Гаруда: Полубог-птица в индуистской мифологии

Eagle like demigod in Hindu mythology

Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ, ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (vahana) of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half brother of the Devas, Gandharvas, Daityas, Danavas, Nāgas, Vanara and Yakshas. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata. He is the younger brother of Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun. Garuda is mentioned in several other texts such as the Puranas and the Vedas. Garuda is described as the king of the birds and a kite like figure. It is often associated with the Greater adjutant stork (Leptoptilos dubius).

The Hindu texts on Garuda iconography vary in their details. If in the bird form, he is eagle like, typically with the wings slightly open as if ready and willing to fly wherever he needs to. According to the text Silparatna, states Rao, Garuda is best depicted with only two hands and with four bands of colours: "golden yellow colour from feet to knees, white from knees to the navel, scarlet from navel to neck, and black above the neck". His hands, recommends the text, should be in abhaya (nothing to fear) posture. Garuda iconography is found in early temples of India, such as on the underside of the eave at Cave 3 entrance of the Badami cave temples (6th century).

Garuda's mythology is linked to that of Aruna – the charioteer of Surya (The Hindu Sun god). Both Aruna and Garuda developed from an egg. According to one version related by George Williams, Kashyapa Prajapati's two wives Vinata and Kadru wanted to have children, and Kashyapa granted each of them a boon. Aruna chided his mother, Vinata for her impatience, and warned her to not break open the second egg, cursing her to be a slave until his brother rescued her. Aruna then left to become the charioteer of Surya, the sun god. Vinata waited, and after many years the second egg hatched, and Garuda was born. After losing a bet to Kadru through trickery, Vinata was forced to become her slave. Garuda later on asked his brothers to free his mother from her slavery, to which they demanded Amrita from heaven. Garuda waged a war against gods with his extraordinary might and abilities beyond thinking, and defeated all of them, including Indra. He then took Indra's nectar vessel and flew back to earth. Vishnu then came to Garuda, and asked him to be his ride, to which he agreed. Indra requested that Garuda not give the Amrita to the Nagas though, as it would bring great trouble later, so they forged a plan. Upon reaching his brothers Garuda placed the vessel before them, and asked them to first purify themselves before drinking. Meanwhile, Jayanta (the son of Indra) stole the vessel back. On returning, the nagas were all devoured by Garuda. Some myths present Garuda as so massive that he can block out the sun. The text Garuda Purana is named after him. Garuda is presented in the Mahabharata as one who eats snake meat, such as the story about him planning to kill and eat Sumukha snake, where Indra intervenes. Garuda in anger, vaunt about his feats and compares himself to Indra's equal. Vishnu teaches lesson to Garuda and cured his pride on might. Garudas are also a race of birds who devour snakes in the epic.

Garuda's links to Vishnu – the Hindu god who fights injustice and destroys evil in his various avatars to preserve dharma, has made him an iconic symbol of king's duty and power, an insignia of royalty or dharma. His eagle like form is shown either alone or with Vishnu, signifying divine approval of the power of the state. Throughout the Mahabharata, Garuda is invoked as a symbol of impetuous violent force, speed, and martial prowess. Powerful warriors advancing rapidly on doomed foes are likened to Garuda swooping down on a serpent. Defeated warriors are like snakes beaten down by Garuda. The Mahabharata character Drona uses a military formation named after Garuda. Krishna carries the image of Garuda on his banner.

Garuda, also referred to as Garula, are golden winged birds in Buddhist texts. Under the Buddhist concept of saṃsāra, they are one of the Aṣṭagatyaḥ, the eight classes of inhuman beings. In Buddhist art, they are shown as sitting and listening to the sermons of the Buddha. The Story of Yue Fei plays on the legendary animosity between Garuda and the Nagas when the celestial bird born Yue Fei defeats a magic serpent who transforms into the unearthly spear he uses throughout his military career. Literary critic C. T. Hsia explains the reason why Qian Cai, the book's author, linked Yue with Garuda is because of the homology in their Chinese names. Yue Fei's courtesy name is Pengju (鵬舉). A Peng (鵬) is a giant mythological bird likened to the Middle Eastern roc. Garuda's Chinese name is Great Peng, the Golden Winged Illumination King (大鵬金翅明王).

In India and the rest of Southeast Asia the eagle symbolism is represented by Garuda, a large bird with eagle like features that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist epic as the vahana (vehicle) of the god Vishnu. Garuda became the national emblem of Thailand and Indonesia; Thailand's Garuda is rendered in a more traditional anthropomorphic style, while that of Indonesia is rendered in heraldic style with traits similar to the real Javan hawk eagle.

The word Garuda ( – " Krud ") is literally derived from Sanskrit. In Cambodia, Khmer architects have used the Garuda sculptures as the exquisite ornate to equip on temples, Viharas of wat and many elite houses since ancient time, especially from Khmer empire era until nowadays. Garuda is also mentioned in many legendary tales as the vehicle of Vishnu and its main rival is Naga.

In China, Garuda (Chinese: 迦楼羅 Jiālóuluó) is considered one of the Eight Legions of Devas and Nāgas. Another Chinese name for Garuda is Great Peng, the Golden Winged Illumination King (大鵬金翅明王)
In some temples in the Central Plains, Garuda is also considered to be a manifestation of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva Guanyin.

The Karura (迦楼羅) is a divine creature with human torso and birdlike head in Japanese Hindu Buddhist epics. The name is a transliteration of Garuda (Sanskrit: Garuḍa गरुड; Pāli: Garuḷa) a race of enormously gigantic birds in Hinduism, upon which the Japanese Buddhist version is based. The same creature may go by the name of konjichō (金翅鳥, lit. "gold winged bird", Skr. suparṇa).

The Garuda, known as Khangarid, is the symbol of the capital city of Mongolia, Ulan Bator. According to popular Mongolian belief, Khangarid is the mountain spirit of the Bogd Khan Uul range who became a follower of Buddhist faith. Today he is considered the guardian of that mountain range and a symbol of courage and honesty. Khangarid (Хангарьд), a football (soccer) team in the Mongolia Premier League also named after Garuda. State Garuda (Улсын Гарьд) is a title given to the debut runner up in wrestling tournament during Mongolian National Festival Naadam.

In Burmese epics, which was influenced by Hindu Buddhist beliefs, Garuda is known as Galone, the nemesis of the Nāgas. The Garuda symbolises Sunday in the Burmese zodiac, which is based on the days of the week.

in Luzon Mythology, Garuda or Galurâ (in Kapampangan) is a winged assistant of Apúng Sinukuan (Mariang Sinukuan), he is represented by a giant eagle and believed to be the bringer of storms. The Maranao people of southern Philippines believe in a race of creatures called garuda who dwell beneath the sea. These beings are winged, have big teeth, and huge talons that can carry six men. They look like eagles when flying in the sky but transform into humans when in their lairs. Artifacts from the Tabon Caves in the island of Palawan ,is an image of Garuda, the bird who is the mount of Vishnu. The discovery of sophisticated Hindu imagery in gold

In Suriname, there is a radio and TV station called Radio en Televisie Garuda, which broadcasts programming from Indonesia, particularly Java, aimed at the Javanese Surinamese population.

The Electronic Attack Squadron 134 (VAQ 134) of the United States Navy is named after and uses the Garuda Insignia.