Garuḍa’s Tapas and the Gāruḍī Śilā
Garuḍa, the great eagle, son of Kaśyapa and Vinatā, wanted to be the permanent vāhana (vehicle) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. For this he did tapas for thirty thousand years on Gandhamādana mountain. This account is from the Skanda Mahā Purāṇa. It tells of his tapas, his vision of Bhagavān Vishṇu, the five streams of the Gaṅgā at Badarī, and the Gāruḍī Śilā, one of the five sacred śilās (sacred rocks) of Badarīkāśrama.
Garuḍa’s tapas on Gandhamādana
Garuḍa did a great tapas (austerity) on Gandhamādana. This is the sacred mountain to the south of Badarīkāśrama. His one wish was to become the permanent vāhana of Bhagavān Vishṇu. For thirty thousand years he did hard tapas on Gandhamādana, with his whole mind fixed on Nārāyaṇa.
The Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa (Āchāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–3) tells that Garuḍa does tapas and receives three varas (boons) from Bhagavān Vishṇu. The Nārada Mahā Purāṇa (Uttarārdha, Chapter 67) calls the site the Vainateya-śilā. The Skanda Purāṇa names the place on Gandhamādana and calls the śilā at Badarī the Gāruḍī Śilā.
Bhagavān Vishṇu appears
When Garuḍa’s tapas was complete, Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared before him. The Purāṇa describes the darśana (sacred sight): Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared in the east, shining like the full moon as it rises.
Garuḍa then offered a stotra (hymn of praise) full of devotion and thanks. He praised Bhagavān Vishṇu as the supreme Paramātmā, the master of all creation, the one who fulfils the deepest wish of the heart, and the goal of all tapas.
The five streams, Pañcadhārā
After the darśana, Garuḍa did a great act of devotion. He brought the Gaṅgā in five streams to wash the feet of Bhagavān Vishṇu at Badarīkāśrama. This washing of the feet is called pādaprakshālana.
These five streams became the Pañcadhārā of Badarīkāśrama. They run to the southwest of the kshetra (sacred land). Each stream carries the pāda-tīrtha, the water that touched the feet of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
Chapter 7 of the same text adds that the five streams also carry the water-form of five great kshetras: Prabhāsa, Pushkara, Gayā, Naimisha and Kurukshetra. These came to Badarī to be purified.
Garuḍa is sent to Badarī
After the tapas on Gandhamādana and the appearance of Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Vishṇu told Garuḍa to come to Badarīkāśrama itself. There Garuḍa was to keep a three-day upavāsa (fast) and then receive the darśana at the kshetra. The same three-day fast is kept for the darśana at several of the most sacred śilās of Badarī.
The varas
Bhagavān Vishṇu gave Garuḍa these varas:
- Eternal and unconquered vāhana. Garuḍa would be the permanent vehicle of Bhagavān Vishṇu. This was the very purpose of his tapas.
- Power over poisons and diseases. The Gāruḍī Śilā would have the power to take away all visha (poison) and all disease from those who come to it.
The Gāruḍī Śilā
The Gāruḍī Śilā at Badarīkāśrama is the third of the five great śilās, the Pañca Śilās. It is the rock made holy by Garuḍa’s tapas and by the vara of Bhagavān Vishṇu that it would remove all poison and disease. Its touch or nearness is said to work against bodily illness, above all against every kind of poison.
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 4
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Badarī Kshetra Māhātmya, Chapter 7 (the five kshetras in the Pañcadhārā)
- Garuḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Āchāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 1–3
- Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Uttarārdha, Chapter 67