Vishnu’s vahana, his vehicle in the world, is the eagle Garuda; his heaven is called Vaikuntha.
Garuda – the Divine Vahana of Lord Vishnu
Garuda, the Mighty Eagle: Garuda is a large, mythical Eagle, which appears prominently in Hinduism.
Garuda was said to be the king of birds, and the Vahana of Lord Vishnu. Garuda was immensely powerful, and was so huge that he could even block the sun. He resembled a bird with the head, wings, talons and beak of an eagle and the body of a man. Garuda was the eternal enemies of the nagas, or serpents, and used to kill them and eat them. Garuda’s image is often used as a charm to protect a person from snakes or snake bites, as it was thought that snakes were afraid of him, and did not harm his devotees. Garuda Vidya is a hymn used to cure all kinds of snake poison and remove all evil from this world.
