**"Now, you might think that after such a spectacular entrance into the universe,"** I began with a knowing smile, "Garuda would immediately launch into some legendary adventure worthy of his cosmic status."
The assembled sages looked expectant, clearly ready for epic tales of heroic quests and divine battles.
"But the first thing this newly hatched master of the universe did," I continued with genuine warmth, "was exactly what any good younger brother would do when he realized his older sibling had been dealt a difficult hand by fate."
I let that unexpected turn settle over the clearing.
"Because upon hearing about and seeing his own magnificent, universe-shaking body, Garuda's immediate reaction wasn't pride or power-drunk celebration. It was concern for the comfort of everyone around him."
I showed his gentle response to the gods' terror.
"'Let no creature be afraid,' he said with the kind of kindness that comes from true strength. 'As you are frightened by my terrible form, I shall diminish my energy so you can exist peacefully in my presence.'"
This immediately endeared him to several of the sages.
"His first words were about making others comfortable," observed one with approval.
"True power showing itself through gentleness," agreed another.
"Exactly! And having established that he wasn't going to accidentally incinerate everyone through careless cosmic energy output, Garuda immediately turned his attention to family responsibilities."
"You remember Aruna," I continued, "Vinata's first son, the one who'd been born prematurely when his mother's impatience got the better of her? The half-formed child who'd cursed his mother to slavery and then risen to become Surya's charioteer?"
Several sages nodded, clearly remembering that tragic earlier story.
"Well, Garuda—despite having just been born and acclaimed by all the gods as the embodiment of cosmic principles—took one look at the situation and said, 'My brother needs better transportation to get to work.'"
The practical nature of this concern clearly amused the assembled sages.
"The master of the universe acting as a taxi service?" asked one with a chuckle.
"Family loyalty in action," I confirmed with delight. "Because that's exactly what happened. Garuda, that bird capable of going everywhere at will, that ranger of the skies who could call upon any measure of energy, immediately offered to give Aruna a ride to his job."
I showed the simple generosity of the gesture.
"No grand pronouncements, no cosmic drama, just 'Brother, hop on my back and I'll fly you to work.' The kind of everyday kindness that families do for each other, except in this case it involved transcontinental flight by a being whose birth had just shaken the foundations of creation."
"And Garuda's timing," I continued with growing appreciation, "turned out to be absolutely perfect. Because he arrived at his mother's side and prepared to transport Aruna to the eastern regions just when the cosmic order was about to face a crisis that required exactly this kind of intervention."
"You see," I said, my voice taking on a more serious tone, "Surya the sun god was in the middle of what might charitably be called a cosmic tantrum of potentially world-ending proportions."
But here Saunaka interrupted with the kind of scholarly precision I'd come to expect from him.
"Wait, Sauti. When did Surya decide to burn the worlds? What provoked him to such extreme measures?"
I grinned at his insatiable curiosity for background details. *Of course he wants the complete story behind the sun's murderous rage.*
"Ah, you've identified the crucial backstory that explains why Aruna's job as solar charioteer had suddenly become the most important position in cosmic government!"
"This all goes back," I explained with the satisfaction of someone about to connect multiple narrative threads, "to that moment during the churning of the ocean when Rahu tried to steal immortality by disguising himself as a god."
"You remember how Surya and Soma—the Sun and Moon—spotted the deception and alerted everyone just as the amrita reached Rahu's throat?"
Several sages nodded, clearly following the connection.
"Well, from Rahu's perspective, those two had just cost him complete immortality and left him as a severed head eternally pursuing them across the sky during eclipses. And he made sure they knew exactly how he felt about their interference."
I took on Rahu's vengeful voice.
"'This enmity between us springs from your desire to benefit the gods! You ruined my chance at full immortality, and now I have to spend eternity trying to devour you during eclipses!'"
"But here's where Surya made a logical leap that nearly destroyed all creation," I continued with growing concern. "He looked at Rahu's eternal hostility and thought:"
I showed Surya's bitter reasoning: "'Oh, this dire consequence I alone have to sustain because I tried to help the gods! And what help do I get from those same gods when Rahu comes to devour me? They just sit there and watch it happen!'"
"'Therefore, for the destruction of the worlds must I strive!'"
"And with that terrifying resolution," I continued, my voice taking on the ominous tone appropriate for describing potential cosmic catastrophe, "Surya went to the mountains of the west and began preparing to incinerate all existence!"
I showed the building crisis.
"From his western hiding place, he started radiating heat so intense, so focused on destruction, that even before he officially rose for the day, the entire universe began experiencing what felt like the end of everything."
"In the middle of the night," I emphasized, "when no solar energy should have been present at all, a great heat began striking terror into every heart and threatening to destroy all three worlds!"
The cosmic scope of this crisis clearly impressed the assembled sages.
"He was pre-heating the universe for destruction," observed one with horrified amazement.
"Planning to incinerate everything the moment he rose," added another grimly.
"And this was just the warm-up phase!" I confirmed. "The great Rishis, feeling this unprecedented heat in the darkness, immediately panicked and rushed to the gods."
I took on their terrified voices: "'What is this heat in the middle of the night? If Surya can cause this much destruction before he even rises, what will happen when he actually appears in the sky?'"
"So the gods, accompanied by the panic-stricken Rishis, did what anyone does when facing potential universal extinction," I continued with a mixture of humor and respect. "They went straight to upper management."
"Rushing to the Grandsire—Brahma himself—they basically said, 'Sir, we have a situation! Surya is planning to end existence, and we need an immediate solution before he rises and turns everything into ash!'"
I showed Brahma's calm response to cosmic crisis.
"And Brahma, with the kind of cosmic foresight that comes from being the Creator of everything, replied: 'Actually, I saw this coming and already have a solution prepared.'"
"'The intelligent son of Kasyapa known as Aruna—huge of body and great of splendour—will serve as Surya's charioteer and absorb most of his destructive energy, ensuring the welfare of all worlds, Rishis, and divine beings.'"
The elegant simplicity of this solution clearly impressed the sages.
"He turned a cosmic crisis into a job opportunity," observed one with admiration.
"And gave Aruna a position that would make him essential to universal survival," added another.
"Exactly! Brahma transformed Surya's murderous rage into Aruna's cosmic career advancement!"
"And this is where Garuda's simple act of brotherly kindness intersected with cosmic necessity in the most beautiful way possible," I continued with growing appreciation for the elegant timing involved.
"Because at the exact moment when the universe needed Aruna to be in the eastern regions, ready to serve as solar charioteer and energy absorber, Garuda arrived offering to give his brother exactly the transportation he needed to get to that crucial position!"
I showed the perfect coordination of events.
"Garuda placed Aruna of great splendour in the eastern regions precisely when Surya had resolved to burn everything with his fierce rays. The timing was so perfect it seemed choreographed by fate itself!"
"And when Surya rose the next morning, ready to incinerate all creation in his fury over Rahu's eternal enmity, he found Aruna standing in front of him, ready to serve as charioteer and energy filter."
I let the beauty of the solution settle over the clearing.
"Instead of burning the universe to ash, Surya's destructive energy was absorbed by Aruna's magnificent form, allowing the sun to rise safely while still maintaining his cosmic function."
The assembled sages clearly appreciated the elegant resolution.
"The sun's rage became useful energy channeled through proper management," observed one thoughtfully.
"And Aruna's partially formed condition actually made him perfect for absorbing excess solar energy," added another with growing understanding.
"His premature birth, which seemed like such a tragedy, turned out to be exactly what the universe needed," concluded a third with satisfaction.
"And this is why I love this part of the story so much," I said, settling back with the satisfaction of someone who'd just demonstrated cosmic perfection in action.
"Because it shows us how individual acts of kindness—like Garuda giving his brother a ride to work—can align perfectly with universal necessity to prevent cosmic catastrophe."
I looked around at their engaged faces.
"Garuda didn't know that his simple family loyalty would save all existence from solar incineration. He just saw that his brother needed help getting to his job and offered transportation."
"But that small act of brotherly kindness placed exactly the right person in exactly the right position at exactly the right time to prevent universal destruction."
I let the profound implications settle.
"Sometimes the most important cosmic interventions happen through ordinary family generosity. Sometimes saving the universe looks like giving your brother a ride to work."
"And sometimes," I continued with deep appreciation, "what appears to be personal tragedy—like Aruna's premature birth and partial formation—turns out to be precisely what creation needs to solve its most pressing problems."
"So there you have it," I concluded with warm satisfaction. "The story of how cosmic rage over eclipse-related grudges nearly ended all existence, and how brotherly transportation services provided the perfect solution."
"Aruna, at the behest of the Grandsire, took his position as solar charioteer and energy absorber. Surya rose safely veiled by Aruna's magnificent form. The universe continued to exist instead of being incinerated by divine tantrum."
"And Garuda?" I asked with a knowing smile. "Having successfully handled his first family crisis and prevented universal extinction through simple kindness, he was now ready to address the rather more complex problem of his mother's enslavement."
I could see the sages preparing themselves for whatever legendary adventure was coming next.
"Because while saving the universe through brotherly taxi services was certainly heroic, freeing Vinata from the slavery imposed through serpentine fraud was going to require the kind of quest that would test even cosmic abilities to their limits."
"But that," I said with the satisfaction of someone who had just woven together multiple narrative threads into a perfect conclusion, "is a story that deserves its own proper telling."
The forest clearing fell into appreciative silence as everyone absorbed how individual kindness, family loyalty, cosmic foresight, and perfect timing had combined to prevent universal destruction while setting up the foundation for even greater adventures to come.