Garuda Bhagwan and Shri Garudar, Lord Garuda is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and is the emblem on his flag. Garuda is an eagle and is noteworthy in the Hindu religion. He is the son of Vinata and the brother of Arjuna, the charioteer of Surya. Garuda is popular for his speed. He flies in the sky fast like meteors and the gush of wind created with his wings produces tremor in the mountains. He is depicted to possess a golden body of a mighty man with a white face, red wings and eagle’s beak with a crown on the head. The Garuda Mantra or Garuda Gayatri Mantra is dedicated to Lord Garuda.
Garuda has an everlasting hostility to serpents that run away the moment they smell his presence. The Garuda Mantra invokes the bird form of the Divinity to eradicate all fears and anxiety. It was composed and sung by a scholar known as Venkatesa to please Lord Garuda.
There are numerous benefits of chanting the Garuda Mantra. It eradicates the fear of poisonous reptiles and snakes. It is believed that chanting this mantra with devotion helps remove all diseases and ailments like the viral fever and even poisonous bites.
Garuda Mantra can be recited to eliminate black magic, evil eyes, and negative energies. Those who are affected by sarpa dosha can chant this mantra to worship Lord Garuda. This mantra also helps you thwart off any ill effect of accidentally killing a snake.
It is believed that cancer and tumors are caused by curses of snakes and thus, it is advisable for those who are diagnosed with such illnesses to pray to Lord Garuda for relief from such death causing diseases.
According to Hindu religion, praying to Lord Garuda before Lord Vishnu speeds up the prayers and effects. Lord Garuda can be worshipped for an increase in confidence and courage and removal of all kinds of fears.
- Relief from skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, lupus, dermatitis, fungal infections, rosacea and more
- Safe and worry-free travels and trips
- Relief from the fear of unknown and anxiety
- Chanting the Garuda Mantra regularly with devotion blesses the devotee with Vahana Bhagya that gives him the ability to purchase the vehicle of his choice
The best day to start reciting the Garuda Mantra is Garuda Panchami or any Paksha Panchami Tithi. The mantra can be chanted at any time on any day. However, the best time to practice the mantra is early morning. It can also be chanted during the Rahu Kala in the day. The mantra can be repeated for a minimum number of 11 times. You can chant it for 108 times or 1008 times. Anybody can chant the mantra without any restriction of age and gender. You can use a picture of Lord Garuda or the yantra to chant the mantra.
When a person gets Garuda darshan in the sky, he can recite the mantra to get better blessed. One can sit in the North East or East quadrant of the house to chant the mantra. It is advisable to face the East direction while practicing the Garuda Mantra. You can use japa mala made using Tulasi or quartz while reciting the mantra
Om Thathpurushaya Vidhmahe
Suvarna Pakshaya Dheemahe
Thanno Garuda Prachodayath
Meaning:
I offer my salutations to the great living being, Oh, the bird with golden wings, bless me with higher intellect and let the Lord Garuda illuminate my mind.
Sri Garuda Dandakam:
Nama: pannaganaddhaaya vaikunta vasavardhineh
Sruti-sindhu Sudhothpaada-mandaraaya GarutmatheMeaning:
I bow down to Lord Garuda who has beautiful wings. His limbs are adorned with mighty serpents which he won in battle. They are his ornaments. Garuda is always devoted to the God and his service.
Garudamakhila Veda NeeDadhirooDam Dhvishath Peedanothkantithaakunta
vaikuntapeetikrta skandhameedhe SvaneeDaa gatipreetha Rudraa Sukeerthi
sthanaabhoga-gaaDopakuDa sphuratkantakavraata veda vyataavepamaana
dhvijihavaadhikalpa vishppaaryamaaNa sphataavatikaa ratna rochischataa raaji-
neerajitham kaanti kallolinee raajitamMeaning:
Lord Garuda has designed the Vedas to be his cage. Lord Narayana sets out to destroy the enemies of his devotees and uses shoulders of Garuda for conveyance. When they set out on the mission, the wives Rudrai and Sukreethi miss his presence. Upon completion of the mission, Garuda returns home and embraces the wives with affection. In such a state, the hairs on his body turn thorny and hurt the serpents wrapping his body. They raise the hoods and the ratnas on the hood radiate brilliant red rays at the time when the mangala Aarti is offered to Garuda.
Jaya Garuda Suparna Darveekaraahaara Devaadhipaahaarahaarin diwowkaspati
Kshipta Dambholi Dhaaraa kinaakalpa Kalpaantha Vatoola Kalpodhayaanalpa
Veerayithoodhyacchamatkaara Dhaityaari Jaitra Dhwajaarohanirdhaaritothkarsha
Sankarshanaatman Garutman Marutpanchakaadheesa Sathyaathimurthe na Kascchit
samas te namaste punaste namaMeaning:
O Lord Garuda, you have been named as Suparna as your wings are so beautiful. Large serpents become your food. It was you who brought nectar from Indra Loka to free your mother from the bonds. At that time, Indra became angry and threw a weapon at you whose sharp edge hurt your wings and the body. Those wounds look as ornaments on your body and prove your bravery. You sit on the flag of your God representing his victory over the enemies. You have divided the self into five parts and matched them with the five vayus. O Lord with beautiful wings, there is nobody equal to you. I offer my prayers to you and repeat my salutations.
Nama Idhamajahath-saparyaaya Paryaaya-niryaata- pakshaanilaasppalanodhvela
PaToti Veechi- chapetaahataagaadha paatala Bhankara sankruttha nagendra
peetaasrunee bhaava bhasvannakhasreNayE chandatundaaya nrtyat bhujanga
bhruve vajrine dhamshtrayaa thubhyam Adhyaatmavidyaa vidheyaa vidheyaa
bhavath dhasyamaapaadhayeta dhayaTaasccha mehMeaning:
O Lord Garuda, scholars offer their worships to you. Your wings create mighty winds stirring all the oceans and making them flow over the boundaries. Waves rising and falling from the powerful winds reach down the netherworld and the entire effect is quite violent. The mighty elephants shiver with the sound and run to attack you and your sharp nails attack them. You have a mighty beak that creates terror among the enemies. Your knot of brows resembles the movement of a cobra’s hood. Your teeth look like the vajra weapon of Indra. I offer my salutations to the glorious Lord. Bless me with compassion so that I can have good fortune.
Recitation of Garuda Mantra confers multifold blessings on the reciter and fulfills the hearty wishes of all the kinds. If one chants the mantra with devotion on daily basis, he would start noticing changes in his life. The devotee gets rid of all the enemies and gets increased confidence and power. His fears and anxiety disappear as he practices the powerful Garuda mantra.
Garuda-Panchaasat (The
fifty on Garuda)
This is a Stotra
consisting of fifty-two slokas on Garuda, the vehicle and the emblem on the
banner of Vishnu. This is written in the grand Sragdhara metre having
twenty-one syllables in a quarter. Sri Desika says (in Sloka 52) he wrote
this under the command of Garuda himself with devotion and
respect.
The Stotra in five
sections:
1.
Para-Vyooha-varnaka(1-8 slokas)
2. Amrata-aaharana-varnaka(9-25)
3. Naaga-damana-varnaka
4. Parishkaara-varnaka(36-45)
5. Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50)
Colophon(51 and 52)
Sri Vedanta Desika
was under the care of his maternal uncle Aatreya Ramanuja , who was popularly
known by the names Appullar and Vaadi-hamsa-ambuvaaha). By the time Sri Desika
was twenty years old, he had learnt from his maternal uncle and Acarya the
Vedas, Vedangas and all the other Sasthras and had mastered them. The
Acarya initiated Sri Desika in the Garuda Mantra and advised him to go to
Tiruvaheendrapuram to meditate upon Garuda and earn his grace. Sri Desika went
there and at the foot of an Asvattha tree on the Oshadhi hill, began the
meditation. Garuda was pleased even within a short time taught him the Mantra
on Hayagreeva(the God of Learning) so that he might get greater knowledge and
do service to God. Pleased by the devotion and penance of Sri Desika, Lord
Hayagreeva appeared
before him and by giving a mouthful of nectar blessed him with deep knowledge
and ability to write books and give discourses for the redemption of all
people.
In order to please
Garuda who helped him to realize the Lord of Learning, Sri Desika composed a
Hymn, Garuda-dandaka by name, in which he briefly described the greatness of
Garuda. Later on, he composed Garuda Pancaasat(the Fifty on Garuda)(and that
under command of Garuda) (52) wherein Garuda’s greatness is dealt in grater detail
for the benefit of all.
The Stotra, with
Para-Vyooha-varnaka as the first section, opens with the details about the
different forms of the Garuda-Mantra and about the preliminary observances for
recitation and meditation (Japa and Dhyana) (1). Then the greatness of Garuda
is described in several ways; He is an incarnation of Ssnkarshana, one of the
four Vyooha-forms of Vishnu (2). He is an embodiment of the Veda as the limbs
of his body (3). Satya, Supana, Taarkshya, Garuda and Vihagesa are his Vyooha (Emanation)
forms which preside over the five divisions of Vital air (Praana, Apaana,
Vyaana, Udaana and Samaana(39). All this is revealed by the religious
books=Paancaraatra Aagama,Saatvata-samhita, Paadma, Narayana and
Vishvaksena Samhitas.
The second section
Amrtaaharanavarnaka(9-25) (Bringing the pot of nectar) describes the strength
and greatness of Garuda in flying Svargaloka to take the nectar-pot, driving
away the army of gods who came to fight and compelling Indra himself to hand
over the pot to him. Garuda’s mother, Vinata, was kept in custody by the Nagas
(Serpents) in the Patala-loka who promised to release her if the nectar is
given to them. So Garuda had to do it to bring about her freedom.
The third section is
Naaga-damana-varnaka (26-35) (the subjugation of the Serpents. When Garuda went
to Naga-loka, the serpents there began to molest him. He fought and defeated
all. When he began to swallow them, the Serpent-king agreed to send one
snake every day for his food if he would stop killing them.
The fourth section
Parishakaara-varnaka (34-35) (The Decoration of Garuda) describes how Garuda
adorned himself with the great serpents Aasisesha was the bangle on the
left hand and Gulika on the right; Vaasuki was the sacred thread on his body
and Takshaka his belt; Kaarkota was garland; Padma and Mahaa-padma he
wore his ear-rings and Ssnkhapaala as the diadem. Each serpent has
a sloka in this section.
The fifth and the last
section is Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50) (the section on Wonders) describes the wonderful
exploits of Garuda in the service of the various incarnations pf Paramatma. He
is the beautiful canopy and agreeable fan,the glorious banner and horseless
chariot in wars, a devoted servant, kind friend and helpful companion.
He was the
swiftest vehicle for Parama Purusha when he rushed to save the Gajendra from
the hold of the crocodile. He was the friend who helped Sri Rama to nregain
consciousness when he lay on the ground bound by the Nagastra of Indrajit.He
was the devoted servant who had brought back the
crown of Vishnu which was stolen by Virochana, the son of Prahlada when Vishnu
was in Yoga-nidra(mystic sleep) in the milk-ocean and adorned with it Sri
Krishn, the cowherd boy(Balagopala) in Gokula.
Sri Vedanta Desika
concludes the Stotra with a prayer that Garuda should bestow knowledge and
devotion on him to wipe off all his sins. He also reveals that he composed the
Stotra Garuda Panchasat under the command of Garuda.
The Stotra
Garuda-Panchasat is of great significance for several reasons, since it deals
with the all-round greatness Garuda and the unfailing efficacy of the
meditation on Garuda, the deity, by the Garuda-mantra.
The first sloka is
devoted to the treatment of the Garuda-mantra which has five letters and which
is in three words. The first word is Pranava, second is ‘Pakshi’ and the third
word is ‘Svahaa’. By an interchange of two letters of the word ‘Pakshi’ and by
a change in the order of the words, the mantra,
is said to become four mantras.
The meditation on this
mantra is to be preceded by the Bheejakshara followed by PraNavam and Dandakam
(i.e. namah). Even before beginning the mantra rendering the anga nyAsam and
kara nyAsam need to be performed. One needs to learn the mantra at the lotus
feet of SadhAchAryan.
The dexterity of Swamy
Desika in poetical composition can be seen in every sloka. In Sloka four, the
forms of the relative pronoun (yah- who) in the singular of all cases; the
numerals one to ten, thousand, ten thousand, lakh and infinity in sloka five;
the episodes of Garuda in several slokas. Instead of repeating the word Garuda
in every sloka, thirty five synonyms are used. What a great Acharya! What a
poet!
Such is the intrinsic
merit of Garuda Panchaasath which is the result of the love and devotion of
Swamy Vedantha Desika for Garuda, the deity and his mantra as well as his
fascination for Garuda’s greatness and exploits. The Acharya makes a prayer to
garuda for protection in every one of the slokas
of the stothra.
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