Shloka 3.50.20
जटायुरुपदेशः — Jatāyu Confronts Rāvaṇa (Ethical Admonition and Challenge)
वृद्धोऽहं त्वं युवा धन्वी सशरः कवची रथी।।।।तथाप्यादाय वैदेहीं कुशली न गमिष्यसि।
na śaktas tvaṃ balād dhartuṃ vaidehīṃ mama paśyataḥ | hetubhir nyāyasaṃsiddhair dhruvāṃ vedaśrutīm iva ||
You cannot seize Vaidehī by force while I look on—just as one cannot, by mere reasoning, steal away the enduring Vedic revelation, established by rightful order.
I am old, you are young, wielding a bow and arrows, with shield to protect and chariot to ride. Even then I will not let you go safe with Vaidehi kidnapped.
Dharma is not negotiable by force or sophistry: the verse links protection of Sītā with the inviolability of Vedic truth—both stand as enduring moral order.
Jatāyu asserts that Rāvaṇa cannot abduct Sītā in his presence and invokes the authority of Vedic permanence as an analogy.
Steadfast guardianship—Jatāyu’s unwavering commitment to protect the innocent and uphold moral law.