Gaudavaho

Author(s): Vakpatiraj, Narhari Govind Suru, P L Vaidya, A N Upadhye, H C Bhayani
Publisher: Prakrit Text Society Ahmedabad

Page 528

Notes
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occasion of the churning of the ocean, while the mountain Mandara became the churning rod, Vāsuki was used as the rope tied round the mountain for the act of churning.
825. The quarter-elephants, greatly excited and confused (**), moved away from their legitimate places at the extremities of directions, grunting and twisting their huge trunks which looked like big snakes. As a result, with the weight of elephants at the ends having shifted, the earth tilted aside (34TH ), appearing as if all serpent-groups collected together, standing on the head ( hood ) of Sesa.
826. faut 37TATUT3T - fataTT - Son of fatat - Garuda. Garuda is a mythical bird or vulture, half-man, half-bird, on whom Visnu rides. He is the King of birds and descended from Kaśyapa and Vinatā, one of the daughters of Daksa. He is the great enemy of serpents, having inherited his hatred from his mother, who had quarrelled with her co-wife and superior, Kadru, the mother of serpents. He is represented as having the head, wings, talons, and beak of an eagle and the body and limbs of a man. His face is white, his wings red, and his body golden. Garuda is said to have stolen the Amộta from the gods in order to purchase with it the freedom of his mother from Kadru. Indra discovered the theft and fought a fierce battle with Garuda. The Amrta was recovered, but Indra was worsted in the fight, and his thunderbolt was smashed.
Evil portents begin to occur in the enemies places, the moment our King knits his eye-brows in angry frowns. They are being described in the next 6 Gāthās ( 827-832).
.827. The sky flashes bright, with the sword blades being brandished by Vidyadharas. They look like massive columns of hair (FEETGUE ), standing erect on their ends and suggestive of evil portents (309737). Cf. FETUST TUTH 791GUSTATZT EGYTAT: yfnet: 1 Com.
828. The movement of stars is arrested and they get stuck (afs3r) over the orb of the moon. This looks as if the fangs (ETGT) of Rāhu (fasoy) stand imbedded in the moon, when he mercilessly tried to swallow (79330) and bite off (@fcst) parts of him.
829. The sun's orb also gets pierced and penetrated by the black body of Ketu who attacks him, thus giving an appearance
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