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This month we're featuring some of our "Garuda" products. An ancient symbol of power and protection, the Garuda is found in many countries in Asia from Java, Thailand, India and Tibet to Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. The Garuda is half man/ half bird. It is typically depicted as having the golden torso of a man, with red wings, talons, white head, and the beak of a bird. The number of limbs varies between two and eight. If it is holding snakes in any of those limbs, it’s a sure sign that it’s Garuda. Garudas are impressively large. Some descriptions say that its wings are miles long, while others describe it as large enough to block out the sun.
Garudas represent the power of the sun, which can dry up water. They are the natural enemies of snakes and nagas (snake-like creatures that can cause disease and injury, usually through poisoning). The myth of the great bird, devouring the snake, is prevalent far back into the Mesopotamia civilization. Historically, from classical Indian mythology, the Garuda, king of birds, was the vehicle of Lord Vishnu.
In Tibet, the Garuda combined with the "Khyung," an ancient Bonpo celestial eagle. It then began symbolizing a spiritual energy which devours the delusions of ignorance, hatred and jealousy (often represented by the snake). In Dzogchen, "The Great Perfection," the apogee of Tibetan Buddhist accomplishment, the Garuda has come to represent the vast openess of primordial awareness.
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