A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History, and Literature c5.2024

c5.2024

According to the Vishnu Purāna he is king of the Gandharvas. The Bhāgavata Purāna relates that the sage Nārada incited the wind to break down the summit of Mount Meru. He raised a terrible storm which lasted for a year, but Vishnu’s bird, Garuda, shielded the mountain with his wings, and all the blasts of the wind-god were in vain. Nārada then told him to attack the mountain in Garuda’s absence. He did so, and breaking off the summit of the mountain, he hurled it into the sea, where it became the island of Lankā (Ceylon).