Adisesha, the serpent bed of Lord Mahavishnu, and Garuda, His vehicle, are residents of His abode — Sri Vaikuntha. They should, therefore, technically speaking, not take birth on this earth. And yet they have done so. The reason is that in such cases, they were obeying the Lord’s commands. Just as the Lord Himself took avataras, His attendants too took avataras at His bidding, said M.V. Anantapadmanabhachariar in a discourse. Garuda is considered to be the embodiment of the Vedas. He is not hard to please, and grants boons to those who worship him.
Garuda approached Sage Kashyapa, and asked him how a person could get out of samsara. The sage told him that the only way was to worship Lord Vishnu and that He alone could grant moksha. Even if a man worships the Lord briefly, immense benefits to him will follow. Even Brahma worshipped him in order to make his position secure. One may perform yagas, but one cannot get through yagas the joy that one gets by worshipping Him. His grace has been shown to the humblest of people. That is why His attendants are only too happy to be of service to Him in His various avataras.
The serpent Adisesha is ready to serve as His umbrella, His seat, His bed or His slippers. Adisesha came as Lakshmana and served Lord Rama. Adisesha also came to this earth as the Vaishnavite Acharya Ramanuja to point out to the people the easy path to moksha, namely the path of surrender. The Lord spells death even for the God of death, which is why no one dares to thwart Him. The Sun and the Moon function out of their fear of Him. And yet His devotees serve Him not out of fear, but out of their love for Him, and His love for them is immense.
