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Jaṭāyu
King of vultures, friend of Daśaratha. His brother Sampāti later tells the vānaras where Sītā is.
Araṇya KāṇḍaVālmīki (primary text)In the text
Jaṭāyu is a great vulture, son of Aruṇa, and an old friend of Daśaratha. Rāma meets him on the road to Pañcavaṭī, and he offers to guard Sītā. When Rāvaṇa carries her off, Jaṭāyu hears her cries and attacks the chariot from the air, and Rāvaṇa strikes him down.
Primary text: Śrīmad Vālmīkīya Rāmāyaṇa, Gita Press, Gorakhpur. Later traditions and living-tradition associations are labelled as such. Return to the Rāmāyaṇa World.