By “Soota said, ‘O foremost of Dwijas (Rishi Shaunaka), Devas having prepared for battle in that way, Garuda, the king of birds, soon came upon those wise ones. Devas seeing him of excessive strength began to tremble with fear, and strike one after another with all their weapons. Among those that guarded the Soma (Amrita) was a Brahmana (the divine architect), of great might, bright as the electric fire and of great energy. After a terrific encounter lasting only a moment, managed by the lord of birds (Garuda) with his claws, beak, and wings, he lay as dead on the fields. The traveller of the skies (Garuda) making the worlds dark with the dust raised by the hurricane of his wings, buried Devas with it. The latter, overwhelmed with that dust, fainted away. The immortals (Devas) who guarded the Amrita, blinded by that dust, could no longer see Garuda. Thus, did Garuda agitate the region of the heavens. Thus, he injured Devas with the wounds inflicted by his wings and beak.
“Then the Deva of a thousand eyes (Lord Indra) commanded Vaayu, saying, ‘You dispel this shower of dust soon. O Maaruta, this is indeed, your task.’ Then the mighty Vaayu soon drove away that dust. When the darkness had disappeared, Devas attacked Garuda. As he of great might (Garuda) was attacked by Devas, he began to roar aloud, like the great cloud that appears in the sky at the end of the Yuga, frightening every creature. That king of birds, of great energy, that slayer of hostile heroes, then rose on his wings. All the wise ones (the Devas) with (Lord) Indra among them armed with double-edged broad swords, iron maces furnished with sharp spikes, pointed spears (Shoola in Sanskrit), maces (Gada in Sanskrit), bright arrows, and many a chakras of the form of the Sun, saw him (Garuda) over head.
“The king of birds, attacked them on all sides with showers of various weapons and fought exceedingly hard without weakening for a moment. The son of Vinata (Garuda), of great skills blazing in the sky, attacked Devas on all sides with his wings and chest. Blood began to flow in large quantities from the bodies of Devas injured by the claws and the beak of Garuda. Overcome by the lord of birds (Garuda), the Saadhyaas with the Gandharvas fled eastwards, the Vasus with the Rudraas towards the south, the Adityas towards the west, and the twin Ashwins (Ashwini Devas) towards the north. Gifted with great energy, they retreated fighting, looking back every moment on their enemy.
“Garuda had encounters with the Yakshas, Ashwakranda of great courage (Veera in Sanskrit), Raenuka, the bold Krathana, Tapana, Ulooka, Shwasana, Nimaesha, Praruja, and Pralina. The son of Vinata (Garuda) injured them with his wings, claws, and beak, like (Lord) Shiva Himself, that punisher of enemies, and the holder of Pinaka (bow) in anger at the end of the Yuga. Those Yakshas of great might and courage, injured all over by that traveller of the skies (Garuda), looked like masses of black clouds dropping thick showers of blood.
“Garuda, depriving them of life, and then went to where the Amrita was. He saw that it was surrounded on all sides by fire. The terrible flames of that fire covered the entire sky. Moved by violent winds, they seemed bent on burning the Sun himself. The illustrious Garuda then assumed ninety times ninety mouths and quickly drinking the waters of many rivers with those mouths and returning with great speed, that chastiser of enemies, having wings for his vehicle extinguished that fire with that water. Extinguishing that fire, he assumed a very small form, desirous of entering into (the place where the Amrita was).’”
SRIMAD MAHABHARATA – AADI PARVA – AASTIKA (UPA) PARVA – PART 32 – WAR BETWEEN DEVAS AND GARUDA
