66697602-The-Ramayana-R-K-Narayan

creature approaching them. Unidentifiable and gigantic, it
approached their group with difficulty but with resolute
strength. At the sight of this grotesque being, the monkeys
withdrew in terror and revulsion. They thought this was a
rakshasa in a strange guise. Hanuman stood up to face it
and said challengingly, “Whether you are an asura or
Ravana himself in this form, do not hope to escape me. I will
destroy you.” Whereupon it shed tears and begged, “Tell me
all about Jatayu.” Hanuman said, “Tell me who you are first
and then I will explain, and the other said, “My name is
Sampathi and I am the elder brother of Jatayu. Long ago, we
were separated and now I heard you mention his death. Is he
dead? Who killed him and why?”
Hanuman spent time consoling the grief-stricken
Sampathi, who then told his story: “We were both sons of
Aruna, the charioteer of the sun god. We were very happy,
skimming and floating in the higher skies. One day we
decided to fly higher than ever so that we might have a
glimpse of the heavens where the gods reside. We flew
together higher and higher and crossed the path of the sun
god, who felt irritated at the sight of us, and when he turned
his full energy in our direction, Jatayu, who was protected in
the shadow of my wings, was unhurt; but my feathers and
wings were all burnt and charred and I fell as a heap of
bones and flesh on this mountain. It has all along been a life
of great suffering for me and I have survived because of the
help of a sage who lives in this mountain. I have had enough