deposited the eggs separately in warm vessels. Five hundred years passed
away, and the thousand eggs produced by Kadru burst and out came the
progeny. But the twins of Vinata did not appear. Vinata was jealous, and
therefore she broke one of the eggs and found in it an embryo with the
upper part developed but the lower one undeveloped. At this, the child in
the egg became angry and cursed his mother, saying. 'Since thou hast
prematurely broken this egg, thou shall serve as a slave. Shouldst thou
wait five hundred years and not destroy, or render the other egg
half-developed, by breaking it through impatience, then the illustrious
child within it will deliver thee from slavery! And if thou wouldst have
the child strong, thou must take tender care of the egg for all this
time!' Thus cursing his mother, the child rose to the sky. O Brahmana,
even he is the charioteer of Surya, always seen in the hour of morning!

"Then at the expiration of the five hundred years, bursting open the
other egg, out came Garuda, the serpent-eater. O tiger of Bhrigu's race,
immediately on seeing the light, that son of Vinata left his mother. And
the lord of birds, feeling hungry, took wing in quest of the food
assigned to him by the Great Ordainer of all.".

So ends the sixteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.



SECTION XVII

(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'O ascetic, about this time the two sisters saw approaching
near, that steed of complacent appearance named Uchchaihsravas who was