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Behold the generosity of dharma in the Padma Purana, where a bird, once like a leaf of a vegetable, became like a lotus in this very birth. ||159||
Previously, he was foul-smelling, repulsive, and a consumer of many kinds of flesh. Now, he has become beautiful, like water in a golden pitcher. ||160||
His form was sometimes like a flame of fire, sometimes like a sapphire, sometimes with the radiance of gold, and sometimes like a green gem. ||161||
He sat before Rama and Lakshmana, a master of sweet words, and enjoyed the excellent food prepared by Sita. ||162||
His body was anointed with sandalwood, adorned with golden bells, and he wore a head adorned with a crown of radiant gems. ||163||
Because his body was adorned with radiant, gem-studded, golden locks, he was affectionately called "Jatayu" by Rama and the others. ||164||
Seeing him, with his graceful gait, surpassing even the swan, adorned with beautiful ornaments, other birds were terrified and astonished. ||165||
He bowed three times a day, with Sita, to the Jinas, the Siddhas, and the Yogis, filled with devotion. ||166||
Sita, compassionate and devoted to dharma, was greatly pleased and always protected him with care. ||167||
Enjoying the fruits of his good deeds, he savored the pure, nectar-like fruits, and drank the finest water in the forest, always living righteously. ||168||
When Sita, the daughter of Janaka, sang songs of dharma, accompanied by the sound of the cymbals, and her husband and brother-in-law harmonized with her voice, Jatayu, radiant like the sun, danced with joy. ||169||
Thus ends the forty-first chapter of the Padma Purana, narrated by the sage Ravisha, called the "Jatayu Story." ||41||
1. Radiant like the sun.