Jatayu's Last Flight

High in a tall tree beside the forest, an old bird was dozing in the warm afternoon when a cry woke him.

It came from the sky. A golden chariot was rushing past, and in it was a woman, calling out for help.

The old bird opened his eyes. He knew that voice. It was Sita.

An old friend

The bird's name was Jatayu. He was the king of the vultures, and he was very old. Long ago, he had been a friend of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya, Rama's father.

When Rama, Sita and Lakshmana came to live in the forest at Panchavati, beside the river Godavari, Jatayu had flown down to greet them. He told them who he was. And he made them a promise. When the brothers had to go deep into the forest, he would keep watch over Sita.

Rama had been glad of it, and had honoured the old bird like a member of the family.

The chariot in the sky

But now Rama and Lakshmana were far away. They had been tricked into chasing a golden deer through the forest. While they were gone, Ravana, the powerful king of Lanka, had come in disguise to the hut and carried Sita off in his flying chariot.

As the chariot passed, Sita saw the old bird in his tree. She called out to him to tell Rama what had happened.

Jatayu rose up into the air and placed himself in front of the chariot.

The warning

He spoke to Ravana calmly at first. He told him that what he was doing was wrong. Sita was another man's wife. A king, of all people, should protect others, not steal from them. He urged Ravana to set her free.

He also told Ravana plainly that he was old and had no weapons, but that he would not let him pass while he still had breath.

Ravana did not listen. Angry, he turned on the old bird.

The battle

What followed was a long and fierce fight in the sky.

Jatayu struck with his great claws and his beak. He broke Ravana's bow. He tore at his armour. He brought down the creatures that pulled the chariot and the driver who steered it, and the chariot crashed to the ground. For a moment, Ravana had to leap down, holding Sita.

But Jatayu was very old, and the fight had worn him out. Ravana saw that he was tiring. He drew his sword and struck the old bird's wings.

Jatayu fell to the earth and could not rise again.

Ravana seized Sita once more and flew away towards the south.

Rama finds him

Not long afterwards, Rama and Lakshmana came searching through the forest, calling Sita's name. They found the hut empty. Then they found the old bird lying on the ground, badly wounded.

Jatayu told them, in a weak voice, what had happened. Ravana had taken Sita, he said, and had flown south. He had tried to stop him, but he had not been strong enough.

He did not have the strength to say more. There, in front of Rama, the old bird died.

A son's farewell

Rama knelt beside him and wept. He said that this brave bird had given his life for Sita, and that he grieved for him as he would for his own father.

Then Rama did something remarkable for a prince. With his own hands, he gathered wood and built a funeral fire for Jatayu, and performed the last rites for him, just as a son would for a father.

Because of the old bird, Rama now knew who had taken Sita, and which way to go. That was where the long search began, the search that would lead him at last to Lanka.

About this story

This episode comes from the Aranya Kanda, the third book of the Ramayana, traditionally credited to the sage Valmiki. Jatayu's courage is remembered all over India, and several places in the south claim to be where he fell. This version is a shortened, simplified retelling.