The Bird That Fought a Demon-King
Of Loyalty, Honor and Sacrifice.
Note: The following story may be read independently, but if you’re curious about earlier events, then you may wish to read this story first.
Rama stood where the rice grains had spilled from Sita’s hand and cast one final glance at the home where they had found peace and happiness - filled with laughter, living among nature, surrounded by love.
It was as though in that instant—finding Sita gone—he had aged a decade.
Rama turned to his brother, who was quietly waiting for direction. The younger prince had returned after searching the entire area and failing to discover any clues.
In an even tone, Rama suggested that they pack up and move on from the cottage in search of Sita while it was still light.
Without a backward glance, the two brothers walked quickly into the surrounding forest, picking a random direction away from the cottage that had held such happy memories for them.
Unknown to them, Sita was just stirring from her faint.
When she came to fully, she gave a small gasp as she found herself sitting in a chariot and flying in the cloudless sky.
She moved closer to the other end of the small chariot to put what little distance she could between herself and the terrifying demon king.
“Rama,” she thought, her heart full and her mind still trying to come to grips with the fast-moving events that had taken her from the safety of her beloved to this chariot, her mind still unwilling to accept this twist of fate.
How was she to escape from this chariot?
She looked to her left and saw the Earth moving further away from them.
If she fell, she would certainly die. One part of her wondered if that was the solution.
Then her heart chastened her—was she, the wife of Rama, a coward?
Would her beloved not come to rescue her ?
Was she, the wife of the bravest warrior in the three worlds, to abandon hope and cause him shame?
She stiffened. The thought of Rama steadied her. He would surely find her.
Then, in the next minute, she lost hope again—how was he to know where she was? Who was this demon who had kidnapped her?
She resolved to find a way to let Rama know the direction of her flight. But how?
She began calling out, “Help me, please, someone, help me. Rama, Rama, help.”
Suddenly, she heard the flapping of huge wings, and the king of vultures, Jatayu, appeared in front of her as though on cue.
“Mother Sita?” Jatayu addressed her, puzzled. He had flown up to find out who was calling Rama’s name.
He had been on a routine flight over the forest, and hearing the loud cries, had decided to investigate.
“Jatayu, please help me! This demon has kidnapped me. Please help.”
Hearing this, Jatayu looked over and saw the demon king, Ravana, who had his eyes focused on the distance ahead, unmindful of the giant bird, and imagining the celebrations that would greet his arrival with the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen.
His sister had been right. Such a woman did not belong to puny humans. She belonged with him, and he would make her his queen.
From the moment he had seen her in the cottage, he had been smitten.
Only his mendicant garb had prevented overt action to express himself.
He was pleased at how easily his plan had succeeded.
The humans had been distracted by his uncle who had assumed the form of an enchanting golden deer.
Sita had been alone and had fallen into his trap. He felt pleased with himself. There was no one who could defeat the mighty Ravana.
He ignored the bird.
But, Jatayu, though old was not willing to let this powerful demon king take Sita away without a fight.
After all, he had sworn to protect her and owed loyalty to her father-in-law, King Dasha and her husband, Rama.
Thus, a fierce fight ensued, and initially surprised, the demon king was forced to fight hard—a fact that gave Sita hope that maybe she would be saved.
But recovering his ground, Ravana, bestowed with an invincibility boon from the Destroyer-God, found his footing and charged at the bird with his sword. Finally, with one huge swing, he sliced away at the wings and claws of the vulture-king.
Crying out loudly, “Forgive me, Mother Sita. Ramaaaaa…,” the severely wounded bird fell slowly through the sky towards the forest paths where the two brothers were slowly making their way, searching for clues on the ground.
Sita turned away, unable to bear her last hope being dashed, and to witness Jatayu wounded and falling to his death.
Tears flowed down her face, overwhelmed by the sadness of witnessing his injured flight and the helplessness of being taken against her will to an unknown destination.
A princess who had always been surrounded by her father’s love and protection, her mother’s warm embrace, her siblings’ support, and her parents-in-law's affection.
Sita, gentle of word and deed, whose heart had been won by a young and handsome prince in a royal garden, and whom she had followed to his home, and then into exile without a care, now faced the greatest test of her life.
Desperate for any way to let Rama know her path, she continued scanning the horizon for any sign of hope.
Her heart was heavy with Jatayu’s loss, and she hesitated to put anyone else in danger again. But she had no other option.
As they continued flying, the demon king continued to imagine the hero’s welcome he would receive, oblivious to every moral line he had crossed and blind to the sorrow of the woman he had deceived and kidnapped from her home.
However, Sita had no idea which direction they were headed, and she worried incessantly—how would Rama know where she was?
The flight over vast tracts of forest, hills, and plateaus had been devoid of humans.
What was she to do? How could she signal her location?
As though her prayer had been heard, while the chariot flew over a new mountain range and a deep, vast forest, Sita suddenly spotted a few monkeys. It was her only chance.
Turning sideways to hide her actions, she quickly removed some of her jewels—the few she had worn as a married woman when leaving for the forest, and some she had received from the wife of a sage during their exile—and, tying them into a scarf she was wearing, threw the bundle to the monkeys as the chariot crossed overhead.
The demon-king, lost in his thoughts, did not pay any attention to her.
Even if he had, his pride would not allow him to believe that this small rebellious act of hers would in any way change her fate to become his queen when they reached his kingdom. The very thought made his pulse quicken; her dazzling beauty still mesmerized him.
He saw no obstacle in sight now that he had Sita at his mercy.
The flight that he had once enjoyed after triumphing over the Gods now seemed to take forever to complete, given his evil intent.
Meanwhile, Sita kept looking back to see if the monkeys had picked up her discarded jewelry and prayed inwardly for Rama to find them in time.
As the flight continued and new clouds cleared, she gasped—before them lay a mighty and seemingly endless ocean1 —and the land she had known as her home soon disappeared behind them as the flying chariot carried her across the ocean.
The sight of the blue waters stretching across the horizon seemed to mock her helplessness, taking her further away from everything familiar and creating an insurmountable barrier between her and her beloved, which was more than she could bear.
Tears streamed down her face again, fatigue enveloped her, and the fear of the uncertain fate that lay in store caused her to swoon again.
Back in the forest, Rama and his brother continued to search for clues, stopping often to check for trampled grass or footprints, when they heard Jatayu’s cries, “Rama, Rama…,” as he lay on the ground nearby.
Racing through the thick forest, they discovered the fallen bird, taking his last few breaths.
Rama rushed to him and gently lifted his weary head off the ground, resting it on his lap.
"Jatayu, who has attacked you, dear friend?" Rama asked.
Jatayu narrated the entire story of encountering Sita, her cries for help, and the fierce battle that had wounded him.
"I have been waiting to share this information with you before I close my eyes. Forgive me, I was unable to save Sita. Ravana, the powerful demon-king, has kidnapped her."
Rama instantly reassured him that he was not to blame in any way and praised his valor for fighting so bravely for Sita's sake at his age.
Satisfied, Jatayu finally breathed his last in the arms of the beloved son of his beloved King.
Rama and his brother sat quietly, mourning his passing but the brother’s anger began to grow.
Rama’s mind was still replaying Jatayu’s account of Sita’s cries for help and her plea for him to rescue her.
They performed the last rites for the bird who had sacrificed his life for them.
Then, they assessed their situation.
They had confirmation of Sita’s kidnapping by the Ravana, the demon-king.
They knew the general direction of the chariot’s flight.
But that was it. They had no idea where Ravana was headed, and where specifically his kingdom lay.
It was hard not to also recognize that they were presently outmatched.
They were walking, while the demon was flying in a magical chariot.
The enormity of what had happened and what lay ahead sank in, and with it faded the hope that Rama had been nurturing—that he would see Sita soon.
He turned away from his brother as he assimilated this fact.
Moving towards a tree, he leaned his left shoulder against it and crossed his arms over his chest.
As he stood there, he remembered the last time he had seen Sita and how she had teased him about being proven right.
“Oh, Sita!” The pain in his heart deepened, and he despaired for a moment, overwhelmed by the thought of the fear she must be experiencing at the mercy of an evil demon-king.
A ferocious anger flowed through him—an anger that had never before touched his serene face—and the Earth shook as he declared to himself in the quiet of the forest: “No matter how long it takes me, or how far I need to go, I shall find and kill this cowardly demon who dared kidnap my gentle Sita.”
Then, his face crumpled in sorrow as he tried in vain to hide his pain at being parted from his beloved, and he stumbled against the tree.
His brother ran to him, wrapping his arms around him, and held him while he recovered his composure.
The younger brother—usually quick to anger—now consoled the elder and vowed, “Do not worry, dearest Rama. We shall find her, even if we have to comb the entire Earth. Never fear, I shall not rest until we destroy everyone who enabled this evil deed today. Take heart, dear brother. We have not a moment to lose.”
Rama covered his brother’s hands with his own, drawing strength from his embrace, and straightened.
It was time to act, and act fast.
Just a few hours earlier, Rama and Sita had spent a cozy afternoon by the lake, the prince attempting to nap as the princess hummed a tune while stringing her favorite white jasmine flowers to wear in her hair later.
What fates had decreed that the peace and quiet of that afternoon would be shattered so violently, that nothing would ever be the same again?
If you enjoyed this original retelling, please consider sharing it with others who might appreciate it as well. Thank you!
Related Stories:
Present-day Indian Ocean, the world’s third largest ocean.
Beautiful, as all your stories, Jayshree 💙💫
Great retelling, Jayshree! Jatayu was a true hero, and Ravana is the prime example of a superior intellect completely obliterated by ego (rather than crisis).