the egg like fire,
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appeared, O chiefs of brahmins, his body as large as a mountain.
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Seeing the majesty of his body, the three worlds became terrified.
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Then the gods praised Garuḍa, the best of birds.
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Thinking: “Seeing the majesty of this body, the three worlds would be terrified,”
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he withdrew his exceedingly terrifying form,
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placed Aruṇa on his back, and approached his mother.
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Then Kadrū said to Vinatā, who was bowed down and deeply distressed:
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“Slave woman, I intend to go to the abode of the serpents;
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let your son Garuḍa carry me and my sons!”
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Then Vinatā spoke to her son Garuḍa:
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“I shall carry this Kadrū; you carry the snakes, her sons.”
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“So be it,” Garuḍa agreed to his mother's word, O brahmins.
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Vinatā carried Kadrū, and Garuḍa carried all of them.
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Then the serpents, coming close to the sun, were struck by its rays.
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Kadrū praised the wielder of the thunderbolt to appease the burning heat of her sons.
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The king of gods quenched all their burning heat with downpours of water.
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Then the serpents being carried by the mighty Garuḍa,
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having soon reached that region, said to the son of Vinatā:
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“We are all eager to go and see another island;
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carry us there at once, Garuḍa, you son of a slave woman!”
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Then Garuḍa asked his mother Vinatā, O brahmins:
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“Why do I carry these, and why do you always carry her?
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Why do these crawling creatures call me ‘son of a slave woman’?
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Tell me all this in truth, mother, as I ask you.”
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Thus questioned by him, the mother spoke to her son Garuḍa:
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“By my cruel sister, my son, I was defeated through deceit.
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I am now her slave woman, and therefore you are the son of a slave woman.
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Therefore you carry the serpents, and I always carry her.”
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She related to him the whole account from the beginning.
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Then Garuḍa, the son of Vinatā, said to his mother:
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“What must I do now for the sake of your release from this servitude?”
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Thus questioned by her son, Vinatā then spoke to him:
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"Ask the serpents, Garuḍa, concerning my release from bondage:
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'Tell [me] now: what task must I perform for you, my mother's [masters]?'"
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Addressed in this way by his mother, Garuḍa went to the serpents
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and asked, O best of brahmins; they too then said to him:
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"When you quickly bring nectar from the abode of the immortals,
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then indeed, O Vainateya, shall your mother be freed today from bondage."
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Then, having returned to his mother, Garuḍa bowed and said:
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"O Mother, provide me food as I depart to bring the nectar."
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Thus spoken to, his mother Vinatā said to her son:
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"In the middle of the ocean there dwell some Śabaras, my son.
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Having devoured those Śabaras, bring the nectar here.
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There is a certain lustful twice-born there, eager for union with a Śabara woman.
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Release that brahmin, who will burn your throat with his brahminical splendor.
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May the gods, led by the Maruts, protect your wings and other limbs!"
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Strengthened thus by his mother's blessings, Garuḍa went forth.
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Approaching the home of the Śabaras, as he ate, into his open mouth
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the hunters entered, like birds into a mountain cavern.
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Then that brahmin also entered his throat, O best of sages.
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To that vipra who was burning his throat, the son of Vinatā said:
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"O vipra, even if sinful, you must not be killed; come out of here!"
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Thus addressed, the vipra then replied to Garuḍa:
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"My wife, a Kirāta woman, must also come out along with me."
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"So be it," the lord of birds said to that vipra.
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Then Garuḍa spat out the vipra together with his wife.
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The vipra too departed with the Niṣāda woman to regions of his choosing.
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Then, having devoured the Śabaras, Garuḍa, the best of birds,
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swiftly approached his father Kaśyapa.
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Asked by him, "Where are you going?", Garuḍa replied to him:
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"I have come to fetch the nectar to release my mother from bondage.
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Even after consuming many Kirātas, I feel no satisfaction.
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A boundless hunger afflicts me day and night, O holy one.
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Bestow on me food that will relieve it, O rich in austerity,
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so that I may be able, Father, to fetch the nectar with my strength."
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Addressed in this way, Kaśyapa spoke to his son born of Vinatā.
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Kaśyapa said:
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"Formerly there was a sage named Vibhāvasu; he had a younger brother,
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a brother named Supratīka. Both of them became bitter enemies over family property.
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Overcome with great fury, the two twice-born cursed each other:
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Supratīka became an elephant, and Vibhāvasu became a tortoise.
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Thus, due to a dispute over wealth, the two brothers cursed each other.
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The elephant is six yojanas in height and twice as long in length.
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The tortoise is three yojanas in height and ten yojanas in breadth.
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These two, having formed mutual enmity, [dwell] in this lake, O bird.
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Remembering their past enmity, they fight with the desire to conquer.
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Having devoured both of them, and being fully sated, fetch the nectar."
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Thus instructed by his father, the bird went to that elephant and tortoise.
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Lifting up those two of gigantic body and immense strength and prowess,
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carrying them in his talons, he approached the excellent sacred ford called Vilamba.
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Seeing the king of birds arrived there, O equals of the twice-born,
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a very tall, great tree growing on its bank, named Rohiṇa,
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said this to Vainateya of immense strength and prowess:
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"Alight on this branch of mine, a hundred yojanas long;
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perched here, devour the elephant and tortoise, O best of birds."
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Thus addressed by the tree, that bird swift as thought settled there.
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Under his weight, that branch of the tree broke, O best of brahmins.
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Seeing the Vālakhilya sages hanging head-downward on it,
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fearing they might fall, Garuḍa seized that branch.
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As he flew in the sky carrying the elephant, the tortoise, and that branch,
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his father spoke there to Garuḍa, the son of Vinatā.
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"O son of Vinatā, drop this branch on a deserted mountain."
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Thus addressed, he went and deposited the branch on an uninhabited mountain;
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then the bird devoured both the elephant and the tortoise.
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Now at that moment, an evil omen appeared in heaven.
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Seeing the portent, the enemy of Bala asked his own priest,
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again and again: "O Jīva, what is the cause of this portent here?"
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Then, O best of brahmins, Bṛhaspati spoke to Śakra:
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Bṛhaspati said:
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"Formerly, O Hari, the sage Kāśyapa performed a sacrificial rite;
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all the seers, gods, siddhas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and kinnaras
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he dispatched, O brahmins, to secure the sacrificial provisions.
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Seeing the Vālakhilyas, carrying their provisions, short [and] only thumb-sized,
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sinking in the water of a cow's footprint, you laughed.
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Insulted by you, the Vālakhilyas, enraged then, O Hari,
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offered oblations into the sacrificial fire, their faces blazing with anger:
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'May there be an enemy of the lord of the gods, causing fear to him, born as a son to Kaśyapa!'
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Today his son Garuḍa, eager to carry off the nectar,
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is approaching. Due to that, this portent has appeared."
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Thus addressed, Indra spoke to the gods headed by Agni:
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"A bird is coming to steal the nectar; let it be guarded!"
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Thus urged by Indra, the gods, bearing weapons, guarded the nectar.
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The king of birds then approached the gods who bore weapons;
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seeing Garuḍa of mighty strength, the gods indeed trembled.
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Then a great battle took place between Garuḍa and the gods;
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Bhauvana, the guardian of the nectar, was torn to pieces by the beak of the bird.
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Then the gods repeatedly struck Garuḍa with various weapons;
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exceedingly afflicted by the gods with weapons in their hands,
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Garuḍa hurled the gods headed by Agni far away with his two wings.
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Cast off by his wings, the gods then became exceedingly enraged,
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and discharged iron arrows, bhindipālas, and diverse weapons.
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Then, with swift speed, the son of Vinatā raised dust
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with his wings that obstructed the gods' sight; / the best of the thirty [gods] quelled that dust with wind.
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The Rudras, the Vasus, likewise the Ādityas, the Maruts, and the other gods,
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Garuḍa distressed with his wings and beak, O brahmins.
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When the gods had fled, he beheld a fire before him;
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and he set out to extinguish the fire that was blazing all around.
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Having assumed a thousand mouths, drinking hundreds of rivers with them,
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he swiftly destroyed that fire with those waters.
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Seeing nearby a sharp-edged, revolving wheel that guarded the nectar,
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he contracted his body and entered through the space between its spokes.
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Then he saw two serpents with open mouths and terrifying forms,
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by whom even a glance would turn [anyone] to ashes. Garuḍa then,
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tearing them apart with his wings and beak, seized the nectar and flew up.
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As he was flying up after demolishing the machine, Mādhava said to Garuḍa:
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"I am pleased with you, O lord of birds! Choose a boon, O one of good vows!"
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Then the bird said to Hari, the lord of Kamalā:
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"May I have my place above you, and let there be no old age or death [for me]."
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"So be it," said Hari; "choose a boon from me [in return]."
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Having said this, Hari told him: "You become my vehicle;
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and, O son of Vinatā, you shall be the emblem on top of my chariot."
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"So be it," the bird said to Acyuta, the lord of Kamalā.
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Hearing that the bird had taken the nectar, Ākhaṇḍala then in haste
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rushed forward quickly and hurled the thunderbolt at the wing of the bird.
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Then, laughing, Garuḍa spoke to the chastiser of Pāka:
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"From the fall of the thunderbolt, O Hari, I feel no pain whatsoever;
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yet may the fall of your thunderbolt be fruitful, O lord of gods!"
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Saying this, he shed a single feather from his wing then;
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because his feather was beautiful, he became known as Suparṇa.
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At that golden-hued, fair-feathered one, all were filled with wonder.
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Then, O bulls among brahmins, Garuḍa said to Śakra:
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"Along with you, this entire world of the moving and unmoving—
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O lord of the gods, I possess unfailing power to bear it continuously. / 98
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- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit