| Before the birth of garuḍa when kaśyapa and vinatā were living together with their daughter sumati the boy sage upamanyu, son of sutapas, went to them and told kaśyapa thus: “While touring round the earth I worshipped the pitṛs at gayā and I have been told that they (pitṛs) would get redemption only in case I married and became a father. I, therefore, request you to please give your daughter sumati to me as wife. vinatā did not relish this proposal. upamanyu got angry at the rejection of his offer and cursed vinatā saying that if sumati was given in marriage to any other brahmin boy she (vinatā) would die with her head broken into pieces. | | Before the birth of garuḍa when kaśyapa and vinatā were living together with their daughter sumati the boy sage upamanyu, son of sutapas, went to them and told kaśyapa thus: “While touring round the earth I worshipped the pitṛs at gayā and I have been told that they (pitṛs) would get redemption only in case I married and became a father. I, therefore, request you to please give your daughter sumati to me as wife. vinatā did not relish this proposal. upamanyu got angry at the rejection of his offer and cursed vinatā saying that if sumati was given in marriage to any other brahmin boy she (vinatā) would die with her head broken into pieces. |
− | It was during this period when vinatā was in a fix about the marriage of sumati that garuḍa was born to her. He also thought over the problem and argued like this: the curse is only against a brahmin boy marrying my sister sumati; why not sumati be given in marriage to a kṣatriya; but where to find an eligible kṣatriya boy? At this stage vinatā asked him to go and meet the Sannyāsin, who had promised her an illustrious son, in the forest and this Sannyāsin directed garuḍa to aurva, for advice and guidance. When garuḍa met aurva and sought his advice about the marriage of his sister, the sage thought that the context offered a very good bride to sagara. And, according to Aurva's advice sumati was married to sagara, and thus garuḍa became related to the Kings of the Solar dynasty. (brahmāṇḍa purāṇa, Chapters 16, 17 and 18). The Sixty thousand sons born to sagara by sumati were reduced to ashes in the fire which emanated from the eyes of kapila. (See kapila). When aṁśumān, the grandson of sagara was going around the world to find out these 60,000 sons he met garuḍa on the way, and it was he who advised that the waters of gaṅgā should be brought down on earth so that the dead sons of sagara might get spiritual redemption. (vālmīki rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Chapter 41). | + | It was during this period when vinatā was in a fix about the marriage of sumati that garuḍa was born to her. He also thought over the problem and argued like this: the curse is only against a brahmin boy marrying my sister sumati; why not sumati be given in marriage to a kṣatriya; but where to find an eligible kṣatriya boy? At this stage vinatā asked him to go and meet the Sannyāsin, who had promised her an illustrious son, in the forest and this Sannyāsin directed garuḍa to aurva, for advice and guidance. When garuḍa met aurva and sought his advice about the marriage of his sister, the sage thought that the context offered a very good bride to sagara. And, according to Aurva's advice sumati was married to sagara, and thus garuḍa became related to the Kings of the Solar dynasty. (brahmāṇḍa purāṇa, Chapters 16, 17 and 18). The Sixty thousand sons born to sagara by sumati were reduced to ashes in the fire which emanated from the eyes of kapila. (See kapila). When aṁśumān, the grandson of sagara was going around the world to find out these 60,000 sons he met garuḍa on the way, and it was he who advised that the waters of gaṅgā should be brought down on earth so that the dead sons of sagara might get adhyatmik redemption. (vālmīki rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Chapter 41). |
| 13) Garuḍa's conceit laid low. A very beautiful daughter, guṇakeśī, was born to mātali, the charioteer of indra. In the course of his search for a suitable husband for guṇakeśī he came to Pātālaloka in the company of nārada, and there mātali selected a noble nāga called sumukha as his prospective son-in-law. But a month before garuḍa had eaten Sumukha's father Cikara, and he had also given notice to sumukha that within a month's time he too would be eaten. | | 13) Garuḍa's conceit laid low. A very beautiful daughter, guṇakeśī, was born to mātali, the charioteer of indra. In the course of his search for a suitable husband for guṇakeśī he came to Pātālaloka in the company of nārada, and there mātali selected a noble nāga called sumukha as his prospective son-in-law. But a month before garuḍa had eaten Sumukha's father Cikara, and he had also given notice to sumukha that within a month's time he too would be eaten. |