The snake charm was elevated to the status of the Upanishad due to the imminent danger of snakebite in India, where people had to walk in the dark in snake-infested regions or work in fields and forests.

Bharadvaja's spells are said to prevent or cure infectious diseases, wounds by weapons and carnivorous wild beasts like tigers and bites and infestations by insects and worms.

However, snakes feature prominently in these spells due to higher probability and danger of snakebite.

It was passed through successive teachers: Narada, Brihatsena, the god Indra, the sage Bharadvaja.

His hips are white, his lower legs golden, his arms long and his shoulders broad.

The great mount of Vishnu, Garuda, is finally invoked to destroy poison.

Various parts of his body are compared to Vedic poetic meters like the Gayatri mantra-meter, stomas (division of the Vedas), and sacred texts called Saman.

Diseases caused by the Nagas as well as wounds by their "venomous beaks, teeth, tusks, limbs and tails"; infestations caused by other poisonous animals like scorpions, spiders, lizards, rats, insects found in places such as houses, forests, fields, mountains, and bites by animals including tigers, dogs, worms and boars are cured by the charm.

[11] The text declares that the charm is a remedy for cuts, spits and other wounds by poisonous arrows, swords and other weapons as well as wounds by harmful supernatural beings like Yakshas (nature-spirits), Rakshasas (demons), pretas (ghosts) and bhutas (ghosts).

One who listens to the Garuda Upanishad on an amavashya (new moon night) is said to immune a person from snake bite for 12 years.

One who teaches it to eight Brahmins, will be able to cure snakebite by touching the inflicted person with grass, wood or ashes.

[3][12] The Garuda Upanishad was first published in 1883 by S. Subrahmanya in Telugu language in Chennai, India and then in 1885 in Albrecht Weber.

V. L. Panshikar Shastri published it numerous times in Mumbai in Sanskrit; first edition in 1913.