GP Malalasekera, Pali-English Dictionary; Dhr. Seven, Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Garuda
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| "Visnu flying on the back of Garuda," canvas painting by Dominique Amendola (pixels.com) |
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| Garuda (avian man) in India |
They live in Simbali-groves (e.g., J.i.202) and are usually huge in size, sometimes 150 leagues from wing to wing (J.iii.397), so large that the flapping of their wings can raise a storm, known as the garuda-wind (J.v.77).
This wind can plunge a whole city in darkness and cause houses to fall through its violence (J.iii.188). A garula has strength great enough to carry off a whole banyan tree, tearing it up from its roots (J.vi.177).
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| Buddhist Fables (Rhys Davids) |
The garulas are the eternal enemies of the nāgas (J.ii.13; iii.103) and live in places, such as Seruma Island (J.iii.187), where nāgas are found.
The greatest happiness of the nāgas is to be free from the attacks of the garulas (J.iv.463).
A garula's plumage is so thick that a person (e.g., Natakuvera, J.iii.91) could hide in it without the bird noticing.
Garudas sometimes assume human form: Two garula kings are said to have played dice with kings of Benares and to have fallen in love with their queens, whom they took to the garula city, one of the queens being Sussondī (J.iii.187), the other Kākātī (J.iii.91).
In each case the queen, being found unfaithful to her garula lover, was returned to her husband. The garulas know the ālambāyana spell, which no nāga seems to be able to resist (J.vi.178, 184). It is said that in olden days... More
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