Garuda learns of his mother's slavery.

One day the humble Vinta was sitting with her son when Kadru came to her and said that she wished to visit a holy place of the snakes in the sea. So they left for that place with Vinta carrying Kadru on her back and Garuda carrying the snakes. Garuda was flying very high and had almost reached the sun. Due to the intense heat of the sun the snakes lost consciousness. Kadru prayed to Indra, the God of Lightening and he covered the sun with clouds. It rained and the snakes revived. Garuda took them safely to their destination and they saw a lot of memorable places like the Salt Sea, Manohar Vana etc.

After having spent a lot of time they went to Garuda and asked him, "While flying you must have seen a lot of beautiful places and islands. Please take us to a few of these islands." Garuda was unaware of the curse and the bet and could not understand why he had to listen to the snakes and do as they told him. He went to Vinta and asked her. Vinta told him all about the curse and her bet with her sister Kadru. Garuda was sad to see the plight of his mother. He went to the snakes and asked them what it would take to free his mother from their slavery.

The snakes asked Garuda to get Amrit for them and then they would free his mother from all obligations. Garuda went to his mother after that and told her that he was going to get Amrit so that he could free her. He asked her what he should eat on his way. Vinta instructed him to eat the boat people whose colony lay in his path. She also warned him not to kill any brahmins under any circumstances. But Garuda ate the boat people on the island and by mistake also ate a brahmin. This caused his palate to burn and so leaving the brahmin's body behind he went to the hermitage of Rishi Kashyap, his father.

Kashyap asked about their well being and asked him whether he got enough to eat. Garuda replied, "My mother and her sister are well and so are my brothers, the snakes. But I am a little sad, as I do not get enough to eat. I am on my way to get Amrit so that my mother is free of slavery. My mother instructed me to eat the boat people, but even after eating them I am still hungry. So tell me what I can eat to satisfy my hunger." Then Rishi Kashyap told him the story of the Elephant and the Tortoise who dwelled on a nearby island. These two animals were brothers in their previous life but hated each other. They still constantly quarrelled with each other.