“And soon after birth, that bird grew in size and increasing his body ascended the skies. Fierce and vehemently roaring, he looked as terrible as second Ocean-fire. And all the deities seeing him, sought the protection of Vibhavasu (Agni). .”
SECTION XXIII Astika Parva.
Once with cunning Kadru invited Vinata to a wager. With the help of her sons, she succeeded in deception and became her overlord.
Vinata lived in bondage on one side of the ocean and was at the sister’s biding. Garuda started devising means of taking his mother out of Kadru’s web..
“'The snakes, hearing him, said, 'Bring thou amrita by force. Then O bird, shall you be freed from bondage.”
SECTION XXVII Astika Parva.
Garuda went to his father, Kashyapa and sought his blessings.
“Kasyapa also saw his son, that ranger of the skies, of divine form, possessed of great splendour, and energy and strength, and endued with the speed of the wind or the mind, fierce, and looking like Yama himself. “
SECTION XXX Astika Parva.
Garuda eliminated the warring communities, finally reaching the snow covered peaks alone, with tortoise and elephants among men who are always at war with their brethen, long dead on the way.
The hurdles persisted.
Even Brahma too did not want ambrosia to land in the hands of Nagas, for most of them had become vile and fearfully poisonous. Indra was intimidated and warned those that guarded amrita,
'A bird endued with great strength and energy has set his heart on taking away the amrita. I warn you beforehand so that he may not succeed in taking it away by force.
There was incessant rain, the Sun, wind and all the natural forces of the universe. Garud fought them all valiantly.
“Then the god of a thousand eyes commanded Vayu (the god of wind), saying, 'Dispel thou this shower of dust soon. O Maruta, this is indeed, thy task. Then the mighty Vayu soon drove away that dust”.
.SECTION XXXII Astika Parva.
At last Garuda reached where the amrita was,
“And he saw that it was surrounded on all sides by fire. And the terrible flames of that fire covered the entire sky. And moved by violent winds, they seemed bent on burning the Sun himself. And extinguishing that fire, he assumed a very small form, desirous of entering into (the place where the Soma was)”
SECTION XXXII Astika Parva.
With the acquired herbs he proceeded to meet his mother. Garuda handed them over to the Nagas and in turn freed his mother from their slavery.
picture from online source