It is quite common that when evil forces are being shown the taste of defeat, they resort to sorcery and try to win the game by other means. Unable to face the wrath of Shri Ram’s arrows, Indrajeet becomes invisible and uses the most dangerous Naagpaash, the powerful arrow of venomous snakes, on Shri Ram and Lakshman which makes them fall on the ground breathless. They get bound into serpent coils and none could save them. It needed a divine intervention which came in the form of Garud, the divine eagle.
Garud was the son of Rishi Kashyap and Vinita. Rishi Kashyap had two wives Vinata and Kadru. Wishing for children, Kadru asks to bless her with one thousand Nagas (Snakes) and Vinata asks for only two sons, but who would be equal in their power to Kadru’s sons. Rishi Kashyap blesses Kadru with thousand eggs and Vinata with two. After a long wait, Kadru eggs break and thousand Nagas are born. Vinata becomes impatient and breaks her eggs. One egg breaks and an eagle, Arun is born from it. He gets angry at his mother’s impatience, warns her to be careful with the other and leaves to join the Sun god as his charioteer.
After Vinata’s wait, one day Garud, the eagle was born. Garud comes to know that Kadru and the Nagas had made them their slaves through a trick before he was born. He goes to Kadru to ask him the demand for their release. Kadru says that she needs Amrit is the price of their release. Garud goes to heaven, defeats the celestials and takes the pot of Amrit. However Indr requests him that the Amrit could not be used for all. Garud says to steal it back from the Nagas as soon as his mother was freed from slavery. Garud gives the Amrit to the Nagas and frees his mother, but Indr steals the nectar pot before the Nagas consume it. Garud then warns the Nagas to be away from him and save their lives. Since that day, the enmity of eagles and snakes came into being.
Bhagwan Vishnu gets very pleased with Garud’s power and asks Garud to be his vehicle, which Garud takes as a blessing. When Bhagwan Vishnu incarnates as Shri Ram, Garud stays back at Vaikunth understanding that Shri Ram would lead his life as an ideal human and divine powers cannot be a part of his incarnation and disturb his cause.
But Garud comes to Shri Ram’s aid in the final battle of Lanka. Listening to the plight of his swami through Hanuman, Garud rushes to Shri Ram. He sees his rivals binding Shri Ram and Lakshman in their coils and gets angry. He starts a huge wave of wind with his mighty wings and the serpents start fearing that Garud is nearby. Sensing him in the skies itself, all snakes flee from there freeing Shri Ram and Lakshman from the bond of the Naagpaash.
Shri Ram and Lakshman get up with renewed energy and all the monkeys celebrate the rise of their leaders. Shri Ram is surprised seeing Garud, thanks him for his great help and asks him of his identity. The humble Garud, understanding that it is not the correct time to reveal his identity simply bows to him, and says that Shri Ram would know about him as soon as he killed Ravan. With the ecstasy of seeing his swami after a long time, Garud flies back to Vaikunth, fulfilling his role in Shri Ram’s life.