Sage Kashyapa, Garuda’s father, asks him to look at a strange sight — an elephant and a tortoise fighting on the banks of a river. The story goes that the two had been brothers in their previous birth. The brothers Vibhaavasu and Supradheeka were pious men who had done a lot of penance. But when their father died, a dispute arose between them about dividing their father’s property. In the course of the fight, Supradheeka cursed Vibhaavasu that he be born as an elephant and the latter cursed that his brother be born as a tortoise. Unfortunately, so much was their hatred for each other that the fight continued even in their next birth according to the curse. None dared interfere, because of their powers of penance. This is the scene Garuda witnesses.
Sage Kashyapa asks Garuda to eat the two creatures, for only he will be able to digest them despite their powers, elaborated V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse.
Garuda clutches the two creatures in his talons and flies off to a banyan tree. But the branch on which he perches sags because of the weight. Doing penance on the branch are tiny sages called Valakilyas. Afraid that the sages may fall if the branch broke, Garuda transfers the two creatures to his mouth. He takes hold of the branch and carefully puts it down. All through this, the two brothers continue to fight, oblivious to what is happening around them! Garuda then swallows them, but even as they slip into his throat, they continue to fight. Until they are digested, they keep up the fight. Such is their rage.
Rage destroys people, and if we give in to it, it will ultimately spell doom for us.
