Garuda and Nagas

[Valerie J Roebuck]

Surely it also has a considerable basis in natural history?  There
are numerous birds of prey that eat snakes, and many snakes that eat
birds or their eggs. I remember seeing a sequence of photographs in a
wildlife book recording a ferocious battle between an eagle owl (a
very Garuda-like bird) and a venomous snake.  On this occasion the
bird won, but apparently it is not always so.

Valerie J Roebuck
Manchester, UK

At 11:30 am +1100 13/3/03, McComas Taylor wrote:
>Dear Friends
>
>With reference to the traditional enmity between birds and snakes in
>Sanskrit literature, I assume that this is a reflection of the Garuda-Naga
>myth. Is this a Vedic concept? Can anyone help me with Vedic references?
>
>With thanks in advance
>
>McComas