Chapter 25

“Sauti said, ‘Then that bird of great strength and energy and capable ofgoing at will to every place repaired to his mother’s side on the othershore of the great ocean.

Thither lived Vinata in affliction, defeated inwager and put into a state of slavery. Once Kadru calling Vinata who hadprostrated herself before the former, addressed her these words in thepresence of her son, ‘O gentle Vinata, there is in the midst of theocean, in a remote quarter, a delightful and fair region inhabited by theNagas. Bear me thither!’ At this that mother of the bird of fair feathersbore (on her shoulders) the mother of the snakes. And Garuda also,directed by his mother’s words, carried (on his back) the snakes. Andthat ranger of the skies born of Vinata began to ascend towards the Sun.And thereupon the snakes, scorched by the rays of the Sun, swooned away.And Kadru seeing her sons in that state prayed to Indra, saying, ‘I bowto thee, thou Lord of all the gods! I bow to thee, thou slayer of Vritra!I bow to thee, thou slayer of Namuchi! O thou of a thousand eyes, consortof Sachi! By thy showers, be thou the protector of the snakes scorched bythe Sun. O thou best of the deities, thou art our great protector. OPurandara, thou art able to grant rain in torrents. Thou art Vayu (theair), the clouds, fire, and the lightning of the skies. Thou art thepropeller of the clouds, and hast been called the great cloud (i.e., thatwhich will darken the universe at the end of Yuga). Thou art the fierceand incomparable thunder, and the roaring clouds. Thou art the Creator ofthe worlds and their Destroyer. Thou art unconquered. Thou art the lightof all creatures, Aditya, Vibhavasu, and the wonderful elements. Thou artthe ruler of all the gods. Thou art Vishnu. Thou hast a thousand eyes.Thou art a god, and the final resource. Thou art, O deity, all amrita,and the most adored Soma. Thou art the moment, the lunar day, the bala(minute), thou art the kshana (4 minutes). Thou art the lightedfortnight, and also the dark fortnight. Thou art kala, thou kashtha, andthou Truti.[1] Thou art the year, the seasons, the months, the nights,and the days. Thou art the fair Earth with her mountains and forests.Thou art also the firmament, resplendent with the Sun. Thou art the greatOcean with heaving billows and abounding with whales, swallowers ofwhales, and makaras, and various fishes. Thou art of great renown, alwaysadored by the wise and by the great Rishis with minds rapt incontemplation. Thou drinkest, for the good of all creatures, the Somajuice in sacrifices and the clarified butter offered with sacredinvocation. Thou art always worshipped at sacrifices by Brahmanas movedby desire of fruit. O thou of incomparable mass of strength, thou artsung in the Vedas and Vedangas. It is for that reason that learnedBrahmanas bent upon performing sacrifices, study the Vedas with everycare.'”

And so ends the twenty-fifth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.