The Dreamflight of Garuda: Epic Tale of Arun’s Curse and the Nectar of Immortality

The Dream flight of Garuda: Epic Tale of Arun’s Curse and the Nectar of Immortality

The half-formed Arun sits on his chariot, each powerful hoof beat of his sixteen horses ablaze like living fire. Arun pounds the world eastward. The Sun is back in the east. Ushas flies west ahead of him. The movement is a mirage, always as far away as ever. You can’t fly east and catch the dawn, for then you will be under the sun east of you. So, actually, dawn is a place, just like day, the night, and the sunset. Usha is always flying ahead, Arun is always in the middle, and the Sun is always behind. The Earth is pounded backwards, and the Sun seems to move inexorably west. At dawn, Usha, Arun, and Sun, The Sun Arun and Usha the immortal triad of stillness reign supreme.

It is a still movement at a still place That is always east. If you run west at the speed the Earth is rolling east, you will understand. Usha will always be there in the east. The Sun will ruin the moment if you slow down or stand still. Usha will disappear. Arun will also disappear. You will be left warming your back on the rising Sun.

It is this stillness in between that is dawn? That subliminal space, which is always there, like day at some places, evening and night at others, is always there. We pass through them and stand transfixed by the ephemeral beauty of each.

Arun and Sisyphus

Arun, oblivious to Sun’s searing glow, with silent strength never ceased guiding the Sun.

A greatness burned within him. It was equal only to the skies. He was really a son of Dyaus, the indifferent sky father. Sisyphus is condemned to push his boulder ever uphill, a futile task set by the Gods. He never gets to rest and is forever caught in repetitive toil a ceaseless struggle. Although Albert Camus has termed this meaningless struggle itself as the reward. Arun’s situation is different.

Arun’s daily task is likewise unending, a relentless duty etched into the fabric of the cosmos itself. Yet, even in this eternal labor, there is a profound dignity. Each step, every turn of the Earth, sustains the rhythms of day and night, life and renewal. So instead of struggling, in ceaseless work which Sisyphus accepted, Arun’s work was of his own choosing.

It was Arun who, in his fierce judgment, laid a curse upon their mother, Vinata. The endless waiting long wearied her of gestation. Her impatience overcame her. She cracked open one of her eggs before its destined time. The act was both reckless and tender, an act of yearning and sorrow. Arun’s fury ignited like a tempest across the heavens. His voice was thunderous and unyielding. He cursed Vinata to servitude. He condemned her to become a slave of Kadru. Kadru Sister of Vinata was the mother of countless serpents, whose sinuous sons slithered in eternal darkness.

Prajapati Kashyap a progenitor of races

Kadru and Vinata were younger sisters of Diti and Aditi. They were among 13 sisters. All were daughters of Daksh Prajapati. All sisters were married to Great Kashyapa. He is one of the seven stars in the Saptrishi or Great bear constellation. Kadru and Vina were yet childless. They thus asked Kashyapa, who was proceeding on Vanprasth Ashram, for a boon of children. Kadru, the one-eyed wife, asked for countless children, and Vinata asked for only two, but strong, stronger than anyone.

Thus, Kadru gave birth to snakes, and Vinata had two huge eggs.

Daksh had a large number of daughters from his different wives (Prasuti and Asikni being the most prominent). These daughters were married to prominent sages and gods. Thirteen of them married Rishi Kashyap. Twenty-seven were married to Chandra (the Moon God) and became the Nakshatras (lunar mansions). Sati is the most famous daughter.

Kashyap too is known as Prajapati, progenitor of races, Devas from Aditi, Asuras from Diti, Nagas from Kadru and others.

Vinata would tell them the story of Samudra Manthan. She spoke about the creation and Kashyap, who was their father and Manas putra of Brahma. The stories ran out, the two eggs of wouldn’t hatch, while Kadru’s Naga multiplied at high speed. That was what broke Vinata’s patience, and she opened the eggs to the wrath of Arun, half-formed and her firstborn. And he cursed her. Kadru never wanted to be a slave of one-eyed Kadru; she was devastated, and at this, Arun took pity.

The Curse

The curse settled upon Vinata as a heavy chain, binding her in the shadowy coils of Kadru’s brood. And yet, even in wrath, Arun’s heart was not without compassion. With his final breath, he granted a reprieve. It was a prophecy shimmering with hope: “Your other son, born after a millennium of waiting, shall bring you relief. He shall break the bonds. But be patient. You must endure the long night first.”

One day, while walking together, Vinata said, “One-eyed, look at the celestial horse.” There is not a spot of black on his pristine white body. He has those magnificent seven heads. Kadru squinted and said, “I can see a spot of black in the tail.” At this, Vinata grew angry. She said, “One-eyed, in our next sighting, if we find a spot of black, I will be your slave forever. Otherwise, you will be my slave forever.” Kadru agreed. But the next day, she gave instructions to one of her progeny, black Nagas. She told them to entwine as hair in the tail of the magnificent Uchchaihshravas “King of all horses”. Uchchaihshravas came out of Samudra Manthan as one of the treasures. He is the snow white 16-headed steed of Indra.

And the next day, Kadru showed Vinata the black hair in the tail.

Days of Servitude

Time unfurled its endless scroll. Ages ebbed and flowed like tides drawn by the moon. Then, at last, Garuda emerged — radiant, swift, and indomitable. Born after an eternity of anticipation, his wings beat with power that shook the cosmos itself. His mission was clear. He needed to free his mother from her servitude. To do so, he had to retrieve Amrut, the divine nectar of immortality. This nectar was jealously guarded by the gods in their celestial realm.

Garuda Seizes the Amrut

Garuda approached the gates of heaven. Each powerful stroke of his wings scattered the divine armies. Gods trembled before his might. Indra, lord of the sky, confronted him with thunder and vajra. Even the king of gods could not halt Garuda’s flight. With fierce determination, Garuda seized the glowing kalash of Amrut. He ascended with it and bore the sacred vessel toward his mother’s enslaved realm.

The liberation was complete. Vinata, once bound by the serpentine curse, tasted freedom. But Garuda’s oath was not his to keep. He soared beyond worldly bonds. He rose into the boundless expanse of Dyaus. Dyaus is the limitless, silent Sky-Father. His vastness neither blessings nor curses could touch. His breath stirred the stars themselves.

Mauritius

In time, Garuda found rest on a solitary island far from mortal maps. Its reefs curled like aged parchment. The waters were kissed by twilight. Here, in this cradle of ancient solitude, he folded his vast wings. What men would one day name Mauritius marked his restful slumber. The passing eons were like a single breath. In his quiet dream flight, he understood the world not as command or map. Instead, he perceived it as breath, tide, and silent hunger flowing through sky and soul.

Writhing Dance of the Nagas

Below, the serpents writhed in jealous contention over the nectar they coveted, their coils twisted by greed and envy. Indra seized his opportunity once more, reclaiming Amrut and weaving fresh divine intrigues. Yet Garuda, son of the limitless sky, remained untouched by their quarrels, beyond mortal desires and immortal thirst. His blood ran not with conquest but with the serene silence of infinite space.

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