This unheard secret of the birth of Garuda ji

Balakhilya Rishi: As small as a thumb, yet unparalleled in brilliance!

Maharishi Kritu, son of Brahma, and Sannati, daughter of Daksha Prajapati, gave birth to 60,000 brilliant sons. These sages are each only the size of a thumb, but their knowledge and ascetic powers are limitless. They are collectively known as the “Baalakhilya Rishis.”

Garuda’s devotion to his mother and his remarkable encounter with the sages
Maharishi Kashyap had two wives—Vinita (Garuda’s mother) and Kadru (the mother of the serpents). Kadru had tricked Vinita into becoming her slave after winning a bet. To free his mother from slavery, Garuda accepted the serpents’ condition and set out to bring nectar from heaven.

Tired and ravenous from his journey, Garuda, guided by his father Kashyapa, clutched a giant elephant and a tortoise in his claws and sat on a branch of a huge tree. However, the 100-yojana-long branch began to break under his weight. Sixty thousand Balakhilyas were hanging upside down on that very branch, performing penance. To save the sages’ lives, Garuda grabbed the huge branch in his beak and flew away. Seeing his humility, the sages let go of their anger.

The Secret of Garuda’s Birth: When Indra Insulted the Sages
When Garuda asked his father about these small-sized sages, Maharishi Kashyap revealed a wonderful secret: “Son, you were born from the power of the penance of these sages.”

Once, Maharishi Kashyapa was performing a yagna to obtain a son. Indra, the king of the gods, and Sage Balakhilya were bringing wood for the yagna. Indra, using his might, brought a huge mountain of wood, while Sage Balakhilya, who was only able to bring small twigs the size of a thumb. Indra, intoxicated with his strength, mocked the younger sages.

The Rishis’ Fierce Anger and Determination to Create a New Indra
Enraged by the insult, the Balakhilya Rishis began a separate yajna to create a “new Indra,” one hundred times more powerful than the current Indra. Seeing their immense ascetic power, Indra, frightened, ran to Maharishi Kashyapa for refuge. After much persuasion from Maharishi Kashyapa and Krituji, the Rishis forgave Indra, but promised that the fruits of their yajna would not go to waste.

The Birth of Garuda, the “King of Birds”
The sages donated half of their yajna’s austerities to Maharishi Kashyap and granted him the boon that this yajna would produce not gods, but the “King of Birds (Indra).” This boon and austerity resulted in the birth of the extremely powerful Garuda. Upon learning of this, Garuda immediately went and prostrated before the Balakhilya sages.

These 60,000 sages provide energy to the Sun God.
The Balakhilyas are considered the greatest worshippers of Lord Surya Narayana. Even today, these 60,000 sages walk directly in front of the Sun God’s chariot. The Sun’s radiance, energy, and miraculous powers that reach Earth are filtered through the bodies of these sages and reach us.