Vinata, mother of Garuda and Aruna, and Kadru, mother of a thousand serpents, were the daughters of Daksha and married to Sage Kashyapa. 

The Wager Between the Wives

There was constant rivalry between the wives of Sage Kashyapa. Once, the two wives had a wager to correctly guess the colour of Ucchaishravas, Indra’s horse. The bet was that the person who guessed the colour wrong would become the eternal slave of the other. 

Vinata correctly guessed the colour of Ucchaishravas, white. However, Kadru, with the help of her thousand serpent sons, proved her wrong. She made her sons coil around the royal horse, making it appear black for a while. Vinata, although shocked, agreed to become her sister’s eternal slave.

She had a difficult life until Garuda was born to her. The gigantic bird-man Garuda, a champion flyer, soon discovered the truth behind his mother’s life as a slave. He went to Kadru and asked, “What can I do to free my mother from this life of slavery?”

Kadru and her children were waiting for this opportunity. She said, “Fly to Indraloka and get us some amrita, the nectar of immortality. Then I will release your mother from slavery.”

Garuda Flies to Indraloka to Free His Mother

Garuda agreed and flew heavenward. His wings spanned the entire breadth of the sky, darkening it for a while. The power of his eyes was such that he could see every minute detail for thousands of miles, even from that height. With tears in his eyes, he saw his mother slogging for Kadru and her sons, cooking, cleaning, and managing their home for them.

He was determined to end her suffering as soon as possible. With a steely heart, he reached Indraloka and challenged Indra, who, underestimating the strength of a ‘mere’ bird, agreed to a duel. The King of Devas was easily defeated. Shocked but humbled, he acceded defeat and asked Garuda, “You are truly powerful. What do you seek?”

The bird replied, “I come to free my mother from slavery. Kadru, whom she serves, wants amrita for herself and her sons. You must give it to me.”

While they were thus discussing, Lord Vishnu appeared there. He had seen Garuda’s steely determination and strength and was immensely impressed. After being received with due respect by the Devas, he sat down on a seat especially made for him and addressed Garuda. “You are very powerful. And your love for your mother touched my heart. Will you be my vahana?”

Vishnu and Garuda

Garuda bowed respectfully and replied, “I will be honoured, Lord Vishnu. But before that, I need to keep a promise I made. Let me take the amrita to Kadru, free my mother, and then I will report to you for vahana duty.”

Vishnu said, “I’m afraid taking amrita to the Earth is against the laws of nature. It is not meant for Earthly creatures to consume. Death is an essential element of the life of Earth.”

Crestfallen at these words, Garuda pleaded, “Then help me resolve my problem without the amrita being consumed by Kadru and her serpent sons.”

“Aah! That can be done.” 

Vishnu came up with a plan. Garuda was given a pot of the eternal nectar, which he took to Kadru. She and her serpent sons were delighted to see it. Garuda placed the pot on a bed of the holy Darbha grass. He told Kadru, “This is the purest form of food available in the entire cosmos. It deserves respect. First, you and your sons must have a ritual bath to purify yourselves, and then you can consume the amrita.”

The wily serpent sons and their mother readily agreed to this condition. While they were having their ritual bath, Indra quietly stole the pot of nectar and returned to heaven. Kadru had no choice but to free her sister from slavery, as she had agreed to do so if Garuda brought amrita from Indraloka. The tables had turned, the trickster was tricked. 

Authors’ Note:

This story appears in the Mahabharata. Garuda becomes the King of Birds and Lord Vishnu’s mount, and the rivalry between snakes (or Nagas) is sealed eternally. However, despite the rivalry, there are many stories in our Puranas wherein the King of Birds helped save many Nagas. 

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026

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