Garuda means ‘the devourer’. Garuda is the celestial bird which is the mount/Vahana of god Vishnu. Garuda, often depicted as part human and part eagle.
Kaasyapar, one of the Saptha Rishis had two wives named Vinathai and Kandharu. Once, when Vinathai and Kandharu had an argument about the colour of the tail of Ucchairavam, the horse of Lord Indira, Kandharu argued that it was black while Vinathai said it was white in colour. They decided to see the horse to resolve the issue and decided that, the one who lost the argument would be a slave to the one who wins. Kandharu ordered her black snake sons to wind around the tail of the horse, so that the horse’s tail looked black in colour. Thus, Vinathai was enslaved by Kandharu. Being a slave, she lived a very dejected life. When Garudan,the son of Vinathai was told how his mother was tricked into being a slave he was very angry. Garudan asked Kandharu how his mother could be free again. Kandharu asked Garudan to get the Amrith from the Deva Lokam to release his mother from slavery. Garudan, who went to Indra Lokam was stopped by the devars but fought and won over them. Before Lord Indra could use his Vajrayudham, Garudan bowed down and narrated the entire story of what had happened to his mother and why he had come to Indra Lokam. On hearing this, Indiran gave him the Amirtham and blessed him. He also proclaimed that all snakes would henceforth be enslaved to Garudan as they were also responsible for his mothers misery.