Shloka 24
जटायुरुपदेशः — Jatāyu Confronts Rāvaṇa
Ethical Admonition and Challenge
किं नु शक्यं मया कर्तुं गतौदूरं नृपात्मजौ।।।।क्षिप्रं त्वं नश्यसे नीच तयोर्भीतो न संशयः।
kiṃ nu śakyaṃ mayā kartuṃ gataudūraṃ nṛpātmajau |
kṣipraṃ tvaṃ naśyase nīca tayor bhīto na saṃśayaḥ ||
আমি আর কী করতে পারি, যখন সেই দুই রাজপুত্র বহু দূরে চলে গেছে? হে নীচ, তুমি শীঘ্রই বিনষ্ট হবে; তাদের ভয়েই তুমি এ কাজ করেছ—এতে সন্দেহ নেই।
O ten-headed Ravana, I am Jatayu, king of vultures. I am mighty. An eternal follower, of dharma, I am an adherent to truth.
FAQs
Adharma often exploits absence and vulnerability; dharma condemns such cowardly advantage-taking and insists on accountability.
Jatāyu laments that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa are away, and accuses Rāvaṇa of abducting Sītā only because he feared facing them.
Moral clarity and protective resolve: Jatāyu names the wrongdoing plainly and stands as a defender in their absence.