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Garuda, in Hindu mythology, is a giant bird god often
depicted carrying the god Vishnu through the sky.
 The
son of the sage Kasyapa and his wife Vinata, Garuda hatched from an egg laid
by Vinata that had been incubated for 1000 years. Garuda appears in many
Hindu myths, in one of two main roles: as a devourer of serpents or as the
mount of Vishnu, the supreme god and protector of the world. In one myth,
Vinata is enslaved by her co-wife and the sons of the co-wife, the nagas
(serpents). In exchange for his mother, Garuda (also known as
“serpent-slayer”) brings the nagas an elixir of eternal life. In another
myth, Garuda steals soma (the drink of the gods) for Vishnu, who allows him
to be his mount. Garuda symbolically represents the ascent from the material
plane to higher spiritual awareness. The serpents he seeks to destroy
symbolize spiritual awareness in an earth-bound context. In popular Hindu
belief, Garuda protects against snakes and devours all evil things. He is
depicted in art as an emerald-colored eagle with golden wings, a falcon, a
man with a falcon's beak, or a bird with a human head.
Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2002. ©
1993-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
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