Garudapanchasath-sloka3

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3.nethram gaayathram ooche thrvrth ithi cha Sirah naamadheyam yajoomshi

Chandhaamsi angaani Dhishnyaathmabhih ajani Saphaih vigraho vaamadhevyam

yasya sthomaathmano asou brhath ithara garuth thaadhrSaamnaathapucChah

svaacChandhyam nah prasoothaam Sruthisatha Sikharaabhishtuthaathmaa garuthmaan

The self of Garuda is the sthoma part of samaveda and his eyes are gayathri manthra. His head is the thrvrth manthra. His name itself is the yajurveda. His limbs are the Chandhas of the Vedas. The altar called Dhishnya in front of which certain rthviks, priests sit while conducting the sacrifice and that is the hoofs of Garuda. The samans called vaamadhevyamis his sarira and , brhath and rathandhra are his wings. The other called yajnaayajnyam is his tail. The Garuda who is extolled by the Vedas as such may show us the way for freedom.

Garuda is termed as vedatma, embodiment of the Vedas and accordingly Desika describes Garuda here as such. Of the four Vedas Sama is the most important and the Lord says in Gita, `vedaanaam saamavedo asmi,'(BG.ch.10) the manthras of rkveda are set to metrical hymns in sama and hence it is known as samagana. The athma of Garuda is sthoma part of the sama, sthoma meaning eulogism and denotes the hymns sung in praise and his name is said to be the yajurveda, which deals with the ritualistic portion of the veda.

The gayathri manthra which is the most important of all and set in the gaythri metre is the eyes of the Garuda. Krishna says that he is the gayathri among the metres, `gaayathree Chandhasam aham'. It is said that gayathri is the mother of all metres, gayathree Chandhasaam maathaa, and the name gayathri itself is derived as gaayantham thraayathi ithi, that which protects one who chants it. Hence it is described as the eyes of Garuda.

The saman called brhath is of prime importance in samaveda as Krishna says `brhathsaama thaThaa saamnaam' in the Gita. So it is referred to as the wing of garuda and the other wing is the other manthra called rathandhra. Garuda being such, is extolled by the Upanishads which are the crown of the Vedas, SruthiSatha Sikara abhishtutha , the implication here being that Garuda is non-different from the Lord Himself , as made out in the previous sloka that he shines as the manifestation of the lord inside and outside.

Another saman yajnaayajneeyam forms his tail, the chandhas of the samaveda are his limbs and dhishnya the platform forms his hoofs, which means that he supports the whole yajna .His body is the saman called vaamadhevya.

The head of Garuda is the thrvrthmanthra and yajur veda is his name. The yajus is a kind of manthra in which the number of letters and feet and the length of the lines are not restricted. The word yajus denotes prose and hence referred to as the name of Garuda. The thrvrth manthra refers to the Rk manthras which are to be repeated thrice in the beginning and in the end. The manthras are considered to be identical with Brahman and therefore they are said to form the part of the body of Garuda.