Gandaberunda is a two-headed bird and a form of the Hindu god Vishnu as Narasimha. Gandaberunda is a form of Vishnu as Narasimha who disembowelled and killed Sharabha, a form of Shiva and Hiranyakashipu at the same time. The word ‘Gandaberunda’ derives its origin from two Sanskrit words: ‘ganda,’ meaning cheek, and ‘berunda,’ meaning ‘two heads.’
Legend
After Narasimha disembowelled and killed the asura king Hiranyakashipu, he burned and killed all other asuras and won over them. In the original story, the asura king and the asuri queen Kayudhu’s son Prahlada prayed to him along with the devas and devis, after which Narasimha went to Vaikuntha.
There is an alternate version of the story in Vaishnava and Shaiva scriptures.
After Narasimha disembowelled and killed Hiranyakashipu, the other deities thought that the world was going to be threatened by his power. At the behest of the other gods and goddesses, Shiva sent his form of Virabhadra to defeat Narasimha. When Narasimha defeated and drove Virabhadra away, Vishnu and Shiva manifested as Gandaberunda and Sharabha respectively.
Vishnu took the form of Gandaberunda as an alternative form of Narasimha, a two-headed eagle animal, and Shiva took the form of Sharabha, a part-lion and part-eagle animal.
Narasimha as Gandaberunda with Sharabha and Hiranyakashipu fought an 18-day battle. On the 18th day, Gandaberunda disembowelled and killed both Sharabha and Hiranyakashipu at the same time. Sharabha then asked Gandaberunda to leave him to go away, after which Gandaberunda became calm. As a mark of respect, Sharabha removed the skin of his body and gave it to Gandaberunda and Gandaberunda wore it as a hide and gave the hide to Sharabha, who attached the hide to his body and grew it as his skin back fully. The universe now being peaceful and intact, Gandaberunda and Sharabha took their true forms of Vishnu and Shiva and went to their respective heavens of Vaikuntha and Kailasha respectively.
The iconography of Gandaberunda
It is depicted as the two-headed eagle is holding two elephants in his claws and beaks, revealing his enormous powers. Sometimes he is holding a snake in his beak.
