Hari Om.
Let us begin the fifty first sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
Having abducted sItA as rAvaNa took to the skies in his aerial chariot, every being in the forest including the guardian deities got mortally afraid of him and kept quiet. She pleaded with every twig and tree, bird and beast to convey the news of her abduction by rAvaNa to rAma. And as the chariot soared, she sighted jaTAyu, the king of vultures who had led them to panchavaTI and assured them his surveillance and protection [3.14. jaTAyu’s narration of the creation] and knowing well that he would be no match for the might of rAvaNa, she pleaded with jaTAyu to pass the news of her abduction to rAma as soon as possible. The vulture king who was in slumber immediately woke up to the screams of sItA and at once accosted rAvaNa. He counseled him about the utter inappropriateness of the act of abduction of a woman and also warned him of the dire consequences. He asked rAvaNa to stop at once and was clear that there was no way he would let this happen while he was alive and able. As rAvaNa didn’t budge, jaTAyu immediately decided to use might against rAvaNa. Onwards…
As jaTAyu appropriately and justly spoke the words of counsel and warning, rAvaNa’s twenty eyes raged with fiery anger. His bright ear rings dazzled in gold as his eyes turned red and he pounced upon jaTAyu and as the two clashed in the skies it was akin to two clouds clashing up there. The combat between the bird and the demon was absorbing and looked like two winged mountains in the mAlyavat range clashing each other.
The demon rAvaNa rained sharp arrows at the bird jaTAyu. The giant vulture endured the onslaught of the arrows and using his claws and beak to good effect repeatedly injured rAvaNa. Then rAvaNa retaliated with ten sharp arrows that pierced jaTAyu on his body. Although they hurt, the vulture looked at sItA so distraught in the chariot of rAvaNa and needing help, and renewed his attack shrugging off the arrows of rAvaNa.
The lord of the vultures flew into an attacking rAvaNa in an astounding counter attack and with his claws broke the gem studded bow of rAvaNa. Then rAvaNa brought out another mighty bow and continued the rain of arrows in hundreds and thousands aimed at the obstructing jaTAyu. Arrows pierced on its body on all sides, jaTAyu looked like a bird in its nest!
शरैरावारितस्तस्य संयुगे पतगेश्वरः।
कुलायमुपसम्प्राप्तः पक्षीव प्रबभौ तदा।।3.51.13।।
Then shaking off the arrows with its wings, jaTAyu, attacked rAvaNa yet again and with its claws broke his bow again. And with his wings he shattered the glowing armor of rAvaNa.
स तानि शरवर्षाणि पक्षाभ्यां च विधूयच।
चरणाभ्यां महातेजा बभञ्जास्य महद्धनुः।।3.51.14।।
Having hit rAvaNa, the glorious and mighty lord of the vultures, set his sight on the aerial chariot itself, he killed in one swoop the four devil faced swift donkeys that pulled the chariot, he destroyed the chariot itself studded with gold and glitter, he pulled out the parasol of rAvaNa and finally with his beak, he shattered the huge head of the charioteer and killed him.
Bereft of his chariot and charioteer which were destroyed rAvaNa fell down onto the ground with sItA in his lap. Beholding the fall of rAvaNa and his chariot destroyed all the beings hailed jaTAyu for his heroic assault. But jaTAyu was tired by now and that made rAvaNa really delighted. He mustered his strength back and with renewed zeal he took to the skies and began to fly away carrying sItA. Watching rAvaNa escaping thus in delight, jaTAyu mustered his strength, chased him down and blocking his path he lambasted him –
“You fool, you are abducting this wife of rAma who can really hit you hard with his arrows like the thunderbolt. This will ensure the extinction of the demonic clan. You are drinking poison along with your council of ministers, friends, relatives and forces like a thirsty man gulps water. The one who is not discerning with the consequences of his actions perishes in no time just like you will. Like a fish latching on to the bait, you have the noose of death around you. Where will you escape now? Certainly you will not be forgiven by the kakutsthas – rAma and lakshmaNa for this transgression of their hermitage.
यथा त्वया कृतं कर्म भीरुणा लोकगर्हितम्।।3.51.29।।
तस्कराचरितो मार्गो नैव वीरनिषेवितः।
This cowardice of yours will invite condemn from the world. The path you have chosen is that of thief and not of a valorous one. If you have the guts and courage and are a warrior, wait and fight me and you are sure to fell down on the battle field dead like your brother khara. You are indulging in a surely suicidal act like a man whose time is up. Who dares perform an action that surely earns demerit and sin? Even the self manifested god would not do it”.
Having lambasted rAvaNa thus, the heroic jaTAyu hit the back of the demon again and again with his beak. Perched on his shoulders and hurting him with his claws, jaTAyu, hurt rAvaNa all over his body with his sharp beak like a mahout goads an elephant that doesn’t behave.
Using the claws, nails and the beak as his weapons, the unarmed jaTAyu made a daring assault of rAvaNa and pulled his hair while perched on his back. rAvaNa was livid at this persistent attack by the vulture and in raging anger held sItA with his left arm and hit jaTAyu with his fist. The lord of the birds jaTAyu, with his beak cut off rAvaNa’s ten left hands and as the ten left hands fell off, there came out ten more like the serpents spitting venom from the anthill! Then leaving sItA aside, rAvaNa angrily fought jaTAyu with his hands and feet. Thus among the unequals, the best of the birds and the chief of the demons, the combat lasted a while. And then taking his sword out rAvaNa cutoff the wings and feet of the bird who was fightinh relentlessly for the cause of rAma. With his feet and the wings clipped of by the terrible demon, the giant vulture fell down on the ground with little life left in him. rAvaNa beheld the valiant jaTAyu fallen on the ground and felt as if a raging forest fire has been put out.
sItA was absolutely devastated at this turn of fate of her rescuer and ran to the fallen hero and embraced the blood soaked vulture in utter misery and wept like she lost one of her own kin.
Here we conclude the fifty first sarga of the araNya kAnDam of SrImath vAlmiKi rAmAyaNam and humbly offer it at the lotus feet of SrIrAma. Hari: Om!
jAi SrIrAma.
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Next: 3.52. The world devastated, the seers delighted
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rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
