Garuda Attacks the Gods Guarding the Soma
Garuda arrives at the place where the gods guard the amrita (elixir of immortality), and his very presence sends them into a panic. He creates a blinding dust storm, kills their champion, and then tears through the entire divine army with his beak, talons, and wings, sending them fleeing in every direction.
The turmoil began before Garuda even struck. The king of the birds arrived swiftly at the place where the gods stood guard over the soma, the amrita. The sight of his immense form and palpable strength was enough. The gods began to tremble in fear. In their confusion, they even turned their weapons on each other.
Among the guards was Bhouvana, a warrior whose radiance matched lightning and fire, a being of unparalleled valour. The fight between him and Garuda lasted only an instant. The Indra among birds ripped Bhouvana apart with his beaks, talons, and wings.
Then Garuda darkened the worlds. With a great beat of his wings, he created a storm of dust that overwhelmed the gods. Deluded and blinded, the guardians of the amrita could no longer see it or each other. Garuda brought complete turmoil to the world of the gods, ripping through their ranks with his wings and beak.
From the chaos, Indra, the god with a thousand eyes, commanded Vayu, the wind god: it was his duty to drive the dust away. The mighty Vayu did so, clearing the air.
With the darkness gone, the gods rallied. Their entire army, led by Indra and clad in armor, attacked. They hurled every weapon they had — lances, iron clubs, spears, maces, sharp swords, and chakras (discuses) as radiant as the sun. Attacked from every side, the king of birds did not even tremble.
Vinata’s powerful son fought a tremendous battle, showing no sign of tiring. His roar was like thunder in the sky. He attacked the gods from all sides with his wings and breast, scattering them. Oppressed and mangled by Garuda’s beak and talons, the gods bled profusely and fled.
The retreat was a rout along the cardinal directions: the saddhyas and gandharvas fled east; the vasus and rudras, south; the adityas, west; the Nasatyas, north. They retreated while fighting, looking back repeatedly at the immensely energetic enemy who had broken them.
Garuda fought on, tearing into specific warriors — the brave Ashvakranda, the bird Renuka, Krathana, the bird Tapana, Uluka, Shvasana, the bird Nimesha, Praruja, and Pulina. Vinata’s son tore them to pieces with his wings, talons, and sharp beak, like the wrathful, enemy-destroying god Shiva at the end of a yuga (cosmic age). Those powerful, energetic warriors, draining showers of blood from their many wounds, looked like dark clouds staining the sky.
Thus, having rendered the gods almost dead, the best of the birds proceeded unimpeded toward the amrita.