Garuḍadaṇḍakam

hindu aesthetic
2 min readJun 30, 2021
Garuḍa, Tamil Nadu, late 12th-13th century Copper alloy Sculpture. LACMA

Śrīgaruḍadaṇḍakam was composed by Vedanta Desikan, 13th century Śri Vaiṣṇava philosopher and Sanskrit scholar when challenged by a snake charmer, who released poisonous snakes in order to test him. Swami Desikan is said to have composed and recited the Garuḍa ḍaṇḍakam, by which the snakes were repelled from the instant protection conferred by Garutmanta himself.

नमः पन्नगनद्धाय वैकुण्ठवशवर्तिने ।
श्रुतिसिन्धु सुधोत्पादमन्दराय गरुत्मते ॥

My namaskāra to Garuḍa, the Lord of Serpents (to whose limbs serpents are intertwined), who resides in and commands Vaikuṇṭha; who, like the Mandāra mountain, is used to churn the ocean of milk to produce the nectar which is the Veda.

Vishnu flying atop Garuda, c. 19th century, Bundi, Rajasthan, Philadelphia Museum of Art

गरुडमखिलवेदनीडाधिरूढम् द्विषत्पीडनोत्कण्ठिताकुण्ठवैकुण्ठपीठीकृत
स्कन्धमीडे स्वनीडागतिप्रीतरुद्रासुकीर्तिस्तनाभोगगाढोपगूढ स्फुरत्कण्टकव्रात
वेधव्यथावेपमान द्विजिह्वाधिपाकल्पविष्फार्यमाण स्फटावाटिका
रत्नरोचिश्छटा राजिनीराजितं कान्तिकल्लोलिनीराजितम् ॥

Garuḍa, who is mounted in a nest that is the entirety of the Vedas, upon whose shoulders he bears the Lord Śriman Nārāyaṇa who is determined to destroy His enemies; whose victorious return is awaited by his beloved consorts Rudra and Śukīrti who lovingly embrace him, making the feathers on Garuḍa’s body stand up like thorns — hurting the serpents that encircle and adorn his body. The serpents, overcome with fear, hiss and raise their hoods, and the gems positioned upon the hoods of the Nāgās sparkle with a ruby lustre that illuminates the beauty of Garuda, and as they shine upon him, consecrate him (as if camphor were used to offer nīrājanam (ārati) to him).

Listen to the entirety of the Śrīgaruḍadaṇdakam in Sanskrit with english subs from the Vedanta Desika film.

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hindu aesthetic

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