Why Did Garuda Not Drink Amrita, Even When He Had It? - Unparalleled Strength Without Greed
Garuda, the son of Vinata and Sage Kashyapa, fought Indra
and all the Devas to get Amrita, the nectar of immortality. He passed through
many obstacles on the way. There was a ring of fire around the place where
Amrita was kept, a rotating wheel with sharp blades, and two giant serpents
guarding it. Garuda crossed all of them by his strength and his intelligence.
But he did not steal Amrita for himself. He took it for one reason only, to
free his mother Vinata from slavery.
Here is the wonderful part. Garuda had the Amrita in his own
hands and he did not drink even one drop of it. A modern man will say that
Garuda is a fool. You got the immortality potion and you did not drink it, what
kind of fool you are. But the Mahabharata does not see it like this. This is
the story of self denial, and it is told in the chapter 29 of the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva of Mahabharata.
Why Garuda Was Forced to Fight
To understand this, we must know why Vinata was a slave.
Vinata and her sister Kadru, both wives of Kashyapa, made a bet about the color
of the horse Uchchaihshravas. Kadru cheated with the help of her serpent sons,
and Vinata lost. As per the bet, Vinata became the slave of Kadru. When Garuda
was born and saw his mother suffering, he asked the serpents what price would
free her. The serpents demanded Amrita.
So Garuda did not go for Amrita out of greed. He went out of
duty towards his mother. This is important. In Hindu dharma, service to mother
is a very high duty, and Garuda placed it above his own benefit.
The Meeting with Bhagavan Vishnu
While Garuda was flying back with the Amrita, he met
Bhagavan Vishnu in the sky. Vishnu was pleased with his act of self denial,
because Garuda had the nectar and still had no desire to taste it. Vishnu told
him that he would give him a boon which never decays.
Garuda asked for two things. First, he wished to always
remain above Vishnu. Second, he wished to be immortal and free from old age,
even without drinking Amrita. Vishnu granted both. Then Garuda said he also
wanted to give a boon to Vishnu. Vishnu asked that the powerful bird should be
his vehicle forever. He also placed Garuda on his flagstaff, so Garuda would
always be above him. In this way, both boons were fulfilled together.
Important Teachings
The first teaching is that real power is not in taking, it
is in restraint. Garuda had the strength to defeat the Devas, and the nectar
was in his hand. Still, he controlled his desire. A man who can control himself
when nobody is stopping him is truly strong.
The second teaching is that the goal and the means must not
be mixed. Garuda wanted freedom for his mother, and that was the goal. Amrita
was only the means. Many people forget the goal after getting the means in
hand. Garuda did not.
The third teaching is about reward. Because he did not grab
the Amrita, he got immortality anyway, and also the honor of being the vehicle
and the emblem of Vishnu. Bhagavan Gita says in Chapter 2, Verse 47 that we
have a right to our duty only, and not to the fruits of it. Garuda did his duty
and the fruit came to him by itself, without asking.
Symbolism
Garuda represents strength joined with dharma. He is the
enemy of serpents, and the serpents here represent deceit, poison and crooked
ways. Amrita represents the highest desire of a living being, which is to never
die. When Garuda refuses to drink it, it shows that real freedom comes from
detachment and not from possession.
Garuda sitting on the flagstaff is also meaningful. The flag
is the identity of a ruler. Garuda is placed there so that he is seen first,
above even Vishnu. This shows that devotion and service are honored very highly
by Bhagavan. Even today Vishnu temples keep a Garuda pillar, called Garuda
Stambha, in front of the sanctum.
Modern Day Relevance
In our time, people run after money, position and power, and
most of them do not stop even when they have enough. Corruption, cheating and
shortcuts are common. The story of Garuda reminds us that we can hold great
things in our hands and still decide not to misuse them.
A manager who has access to company funds, an official who
has authority over a file, a person who knows the secret of someone else, all
of them are like Garuda holding Amrita. The test is what they do at that
moment. The one who keeps his word and finishes his duty without taking undue
benefit is the real winner.
It also teaches children to respect parents. Garuda faced
Indra and the Devas for the sake of his mother, and he never thought it was too
much.
Life Lessons
- Do
your duty first, do not think about personal gain.
- Self
control is greater than power.
- Do not
forget the purpose for which you started something.
- Honest
effort is rewarded by Bhagavan in a way which is bigger than what we could
ask for.
- Respect and service to mother and family is real dharma.
Garuda did not drink Amrita even when he had it, and because of this he got what Amrita could not give, a place beside Bhagavan Vishnu for all time. So he was not a fool. He understood what the modern man often forgets, that the one who does not run after reward is the one whom reward follows.