Garuda-Dandka is in praise of Garuda, who is Veda incarnate. He is Bhagavan’s vehicle that carries Him on his shoulders and is also his banner of victory. Rudra and Sukeerti are loving consorts of Garuda.

Serpents are the food of Garuda and also his ornaments. He is an aspect of Sankarshana. One of the four Vyooha emanations of bhagavan. In the form of Satya and other deities, garuda presides over the fire and Maruts and controls them.(2).

By the strength of his wings Garuda is able to enter into the Patala-loka and display his power to control it. He is the master of Adhyaatma-Vidya and can be pleased by prayer to bestow that knowledge and to do service to him.

The last quarter of the hymn describes the Garuda mantra which is composed of three words and five syllables-Pranava as the first word. pa-kshi as the two lettered second word and ‘svaaha’ as the two lettered third word. Meditation on Garuda with that mantra will bestow all the three purusharthas here and Moksha in the other world. It ends with a prayer to Garuda that he should bestow knowledge and devotion.

The respect and devotion that Sri Desika has for Garuda can be seen from the obeisance and prayer that he makes in everyone of the four quarters of the Hymn.

Garuda-dandaka is the name given by Sri Desika himself to this sthothra in the last two slokas. Dandaka is a metre of four quarters (feet, charana or paada). In Sanskrit Prosody, the maximum number of syllables is the one quarter of the sloka is twenty –six. Such a sloka is called ‘vrtta’ or
‘chandas’. If the number of letters in a foot exceeds twenty-six, as 27,30,33and so on by multiples of three which go by the name of ‘ganas’ of groups, the metre is called ‘dandaka’.

There is no limit to the number of ganas. Garuda-dandaka has thirty-six ganas as Sri Desika himself declares in the last two phala-sruti slokas. “Shat-thrismsat gana-charanah”- (Each foot (charana) having six and thirty ganas or groups). By process of combination the three letters of a gana,
which may be short or long, eight ganas can be formed. Separate names are given to such ganas of which two are called ‘na’ gana and ‘ra’gana.

In ‘na’ gana all the three syllables are short-U U U;In ‘ra’ gana, the middle is short and the other two long;--- U ---,

Every one of the four feet begins with two ‘na’ ganas and the rest are ‘ra’ganas as Sri Desika says ‘na’ ‘ra’ paripaatee.

Ga-ru-da/ma-khi-la are like U  U  U  U   U   U    / ve da nee/daa dhi roo
are like-   U -  -  U  - .

So there are two ‘na’ganas and thirty-four ‘ra’ ganas 34+2=36x3=108 syllables in each foot. [Genius Acharya!]

(Vaalakhilaya- pratijnaa- avateerna!-Garuda who was born by the vow Vaalakhilaya –sages.

Vaalakhilayas were a group pf sages who were extremely dwarfish in bodies, but of great by their penance. When they were coming to attend the sacrifice performed by Sage-Kasyapa, they were no able to cross a small pit with a handful of water because of the smallness of their bodies. Indra who was
coming on his elephant saw them and made fun of them. They became angry and cursed him that he would be defeated in a fight by a son of Kasyapa. When Garuda went to Svarga to take the Amrita, Indra with his army came to fight hard and defeated by Garuda who was the son of sage Kasyapa.

This is a Stotra consisting of fifty-two slokas on Garuda, the vehicle and the emblem on the banner of Vishnu. This is written in the grand Sragdhara metre having twenty-one syllables in a quarter. Sri Desika says (in Sloka 52) he wrote  this under the command of Garuda himself with devotion and
respect.

The Stotra in five sections:

1. Para-Vyooha-varnaka(1-8 slokas)
2. Amrata-aaharana-varnaka(9-25)
3. Naaga-damana-varnaka
4. Parishkaara-varnaka(36-45)
5. Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50)
Colophon(51 and 52)

Sri Vedanta Desika  was under the care of his maternal uncle Aatreya Ramanuja , who was popularly known by the names Appullar and Vaadi-hamsa-ambuvaaha). By the time Sri Desika was twenty years old, he had learnt from his maternal uncle and Acarya the Vedas, Vedangas  and all the other Sasthras and had mastered them. The Acarya initiated Sri Desika in the Garuda Mantra and advised him to go to Tiruvaheendrapuram to meditate upon Garuda and earn his grace. Sri Desika went there and at the foot of an Asvattha tree on the Oshadhi hill, began the meditation. Garuda was pleased even within a short time taught him the Mantra on Hayagreeva(the God of Learning) so that he might get greater knowledge and do service to God. Pleased by the devotion and penance of Sri Desika, Lord Hayagreeva appeared
before him and by giving a mouthful of nectar blessed him with deep knowledge and ability to write books and give discourses for the redemption of all people.

In order to please Garuda who helped him to realize the Lord of Learning, Sri Desika composed a Hymn, Garuda-dandaka by name, in which he briefly described the greatness of Garuda. Later on, he composed Garuda Pancaasat(the Fifty on Garuda)(and that under command of Garuda) (52) wherein Garuda’s greatness is dealt in grater detail for the benefit of all.

The Stotra, with Para-Vyooha-varnaka as the first section, opens with the details about the different forms of the Garuda-Mantra and about the preliminary observances for recitation and meditation (Japa and Dhyana) (1). Then the greatness of Garuda is described in several ways; He is an incarnation of Ssnkarshana, one of the four Vyooha-forms of Vishnu (2). He is an embodiment of the Veda as the limbs of his body (3). Satya, Supana, Taarkshya, Garuda and Vihagesa are his Vyooha (Emanation) forms which preside over the five divisions of Vital air (Praana, Apaana, Vyaana, Udaana and Samaana(39). All this is revealed by the religious books=Paancaraatra Aagama,Saatvata-samhita, Paadma, Narayana and Vishvaksena  Samhitas.

The second section Amrtaaharanavarnaka(9-25) (Bringing the pot of nectar) describes the strength and greatness of Garuda in flying Svargaloka to take the nectar-pot, driving away the army of gods who came to fight and compelling Indra himself to hand over the pot to him. Garuda’s mother, Vinata, was kept in custody by the Nagas (Serpents) in the Patala-loka who promised to release her if the nectar is given to them. So Garuda had to do it to bring about her freedom.

The third section is Naaga-damana-varnaka (26-35) (the subjugation of the Serpents. When Garuda went to Naga-loka, the serpents there began to molest him. He fought and defeated all. When  he began to swallow them, the Serpent-king agreed to send one snake every day for his food if he would stop killing them.

The fourth section Parishakaara-varnaka (34-35) (The Decoration of Garuda) describes how Garuda adorned  himself with the great serpents Aasisesha was the bangle on the left hand and Gulika on the right; Vaasuki was the sacred thread on his body and  Takshaka his belt; Kaarkota was garland; Padma and Mahaa-padma he wore his  ear-rings and Ssnkhapaala  as the diadem. Each serpent has a sloka in this section.

The fifth and the last section is Adbhuta-varnaka(46-50) (the section on Wonders) describes the wonderful exploits of Garuda in the service of the various incarnations pf Paramatma. He is the beautiful canopy and agreeable fan,the glorious banner and horseless chariot in wars, a devoted servant, kind friend and helpful companion.

  He was the swiftest vehicle for Parama Purusha when he rushed to save the Gajendra from the hold of the crocodile. He was the friend who helped Sri Rama to nregain consciousness when he lay on the ground bound by the Nagastra of Indrajit.He was the devoted servant who had brought back the
crown of Vishnu which was stolen by Virochana, the son of Prahlada when Vishnu was in Yoga-nidra(mystic sleep) in the milk-ocean and adorned with it Sri Krishn, the cowherd boy(Balagopala) in Gokula.

Sri Vedanta Desika concludes the Stotra with a prayer that Garuda should bestow knowledge and devotion on him to wipe off all his sins. He also reveals that he composed the Stotra Garuda Panchasat under the command of Garuda.

  The Stotra Garuda-Panchasat is of great significance for several reasons, since it deals with the all-round greatness Garuda and the unfailing efficacy of the meditation on Garuda, the deity, by the Garuda-mantra.

The first sloka is devoted to the treatment of the Garuda-mantra which has five letters and which is in three words. The first word is Pranava, second is ‘Pakshi’ and the third word is ‘Svahaa’. By an interchange of two letters of the word ‘Pakshi’ and by a change in the order of the words, the mantra,
is said to become four mantras.

The meditation on this mantra is to be preceded by the Bheejakshara followed by PraNavam and Dandakam (i.e. namah). Even before beginning the mantra rendering the anga nyAsam and kara nyAsam need to be performed. One needs to learn the mantra at the lotus feet of SadhAchAryan.

The dexterity of Swamy Desika in poetical composition can be seen in every sloka. In Sloka four, the forms of the relative pronoun (yah- who) in the singular of all cases; the numerals one to ten, thousand, ten thousand, lakh and infinity in sloka five; the episodes of Garuda in several slokas. Instead of repeating the word Garuda in every sloka, thirty five synonyms are used. What a great Acharya! What a poet!

Such is the intrinsic merit of Garuda Panchaasath which is the result of the love and devotion of Swamy Vedantha Desika for Garuda, the deity and his mantra as well as his fascination for Garuda’s greatness and exploits. The Acharya makes a prayer to garuda for protection in every one of the slokas
of the stothra.