श्री गणेशाय नमः

A Study of Rāvaṇa’s Uḍḍiśa Tantra

Gati: The Direction of the Mind (Moon)

Once upon a time, many eons ago, at the time when Śrī had left the gods, Śiva blessed the High Priest of the dark side, Śukrācārya, with the unequivocal Mṛta Sañjīvanī knowledge, by which the asuras (demons) came back to life from the dead, irrevocably more powerful and supreme as conquistadors. Shaken by this turn of events, the gods approached Lord Viṣṇu, who assuming the form of a unique tortoise[1] assisted the devas (gods) in churning[2] the Milky Ocean[3] whereby Amṛta, the Nectar of Immortality could be extracted. In this epochal exercise, Viṣṇu used the magnificent Mandār Mountain as the churning rod and the Divine Serpent, the multi-headed great Vāsuki, as the churning rope.

Viṣṇu arrived on the shores of the Milky Ocean with Garuḍa, having hauled Mandār on the way, like a puny toy. Upon arrival, he bade farewell to Garuḍa and send him off, for Vāsuki would not emerge even by mistake, as long as Garuḍa was present. In his supreme wisdom, Viṣṇu knew, even the Divine Serpent Śeśa Nāga would tremble in the presence of the greatest eater of snakes. Garuḍa is a bird, admittedly a divine bird, and so represented by the Sun, while Rāhu represents snakes. Though the latter has the power to eclipse the former, the Sun is the one who exposes Rāhu. Mantras of Garuḍa are therefore the supreme remedy for sarpa doṣa or those troubled by serpents of all kinds. The simple mantra for warding of serpentine evils, om pakṣī svāhā is chanted in reverese as kṣipa om svāhā,  prempting Rāhu’s misdeeds of reversal. For whilst chanting a mantra for cutting the bondage of snakes, Rāhu would do his utmost to reverse the process. Kṣipa om svāhā would thus automatically become om pakṣī svāhā[4].