Aranya Kanda, Chapter 51

The combat of Jataayu & Ravana

When Ravana is spoken to by Jataayu with judicious words, Ravana's eyes reddened infuriately, and his burnished golden ear-knobs flickered injuriously, and that lord of demons dashed towards the lord of birds, intolerantly.

As with two gigantic clouds up-heaved by the tornadic gusts will be hard hitting each other tempestuously in sky, the combat between those two, Ravana and Jataayu, became tempestuous in the sky.

As with a startling combat between two gigantic and winged mountains, called Mt. Maalyavanta-s, that combat between the eagle and demon then became a startling one.

Then the great-mighty Ravana incessantly stormed the lord of eagles Jataayu, with arrows that have excruciating and highly dreadful arrowheads, like tubular arrows, iron arrows, and with arrows that have crescentic arrowheads.

That eagle Jataayu who is the lord of winged-chariots, namely birds, in turn sustained those arrays of Ravana's arrows in that combat.

But that great-mighty Jataayu severally made gashes on the body of Ravana with his two feet that have gashing claws for that bird is with best stamina.

Now the Decahedral demon Ravana infuriately took up ten deadly arrows that are similar in their shine to the Shafts of the Terminator, wishful of the elimination of his enemy.

That highly energetic Ravana released and impaled the eagle with straight shooting arrows on fully stretching the bowstring up to his ear, whose steel-pointed arrowheads are sharp, hurtful, and deadly.

That Jataayu on seeing teary-eyed Jaanaki in the chariot of the demon forcefully lunged towards that demon heedless of arrows that are lunging at him.

That unexcelled bird of high refulgence then shattered Ravana's bow which is decorated with pearls and gemstones, and on which an arrow is admitted targeting the eagle, just by the pair of his bare feet.

Ravana convulsed in anger then took up another bow and stormed hundreds and thousands of arrow storms.

Nested in the arrows shot by Ravana that lordly bird Jataayu then shone forth in that combat like a bird that obtains a readymade nest.

On winnowing those arrays of arrows with both of his wings, he that highly refulgent Jataayu shattered the mighty bow of Ravana with both of his feet.

That highly resplendent lord of birds also blasted off the armour of Ravana, which is glowing and flamelike in its flare, with both of his feet.

Mighty Jataayu also knocked off the ghost-faced mules yoked to the chariot of Ravana which are covered in golden armours and tantivy in fastness.

Then that great-chariot which is flourishing with three bamboos from chassis to yoke, and which traverses just by its steersman's wish, and which is crafted fantastically with gem-studded body and stairs, or, whose wheels are crafted with gold and gemstones, and which in its flare is like a Ritual-fire, Jataayu splintered down even that chariot of Ravana.

Jataayu swiftly collapsed the parasol of Ravana which in shine is mirroring the full moon, along with the regalia of white-royal-fur-fans, together with the demons handling them for fanning Ravana.

Again that highly energetic and imposing king of birds pecked off the robust head of the charioteer of Ravana with beak.

Now Ravana who is with his devastated bow, devoid of chariot, dispatched are his horses and departed is his charioteer, and such as he is, he on grabbing Vaidehi by her torso, or, placing her on the lower end of his torso, jumped to earth.

On seeing Ravana who is foundered onto earth from his crumbled vehicle, all beings like sylvan deities, caarana-s, siddha-s and suchlike, reverenced that lordly eagle Jataayu.

But on seeing the commandant of birds Jataayu is fatigued owing to his senescence, Ravana is gladdened and he again rose up to skies taking Maithili.

The highly resplendent king of eagles Jataayu swiftly rose to sky dashing practically to forestall Ravana, which demon's assault devices are all demolished by now save for a single sword, but who is cheerful to spirit away the daughter of Janaka, and actually spiriting away holding her onto his flank, and Jataayu spoke this to such Ravana.

"You mean-minded Ravana, you abduct her whose husband wields arrows that touch off like the Thunderbolt of Indra, and this spite of yours is definitely for the destruction of all the demons.

"As one thirsteth drinketh water, you drinketh venomous drink along with your friends, relatives, ministers, armies, and with your accomplices, as this abduction of Sita itself is squirrelling away dangerous poison.

"As with the mindless adventurers quickly getting ruination for they undertake self-ruinous exploits, unknowing the backlashes thereof, so also you too will ruin that quickly with this mindless adventure.

"You are tethered for termination with the lasso of the Terminator, as with a fish that can go nowhere on its biting fishhook with a piece of flesh. How do you untether yourself from that lasso of the Terminator, even if you go anywhere?

"But, oh Ravana, the unassailable Raghava-s of Kakutstha dynasty will nevermore condone your assailing this hermitage.

"Like a dastard you are committing a crime of thieving Sita when none at home in the footsteps of thieves, this thieving is contemptible to society and condemnable by valiant ones.

"Stay for a moment, oh, Ravana, if you are valiant enough you can combat with Rama who will return right away, and at his hand you will be slain and sprawling on earth in the same way as Khara sprawled earlier.

"A person undertakes such an unrighteous and fateful activity if only death looms large on him. You too have undertaken this unrighteous fateful activity only for your self-ruination.

"If sin is consequential to any given activity who will undertake it? Even if that person vies with the Self-Born God and Lord of the Universe, namely Brahma, will he undertake it?" Thus Jataayu advised Ravana.

Even on speaking those commonsensical words to Ravana, Jataayu found him carrying off Sita heedlessly, then that valorous Jataayu descended on the hind-side of that Decahedral demon Ravana, devastatingly.

On clasping Ravana with incisive claws Jataayu lacerated deeply and rampantly, as a mahout, an elephant-trainer-controller, sitting astride on it will try to control an uncontrollable elephant that is running amok with an incisive goad.

Weaponed only with his claws, wings, and beak, Jataayu not only tore the back of Ravana asunder applying his beak and claws, but started to tweeze even his hair.

His lips becoming intolerantly quivery when Ravana is exasperated by that king of eagles repetitiously, that demon staggered on to his right targeting the hovering eagle at his hind-side to fell it down.

Ravana who is aggrieved and convulsed in fury hit back Jataayu with his palm while firmly clutching Vaidehi onto his left flank.

Jataayu, the lord of birds, being a vanquisher of enemies outstripped Ravana and ripped off ten left-arms of Ravana with his beak, with which left arms Ravana is clutching Vaidehi, in order to release her from his clutches.

Though his arms are mutilated thus, they instantaneously ricocheted from his body like snakes possessing a series of venomous blazes sprawling out from a snake pit.

The valorous Decahedron Ravana then threw off Sita, and out of fury he scuffled with the king of eagles with fisticuffs and kicks, by both his feet and fists.

Then there chanced an encounter for some time between those two valorous ones with mutually outweighing capabilities, namely the chieftain of demons and the chief of the birds.

Ravana brandishing his sword at Jataayu, who is revolting for the sake of Rama, hewed off both of his wings, sides, and feet.

When that demon of cruel actions has ruptured his wings that colossal eagle Jataayu immediately fell down to earth with a lessened life.

On seeing Jataayu fallen on earth and dampened with blood Vaidehi fell into a fit of weeping and ran towards him as if he is her own relative.

Ravana, the monarch of Lanka, gazed at that worthily valorous Jataayu, who in his shine is like a blue-black cloud with a whitely white chest and who by now is like a quiescent fire-storm flattened onto ground.

But then Sita, the daughter of Janaka, whose face vies with moonshine hugged eagle Jataayu, whom Ravana has subjugated with his forcefulness and felled down onto the surface of earth, and she wept over incessantly.