“And the Prajapati, gratified with all that took place, then addressed Indra of a hundred sacrifices, saying, ’Thou shalt have two brothers of great energy and prowess, who shall be to thee even as the helpmates.  From them no injury shall result unto thee.  Let thy sorrow cease; thou shalt continue as the lord of all.  Let not, however, the utterers of the name of Brahma be ever again slighted by thee.  Nor let the very wrathful ones, whose words are even the thunderbolt, be ever again insulted by thee.  Indra, thus addressed, went to heaven, his fears dispelled.  And Vinata also, her purpose fulfilled, was exceedingly glad.  And she gave birth to two sons, Aruna and Garuda.  And Aruna, of undeveloped body, became the fore-runner of the Sun.  And Garuda was vested with the lordship over the birds.  O thou of Bhrigu’s race, hearken now to the mighty achievement of Garuda.’”

“So ends the thirty-first section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XXXII

(Astika Parva continued)

“Sauti said, ’O foremost of Brahmanas, the gods having prepared for battle in that way, Garuda, the king of birds, soon came upon those wise ones.  And the gods beholding him of excessive strength began to quake with fear, and strike one another with all their weapons.  And amongst those that guarded the Soma was Brahmana (the celestial architect), of measureless might, effulgent as the electric fire and of great energy.  And after a terrific encounter lasting only a moment, managed by the lord of birds with his talons, beak, and wings, he lay as dead on the fields.  And the ranger of the skies making the worlds dark with the dust raised by the hurricane of his wings, overwhelmed the celestials with it.  And the latter, overwhelmed with that dust, swooned away.  And the immortals who guarded the amrita, blinded by that dust, could no longer see Garuda.  Even thus did Garuda agitate the region of the heavens.  And even thus he mangled the gods with the wounds inflicted by his wings and beak.

“Then the god of a thousand eyes commanded Vayu (the god of wind), saying, ’Dispel thou this shower of dust soon.  O Maruta, this is indeed, thy task.  Then the mighty Vayu soon drove away that dust.  And when the darkness had disappeared, the celestials attacked Garuda.  And as he of great might was attacked by the gods, he began to roar aloud, like the great cloud that appeareth in the sky at the end of the Yuga, frightening every creature.  And that king of birds, of great energy, that slayer of hostile heroes, then rose on his wings.  All the wise ones (the celestials) with Indra amongst them armed with double-edged broad swords, iron maces furnished with sharp spikes, pointed lances, maces, bright arrows, and many a discus of the form of the sun, saw him over head.  And the king of birds, attacked them on all sides with showers of various weapons and fought exceedingly hard without wavering