A Bird’s Ascent - Jaṭāyu Moksham

Listen prince to this old bear,
This fable of your forbear.
Man like him has never been,
Whose kind will never be seen.

Crown prince in the wilderness,
With a brother and princess,
An ogress from the south chanced,
In front of the brothers danced.

Elder stayed calm as a sage,
Younger sliced her nose in rage.
To her brother’s den she fled,
Tears and blood having shed.

Vowing to pound them to dust,
Her brother rose, furious.
As a king, he fell to lust,
Of the princess curious.

Lured out by a gold deer,
The princess without a guard,
Princes left the coast clear,
The demon claimed his reward.

On his mount, the demon flew,
The distraught princess in tow,
Brother princes with no clue,
Searching the woods high and low.

Hearing cries came a bird,
Thence he saw the princess’ plight.
Feelings of valour it stirred,
Locked demon in fight in flight.

Woe! the old bird was no match,
Though he put a fine battle.
The princess he could not snatch,
The demon showed his mettle.

The demon had the last word
With quick slashes of his sword.
Wings cut, the bird fell to earth
Having led many a life’s worth.

Soon the princes found the bird,
His life receding each breath.
He told that tale word for word,
Smiling in the throes of death.

The prince:
"Brother and wife followed me,
Duty at its apogee.
Sacrifice of a stranger?
Never heard a tale stranger."

"Stranger I am not," bird smiled,
"Your father was my friend child.
Will meet him soon the heart leaps
When I sleep the last of sleeps."

The prince:
"To say it though my heart pains.
O, kind sir, grant me this right.
Unto your mortal remains
I may perform the last rite."

The bird:
"Nothing would please me better.
Son, grieve not, my life is past."
Saying so, eyes aflutter
With folded hands, breathed his last.

The Life force having thus flown,
The prince performed the last rite.
Denied for his father own,
Duty done, heart a bit light.

The prince:
"If I am man of my word,
May you be liberated.
You have earned this right, O bird.
Birth cycles, terminated."

From that holy site arose
A light of divine splendour.
Denizens of forest froze
Stopping to gape in wonder.

That, young man, is the story
Of your ancestor’s glory.
Despite being a mortal,
Held access to that portal.

Be it known, dear princeling,
Until the world keeps whirling.
One whose blood runs righteous
Is verily god amongst us.