Myth of Garuda
The Myth of Garuda revolves around the story of Garuda, a human-headed eagle born from an egg after a lengthy period of 500 years. He is the son of Kasiapa, a divine figure, and Winata, who becomes enslaved due to a deceitful pact with Kadru, Kasiapa's second wife and a Nagini, a cosmic serpent deity. The narrative highlights Garuda's quest to free his mother from slavery by stealing amrita, the sacred substance associated with immortality, from the gods. This journey involves a fierce battle against divine protectors, ultimately leading to Garuda's victory and his subsequent role as the vehicle of Vishnu, a major deity in Hinduism and Buddhism.
Garuda's significance extends beyond mythology; he symbolizes unity and strength, especially within Indonesian culture, where he is a national emblem and represents political stability. His image varies across cultures, embodying both spiritual and secular meanings. This myth intricately weaves themes of loyalty, resilience, and the quest for freedom, establishing Garuda as a prominent figure in Buddhist mythology and a vital symbol in contemporary Indonesian identity.
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Myth of Garuda
Author: Traditional
Time Period: 1001 CE–1500 CE
Country or Culture: Indonesia
Genre: Myth
PLOT SUMMARY
Hatched from an egg over a tumultuous period spanning five hundred years, the human-headed eagle Garuda is the son of Kasiapa, one of just a half-dozen divinely enlightened Buddhas, and Winata, the first of Kasiapa’s twenty-nine wives. The myth begins in a time prior to Garuda’s hatching, with a quarrel between Garuda’s mother and Kadru, Kasiapa’s second wife. Kadru is a Nagini, one of the cosmic, snakelike gods that appear throughout Hindu and Buddhist mythology with varying motivations and allegiances.
Winata and Kadru quarrel over the color of the tail of the divine horse Ucaistrawa, who was born into the world at the same time as amrita, the sacred substance of the gods regarded by ancient Buddhists as the water of life. Kadru believes that the horse has a black tail, while Winata argues that it is completely white. After the two goddesses grow tired of constant quarrelling, they make a pact to inspect the horse to end the debate once and for all. The goddesses also decide that whoever is wrong will become the victor’s slave for all eternity.
Kadru deceives Winata by having her snake children spray poison on Ucaistrawa’s tail, which turns it from white to black. As a result, Winata loses the pact and is enslaved by Kadru just as her son Garuda is hatching. In response to his mother’s enslavement, Garuda comes of age as a sworn enemy of the Naginis, even devouring many of his Nagini half siblings for sustenance.
Garuda approaches the snakes to inquire what they will accept in exchange for his mother’s freedom. The Naginis insist that they will free Winata if Garuda gives them amrita in return, which they implore him to steal from the gods. He complies, and an intricate battle between Garuda and the mythical protectors of the amrita unfolds. In the end, Garuda is victorious and retrieves the amrita.
Garuda’s bravery and strength in the clash compels the powerful god Wisnu (Visnu or Vishnu) to ask the bird to become his vehicle. Garuda accepts the gracious offer and, in doing so, takes an illustrious place in the divine hierarchy as the transport of one of the most powerful figures in Hinduism and Buddhism, while simultaneously establishing an inseparable association with the water of life, the elixir of immortality.
SIGNIFICANCE
The intricate myth of Garuda encompasses numerous characters and plot lines that remain intertwined throughout the entire canon of Buddhist mythology. The major narrative throughout illustrates the efforts of the eponymous mythical bird to free his mother from slavery. Garuda, also referred to throughout Indonesian myth as the “Garuda Bird,” remains a crucial figure throughout the Buddhist cultures of East Asia in modern times. Although Garuda is depicted in Buddhist mythology as having a human face with the body of an eagle, the bird’s appearance varies throughout epochs and particular cultures. Although Garuda appears on state and royal emblems throughout the region, no East Asian nation has embraced the Garuda bird with more exuberance than Indonesia, where he maintains a visible presence in both national and corporate iconography—most notably, as the symbol for the flag carrier for Indonesian air transport, Garuda Indonesia.
Scholars attribute Garuda’s longevity to several significant causes. While the amrita he triumphantly recovers to free his mother from captivity has several religious connotations with regard to immortality after death, it was also adopted by the secular founders of Indonesia as an important cultural symbol representing longevity and political stability with regard to the state, its institutions, and its people.
Also, Garuda’s divine role as the sole means of transportation for the powerful god Wisnu connotes unity. As an aid to the powerful god, he acts a symbol of unification for all who believe in Wisnu, becoming, in a sense, a divine mascot.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Beer, Robert. “The Garuda.” The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols. Chicago: Serindia, 2003. 73–77. Print.
Dowman, Keith. The Flight of the Garuda: The Dzogchen Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Boston: Wisdom, 2003. Print.
Leeming, David Adams. A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
Mishra, P. K., ed. Studies in Hindu and Buddhist Art. New Delhi: Abhinav, 1999. Print.
Rose, Carol. Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend, and Myth. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2000. Print.