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1. Garud Jee's Life
2. Garud Jee's pride is Crushed
3. Garud Jee - a funny story

From Mahaabhaarat
[Read the story of  Sumukh, MBH-Stories, 5-17-Maatali-1]

Garud had got the Var from Indra that he could eat snakes. Once he ate Aryak's son Chikoor and said to Aryak - "After one month I will come back to eat your grandson Sumukh too." It happened so that Indra's Saarathee Maatali had a beautiful daughter named Gunaakeshee. As she grew to marriageable age, Maatali got worried about her groom. So he came out of his house and wandered in search of the groom for his daughter.

As he was wandering, he came to nether region, he met Naarad Jee on the way. Naarad asked him - "How come you are wandering here? Are you on Indra's mission or your own mission?" Then he told everything to Naarad, that he was looking for the groom for his daughter. Naarad said - "I know everything of these places, so let me take you there and you can choose whoever you like." So both went around. They went to Daitya's place, then birds' place, then they came to Naag's place Bhogvatee Nagaree.

There Maatali selected a boy and asked Naarad to settle an alliance with him. Naarad said - "He is Aryak's grandson Sumukh. Aryak's son Chikoor was killed by Garud. Let us go to Aryak and talk to him." They went to him and talked to him about Maatali's daughter Gunaakeshee's marriage to his grandson. Aryak got sad and said - "I would have been very happy to accept this alliance but my son's age is very short. Garud has already killed his father, we are still grieving him; and he has told us that he would come back to kill him in one month time."

Maatali said - "I have an idea. Let him go with me to Indra. We will find some way." So all four went to Indra. Vishnu was also happened to be there by chance. Hearing all this Hari asked Indra to give Amrit to Sumukh, but Indra didn't give Amrit to Sumukh, he just increased his age. As Garud heard this he got very angry with Indra to take his food. [now Gard Jee could not eat Sumukh, because Indra had increased his age] He said - "Don't think I am weak. I have similar lineage as yours and Vishnu's. I can support Tri-Lok. I can carry your younger brother with his friends on my one feather only. So He himself can decide who is more powerful amongst us."

Hari smiled and said - "Being so weak, how do you think yourself so powerful? Even Tri-Lok united together cannot bear my weight. Only I myself bear my weight and yours too. If you think so then try to bear the weight of my right arm only." And saying this Hari put His right arm on Garud's shoulder. Garud could not bear its weight. He fell down almost fainted. Hari, however, did not hurt him much. Gasping his breath, he said to Hari in a feeble voice - "I did not know your strength before. You are the greatest." Hari said - "Never behave like this in future." Thus Hari crushed Garud's pride. After that Garud and Sumukh became friends. All became happy and went to their places.

From Maanas
[Read this story in Maanas, 7/7]

When Raavan tied Raam and Lakshman with Naag Paash in the war, and they got fainted, nobody knew what to do for them so that their lives could be saved from snakes. Those snakes were biting them slowly and their poison could kill them after some time. Everybody was sad but was not able to think of any way to save them.

Then Hanumaan got an idea and he flew from there and came to Garud Jee and told the whole incident. Then he requested him that his Swaamee was lying like this and He needed his help. Garud Jee thought a bit and got ready to help his Swaamee. Both came to the battle ground. As snakes saw Garud Jee coming towards them they immediately left Raam and Lakshman's bodies and ran away. Thus Raam and Lakshman's lives were saved. After finishing his work Garud ee flew away to his Lok.

On his way to going his Lok, he thought - "My Swaamee is so powerful that He can alleviate all the pains of others, He can give anything to anybody, nobody can defeat Him, then how come that He could not save Himself from these ordinary snakes and He had to take my help for this. He who frees everybody from every kind of bondage, why I had to go to free him from these ordinary snakes? Then what kind of power He has? it means that I am more powerful than Him that I was called to save His life."

While going to his Lok he was thinking like this. He got so much confused with this idea that he diverted himself to Shiv. He told everything to Shiv and prayed that Shiv should remove his confusion. Shiv said - "I am in hurry to go to somewhere, you go to Kaagbhushundi Jee, he should be able to alleviate your confusion." Garud Jee went to Kaagbhushundi Jee and told his story.

Kaagbhushundi Jee received him with great respect and politely told Raam Kathaa to him. He told him his own story also as how he got confused by Raam's Maayaa. There is nobody in the world who has not been affected by Raam's Maayaa but this Maayaa affects him less who always hears Raam's Kathaa.

Some Other Incidents of Garud Jee's Life

(1) Murari Gupta as Garud as a Ride to Chaitanya Mahaaprabhu
When Chaitanya Mahaa-Prabhu appeared in the house of Sreevaas Thaakur in His Chatur-bhuj Roop, Murari Gupta became his carrier in the form of Garud, and in these pastimes of ecstasy the Lord then got up on his back.

(2) Garud Jee is Angry With Indra----
Once the heavenly King, Indra, was sending torrents of rain over Vrindaa Van. Garud was observing the incident from above the clouds, and because of his anger, he began perspiring.

(3) Kaaliya Naag was Scared of Garud Jee----
When Krishn was fighting with the Kaaliya snake by dancing on his heads, Kaaliya Naag bit Krishn on His leg. At that time Garud became infuriated and began to murmur, "Krishn is so powerful that simply by His thundering voice the wives of Kaaliya had had miscarriages. Because my Lord has been insulted by this snake, I wish to devour him immediately, but I cannot do so in the presence of my Lord, because He may become angry with me." This is an instance of eagerness to act in ecstatic love as a result of dishonor to Krishn. The Lord also assured Kaaliya Naag : "You came here out of fear of Garud, who wanted to eat you. Now, after seeing the marks of my feet on your head he will not disturb you."

(4) Garud Jee Helps Shree Krishn----
When Krishn went to fight with Bhaumaasur, He went there riding on the back of Garud, and Garud was also helping the Lord by striking Bhaumaasur's horses and elephants with his wings and scratching their heads with his nails and sharp beak. The elephants were feeling much pain by Garud's attack on them, they all dispersed from the battlefield.  When Bhaumaasur saw that Garud had caused a great harm to his soldiers and elephants; so when he remained alone in the battlefield to fight with Krishn, in great anger he struck Garud with all his strength, which defied the strength of the thunderbolt. Fortunately, Garud Jee himself was a great bird. He felt his strokes just as a great elephant feels the strokes of flowers.

(5) Garud Jee and a Little Sparrow ----
A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean carried away the eggs on its waves. The sparrow became very upset and asked the ocean to return her eggs. The ocean did not even consider her appeal. So the sparrow decided to dry up the ocean. She began to pick out the water in her small beak, and everyone laughed at her for her impossible determination. The news of her activity spread, and at last Garud, the gigantic bird carrier of Lord Vishnu, heard it. He was very pleased by the determination of the small sparrow and became compassionate toward his small sister bird, and so he came to the sparrow and promised to help her. Garud at once asked the ocean to return her eggs lest he himself take up the work of the sparrow. The ocean was frightened at this, and he returned the eggs of the sparrow. Thus the sparrow became happy by the grace of Garud.

(6) Garud Jee Carries Mandaraachal Parvat to Ksheer Saagar----
When at the time Saagar Manthan, Devataa and Asur could not lift up Mandaraachal parvat to Ksheer Saagar, the Lord Vishnu very easily lifted it with one hand and placed it on the back of Garud. Then, He too got on the back of Garud and went to the ocean of milk, surrounded by the Devataa and Asur. The Lord sat on the mountain and was carried to the spot of the churning by Garud, who placed the mountain in the middle of the sea. Then the Lord asked Garud to leave that place because as long as Garud was present, the snake Vaasuki, who was to be used as the rope for churning, could not go there in the presence of Garud Jee. Garud Jee is not a vegetarian. He eats big snakes. Vaasuki, being a great snake, would be natural food for Garud Jee, the chief of birds. That is why Lord Vishnu asked Garud to leave that place so that Vaasuki could be brought to churn the ocean with Mandaraachal Mountain, which was to be used as the churning rod.

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