Chapter L: Section LI

While Yatayu, the king of birds, spake this, Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, wearing pendants made of pure gold, having his eyes reddened with ire, darted towards him. Thereupon they began a terrible conflict in the welkin, like unto clouds driven by wind. There occured a mighty conflict between Yatayu, the lord of vultures, and Ravana, the lord of Rakshasas, like unto two _Malyavan_[57] hills supplied with wings. Thereat Ravana began to shower continually terrible and sharpened pikes, iron arrows and _Vikarnis_ upon the mighty lord of vultures. Yatayu, the king of birds, began to withstand in conflict the arrows and weapons darted by Ravana, and wounded Ravana's person with his feet supplied with sharpened talons. Thereupon, to destroy his enemy, that mighty hero, the Ten-necked Ravana, being exercised with ire, took up ten terrible arrows like unto the sceptre of Death, and stretching the bow to the full he shot those straight-coursing sharpened shafts at Yatayu, the king of birds. Beholding Janaki with tears In her eyes in that Rakshasa's car, Yatayu, the king of birds, disregarding those arrows, darted towards Ravana, and with his feet broke asunder his bow with the arrows, adorned with pearls and diamonds. Thereat Ravana, almost beside himself with wrath, taking up another bow, began to shower arrows by hundreds and thousands. Being covered with those arrows, the lord of birds appeared like a bird lying in his nest. Pushing away these arrows by the wind of his wings, he again snapped that mighty bow with his feet, and with a stroke of his wings shattered Ravana's flaming shield like unto burning fire. Thereupon, moving away with the wind of his wings Ravana's blazing cuirass resembling flaming fire, Jatayu in that conflict made away with his fleet-coursing asses having the faces of demons. Next crumbling into pieces with his impetus the mighty chariot of Ravana, coursing at will, flaming like fire, having steps studded with jewels, and a wooden pole, and throwing down the umbrella and _chowris_ like unto the full moon along with the Rakshasas engaged in carrying them,the effulgent and mighty lord of birds shattered the head of the charioteer with the strokes of his beak. Having his bow snapped and deprived of his car, horses and charioteer, Ravana fell down to the earth, taking Vaidehi on his lap. Beholding Ravana fallen on the ground and of broken conveyance, all creatures praised the king of vultures again and again and worshipped him.

Thereupon, finding the lord of birds worn out on account of his old age, Ravana, highly encouraged, again rose high up in the welkin, taking Maithili with him. He had all his weapons broken in the conflict, and had but his dagger left to him. Beholding him proceed thus pleased, taking the daughter of Janaka on his lap,--all his weapons having been lost, with his sword alone left,--the mighty and powerful lord of vultures, Yatayu, rose up and, darting towards Ravana, resisted him and said,--"O Ravana of feeble sense, it is for the destruction of the whole line of Rakshasas that thou carriest away this spouse of Rama, having arrows like unto thunderbolts. Like one thirsty drinking water, thou dost address thyself to drinking poison along with thy friends, courtiers, four-fold forces, servants and relatives. Foolish persons unaware of the fruit of their actions, meet in a short time with their own destruction,--so shalt thou very soon meet with thy own end. Thou hast been bound up by the noose of Death; and, proceeding whither, shalt thou save thyself, like unto fish eating up baits with hooks for their own destruction? O Ravana, it is beyond thy power to defeat the Kakutsthas. They shall not forgive thee for this thy encroachment upon their asylum. What hath been perpetrated by thee, coward, is blamed by all, and is the way taken recourse to by thieves and not by heroes. Do thou fight, O Ravana, if thou art a hero, or wait for a moment and thou shalt lie down on the earth like unto thy brother Khara. Truly hast thou for thy own destruction engaged thyself in these impious acts, which are perpetrated by men on the eve of their death. What person doth that which leadeth solely into sin? Neither the lord of celestials nor the self-create Deity doth engage in such an action." Addressing these moral words, the mighty Yatayu swooped on the back of that Ten-necked Rakshasa. Like unto the rider of a mad elephant, the lord of vultures began to tear Ravana with his sharpened claws, and that one having for his weapons his beak, talons, and wings, began to rive Ravana's back with his beak and claws, and to uproot his hair. Being thus aflicted again and again by the king of vultures, the Rakshasa shook, with his lips quivering in anger. Beside himself with anger, Ravana, holding Janaki fast by her left flank, struck Yatayu with his palms. Yatayu, the subduer of foes, bearing the strokes, tore into pieces his ten left arms with his beak. His arms cut off, instantly sprang up as many others, like unto serpents issuing out of ant-hills, being exercised with the pangs of poison. The mighty Ten-necked one, leaving aside Sita, out of anger bore down Yatayu with his fists and feet. Thereupon arose a mighty conflict between the lord of of vultures and the lord of Rakshasas of incomparable prowess. Yatayu addressing himself to displaying his prowess for the benefit of Rama, Ravana taking out his dagger, cut off his two wings, two legs and two sides. The ranger of the night of cruel deeds having sundered his wings, the king of vultures approaching wellnigh the verge of death, fell down on the earth. Beholding him fallen on the grand with his person bathed in blood, Sita. became exceedingly aggrieved and darted towards him like unto a friend. The lord of Lanka beheld Yatayu, fallen on the ground, resembling sable clouds, having a yellow breast and of exceeding prowess,--like unto an extinguished forest-fire. Then Sita the daughter of Janaka, having a moon-like countenance began lamenting, clasping with her hands Yatayu, crushed and fallen on the ground by the vehemence of Ravana's prowess.

[57] A mountainous range described as one of the smaller mountains of
India proper, lying eastward of mount _Meru_.--T.