hath caused this delusion in you. He is the mighty son of Kasyapa, the destroyer of the Nagas, engaged in the well-being of the gods, and the foe of the Daityas and the Rakshas. Be not afraid of it in the least. Come with me and see. Thus addressed, the gods along with the Rishi wended their way towards Garuda and adored him from a distance.
The gods said.--'Thou art a Rishi (ie, cognisant of all mantras), sharer of the largest portion in sacrifices, ever resplendent, the controller of birds, the presiding spirit of the animate and the inanimate universe ! Thou art the destroyer of all, the creator of all; thou art the very Hiranyagarbha; thou art the progenitor of creation in the form of Daksha and the other Prajapatis ; thou art Indra (the king of the gods). thou art Hayagriba the steed-necked incarnation of Vishnu, thou art the arrow (Vishnu himself, as he became such in the hands of Mahadeva at the burning of Tripura); thou art the lord of the universe; thou art the mouth of Vishnu : thou art the four-faced Padmaja ; thou art the Brahmana (i.e. wise), thou art Agni, Pavana &c., (ie, the presiding deities of every object in the universe). Thou art knowledge, thou art the illusion to which we are all subject : thou art the all-pervading spirit; thou art the lord of the gods; thou art the great Truch; thou art fearless : thou art ever unchanged ; tbou art Brahma without attributes; thou are the energy of the Sun ; thou art the intellectual functions; thou art our great protector : thou art the ocean of boliness; thou art purity: thou art bereft of the attributes of darkness : thou art the possessor of the six high attributes ; thou art he who cannot be withstood in contest! From thee have emanated all things; thou art of excellent deeds; thou art all that hath not been and all that hath been ! Thou art pure knowledge; thou displayest to us, as Surya does by bis rays, this animate and inanimate universe, thou darkeneth the splendour of Surya at every moment, and thou art the destroyer of all; thou art all that is perishable and all that is imperishable ! O thou resplendent as Agni, thou burnest all even as Surya in his anger burneth all creatures! O terrible one, thou resist even as the fire that destroys everything at the time of the Universal Dissolution ! O mighty Garuda who movest in the skies, we seek thy protection. O lord of birds thy energy is extra-ordinary, thy splendour is that of fire, thy brightness is like that of the lightning whom no darkness can approach. Thou reachest the very clouds, and art both the cause and the effect, the dispenser of boons and invincible in prowess! O Lord, this whole universe is rendered hot by thy splendour, bright as the lustre of heated gold I Protect these high-souled gods, who overcome by thee and terrified withal, are flying along the heavens in different directions on their celestial cars! O thou best of birds, thou Lord of all, thou art the son of the merciful and high
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