Hari Om.
Let us begin the sixty seventh sarga of the araNya kAnDam by offering our prostrations at the lotus feet of SrIrAma and our sathguru.
In the ayOdhyA kAnDam, lakshmaNa too gets the nod to accompany to the forest rather easily from rAma! Presently, given rAma’s untold grief and loneliness, the nod might even appear pre-planned! The calm warrior was rubbed the wrong way and he exploded dangerously or at least was getting ready to do so. That is when an unlikely lakshmaNa, who has been known to be the aggressor a couple of times [2.21. lakshmaNa’s wrath meets rAma’s calm, 2.96. lakshmaNa rages, again!] applies the balm of soothing calm on rAma and holds him back. He reminds rAma of his exalted stature in the world and asks him to endure out this grief and be focused on identifying the perpetrator and conducting s surgical strike rather than annihilating the entire creation in desperation. The repeated appeals of the loving brother begin to show some effect. Onwards…
Although, the elder, the rAma of great grasp didn’t miss the essence of the message of the younger brother lakshmaNa. Restraining his anger and leaning over on his mighty and wonderful bow, he said –
किं करिष्यावहे वत्स क्व वा गच्छाव लक्ष्मण।
केनोपायेन गच्छेयं सीतामिति विचिन्तय।।3.67.3।।
“O my dear lakshmaNa, what shall we do, where shall we go and with what plan shall we reach sItA, think about these”.
Responding to the grieving rAma, lakshmaNa said – “O rAma, along with me you ought to first scan through this forest of the janasthAna – dense with its variety of trees and filled with demons. This forest contains treacherous hills, difficult caves, deep valleys. There are residences of kinneras and demi-gods (gandhrvas) here. We both should first search here for sItA. O best among men, people like endowed with an excellent intellect should not get agitated in times of difficulty and should be unshaken like the mountain in the face of strong winds”.
Thus suggested, rAma began to search in the janasthAna along with lakshmaNa and in his anger, he had an arrow set on the bow ready to be shot as he scanned through the forest.
And then, they beheld the badly wounded mighty bird soaked in blood, resembling a mountain, jaTAyu that lied there on the earth. Seeing him thus, rAma at once said – “O lakshmaNa, no doubt, this is a demon masquerading as a vulture. I have no doubt this is the one that has eaten up sItA. I shall at once shoot unerring life-taking arrows and kill him”. Thus rAma flew in to a rage that shook the earth all the way till the seas and got his bow and arrow ready!
But the miserable bird spoke to rAma in a pitiable voice, vomiting frothing blood –
“May you live long, the one you are searching for in the forest like a precious herb, both she and my life have been taken away by rAvaNa! O rAghva, I have seen the lady bereft of you and lakshmaNa being taken away forcibly by rAvaNa. I came down to fight rAvaNa and rescue sItA. I destroyed his chariot and that is lying over here. Here is his broken bow and those shattered quivers. There lies his charioteer killed by my wings. As my strength dwindled and I got tired, the demon rAvaNa clipped my wings and I have been already slain by him. Please, you don’t kill me now”!
Having recognized him and learning about the news of his beloved sItA, rAma’s surging grief doubled. He put aside his great bow and embraced jaTAyu. Down on the earth, he wailed piteously along with lakshmaNa. He noticed that jaTAyu lay helplessly and was finding it difficult to catch his breath and wailing, he said to lakshmaNa –
राज्यं भ्रष्टं वने वासस्सीता नष्टा हतो द्विजः।
ईदृशीयं ममालक्ष्मीर्निर्दहेदपि पावकम्।।3.67.24।।
“Banished from the kingdom, exiled in the forest, lost sItA and now the bird is dead – this type of misfortune that is following me can even burn the fire! Even if the ocean is replete with water and all rivers pour into it, if I enter it, it will dry up, due to the misfortune that I carry. There is absolutely no one else in this entire creation including the animate and inanimate as unfortunate as me ensnared in the sorrow. On account of my misfortune, this king of vultures, my father’s contemporary, is wounded and dying”.
Thus lamenting variously, rAma stroked jaTAyu and displayed filial love. He embraced the wounded king of vultures whose wings were clipped and wailed as to where sItA was who was dearer to him than his own life.
Here we conclude the sixty seventh 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: 3.68. rAma, the liberator
Previous: 3.66. lakshmaNa’s timely sermon
rAmabhaktisAmrAjyam 
