Garudapanchasath-17 and 18

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17.svacChandha svargibrndha praThamathama mahothpaatha nirghaatha ghorah

svaanthaDhvaantham nirunDhyaath dhutha DharaNi payoraaSi ASeevishaareh

prthyudhyath bhilla pallee bhata ruDhira sarith lola kallolamaala-

haalaa nirveSa helaahalahabahulo harsha kolaahalo nah

May the shout of joy of Garuda, as though intoxicated as a result of drinking the blood of the hunters which flowed like waves, and which was like the thunder heralding the calamity that was going to befall to the hitherto unrestricted movement of the devas, and resulted in a total upheaval for the earth and the sea, destroy our inner darkness.

Garuda became excited as though with wine on drinking the blood of the hunters that flowed in waves, ruDhirasarith lolkallolamaaalaa and shouted with joy. It tossed away the earth and the seas by its force, dhutha DharaNi payoraaSi.

The devas were freely roaming around, svacChandha svargibrndha, without having opposition of any sort, and the shout of Garuda was like terrible thunder, nirghaatha ghora and it portended unforeseen calamity, praThamathama mahothpaatha for them because Garuda was getting ready to attack the devas.

This sloka also abounds in alliterations, such as `svacchandha svargabrndha, lolkallolamaalaa,haalaa and helaahalhalabahula,' etc.

Desika uses the word ASeevisha ari, for Garuda meaning `the enemy of serpents, ` ASeevisha means a serpent, because it has visha, poison in ASee, its fangs.

 

18. saandhrakroDhaanubanDhaath sarasi nakha mukhe paadhape gandaSaile

thundaagre khanTarandhre thadhanu cha jaTare nirviSesham yuyuthsoo

avyaath asmaan abhavyaath avidhitha nakharaSreNidhamshtraabhigaathaou

jeevagraaham griheethvaa kamatakaratinou bhakshayan pakshimallah

May Garuda who ate the elephant and the tortoise alive, who were fighting with excessive anger in the lake, at the tip of the nails, on the tree, on the rock, on the tip of his beak, in the crevice of his neck, and inside of his stomach, oblivious of the attack from his nails and teeth, protect us from ill-fortune.

There were two hermit- brothers Vibhaavasu and Spradheeka who were cross with each other on account of some property and they cursed each other one to become an elephant and the other a tortoise. Even in the next birth their anger did not subside, saandhrakroDhaanubanDha, and the elephant and the tortoise were fighting.. The hunger of Garuda not being appeased even after eating the whole slum of hunters he asked his father, Kasyapa who told him to eat the elephant, karati, and the tortoise, kamaTa. Thereupon he carried them both to a lake, saras, where they continued to fight. He then transferred them to a tree by placing them between his nails,nakhamukha and then to a rock, gandaSaila then to the tip of his beak, thundaagra and to the crevice in his neck, kantaranDhra and finally into his stomach, jaTara . The two were intent on fighting with each other everywhere, nirviSesham yuyuthsuh, unmindful of the injury done to them by the nails and the teeth, avidhitha nakharaSreNidhamshtraabhiGhaathou of Garuda.

May that Garuda protect us from abhavya, inauspicious circumstance, says Desika, referring to Garuda as pakshimalla, meaning the mighty bird.