In the sacred tradition of Sanātana Dharma, we embark on the journey of the Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa, a revered scripture that begins with a heartfelt invocation. With reverence, we bow before Nārāyaṇa, the supreme essence, and Nara, the noblest among men. We offer our salutations to Hari, the embodiment of all that is divine, to Rudra, the fierce protector, to Brahmā, the creator, and to Gaṇeśa, the lord of the hosts, the remover of obstacles. Gathered in a serene setting, the peaceful narrator, Sūta, occupies an auspicious seat amidst a pilgrimage, surrounded by great and fortunate sages, including the esteemed Śaunaka and the ascetics of Naimiṣa. With eager hearts and minds, the sages pose profound questions, seeking to understand the nature of the divine. They inquire, “Among the gods, who is the God? Who is truly worthy of worship? Who should be meditated upon? Who is the creator, protector, and destroyer of the universe? What is the form of that God, and how do we comprehend the creation of the world? What are His incarnations, and how do His lineages arise?” To this, Sūta, the wise sage, responds with the teachings passed down from Garuḍa to Kaśyapa, as relayed to him by Vyāsa. He reveals that Nārāyaṇa alone is the supreme Lord of all gods, the eternal protector of the cosmos, Vāsudeva, who remains ageless and immortal. In the beginning of creation, Hari, the first God, took on the form of Kumāra. For the sake of the earth, He entered the netherworld, and as a sage, He attained the state of a divine seer. In His fourth incarnation, He became Nara and Nārāyaṇa, performing great austerities. The fifth was Kapila, the lord of the perfected ones, who manifested during a time of disturbance. The sixth incarnation was born to Atri and Anasūyā, while from Ākūti and Ruci, Yajña emerged as the seventh. The eighth incarnation, Urukrama, was born to Nābhi and Merudevī, and at the request of the sages, He donned a royal form as the ninth. During the catastrophic flood of the Cākṣuṣa epoch, He took the form of a fish, guiding the righteous. When the gods and demons churned the ocean using Mandara Mountain, Dhanvantari appeared as the twelfth incarnation, followed by the thirteenth. The fourteenth was Nṛsiṃha, who vanquished the mighty Daitya king, while the fifteenth incarnation was Vāmana, who approached Bali's sacrifice. In the sixteenth descent, He appeared to confront kings hostile to Brahman, and in the seventeenth, He was born to Satyavatī from Parāśara, taking on a human-divine form to fulfill the divine mission. In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, He manifested among the Vṛṣṇis, and at the twilight of Kali, He descended to delude the enemies of the gods. Thus, as the eighth twilight approached, when kings had nearly perished, it became evident that the descents of Hari, the very essence of existence, are countless. From Him arise creation and all sacred acts, deserving of honor and reverence. Curious about the origins of the Garuḍa Purāṇa, one sage inquires how it was shared by Vyāsa. Sūta recounts that he had seen Vyāsa, deeply absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Lord. After bowing before him, Sūta took his place and questioned the best of sages, acknowledging that Vyāsa's deep meditation on the all-pervading One grants him profound knowledge. In response, Vyāsa invites Sūta to listen attentively, promising to share the timeless wisdom of the Garuḍa Purāṇa, a treasure of spiritual insight and divine truth.