There lived for a long time a vulture and an owl on a mountain extending
over the banks of a river, resonant with the notes of cuckoos and filled
with lions, tigers and various birds, situated in a pleasant forest
abounding in trees near the city of Ayodhyā. Once on a time the vicious
vulture alleging that the nest of the owl was his own, began to quarrel
with him. O worshipful Sir, thereupon they both said:—"The lotus-eyed
Rāma is the king of all people; let us go to him and he will decide to
whom the nest belongs." Having thus settled the vulture and the owl,
being impatient with rage, quarrelling with one another, appeared before
Rāma and touched his feet. Beholding that lord of men, the vulture said:
"O preserver of humanity, thou art the foremost of celestials and
Asuras. O thou of great effulgence, thou art gifted with intelligence
and learning more than Vrihaspati and Sukrachārya. Thou art cognisant of
the good and bad conditions of creatures. In beauty thou art like the
Moon and art irrepressible like the Sun. In glory thou art like
Himalaya, in gravity like the Ocean, in prowess like the Patriarch, in
patience like the Earth, and in velocity like the Wind. O Rāghava, thou
art the preceptor of the mobile and immobile creation, gifted with all
sorts of wealth, illustrious, devoid of a revengeful spirit,
unconquerable, victorious, and master of all Sastras and laws. O
foremost of men, hear. I have an application to thee. O Rāghava, I had
built a nest for myself; this owl is now occupying it as his own;
therefore, O king, do thou save me." The vulture having said this, the
owl began:—"True, it is, O king, that in him are the portions of the
Moon, Indra, the Sun, Kuvera and Yama, but there is in him also a
portion of man. But thou art thyself the omnipresent deity, Nārāyana.
Thou, impelled by thine own self, dost judge all creatures impartially;
therefore, a portion of gentleness is well manifest in thee and
therefore do people call thee, a portion of the Moon. O patriarch, in
anger, punishment, gift and fear, thou art our giver, destroyer and
protector,—it is for this that thou art called Indra. In energy thou art
like fire irrepressible unto all creatures, and because thou dost spread
thy lusture upon all creatures, that thou art called the Sun. Thou art
the very lord of riches or art even superior to Kuvera; like Padmā unto
the lord of riches, Sri is always by thee. Because thou dost discharge
the functions of Kuvera, thou art the giver of wealth unto us. O
Rāghava, thou lookest upon all creatures, mobile and immobile, with an
impartial eye—thou dost regard thy friends and foes with impartiality,
and thou art duly protecting thy subjects. O Rāghava, death pursues him
with whom thou art offended—and it is for this reason that thou art
styled by people ’the highly powerful Yama.’ O foremost of kings,
because thou art forgiving unto all creatures and a kind king that
people sing thy glories as of a man on earth. The king is the strength
of the weak and helpless and he is the eye of the blind and the refuge
of those who have no shelter. Thou art also our king; therefore do thou
listen to our petition. O king, entering into my nest, this vulture is
oppressing me. Thou only, O foremost of men, art the divine chastiser of
mankind." Hearing those words, Rāma sent for his councillors. The
ministers of Daçaratha and Rāma, Vrishthi, Yayanta, Vijaya, Siddhārtha,
Rāshtravarddhana, Asoka, Darmapāla the highly powerful Sumantra and
others were well versed in laws, high-minded, conversant with all the
Sastras, intelligent, born in respectable families, and adepts in
counsel. Having invited them all and ascending his Pushpaka car, he went
to the place in question, and, descending there, asked the vulture, "How
long has this nest been made? Tell me, if thou remember it." Whereto the
vulture replied:—"From the time mankind were first born and spread over
the four quarters of the globe have I been living in this nest." The owl
said:—"At the time when the earth was (first) adorned with trees that
this nest of mine was constructed." Hearing these words, Rāma said to
the councillors:—"That assembly is not an assembly where there are no
friends—nor are they old men who do not dwell upon religious topics.
That religion is not a religion where there is no truth and that truth
is not the truth where there is hypocrisy. Those councillors are liars
who do not give proper replies in time on the subjects they are
well-informed on. He who does give reply to a question under the
influence of passion, anger or fear, binds himself with a thousand
nooses of Varuna, and at the expiration of full one year he is released
from a single sin." Hearing these words, the ministers said to Rāma:—"O
thou having a large mind, what the owl has said is true—the vulture has
not spoken the truth. Thou art the evidence this, O great king—for the
king is the last refuge of all—the root of the subject and the eternal
religion. He who is punished by the king, is not doomed to a degraded
state. He is, in truth, saved from the fear of hell and reaches a better
state." Hearing the words of the ministers, Rāma said:—"Hear what is
mentioned in the Puranas. Formerly the Sun, the Moon, the welkin with
the stars, the earth with the mountains and forests—the three worlds,
the mobile and the immobile, were under water. At that time only
Nārāyana existed as the second Sumeru. In Nārāyana’s belly was stationed
the earth with Lakshmi. Having destroyed the creation and entered water,
the highly effulgent Vishnu, identical with the souls of creatures, lay
asleep there for many long years. Beholding Vishnu asleep after the
destruction of the universe and knowing Vishnu of obstructed breath, the
great ascetic Brahmā entered his abdomen. Thereupon, when a golden lotus
sprang from Vishnu’s navel. That great lord, ascetic Brahmā, originated
therefrom and was engaged in austere penances for the purpose of
creating earth, air, mountains, trees, men, reptiles and all animals
born from womb or egg. At that time from the ears of Nārāyana originated
two valiant and dreadful demons under the name of Madhu and Kaitabha.
Beholding the Patriarch, there they were greatly enraged, and pursued
him. Thereat, the self-born cried aloud hideously. Awakened by that
sound, Nārāyana engaged in fighting with Madhu and Kaitabha, and slew
them with his discus. And with their gore the whole earth was deluged.
Thereupon, purifying the earth again, Hari, preserver of the world,
covered it with trees. And various drugs were also created. And the
earth was called _Medini_ because it was filled with _Medas_ marrow of
Madhu and Kaitabha. It is for this that I hold, O ministers, that this
house does not belong to the vulture, but to the owl. Therefore, this
vicious vulture should be punished—for this wicked, vicious-minded one,
robbing another’s nest, is oppressing him." In the interval a voice was
heard in the sky stating the true facts:—"O Rāma, do not slay the
vulture,—for it has already been reduced to ashes by the force of
Gautama’s asceticism. O lord of men, this vulture, in its pristine
birth, was a heroic truthful and pure king by the name of Brahmadatta.
Once on a time a Brāhamana, by the name of Gautama, the very
personification of Kāla, came to the house of Brahmadatta for food and
said:—’O king, I shall feed in thy house for more than a hundred years.’
Thereupon, offering that effulgent Brāhmana, with his own hands, water
to wash his feet the king Brahmadatta, made arrangements for his meal.
Accidentally flesh was mixed with the food of the high-souled Gautama.
Being enraged thereat, the ascetic imprecated him with a dreadful curse
and said:—’O king, thou become a vulture.’ The king said:—’Be
propitiated, O thou of great vows; do not imprecate me thus. I have, out
of ignorance committed this offence. O great one, O blameless one, do
thou act so that this curse may find termination.’ Thereat understanding
that this offence was committed by the king unwittingly, the ascetic
said—’O king, in the race of Ikshwākus a king shall be born under the
name of Rāma. O foremost of men, thou shalt be released from the curse
when he shall touch thee.’" Hearing the voice in the sky, Rāma touched
Brahmadatta. Thereupon renouncing his vulture from and assuming a
beautiful body smeared with celestial perfumes, he praised Rāma and
said:—"O thou conversant with piety, by thy Favour have I been saved
from the dreadful hell—here hath ended my curse."