Brave Jatayu

Told in English, Telugu.

Long, long ago, in the deep Dandaka forest, there lived a very old bird named Jatayu. He was a king among the great vultures, with wide brown wings, a strong curved beak and kind, wise eyes. He had seen many, many years go by. The edges of his feathers had turned silver, and he loved to rest on a tall tree near the river Godavari, watching over the forest below.

Once, long before, Jatayu had been a dear friend of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya. So when Dasharatha's son, Prince Rama, came to live in the forest with his wife Sita and his brother Lakshmana, Jatayu flew down to greet them.

"Rama," he said in his deep, gentle voice, "your father was my friend. That makes you like my own child. While you live here at Panchavati, I will keep watch over your little hut."

Rama folded his hands and bowed. "Thank you, Jatayu garu. With you close by, we feel safe."

The days passed happily. Sita grew flowers around the hut, Lakshmana gathered fruits, and Rama watched the deer playing in the grass. And high above, old Jatayu kept his kind eye on them all.

But one day, something strange came out of the trees. It was a deer, but not an ordinary deer. Its skin shone like gold, with silver spots that sparkled in the sun.

"Oh, how lovely!" said Sita. "Rama, could you catch it for me?"

Rama took his bow and followed the golden deer deep into the forest. He did not know that it was really a clever trick, sent by Ravana, the ten-headed king of Lanka. Soon a cry rang through the trees, sounding just like Rama's voice. Sita was frightened. "Lakshmana, please go! Rama needs help!" So Lakshmana hurried away too, and Sita was left alone at the hut.

That was exactly what Ravana wanted. He came to the hut in disguise, dressed as an old holy man with a walking stick. Sita, kind as always, offered him water and fruit. But then Ravana threw off his disguise and showed who he truly was. He lifted Sita into his golden flying chariot, and it rose high into the sky.

"Help!" cried Sita. "Trees of the forest, river Godavari, please tell Rama where I have gone! Jatayu! Jatayu, please help me!"

Up on his tree, old Jatayu had been resting with his eyes half closed. But when he heard Sita's voice, his eyes flew wide open. He saw the golden chariot racing across the sky, and he saw Sita inside it.

Jatayu was very old. Ravana was young and mighty, with ten heads and twenty arms. But Jatayu did not stop to think about that. He spread his great wings and rose into the air.

"Stop, Ravana!" he called. "Taking someone who does not wish to go with you is wrong! Let Sita go!"

Ravana laughed. "Go back to your nest, old bird. You cannot stop me."

"I may be old," said Jatayu, "but as long as I have wings, I will stand up for what is right."

And then, oh, what a battle there was in the sky! Jatayu swooped down like the wind. With his strong beak, he snapped Ravana's bow in two. With his sharp claws, he broke the wheels of the golden chariot, and down it crashed to the ground in pieces. Can you imagine how surprised Ravana was?

But Ravana was very strong. He picked up his sword, and in the fight, Jatayu's brave wings were badly hurt. Slowly, gently, the old bird sank down to the earth and could not fly anymore. Ravana held Sita in his arms and flew away towards the south.

Jatayu lay on the grass, very tired. "I must stay awake," he whispered to himself. "I must wait for Rama and tell him what happened." And so, with all his heart, he waited.

After a long time, Rama and Lakshmana came searching through the forest, calling Sita's name. When Rama saw his old friend lying on the ground, he ran to him and knelt down, lifting Jatayu's head gently onto his lap.

"Jatayu garu! What has happened to you?"

Jatayu opened his eyes slowly. "Rama, my child," he said softly. "Ravana, the king of Lanka, has taken Sita. He flew away towards the south. I tried my very best to stop him."

Tears rolled down Rama's cheeks. "You fought for Sita, and you fought for me. Thank you, my dear friend."

Jatayu smiled a little. He had kept his promise. Then he closed his eyes peacefully, resting in Rama's arms, and his long, long life came to a gentle end.

Rama was very sad. He said, "Jatayu loved me like a father. I will say goodbye to him as a son says goodbye to his father." And so Rama and Lakshmana did the last prayers for Jatayu with great love and respect, just as they would for their own family.

In Andhra Pradesh, at a place called Lepakshi, people tell a lovely story. They say this is where Rama found the hurt bird, and that he said to him, "Le, pakshi!", which means, "Rise, O bird!" And so the place got its name. Even today, people go there and remember brave Jatayu.

Because of Jatayu's message, Rama knew where to look. He went south, made new friends like Hanuman, and in the end, he found Sita and brought her safely home.

So, my little one, when something is not right, and you feel small, and the trouble feels very big, remember old Jatayu. He was not the strongest, but he had the biggest, bravest heart. Can you be brave like Jatayu too?