Chapter 29
“Sauti continued, ‘A certain Brahmana with his wife had entered thethroat of that ranger of the skies. The former began to burn the bird’sthroat like a piece of flaming charcoal. Him Garuda addressed, saying, ‘Obest of Brahmanas, come out soon from my mouth which I open for thee. ABrahmana must never be slain by me, although he may be always engaged insinful practices.’
Unto Garuda who had thus addressed him that Brahmanasaid, ‘O, let this woman of the Nishada caste, who is my wife, also comeout with me.’ And Garuda said, ‘Taking the woman also of the Nishadacaste with thee, come out soon. Save thyself without delay since thouhast not yet been digested by the heat of my stomach.’
“Sauti continued, ‘And then that Brahmana, accompanied by his wife of theNishada caste, came out, and praising Garuda wended whatever way heliked. And when that Brahmana had come out with his wife, that lord ofbirds, fleet as the mind, stretching his wings ascended the skies. Hethen saw his father, and, hailed by him, Garuda, of incomparable prowessmade proper answers. And the great Rishi (Kasyapa) then asked him, ‘Ochild, is it well with thee? Dost thou get sufficient food every day? Isthere food in plenty for thee in the world of men?’
“Garuda replied, ‘My mother is ever well. And so is my brother, and so amI. But, father, I do not always obtain plenty of food, for which my peaceis incomplete. I am sent by the snakes to fetch the excellent amrita.Indeed, I shall fetch it today for emancipating my mother from herbondage. My mother command me, saying, ‘Eat thou the Nishadas.’ I haveeaten them by thousands, but my hunger is not appeased. Therefore, Oworshipful one, point out to me some other food, by eating which, Omaster, I may be strong enough to bring away amrita by force. Thoushouldst indicate some food wherewith I may appease my hunger and thirst.’
“Kasyapa replied, ‘This lake thou seest is sacred. It hath been heard, ofeven in the heavens. There is an elephant, with face downwards, whocontinually draggeth a tortoise, his elder brother. I shall speak to youin detail of their hostility in former life. Just listen as I tell youwhy they are here.
“There was of old a great Rishi of the name of Vibhavasu. He wasexceedingly wrathful. He had a younger brother of the name of Supritika.The latter was averse to keeping his wealth jointly with his brother’s.And Supritika would always speak of partition. After some time hisbrother Vibhavasu told Supritika, ‘It is from great foolishness thatpersons blinded by love of wealth always desire to make a partition oftheir patrimony. After effecting a partition they fight with each other,deluded by wealth. Then again, enemies in the guise of friends causeestrangements between ignorant and selfish men alter they becomeseparated in wealth, and pointing out faults confirm their quarrels, sothat the latter soon fall one by one. Absolute ruin very soon overtakesthe separated. For these reasons the wise never speak approvingly ofpartition amongst brothers who, when divided, do not regard the mostauthoritative Sastras and live always in fear of each other. But as thou,Supritika, without regarding my advice impelled by desire of separation,always wishest to make an arrangement about your property, thou shallbecome an elephant.’ Supritika, thus cursed, then spake unto Vibhavasu,’Thou also shall become a tortoise moving in the midst of the waters.’
“And thus on account of wealth those two fools, Supritika and Vibhavasu,from each other’s curse, have become an elephant and a tortoiserespectively. Owing to their wrath, they have both become inferioranimals. And they are engaged in hostilities with each other, proud oftheir excessive strength and the weight of their bodies. And in this lakethose two beings of huge bodies are engaged in acts according to theirformer hostility. Look here, one amongst them, the handsome elephant ofhuge body, is even now approaching. Hearing his roar, the tortoise alsoof huge body, living within the waters, cometh out, agitating the lakeviolently. And seeing him the elephant, curling his trunk, rusheth intothe water. And endued with great energy, with motion of his tusks andfore-part of his trunk and tail and feet, he agitates the water of thelake abounding with fishes. And the tortoise also of great strength, withupraised head, cometh forward for an encounter. And the elephant is sixyojanas in height and twice that measure in circumference. And the heightof the tortoise also is three yojanas and his circumference ten. Eat thouup both of them that are madly engaged in the encounter and bent uponslaying each other, and then accomplish the task that thou desirest.Eating that fierce elephant which looketh like a huge mountain andresembleth a mass of dark clouds, bring thou amrita.’
“Sauti continued, ‘Having said so unto Garuda, he (Kasyapa) blessed him,saying, ‘Blest be thou when thou art in combat with the gods. Let waterpitchers filled to the brim, Brahmanas, kine, and other auspiciousobjects, bless thee, thou oviparous one. And, O thou of great strength,when thou art engaged with the gods in combat, let the Riks, the Yajus,the Samas, the sacred sacrificial butter, all the mysteries (Upanishads),constitute thy strength.’
“Garuda, thus addressed by his father, wended to the side of that lake.He saw that expanse of clear water with birds of various kinds allaround. And remembering the words of his father, that ranger of the skiespossessed of great swiftness of motion, seized the elephant and thetortoise, one in each claw. And that bird then soared high into the air.And he came upon a sacred place called Alamva and saw many divine trees.And struck by the wind raised by his wings, those trees began to shakewith fear. And those divine trees having golden boughs feared that theywould break. And the ranger of the skies seeing that those trees capableof granting every wish were quaking with fear, went to other trees ofincomparable appearance. And those gigantic trees were adorned withfruits of gold and silver and branches of precious gems. And they werewashed with the water of the sea. And there was a large banian amongthem, which had grown into gigantic proportions, that spoke unto thatlord of bird coursing towards it with the fleetness of the mind, ‘Sitthou on this large branch of mine extending a hundred yojanas and eat theelephant and the tortoise.’ When that best of birds, of great swiftnessand of body resembling a mountain, quickly alighted upon a bough of thatbanian tree, the resort of thousands of winged creatures-that bough alsofull of leaves shook and broke down.'”
So ends the twenty-ninth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.
