JATAYU : A Flight suspended in Midair

 JATAYU:  A Flight suspended in Midair

Jatayu is a  mythical bird from the Hindu epic “RAMAYANA”.  It is believed that all Indians are aware of Jatayu.  Jatayu was a Good Samaritan who challenged the Rakshasa King Ravana in Midair while abducting Sita, the goddess of earth and wife of Raghu clan Lord Sri Ram.

Ramayana is the story of Ram and Sita.  Lord Sri Ram is the seventh “AVATAR” of Hindu God Vishnu.

Ram was born to the King of Ayodhya Dashratha and Queen Kausalya.   He was the crown Prince of Ayodhya who had broken the heavy bow to win Sita in swayamvar.  Ram had a brother called Lakshman.

King Dashratha had three wives  namely Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi.

KAIKEYI’S  BOONS:

Kaikeyi the youngest queen wife of Dasharatha once saved his life and he in turn promised  Kaikeyi to demand any two boons that he would fulfill.  However, Kaikeyi chose to ask those boons later. Kaikeyi at the time of finding a successor for Dasharatha, at the instigation of her maid Manthara demanded that her son Bharatha would be made the King and the crown prince Ram to banish in exile for fourteen years.

Though taken by surprise by the jolt of Kaikeyi’s demand, Dashratha had no option other than fulfilling her wishes like any honorable King.  Ram asked Sita to stay back with Dasharatha and decided to spend the fourteen years in the forest.  Sita as a dutiful and chaste wife prompted Ram to take her along with him to the forest.  Ram’s younger brother Lakshman too joined them in the exile.  

RAM’S  EXILE:

Image of Ram                                                                                        Image of Sita

Ayodhya is on the southern banks of the river Sarayu, where Ram was born. When Ram decided to go to the forest acceding to the demands of Kaikeyi, Ram, Sita, and Lakshman were driven by Sumantra (the prime minister of Dasharatha) in a chariot down south to the banks of the river Ganga.   Sumantra was persuaded by Ram to return to Ayodhya and attend to the king.  The northern bank of Ganga was the southern border of Kosala kingdom.  Guha was the ruler of the Nishadha kingdom.  He ferried the trio to the southern bank of Ganga, at Ram’s request, in his boat. 

TRIVENI SANGAMAM:

After crossing the river Ganga, they reached (by foot) the holy confluence of Ganga and Yamuna at Prayag  (also known as triveni sangamam). They arrived at the hermitage of sage Bharadwaj, who counseled them to seek the area near the mountain of Chitrakuta, about 30 miles from Prayag, for a peaceful stay. They crossed the river Yamuna on a raft and walked for 2 days to reach Chitrakuta.

River Malyavathi flows at the foothills of the mountain Chitrakuta.  Lakshman built a modest hermitage on the banks of the river for them to reside. Life in the sylvan setting was peaceful. It is here that Bharata came from Ayodhya after learning 3 of the circumstances surrounding Ram’s life in exile. After failing to exhort Ram to return to Ayodhya he got Ram’s footwear to be placed on the throne while he would run a caretaker government for the next 14 years. The demons had an outpost at Janasthana, not far from Chitrakuta and they caused problems for the sages. The sages decided to leave that area and that decision encouraged Ram to seek another place for his exile.

DANDAKARANYA:

Dandakaranya is a vast swath of territory covering the region south of the Vindhya mountain range.   Its geographical limits were Vindhya Mountains to the north, Krishna River in the south, and the mouth of Godavari River in the east.  It was named for a son of Iksvaku (ancestor of Ram) named Danda, who was banished there. The trio started moving deep into the forest and visited the hermitage of Atri and sought his blessings. The wife of Atri, Anasuya gave a gift of jewelry to Sita. It was this collection of jewelry that Sita used to drop in Kishkindha, on the way to Lanka, while Ravana carried her in the aerial car. There were many sages living in various parts of the forest. The trio kept moving from place to place, spending a month, a season, or a year at each hermitage. A period of 10 years rolled by peacefully during such transit. After visiting the sages Sarabhanga and Suteekshna, they went to visit sage Agasthya who directed them to spend the rest of the exile in a place called Panchavaii, 18 miles down south on the northern banks of the river Godavari. 

PANCHAVATI:

Panchavati means five (pancha) banyan (vata) trees. This is the place where Lakshman built a bamboo cottage in a tranquil area for Ram and Sita to reside. At this site Surpanaka (Ravana’s sister) came to entice Ram  failing which she got disfigured by Lakshmana.   Her brothers, Kara and Dhushana, who came to her defense along with a bunch of other demons were defeated and killed by Ram and Lakshman. The aftermath of this brought Ravana into the scene with a wicked plan to abduct Sita.   The plan was for Ravana’s uncle Mareecha to assume the form of a golden deer to entice Sita, lure Rama in pursuit of it, and draw Lakshman too away from the scene at which time Ravana would swoop in to carry Sita away.

Lakshman was a loveable brother and he was already married to Urmila.  While Lakshman kept Vigil for Sita day and night,  his wife Urmila was sleeping to enable him to keep the vigil without dozing off.  They stayed in the hermitage and ate fruits and roots when they were hungry.  Rama used to roam around in the forest to procure food. 

One day when Rama was out hunting, Sita decided to take a nap while Lakshmana kept watch. She spread the hide of a deer and lay down in the shade of a tree.  Sleep came quickly as the breeze was gentle and kind.  Later, while she was in deep slumber, the wind grew unruly and tossed her clothes all over the place.  Sita slept peacefully unaware of the fact that her body had been exposed.

When Ram returned he saw Sita lying uncovered without a care in the world.   Lakshman sat with his back to her facing the forest.  Ram said ‘Oh, who can resist the beauty of one who reclines so carelessly under the tree?’

Lakshman sensing that Ram was referring to Sita said, ’ He who is the son of Dasharatha and Sumitra and brother of Ram and husband of Urmila can surely resist such a beauty who Ram says that reclines so carelessly under the tree.

Image of Laxman

                          

Rama smiled.   His brother’s integrity was unquestionable. 

Ram and Lakshman enjoyed hunting.  While one was out chasing game, the other kept watch on Sita while she scoured the forest for food.  They mainly hunted tigers and deer collecting their skin and horns as trophies.   Some of the animal hides they used for themselves, as mats to sit on and shawls to cover themselves.  Many they gifted to the sages they met.  The horns were used to make weapons, arrowheads mostly.  Ram avoided meat which warriors ate with relish, as he felt it was unbecoming of an ascetic.  So Lakshman stayed away from it too.

They moved camp down the river Godavari to a place enclosed by rocks, which gave Ram and Lakshman, a chance of   spotting intruders from a distance.  The forest was some way off.  A hut was built here for Sita.  The brothers sat on the rocks all day and night, keeping watch.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months.  Once again the forest looked beautiful with its flowers and fruits.  The rivers and the mountains had the stories to tell.  There was enough food and so there was no point foraging.  And hunting made Sita unhappy.  There were no hermits around this place to chat with, and all the stars in the night sky were familiar.  One day Sita in the company of Ram and Laxman spotted a deer shining like gold.  It had two heads and long antlers.  As it jumped about, its hooves destroyed the patch of  grass that Sita loved  and with its antlers it ripped out the flower-laded vine that Sita particularly liked.

‘Let me catch him for you, Sita.  Alive it will make a great pet.  Dead, its skin will make a lovely mat for you,’  said Ram. Sita did not stop Ram.  She was spellbound by the creature.  She wanted to possess it.  And Ram saw this in her eyes.  For the first time in all these years, she wanted something.  ‘I will fetch it for you,’ he promised, eager to please the princess who never ever showed times of discontent.

‘May be this buck leads a herd,’ said Sita, her eyes twinkling with the possibility of seeing hundreds of golden deer.

Lakshman warned, ‘Golden deer do not exist.  This is unnatural.’

Or just unique, undiscovered,’ said Sita, eager to believe this creature was real enough to be caught, tamed, possessed.

Delighted by the prospect of making the otherwise lofty Sita smile by having a very petty desire, fulfilled, Ram set out for the woods.  “Stay by her side, while I hunt this deer down,’ he said before running after the golden deer.

The sun had barely risen when Ram left the camp.  By the time it was noon, Sita got restless.  “He never takes this long, what is happening?’

‘The deer is no ordinary deer if it runs so fast and eludes Ram,’ said Lakshman. 

Then, mid-afternoon, they heard a cry: ‘Save me Lakshman. Save me Sita. I am dying.’ Sita, who had not eaten food nor sipped water since Ram’s departure, became agitated.  Once again   they heard the voice.

‘Go to him, Lakshman, ‘There is trouble’, said Sita.

‘No’, said Lakshman, ‘I will not leave your side.’

‘But Ram needs help.’

‘I will obey him and not leave your side.’

‘What is wrong with you? Do you want him to die?.

Lakshman flinched at these words.  ‘Something is amiss.  This is a trick.  This forest is full of Rakshasas who can mimic anyone’s voice’  I don’t think Ram is in trouble.  It must be the wind.  Hunger and thirst are clouding our mind, making us hear things.’

Sita was furious, ’You seem overly not eager to go to Ram.  Do you want him to die? Do you ?  In the jungle when the dominant male dies, the next one claims his mate.  Is that what you want?’

Lakshman could not believe what he was hearing.  His noble sister-in-law, in her panic, was willing to descend to the vulgar to make him obey her.  Was she so frightened?  Did she not trust Ram? Not wanting the situation to get worse, Lakshman decided to go in search of Ram.

LAXMAN-REKHA:   

But before he left, he traced a line around Sita’s hut.  ‘This is the line of Lakshman, the Lakshman-rekha.  I imbue it with the power of hymns I have learned from Vasishtha and Vishwamitra.  Any man who tries to cross this line will burst into flames instantly.  Stay with this line.  Inside is Ayodhya and you  are Ram’s wife.  Outside is the jungle, you are a woman for the taking.’

Shortly after Lakshman left, a rishi with his body smeared with ash, came to Sita’s hut with a bowl in his hand.  ‘Are you the bride of that unfortunate scion of the famous Raghu clan, Ram?’

‘Yes, Iam, ‘said Sita.

‘The noble Raghu clan, famous for its hospitality? He reconfirmed.

‘Yes.’

‘Then you will surely take care of me.  I have not eaten for several days and have found neither an edible berry nor a root or a shoot in this wretched forest.  I beg you to feed me any morsel that you may have left in the house.

‘Come in’, said Sita.

‘I cannot’, said the rishi.  ‘I see no man beside you.  They must have gone to the forest or river. You are alone in the house.  It would be inappropriate to come in.  It is better that you come and feed me,’  The rishi spread the hide of a blackbuck on the ground and sat at a distance from the hut, ready to receive his meal.

Sita collected the berries and fruits from within and was about to step out when she remembered the line drawn around the hut.  She was suddenly confronted with a dilemma.  As long as she stayed inside the line, she was safe.  Outside she was vulnerable.

But if the rishi was not fed he would go around the forest and maligning the reputation of the Raghu clan because of her, the eldest daughter-in-law.   “They call themselves noble but refuse to leave their house to feed hungry sages.  When you meet a member of the Raghu clan, remember Sita, and do not expect any hospitality,’ he would say.  What was more important, herself or the reputation of the Raghu clan, she wondered.  She had to risk vulnerability.

So, Sita crossed the line drawn by Lakshman to feed the rishi.

ABDUCTION  OF  SITA:

(Sita was abducted in the final year of exile.)

Ravana looked at her and smiled, ’Inside the line you were someone’s wife.  Outside you are a woman for the taking.’

Sita screamed. He grabbed her arm, tossed her over his shoulder and summoned his chariot.  It had the power of flight!

 Sita did not know who this strange rishi was.  Was he a rishi at all? 

‘Know this, pretty one, I am Ravana, king of Lanka brother of Shurpanakha whom your husband had mutilated, leader of the men your husband killed. You are the penalty of his crimes. When he returns to the hut, you will not be there and there will be no footprints for him to follow.  He will search around the forest for years in futility like a lovesick fool  and then, realizing that you have been taken by some beast or bird, will come to terms with your loss and find comfort in another woman, probably my sister, who seems so infatuated by him despite the way he has treated her.’

Sita decided that she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her wail and whimper in fear.  She looked below – a carpet of trees, they were indeed flying.   Sita wondered if he was taking her to Amravati, the city of the gods.

Reading her mind, Ravana said, ’I am taking you to the most wonderful place on earth, to Lanka, the city of Gold, located in the middle of the sea, far from all human habitation.’ 

Sita felt a mixture of fear and sorrow.

ENCOUNTER  BY  JATAYU:

                 

                        



Suddenly, a bird appeared before the chariot.  It was  giant of a bird called Jatayu who often kept watch over their hut.    He spread his wings and blocked the path of the flying chariot and challenged Ravana to a duel.  Ravana pulled out his crescent-shaped sword and prepared for battle.  Jatayu struck Ravana with his wings biting into his arms with his sharp beak, tearing his flesh with his sharp talons.  But Ravana was agile and Jatayu old.  Ravana swung the sword in an arc and slashed off one of the bird’s wings, causing Jatayu to tumble down to the earth from the sky. 

Jadayu guarded the hut of Ram, Sita and Lakshman.  An alert Jatayu wanted to abort Ravan’s  abduction plan of Sita.  The old and weak bird could not stop Ravan from his evil act.   However, it has tried his best while going down fighting.

A Flight suspended in  Midair!