Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Garuda
Garuda carries Vishnu when he appears before the assembled gods in the Ramayana’s birth episode. The bird places divine travel within the collection’s recurring relationship between great deities and their animal companions. In the Krishna narrative Garuda is the foe of serpents. Kaliya has left his proper home for Brindaban because a curse prevents Garuda from entering that place without dying.
Also known as Garuḍa
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalGaruda carries Vishnu when he appears before the assembled gods in the Ramayana’s birth episode. The bird places divine travel within the collection’s recurring relationship between great deities and their animal companions.
Further detail
TraditionalIn the Krishna narrative Garuda is the foe of serpents. Kaliya has left his proper home for Brindaban because a curse prevents Garuda from entering that place without dying.
Context & interpretation
Garuda’s mount association and opposition to serpents follow two passages in this collection. They do not define every tradition surrounding the figure. The curse and Kaliya’s migration are elements of the attributed Krishna narrative, not zoological or geographical findings.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
riding upon GarudaOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 48
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0048
- Original scan leaf
- 48
- Recorded leaf number
- 48
- Current Reader position
- 39
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Garuda, the foe of all serpentsOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 276
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0276
- Original scan leaf
- 276
- Recorded leaf number
- 276
- Current Reader position
- 267
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Illustrations
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Rama
The prince of Ayodhya whose exile and return form the centre of the Ramayana.
Shared source pageVishnu
The divine figure whose descent into human life makes the defeat of Ravana possible.
Shared source pageRavana
The ruler of Lanka whose protection against divine foes leaves a human vulnerability.
Same subject and traditionAshvins
The twin divine physicians whose gift of youth earns a place in the gods’ offerings.