Shounaka Asks Souti About Garuda's Origins
As Souti prepares to tell the story of Garuda stealing the amrita, the sage Shounaka interrupts. He has specific, pointed questions about the bird’s impossible origins and powers.
The sage Shounaka listened, but before the tale could proceed, he had questions. He turned to the storyteller Souti.
“O suta,” Shounaka asked. “What was Indra’s fault? How was he negligent? How was Garuda born through the austerities of the valakhilyas? How did Kashyapa, a brahmana, have the king of the birds as a son? How did Garuda become invincible and indestructible to all creatures? How did the bird gain the power to travel anywhere at will and summon every power at will?”
He paused, his curiosity precise and demanding. “If the answers are recounted in the ancient tales, I would like to know.”