Souti said: -
1. O best of the twice born, the celestials, having stood prepared for battle (in he way already narrated), the king of the birds Garuda soon came upon them.
2. The celestials, having seen him of excessive strength, began to tremble in fear; and (having been confused) struck one another with all their weapons.
3. Amongst those that were guarding the Soma was Bhaumana (Viswakarma) of matchles strength and of great energy. He was effulgent as the electric fire.
4. But after a moment’s fight he lay as dead, mangled by the king of the bird with his beaks, talons and wings.
5. The great bird, darkening the worlds with the dust raised by the great storm created by his wings, overwhelmed the celestials.
6. Having been overwhelmed with that dust, the celestials fainted away. Those that were guarding the Ambrosia could not see Garuda on account of the dust.
7. Thus Garuda agitated the celestial regions and mangled the celestials with his wings and beaks.
8. Thereupon the celestial, the god of thousand eyes (Indra), commanded Vayu, saying, “O Maruta, it is your work to drive the dust away.”
9. Then the mighty Vayu drove the dust; and when darkness thus disappeared, the celestials attacked the bird.
10. When he was attacked by the celestials, he roared in the sky, like the great cloud, frightful to every creature.
11-13. The greatly powerful king of birds, the slayer of enemies, rose on his wings and stayed in the sky over the heads of the celestials, with their lord Indra, who showered on him double edged swords, iron maces, sharp lances, bright arrows and discuses of the form of the sun. Being thus attacked from every side.
14. The king of birds fought the great battle without being weary for a moment, and the greatly powerful son of Vinata, blazing in the sky, attacked the celestials on all sides by his wings and breast, and scattered them in all directions.
15. Mangled by the talons and the beaks of Garuda, copious blood began to flow from the bodies of the celestials.
16. Thus overcome by the king of birds, the Sadhyas fled with the Gandharvas towards the east, the Vasus with the Rudras towards the south.
17. The Adityas towards the west, and the Ashwinis towards the north. Gifted with great powers, they retreated fighting, and looking back every moment at their enemy.
18-19. Garuda faught with the greatly courageous Ashwakranda, and Ranuka, the bold Krathana, and Tapana, Uluka and Sashana, Nemesha, Puruja and Pulina.
20. The son of Vinata mangled them with his wings, talons and beaks, like the chastiser of foes, the angry Penaki (Shiva) at the end oi the Yuga.
21. Those greatly powerful and energetic celestials, mangled all over by that great bird, looked like masses of black clouds, dropping showers of blood.
22. Thus making the celestials almost dead, the best of the birds went where the Ambrosia was. He saw it surrounded on all sides by fire.
23. The terrible flames of that fire covered whole of the sky, and moved by violent winds, they bent on burning the very sun.
24-25. The illustrious Garuda assumed ninety times ninety mouths, and drinking in many rivers by those mouths, and coming back in great speed, having wings for his vehicle, extinguished the fire with those rivers’ water. And extinguishing that fire, he assumed a very small form, wishing to enter into the place where the Ambrosia was.
Thus ends the thirty second chapter, Sauparna, in the Adi Parva.