Even by Garuda’s touching the tree with his feet, the
branch of the tree broke. He noticed that some sages known as Valakhilya Rishis
were hanging from the tree, with their heads downwards, doing penance.
Fearing that if the branch broke away, the sages would
have a fatal fall, Garuda held the broken branch of the tree, with the sages
hanging from it, on his beak, even while holding the elephant and the tortoise still more firmly with his
claws and rose on his wings.
The sages were struck with wonder at this feat and gave him the name Garuda meaning bearer of heavy weight. (It has to be presumed that he was not christened till then. Garuda has another name Vainatheya, meaning son of Vinata.)
Shaking the mountains by his wings, Garuda rose in the sky, holding the branch in his beak and the two animals in his claws.
Not finding any spot to rest on, he travelled long and went to the mountain called Gandhamadana.
There, he saw his father Kasyapa engaged in ascetic rituals. Kasyapa also saw his son and advised him against landing on the mountain, lest the sages should get hurt and curse him.
Kasyapa then appealed to the Valakhilyas to help Garuda. The sages abandoned the tree branch and went to the sacred Himavat mountain, to continue their penance.
Garuda asked his father where he should drop the branch of the tree. Kasyapa directed him to a mountain that was always covered with snow and was beyond the reach of ordinary creatures.
Garuda travelled a long distance and reached the mountain. He let the giant branch fall on the mountain. It fell with a great noise.
Garuda then sat on the summit of that mountain, ate both the elephant and the tortoise, and rose on his wings with great speed from the top of the mountain.
The Devas observed various omens, foreboding danger. Indra asked his Guru Brihaspati about the significance of these omens.
Brihaspati said that Garuda, the son of Kasyapa and Vinata, a bird with immense strength and having the blessings of Valakhilyas was coming to take away the Soma (Amrita) from Indra and that Garuda was capable of achieving his goal.
Hearing this, Indra cautioned those who guarded Amrita to be wary of Garuda’s plan to take away Amrita by force. The guards tightened the security, by arming themselves with powerful weapons.
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