Sri Jatayu, The Vulture King

July 11, 2003

Haribol, VNN readers, PAMHO & AGTSP and his followers everywhere. I was so happy to see Sri Jatayu adorn the headlines today, so I am submitting a story about this wonderful and humble Vaisnava copied from the website that bears his name, located at:

http://www.geocities.com/athens/aegean/9931

The Story of Sri Jatayu, The Vulture King

The demon king, Ravana, took Srimati Sitadevi like a jackal takes a fawn, and victoriously flew off to Lanka of the Waves while the Brothers, Rama and Laksmana, searched for the illusive, golden deer. Sitadevi's cries were not unheard, though. While hovering over Ravana's passing chariot, Sri Jatayu dove down to overtake him, saying, "I am Jatayu, the Vulture King, evil cannot be done in my presence, for I know the True. King Dasaratha is my friend, we were born on the same day , and are undefeated in battle."

Ravana arrogantly said, "Go back to sleep." Sri Jatayu replied, "I am the king of the air, do not harm Srimati Sitadevi, free her or die, for you cannot safely remove Her from my land as if She had no husband. I am 60,000 years old and much to tired to do any more talking." One talon, the size of an elephant tusk and as hard as iron, sent the demon king's chariot reeling, tearing away the railing. He gently took Sita from Ravana's arms and placed Her on the throne of his soft gray feathers, and delivered Her to the safety of the forest below, unharmed.

Ravanasura, shocked and raksasa angry, shouted, "I care nothing for you," and drove his chariot into Jatayu with an ivory bow aiming a kill-shot arrow. Sri Jatayu snapped the bow with one bite, he clawed the armor from Ravana's back, and with his beak, tore the hair form the demon king's heads. With the hurricane force of his wings, he drove Ravana to the ground. In utter fury, Sri Jatayu tore the asses that drew the chariot to shreds, shattered the car with one wing stroke and the golden wheels flew through the air like two new suns, the axle disappeared into the forest, as the sky rained shattered gold, crushed wood, and torn flesh.

Sri Jatayu screeched in triumph, but Ravana, injured and bewildered, seemed to notice that the Vulture King was blind. Taking advantage, Ravana again rose to attack. Sri Jatayu struck by sound. He snared Ravana and began wrenching off his left arms, one by one, and spitting them to the earth below. Ravana's faces trembled in pain, his bones shook in agony, yet new arms immediately began to grow back. Blind Sri Jatayu had thought they were gone for good.

Ravanasura, to be killed only by Lord Ramachandra, finally defeated the Vulture King by dishonesty and threw the dying Jatayu at the feet of Srimati Sitadevi, who embraced him and wept profusely, whispering final instructions. Ravana grabbed Her with bloody hands and flew quickly to Lanka of the Waves, sneering at the golden and white hued monkeys below near the ocean, not noticing all the jewels and silk artifacts Srimati Sitadevi was dropping to them as a signal.

As Lord Rama and His Brother, Sri Laksmana, began the quest to free Sitadevi, the Dandaka Forest held no clues to Her whereabouts until They came upon a small white flower with a drop of blood in it's whorl, and a fine silk thread used for garlands. They then found Themselves in a used battlefield of torn armor, spent weaponry, and gross carnage. They saw ten huge arms, still wearing the rings of Lanka authority, bloody on the ground. They saw huge grey vulture wings next to the dying Sri Jatayu, and They immediately knelt in tribute to the great fallen Hero. Lord Ramachandra held His devotee in His arms, crying, "Alas, all is lost. Not only have I lost My Sita, now I see you uselessly killed trying to serve Me, dying in vain." Sri Jatayu sadly proclaimed, "My dear Son, Rama, it was my age. Had I been a moment younger, I would have killed Ravana and saved your wife." Sri Jatayu was given the benediction by Srimati Sitadevi to die in the arms of his Lord Ramachandra, and did so in service, victoriously gasping his last words, "Do not lament, my dear Lord Rama, for Sita lives! Sita lives! Ravana has been fatally injured by his foolish decision to ........."

Sri Rama and Sri Laksmana performed the funeral on that spot for Sri Jatayu, and the consuming fire burned cool in the soft breezes. Lord Rama declared, "Sri Jatayu is the eternal embodiment of bravery demonstrated by My unalloyed servants."

All glories to the wonderful stories presented by Sri Valmiki to the world, the gifts of life, the stories of Sri Sri Sita Rama Lila. Sri Jatayu not only shows the Vaisnava the quality of bravery, but also the essence of sanatana dharma, bhakti yoga, that is, by the grace of the manifestation of the Lord's internal potency, Srimati Sitadevi, one gets the fortune of association with the Supreme Lord, face to face. All glories to the great hero of Srimad Ramayana, Sri Jatayu.

Jaya Jaya Rama Jaya Sita Rama. 9-16- 1998 mahaksadasa

Commentary from the same website goes like this:

Sri Jatayu's Example

As described all too briefly, Sri Jatayu's story is one of causeless devotion, without much concern with the success or failure or other attachments to the result of his works. He simply performed service to the servant, Srimati Sitadevi, of the Supreme Lord Ramachandra. He noticed that such a Pure Lover of the Supreme Lord was placed in a difficult position by one, Ravanasura, who was thinking of himself as divine. Ravana could never conceive that something or someone was beyond his control, therefore, he laid waste the entire universe before him. Sri Jatayu, knower of the TRUE, that is, that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the summum bonum Absolute Truth and One without competitor, acted immediately upon sensing false dogma before his blind eyes. Srimati Sitadevi's cries of "Rama, Rama, Rama" were all the instructions he needed.

Although he was retired, resting after thousands of years keeping lies away from his Kingdom of Sound Vibration, he, nevertheless, was commissioned to again go to war. As described in the story, he gave Ravana the fourth most formidible enemy, following Sita, Rama, and Sri Hanuman, in that order.The Demon King Ravana had no respect for the ancient Vulture King, and, even though until that time he had never even felt pain due to battle, still, though insane from shock and severely injured, paid Sri Jatayu no tribute. As he flew on, still thinking that Sita would someday give up Rama and become his, the vanquished Sri Jatayu became the beloved of Ravana"s captive prisoner, Srimati Sitadevi, the embodiment of the Internal Potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Sri Jatayu did not die a horrible warrior's death, Sri Ramachandra held him in His arms. Some may think that his mission was misadventure and that he should have known that he couldn't take on such a powerful foe, should have known that his imperfections, his age, his blindness, etc., would lead to his defeat. For all intents and purposes, from a materialistic point of view, Sri Jatayu was a failure. Those who possess only materialistic viewpoints, however, are also like Ravana (minus any power), that is, they think that their own wills will be done. They have no conception of the VICTORY ultimately awaiting humble servants of the loving associates of the Supreme Lord. The Ravanas of the world seek perfection by amassing their own power, their own fame, their own wealth, their own knowledge, their own beauty, and their own liberation. Yet, because Sri Yamaraja of green hue, riding on buffalo and dangling diamond noose to naturally drag us all to the realm of death, cares nothing of the opulences we amass, the Ravanas are left without even a memory of past accomplishments, some even thrown into the light of non-existance, the ultimate spiritual death.

Sri Yamaraja came to Sri Jatayu, too, but because he was being cared for by Yama's worshipable Lord Sri Ramachandra, he placed his noose back in it's pouch and congratulated the Vulture King, singing "Rama, Rama, Rama". The TRUE, known by Sri Jatayu, is not only that the absolute truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but that the path to His Realm is the journey to beneath the straw in the street, to humbly act always, despite disqualification, in His loving service.

Hare Krsna, all glories to the assembled devotees,

ys, mahaksadasa