Shloka 41
जटायुरावणयुद्धम्
Jatayu’s Combat with Ravana
ततो मुहूर्तं सङ्ग्रामो बभूवातुल्यवीर्ययोः।।।।राक्षसानां च मुख्यस्य पक्षिणां प्रवरस्य च।
tato muhūrtaṁ saṅgrāmo babhūvātulya-vīryayoḥ | rākṣasānāṁ ca mukhyasya pakṣiṇāṁ pravarasya ca ||
Then, for a brief while, a fierce battle arose between two warriors of unequal might—the foremost among the rākṣasas and the noblest among birds.
Between the warriors of unequal valour, Ravana and Jatayu, the chief of the demons and the foremost of the birds, the fight took place for a moment.
FAQs
Dharma is not abandoned because an opponent is stronger; moral duty can demand resistance even in unequal conditions.
The poem pauses to characterize the combat as one between unequal powers—yet both champions are leaders of their kinds.
Moral courage (dhairya) in the face of disproportionate force.