Introduction
The Garuda Upanishad, one of the 108 Upanishadic texts composed in the Sanskrit language, is dedicated to Garuda, the eagle-man mount of the god Vishnu. It belongs to the Vaishnava sect, which reveres Vishnu and is linked to the Atharvaveda. In terms of dating, it is categorized as a “late” Upanishad.
This Upanishad contains mantras and charms renowned for their purported ability to cure poison. It is believed that these charms can not only prevent and remedy snakebites and venom but also counteract poison from diverse sources such as venomous creatures, weapons, and supernatural entities.
Paul Deussen, a German orientalist who offered a partial translation of the Garuda Upanishad, characterizes it primarily as a snake-charming scripture dedicated to Garuda, Vishnu’s mount and the eternal adversary of serpents. Its dual purpose is to prevent snakebites and mitigate their harmful effects. The elevation of snake-charming practices to the status of an Upanishad reflects the imminent danger of snakebites in India, where people often had to navigate snake-infested regions in darkness or work in fields and forests. For those adhering to the principle of Ahimsa (non-violence), snake charming was a preferable alternative to killing snakes. These snake-charming practices are akin to the spells of the sage Bharadvaja, who is said to have transmitted the Garuda Upanishad charms to his disciples. Bharadvaja’s spells encompass the prevention or healing of infectious diseases, wounds inflicted by weapons, encounters with carnivorous wild beasts like tigers, and bites and infestations by insects and worms. However, snakes occupy a prominent place in these spells due to their higher probability and the peril posed by snakebites.
The Garuda Upanishad comprises 25 stanzas. It commences with a general prayer to the gods for protection, invoking blessings from Garuda, Indra, the sun-god Surya, and Brihaspati. The prayer concludes with a wish for peace. The text attributes this knowledge to Brahma, who imparted it to the sage Narada. Successive teachers, including Narada, Brihatsena, Indra, and the sage Bharadvaja, transmitted it to their students, who disseminated it worldwide. This scientific knowledge is believed to neutralize poison in all its forms. Subsequently, Brahma imparts a discourse to Narada.
The second part of the Upanishad is dedicated to the iconography or dhyana (meditative visualization) of Garuda. The dhyana represents the visual form of the deity that devotees must contemplate during meditation to appease the god. In this Upanishad, Garuda is portrayed wearing various serpent-gods as ornaments, with Nagas Vasuki serving as his sacred thread and Takshaka as his girdle. He adorns Padma and Mahapadma as earrings, Karkota as a necklace, and Shankha and Gulika as jewels. Other nagas are depicted as his attendants. Garuda’s iconography corresponds to that of a bird of prey, resembling an eagle or kite, with reddish-saffron body, white hips, golden lower legs, long arms, broad shoulders, fair face, and a bluish-dark beak. Garuda, Vishnu’s mighty mount, is then invoked to eradicate poison.
The third section involves incantations in which Garuda is extolled as the Lord of birds, incorporating references to his iconographic features. He is summoned to eliminate poison, and at one point, feminine pronouns are used, suggesting the involvement of Garuda’s shakti (divine feminine energy). Ultimately, the poison is vanquished through Garuda’s supernatural abilities and Indra’s thunderbolt weapon (Vajra).
The fourth part comprises a hymn (stotra) in praise of Garuda, likening various aspects of his body to Vedic poetic meters, stomas (divisions of the Vedas), and sacred texts called Saman.
The fifth section presents charms to counteract divine Nagas or their messengers. These charms are repetitively enumerated, each aimed at a specific Naga entity. The charm is invoked with the name of the targeted Naga, followed by an assertion that “he moves” (referring to Garuda), and “she will do the job” (destroying the poison). The text emphasizes the remedy’s efficacy in treating diseases caused by Nagas, as well as wounds inflicted by their venomous attributes, including beaks, teeth, tusks, limbs, and tails. Furthermore, the charm is proclaimed to cure infestations by other venomous animals such as scorpions, spiders, lizards, rats, and various insects found in various settings, including houses, forests, fields, and mountains. It also addresses bites from animals like tigers, dogs, worms, and boars. The text underscores that these charms possess the capacity to neutralize poison from any source.
The Upanishad concludes with a section that traditionally represents the “fruit” of the text, outlining the benefits of engaging with its teachings. Those who listen to the Garuda Upanishad on a new moon night (amavasya) are purportedly protected from snakebites for 12 years. Keeping the text as an amulet guarantees lifelong protection against snakebites. Teaching it to eight Brahmins bestows the power to cure snakebites by touching the afflicted person with grass, wood, or ashes. Teaching it to a thousand Brahmins empowers one to cure it by mere thought.
The Garuda Upanishad was first published in 1883 by S. Subrahmanya in Telugu in Chennai, India, and subsequently in 1885 by Albrecht Weber. In 1891, G. A. Jacob included it in his compilation of Eleven Atharvana Upanishads. Paul Deussen provided a partial translation into German in 1897. V. L. Panshikar Shastri published it multiple times in Sanskrit in Mumbai, with the first edition appearing in 1913. Another version was published by Adiyar Library in Chennai in 1923. While the text’s content remains consistent in both editions, there are variations in the paragraph numbering, with the Chennai edition considered more accurate.