Read the previous part here…
“Mother, I am a Vidyādhara, and I have come here to save your son. I will offer my body to the hungry Garuḍa. You can return home, and take your son with you.”
The old woman wiped her tears and replied…
“No, that is not possible. For you are also my son, since you have shown us so much compassion in such difficult times…”
एतच् छ्रुत्वा स जीमूतवाहनः पुनर् अब्रवीत् ।
न मे मनोरथस्यास्य भङ्गं कर्तुम् इहार्हथ ॥ १२,२३.१३७ ॥
ग्रहाद् एवं ब्रुवाणं च शङ्खचूडो जगाद तम् ।
दर्शितैव महासत्त्व त्वया सत्यं कृपालुता ॥ १२,२३.१३८ ॥
न त्व् अहं त्वच्छरीरेण रक्ष्यामि स्वशरीरकम् ।
रत्नव्ययेन पाषाणं को हि रक्षितुम् अर्हति ॥ १२,२३.१३९ ॥
मादृशैस् तु जगत् पूर्णं स्वात्ममात्रानुकम्पिभिः ।
अनुकम्प्यं जगद् येषां विरलास् ते भवादृशाः ॥ १२,२३.१४० ॥
न चाहं मलिनीकर्तुं शङ्खपालकुलं शुचि ।
कलङ्क इव तीक्ष्णांशुबिम्बं शक्ष्यामि सन्मते ॥ १२,२३.१४१ ॥
इति तं प्रतिषिध्यैव शङ्खचूडः स्वमातरम् ।
जगादाम्ब निवर्तस्व कान्ताराद् दुर्गमाद् इतः ॥ १२,२३.१४२ ॥
न पश्यसि किम् अत्रैतन् नागासृक्कर्दमोक्षितम् ।
कृतान्तलीलापर्यङ्करौद्रं वध्यशिलातलम् ॥ १२,२३.१४३ ॥
अहं चाब्धितटे गत्वा नत्वा गोकर्णम् ईश्वरम् ।
आगच्छामि द्रुतं यावन् नायाति गरुडो ऽत्र सः ॥ १२,२३.१४४ ॥
इत्य् उक्त्वा कृपणाक्रन्दां प्रणम्यापृच्छ्य मातरम् ।
स गोकर्णप्रणामार्थं शङ्खचूडो ययौ ततः ॥ १२,२३.१४५ ॥
Jīmūtavāhana joined his hands together and replied…
“Please allow me to take his place – I insist. This is my wish and my intent.”
And as Jīmūtavāhana persisted, Śaṅkhacūḍa said to him…
“You are truly noble-hearted, and have a very compassionate nature, but I surely cannot consent to save myself, at the cost of sacrificing your life.”
For who would sacrifice a gem, in order to save an ordinary stone?”
“The world is full of people like me, who only think of ourselves, but people like you, who feel kindness and compassion for everyone around you, are few.”
“I shall never be able to taint the lineage of Śaṅkhapāla, just as a spot would defile the face of the moon…”
Śaṅkhacūḍa then turned to his mother and said…
“My dear mother, please go back from this deserted place. Don’t you see here this rock of death, smeared with the blood of the Nāgas, as the very personification of Yamā, the God of Death?”
“There is a small temple of Gokarṇa a little further away, let me go there and have a darshanā, and return before Garuḍa arrives here.”
Śaṅkhacūḍa then touched the feet of his wailing mother, and went to have his last darshanā of Gokarṇa.
अस्मिंश् चेद् अन्तरे प्राप्तस् तार्क्ष्यः सिद्धो ममेप्सितः ।
परार्थ इति जीमूतवाहनो ऽप्य् अकरोद् धृदि ॥ १२,२३.१४६ ॥
तावच् चासन्नपक्षीन्द्रपक्षानिलचलांस् तरून् ।
विलोक्यात्र स मा मेति निवारणपरान् इव ॥ १२,२३.१४७ ॥
मत्वा गरुडवेलां च प्राप्तां जीमूतवाहनः ।
परार्थप्राणदो वध्यशिलाम् अध्यारुरोह ताम् ॥ १२,२३.१४८ ॥
पवनाघूर्णिते चाब्धौ स्फुरद्रत्नप्रभादृशा ।
तं सत्त्वातिशयं तस्य पश्यतीव सविस्मयम् ॥ १२,२३.१४९ ॥
आगत्याच्छादितनभा निपत्यैतच्छिलातलात् ।
चञ्च्वा गरुत्मान् आहत्य महासत्त्वं जहार तम् ॥ १२,२३.१५० ॥
स्रुतासृग्धारम् उत्खातशिरोरत्नं च तं जवात् ।
नीत्वा भक्षयितुं शृङ्गे मलयाद्रेः प्रचक्रमे ॥ १२,२३.१५१ ॥
Jīmūtavāhana made up his mind that, if Garuḍa arrived while Śaṅkhacūḍa was gone, he would offer himself and hence carry out what he desired.
As he was thinking this, he saw the trees shaking violently, as if protesting and trying to resist the storm being caused by the wind from the wings of the approaching king of birds.
Jīmūtavāhana understood that Garuḍa’s arrival was imminent, and so he quickly rushed up to the sacrificial rock and sat on it, waiting.
The sea, churned by the wind, seemed to watch on with it’s bright eyes, on his extraordinary courage…
And Garuḍa arrived, his large body temporarily blocking out the sun, and swooping down, picked up the valiant Jīmūtavāhana with his beak and talons, and carried him away to the Malaya mountains.
On the way there, the jewel that adorned Jīmūtavāhana’s crest was torn from his head, and drops of blood fell from his head, as he was held in the vice-like grip of the merciless king of birds.
Once he reached the mountains, Garuḍa laid down his prey, and began to peck him, ready to eat his flesh.
to be continued…