Aranya Kanda · Sarga 67 of 76 · 29 verses
Rama Finds the Dying Jatayu
As soon as Lakshmana has spoken his good words, Raghava, though the elder, taking the essence, accepts their great substance. Mighty-armed Rama restrains his swollen anger, leans on his bright bow and says to Lakshmana: “What shall we do, child? Where shall we go, Lakshmana? By what means shall we see Sita here? Think.” To him, so tormented, Lakshmana says: “You should search this very Janasthana, full of many rakshasas and many kinds of trees and creepers. Here are mountain strongholds, ravines and caves, many terrible caverns full of herds of beasts, dwellings of kinnaras and houses of gandharvas. You should search them with me, attentive. Great-souled bulls among men like you, endowed with understanding, do not tremble in calamities, like mountains in the force of the wind.” Told this, Rama goes over the whole forest with Lakshmana, angry, having fitted a terrible razor-headed arrow to his bow. Then he sees, fallen on the ground, wet with blood, the fortunate best of birds, like a mountain peak: Jatayu. Seeing him like a mountain peak, Rama says to Lakshmana: “This one has eaten Sita Vaidehi, no doubt. This is clearly a rakshasa wandering the forest in the form of a vulture. Having eaten large-eyed Sita, it sits at ease. I will kill it with terrible, blazing, straight-flying arrows.” Saying this, angry Rama rushes forward to look, fitting a razor-headed arrow to his bow, as if shaking the earth bounded by the ocean.
The bird, vomiting foaming blood, speaks to Rama son of Dasharatha in a very wretched voice: “She whom you seek in the great forest like a healing herb, long-lived one, that queen and my life-breath, both have been taken by Ravana. I saw the queen, without you and without Lakshmana, Raghava, being carried off by mighty Ravana. I went to Sita’s help, lord, and Ravana, his chariot and umbrella smashed, fell to the ground in battle. This is his bow, broken, and these are his arrows; this is his war chariot, broken in battle, Rama; this is his charioteer, killed on the ground by my wings. When I was exhausted, Ravana cut off my wings with his sword, took Sita Vaidehi and flew up into the sky. I have already been killed by the rakshasa; you should not kill me.” Understanding his dear account, bound up with Sita, Rama throws down his great bow, embraces the king of vultures, and falls helpless to the ground, weeping with Lakshmana. His pain doubled, Rama, though most steady, sees him sighing again and again in that hard, single path, and, grieving, says to Saumitri: “The kingdom lost, life in the forest, Sita lost, the bird dead: such ill fortune of mine could burn even fire. If I were to swim across the full great ocean today, surely even the lord of rivers would dry up through my ill fortune. There is no one more unlucky than I in this world of the moving and unmoving, by whom this great net of calamity has been met. This mighty king of vultures, my father’s friend, lies killed on the ground through the reversal of my fortune.” Saying this many times, Raghava with Lakshmana strokes Jatayu, showing a father’s love. Holding the king of vultures, his wings cut off, drenched in blood, Raghava cries out, “Where has Maithili, equal to my life, gone?” and falls to the ground.
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पूर्वजोऽप्युक्तमात्रस्तु लक्ष्मणेन सुभाषितम् । सारग्राही महासारं प्रतिजग्राह राघवः ॥ १ ॥
As soon as he was spoken to well by Lakshmana, Raghava, though the elder, taking the essence, accepted its great substance.
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Rama Finds the Dying Jatayu 1 min read.
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स निगृह्य महाबाहुः प्रवृद्धं रोषमात्मनः । अवष्टभ्य धनुश्चित्रं रामो लक्ष्मणमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
Restraining his swollen anger, the mighty-armed one, leaning on his bright bow, Rama said to Lakshmana:
किं करिष्यावहे वत्स क्व वा गच्छाव लक्ष्मण । केनोपायेन पश्यावः सीतामिह विचिन्तय ॥ ३ ॥
“What shall we do, child? Or where shall we go, Lakshmana? By what means shall we see Sita here? Think.”
तं तथा परितापार्तं लक्ष्मणो वाक्यमब्रवीत् । इदमेव जनस्थानं त्वमन्वेषितुमर्हसि ॥ ४ ॥
To him, so tormented by anguish, Lakshmana said these words: “You should search this very Janasthana,
राक्षसैर्बहुभिः कीर्णं नानाद्रुमलतायुतम् । सन्तीह गिरिदुर्गाणि निर्दराः कन्दराणि च ॥ ५ ॥
“crowded with many rakshasas, full of many kinds of trees and creepers. Here there are mountain strongholds, ravines and caves,
गुहाश्च विविधा घोरा नानामृगगणाकुलाः । आवासाः किंनराणां च गन्धर्वभवनानि च ॥ ६ ॥
“and many kinds of terrible caverns, crowded with herds of many kinds of beasts, and dwellings of kinnaras and houses of gandharvas.
तानि युक्तो मया सार्धं समन्वेषितुमर्हसि । त्वद्विधा बुद्धिसम्पन्ना महात्मानो नरर्षभाः ॥ ७ ॥
“You should search them attentively with me. Great-souled bulls among men like you, endowed with understanding,
आपत्सु न प्रकम्पन्ते वायुवेगैरिवाचलाः । इत्युक्तस्तद् वनं सर्वं विचचार सलक्ष्मणः ॥ ८ ॥
“do not tremble in calamities, like mountains in the force of winds.” Spoken to so, he roamed that whole forest with Lakshmana,
क्रुद्धो रामः शरं घोरं संधाय धनुषि क्षुरम् । ततः पर्वतकूटाभं महाभागं द्विजोत्तमम् ॥ ९ ॥
Rama, angry, having fitted a terrible razor-headed arrow to his bow. Then, like a mountain peak, the fortunate best of birds,
ददर्श पतितं भूमौ क्षतजार्द्रं जटायुषम् । तं दृष्ट्वा गिरिशृङ्गाभं रामो लक्ष्मणमब्रवीत् ॥ १० ॥
he saw Jatayu fallen on the ground, wet with blood. Seeing him like a mountain peak, Rama said to Lakshmana:
अनेन सीता वैदेही भक्षिता नात्र संशयः । गृध्ररूपमिदं व्यक्तं रक्षो भ्रमति काननम् ॥ ११ ॥
“By this one Sita Vaidehi has been eaten; there is no doubt here. This is clearly a rakshasa in the form of a vulture, roaming the forest.
भक्षयित्वा विशालाक्षीमास्ते सीतां यथासुखम् । एनं वधिष्ये दीप्ताग्रैः शरैर्घोरैरजिह्मगैः ॥ १२ ॥
“Having eaten large-eyed Sita, it sits at ease. I will kill it with terrible straight-flying arrows with blazing points.”
इत्युक्त्वाभ्यपतद् द्रष्टुं संधाय धनुषि क्षुरम् । क्रुद्धो रामः समुद्रान्तां चालयन्निव मेदिनीम् ॥ १३ ॥
Having said this, he rushed forward to see, fitting the razor-headed arrow to his bow, angry Rama, as if shaking the earth bounded by the ocean.
तं दीनदीनया वाचा सफेनं रुधिरं वमन् । अभ्यभाषत पक्षी स रामं दशरथात्मजम् ॥ १४ ॥
The bird, vomiting foaming blood, spoke to Rama, son of Dasharatha, in a most wretched voice:
यामोषधीमिवायुष्मन्नन्वेषसि महावने । सा देवी मम च प्राणा रावणेनोभयं हृतम् ॥ १५ ॥
“She whom you search for in the great forest like a healing herb, long-lived one, that queen, and my life-breaths: both have been carried off by Ravana.
त्वया विरहिता देवी लक्ष्मणेन च राघव । ह्रियमाणा मया दृष्टा रावणेन बलीयसा ॥ १६ ॥
“The queen, separated from you and from Lakshmana, Raghava, was seen by me being carried off by mighty Ravana.
सीतामभ्यवपन्नोऽहं रावणश्च रणे प्रभो । विध्वंसितरथच्छत्रः पतितो धरणीतले ॥ १७ ॥
“I went to Sita’s aid, and Ravana in battle, lord, his chariot and umbrella destroyed, fell on the ground.
एतदस्य धनुर्भग्नमेते चास्य शरास्तथा । अयमस्य रणे राम भग्नः सांग्रामिको रथः ॥ १८ ॥
“This is his bow, broken, and these are his arrows; this is his war chariot, broken in battle, Rama.
अयं तु सारथिस्तस्य मत्पक्षनिहतो भुवि । परिश्रान्तस्य मे पक्षौ छित्त्वा खड्गेन रावणः ॥ १९ ॥
“And this is his charioteer, killed by my wings on the ground. When I was tired, Ravana, cutting off my wings with his sword,
सीतामादाय वैदेहीमुत्पपात विहायसम् । रक्षसा निहतं पूर्वं मां न हन्तुं त्वमर्हसि ॥ २० ॥
“taking Sita Vaidehi, flew up into the sky. I have already been killed by the rakshasa; you should not kill me.”
रामस्तस्य तु विज्ञाय सीतासक्तां प्रियां कथाम् । गृध्रराजं परिष्वज्य परित्यज्य महद् धनुः ॥ २१ ॥
Rama, understanding his dear account connected with Sita, embracing the king of vultures and throwing away his great bow,
निपपातावशो भूमौ रुरोद सहलक्ष्मणः । द्विगुणीकृततापार्तो रामो धीरतरोऽपि सन् ॥ २२ ॥
fell helpless on the ground and wept with Lakshmana. Rama, though most steady, his anguish doubled, afflicted,
एकमेकायने कृच्छ्रे निःश्वसन्तं मुहुर्मुहुः । समीक्ष्य दुःखितो रामः सौमित्रिमिदमब्रवीत् ॥ २३ ॥
seeing him alone in the hard single path, sighing again and again, Rama, grieving, said this to Saumitri:
राज्यं भ्रष्टं वने वासः सीता नष्टा मृतो द्विजः । ईदृशीयं ममालक्ष्मीर्दहेदपि हि पावकम् ॥ २४ ॥
“The kingdom lost, life in the forest, Sita lost, the bird dead: such ill fortune of mine would burn even fire.
सम्पूर्णमपि चेदद्य प्रतरेयं महोदधिम् । सोऽपि नूनं ममालक्ष्म्या विशुष्येत् सरितां पतिः ॥ २५ ॥
“If I were to cross the full great ocean today, surely even that lord of rivers would dry up through my ill fortune.
नास्त्यभाग्यतरो लोके मत्तोऽस्मिन् स चराचरे । येनेयं महती प्राप्ता मया व्यसनवागुरा ॥ २६ ॥
“There is no one more unfortunate in the world, in this moving and unmoving, than I, by whom this great net of calamity has been met.
अयं पितुर्वयस्यो मे गृध्रराजो महाबलः । शेते विनिहतो भूमौ मम भाग्यविपर्ययात् ॥ २७ ॥
“This very mighty king of vultures, my father’s friend, lies killed on the ground through the reversal of my fortune.”
इत्येवमुक्त्वा बहुशो राघवः सहलक्ष्मणः । जटायुषं च पस्पर्श पितृस्नेहं निदर्शयन् ॥ २८ ॥
Saying this many times, Raghava, with Lakshmana, touched Jatayu, showing a father’s affection.
निकृत्तपक्षं रुधिरावसिक्तं तं गृध्रराजं परिगृह्य राघवः । क्व मैथिली प्राणसमा गतेति विमुच्य वाचं निपपात भूमौ ॥ २९ ॥
Holding that king of vultures, his wings cut off, sprinkled with blood, Raghava, letting out the cry, “Where has Maithili, equal to my life, gone?”, fell to the ground.