Vainatheyar

[Guest guest]

Sri:

 

Smt. Sangeetha,

 

Garuda happens to be the theme of the

latest issue of Sri Nrisimhapriya (English).

 

Copies are available at:

Sri Nrisimhapriya Trust

30 Venkatesa Agraharam,

Deshika Bhavan,

Mylapore, Chennai 600 004

Ph. (044) 2461 1540

 

Namo Narayana!

ramanuja dasan.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Bhaktas,

 

The following email was posted on another list. U.Ve. Sri Sadagopan

Swamin encouraged adiyen to release this note on the Oppiliappan list

for the benefit of interested readers.

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan

 

**********************************************************************

Sri:

 

SrimatE Gopaladesika MahadesikAya Namaha,

 

Dear Smt. Sangeeta,

 

Garuda or Vainatheya is a most celebrated Nithyasoori (citizen of Sri

Vaikuntam, the eternal abode of Lord Narayana) of the Srivaishnava

tradition. He is known as periya tiruvadi on account of his eternal

service to Lord Narayana as his vehicle. Being Vaidikas let us

explore the Vedam to begin our quest for references glorifying

Garuda. The SouparNika Sooktham celebrates the greatness of Garuda

through the rk "suparNOsi garuthmAn trivrutthEshinO gayathram

chakshu:" (The golden winged Garuda has for his head the Trivruth

Saaman and for his eyes the Gayathri Saman). The Anandavalli portion

of the Taittriya Upanishad discusses Lord Narayana as being made up

of Anandamaya rasa (rasO vai sa:). The Aitareya and Taittriya

Brahmanas affirm that this rasa also known as soma rasa flourished at

the third foot of Trivikrama and was brought by the high flying bird

known as shyEna or Garuda. In fact the Anandavalli section of the

Taittriya Upanishad is a succinct summary of the entire Soma Mandala

of the Rg Vedam. The Anandavalli formally glorifies Garuda as "tasya

yajurEva shira: rg dakshiNa: paksha: sAmOtthara: paksha: AdEsha Atma

aTharvAngirasa puccham prathiShTA:" (His head is the Yajur Veda; His

top body is the Sama Veda; His lower body is the Rg Veda; His soul is

the message; His tail is the atharvaNa Vedam), thus describing Garuda

as being made up of the four Vedas. The Mahanarayana Upanishad

contains a Gayathri Mantram for Garuda "thath purushAya vidhmahE

swarNapakshAya DhImahi tannO garuda: prachOdhayAth".

 

Having sampled the vedic tributes to Garuda, let us turn our

attention to the ithihasas. The Ramayana speaks of the glory of

Garuda when he comes to the rescue of Rama and Lakshmana, who were

bound by the Naga Pasha of Indrajit in the war against Ravana.

Indrajit used poisonous serpents for darts in his battle against Rama

and Lakshmana, who were rendered unconscious by the arrows. The

arrival of Garuda, the sworn enemy of the serpents caused them to

beat a hasty retreat. As a result, Rama and Lakshmana regained

consciousness. They were warmly embraced by Garuda. Adikavi Valmiki

pays glowing tributes to this Kaimkaryam of Garuda and declares that

Rama and Lakshmana became even more powerful than before as a result

of the embrace of Garuda. Another reference to Garuda in the

Ramayana can be found in Rama's battle against the Asura Malyavan.

Lord Rama was hard-pressed to defeat the Asura. However, the arrival

of Garuda and his mere glance at the Asura caused Rama to

effortlessly blow the asura away like a bale of cotton. Again,

Adikavi Valmiki speaks of this Upakaram of Garuda in most

affectionate and glowing terms. We then explore the Mahabharata for

further testimony in support of the greatness of Garuda. We may

remember "VedhEShu pourusham sooktam purANEshu cha vaishnavam

BhArathE Bhagavad-Gita DharmashAsthrEShu mAnavam"

(The foremost among the Vedas is the Purusha Sooktam. The foremost

among puraNas is the Vishnu Purana. The jewel in the crown of the

Mahabharata is the Bhagavad-Gita and the foremost among the Dharma

shastras is the Manu Smriti). In accordance with this statement, we

focus our attention on the Bhagavad Gita to gain further insight on

the glory of Garuda. Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagavad Gita

that "vainathEyasya pakshiNAm" (among birds I am VainathEya)

and "vedhAnAm sAmavEdhOsmi"

(among the Vedas, I denote the Sama Vedam). The uniqueness of the

Sama Vedam is that it glorifies Lord Narayana to the exception of all

other deities., whereas in the Rg and Yajur Vedam one finds eulogies

of Indra, Agni et al with the implicit notion that the tribute is

meant for Lord Narayana, the in-dweller of these deities. It is

helpful to note that Mantram 6 of the 17th section in the third

chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad pertaining to the Sama Vedam

declares Lord Krishna, the son of Devaki to be the Supreme Being.

This explains the fondness of Lord Krishna for the Sama Vedam

The Sama Vedam aspects of Garuda mentioned earlier taken in

conjunction with the statements of Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita

make Garuda an overwhelming favorite of Lord Narayana.

 

PuraNas such as the VishNu puraNa, Bhagavata purANa and Garuda PurANa

wax eloquent on the glories of Garuda. The glory of Garuda is

further celebrated by Swami Alavandar in the Chatushloki

salutation "vEdhAthmA vihakEshvarO" and by Swami Nigamanta

Mahadesikan in the Garuda Dandakam and Garuda Panchasat. Swami

Desikan notes that " Garuda's Atma is made up of Sthoman (Sthoman is

the Sama Vedic Passage which discusses what Sama Vedam is about). His

head is the Trivruth Saman; His body is the Vamadevya Saman; His eyes

denote the Gayathri Saman; His wings denote the Bruhat Saman and

RaThantara Saman respectively. His name is verily the Yajur Vedam."

These references should suffice in establishing Garuda's pre-eminent

status in the Srivaishnava tradition. The September 1999 Malolan net

archives contains a posting by adiyen, which provides further details

about Garuda.

 

PakshirAjAya Namaha,

 

Namo Narayana,

 

SriMuralidhara Dasan