Garuda Frees His Mother Vinata

Dadi: "Guddu, what would you do to save your mother if she was in trouble?"

Guddu: "Anything, Dadi! I love Mommy!"

Dadi: "Tonight's story is about a son who did exactly that - he faced the gods themselves to free his mother from slavery."

Guddu: "Slavery? Who enslaved his mother?"

Dadi: "Let me start from the beginning. Long ago, sage Kashyapa had two wives - Kadru and Vinata. They were sisters."

Guddu: "Did they get along?"

Dadi: "Not really, beta. When they both became pregnant, Kadru wished for a thousand snake children, while Vinata wished for just two sons - but sons who would be more powerful than all of Kadru's thousand combined!"

Guddu: "Only two against a thousand? That's confident!"

Dadi: "Kadru's eggs hatched into a thousand beautiful serpents. But Vinata's eggs took five hundred years and still didn't hatch. She grew impatient and broke one egg early."

Guddu: "What happened?"

Dadi: "Inside was Aruna - but he was only half-formed because she had opened the egg too soon. He was so angry that he cursed his own mother: "Because you were impatient, you will become a slave. Only your second son can free you!" Then he flew away to become the charioteer of the Sun God."

Guddu: "Poor Vinata! But how did she actually become a slave?"

Dadi: "One day, a beautiful white horse flew across the sky. Kadru and Vinata made a bet. Vinata said, "Its tail is white." Kadru said, "No, it's black." They agreed that whoever was wrong would become the other's slave."

Guddu: "Was the tail white or black?"

Dadi: "It was white! But Kadru was a cheater. She told her snake children to secretly wrap themselves around the horse's tail at night. The next morning, when they checked, the tail looked black because of all the snakes!"

Guddu: "That's cheating!"

Dadi: "Kadru claimed victory, and poor Vinata became her slave. For five hundred years, she served her wicked sister."

Guddu: "What about the second egg?"

Dadi: "Finally, it burst open - and out came Garuda! He was so magnificent, so bright, so powerful that when he emerged, he looked like a cosmic fire! The gods were frightened and begged him to calm down."

Guddu: "Was Garuda a bird?"

Dadi: "A divine eagle, beta - the mightiest bird in all creation. When he learned that his mother was a slave, he asked the snakes, "What can I do to free her?""

Guddu: "What did they want?"

Dadi: "The most difficult thing imaginable. They said, "Bring us Amrita - the nectar of immortality." This nectar was guarded by the gods themselves with walls of fire, spinning blades, and giant poisonous snakes."

Guddu: "But Garuda agreed?"

Dadi: "For his mother, beta. Before he left, his mother warned him never to harm a Brahmana. As he flew, he was so hungry he ate an entire tribe of fishermen! But when he felt a burning in his throat, he realized a Brahmana and his wife had been among them. He immediately let them out safely."

Guddu: "Even when hungry, he remembered his mother's words."

Dadi: "Then he ate a giant elephant and a giant tortoise to gain strength - they were actually two brothers who had been cursed to become animals. Finally, he reached the heavenly realm where Amrita was kept."

Guddu: "How did he get past the guards?"

Dadi: "With incredible power and cleverness! He extinguished walls of fire. He shrank himself tiny to slip through spinning blades. He fought the giant serpent guards. He even battled Indra, king of the gods!"

Guddu: "And he won?"

Dadi: "He won everything! He grabbed the pot of Amrita. But here's the amazing part - he didn't drink any himself. He could have become immortal, but he only wanted to free his mother."

Guddu: "That's so selfless!"

Dadi: "Lord Vishnu was so impressed that he appeared before Garuda. He said, "You fought for your mother, not for yourself. For this, I grant you immortality anyway, and you shall be my vehicle forever.""

Guddu: "That's why Vishnu rides on Garuda!"

Dadi: "Exactly! Then Garuda flew to the snakes and placed the Amrita pot on the grass. "My mother is free now," he said. "Go wash yourselves before drinking." The greedy snakes rushed off to bathe."

Guddu: "And then?"

Dadi: "*chuckles* While they were gone, Indra swooped down and took the Amrita back! When the snakes returned, the pot was empty. Only a few drops remained on the grass. They tried to lick those drops, and the sharp grass cut their tongues in two."

Guddu: "Is that why snakes have forked tongues?"

Dadi: "According to the story, yes! And Vinata was finally free. Garuda became the ally of the gods and the enemy of snakes forever."

Guddu: "Garuda is a hero, Dadi. He saved his mother."

Dadi: "The greatest heroes, beta, are those who fight not for themselves, but for those they love. Garuda could have had immortality and power. He chose to use his strength to free someone who needed him."

Guddu: "I would do the same for Mommy."

Dadi: "*hugs him* I know you would, my brave boy. That's what makes you a hero too."