O Rāghava, your gaze remains impartial, making no distinction between enemy or friend; you always uphold righteousness and govern by the proper codes of conduct. Whoever incurs your wrath, O Rāma, is said to meet death itself, and you are renowned as a king who restrains the wicked with just punishment. Yet, your very nature is ever inclined toward compassion. As the best of kings, you are filled with kindness for all beings. A true king is the strength of the weak and the protector of the helpless; he becomes the eyes for the blind and the mind for those who have lost discernment. You, O righteous one, are our protector as well. Listen to me: you should consider us just as you consider these birds who have come before you. The king of birds, our lord, was appointed by you, and in your presence, O lord, we have no independence. Long ago, you alone established the fourfold community of beings. But now, O king, a vulture who has entered my abode is troubling me. Among gods and men, you are the supreme ruler, O foremost of men. Hearing these words, Rāma summoned his ministers: Viṣṭi, Jayaṃta, Vijaya, Siddhārtha, Rāṣṭravardhana, Aśoka, Dharmapāla, and mighty Sumaṃtra—great souls, wise in policy and well-versed in all the scriptures, who had served both Rāma and King Daśaratha. Calm, noble by birth, and skilled in counsel, these ministers assembled as Rāma, righteous scion of the Raghu lineage, descended from his Puṣpaka chariot. He questioned the vulture and the owl, who were in dispute: “Tell me, O vulture, how many years have you made this your dwelling? Speak truthfully, if you know.” The vulture replied, “O Rāma, since the time when men with strong arms first amassed the earth, this has been my home.” But the owl said, “O king, adorned with trees, from the very time the earth existed, this has been my home.” Hearing this, Rāma spoke to the assembly: “That is not an assembly where there are no elders, nor are they elders who do not speak of righteousness. That is not righteousness where there is no truth, and that is not truth which accepts deceit. Those who, having entered an assembly, sit silently and meditate, yet do not speak as is appropriate, are speakers of falsehood. Whoever does not speak what he has heard—whether from desire, anger, or fear—for such a man, a thousand nooses of Varuṇa are fastened; with each passing year, one noose is released. “Therefore, one who knows the truth must speak it plainly.” Having heard this, the ministers addressed Rāma: “O king, the owl is auspicious, not the vulture. You are the authority, great king, for the king is the highest refuge. All subjects have their root in the king; the king is eternal righteousness. People whose ruler is just do not fall into misfortune. Those excellent men who are released by Vaivasvata become liberated.” Having heard his ministers, Rāma spoke: “Listen, I will recount the ancient story that has been told. In the beginning, the sky with the moon, sun, and stars, with mountains, earth, and trees, with the waters and the ocean—all the three worlds, with moving and unmoving beings—were at that time all one, like a single expanse of space. “Again, the earth, together with Lakṣmī, entered the belly of Viṣṇu. Restraining her, the great and radiant one entered the ocean of waters and slept there for many hundreds of years. While Viṣṇu slept, Brahmā entered his belly, recognizing it as a place with many channels. From Viṣṇu’s navel arose a lotus adorned with gold, and from it, Brahmā, the great lord, emerged as a yogi, desiring to create the earth, the wind, the mountains, and the great trees. “In between, he created all creatures—humans, reptiles, all those born from wombs and eggs. From his body arose Kaitabha together with Madhu, two mighty and terrible Dānavas who, having obtained boons, became filled with anger and rushed to devour the self-born Brahmā. Seeing all beings emerging separately, Viṣṇu, praised by Brahmā, slew Madhu and Kaitabha. For the sake of stability, he caused the earth to grow with the fat of those two; and because the earth had the smell of fat, she came to be called Medinī. “Therefore, this vulture is untruthful, devoted to wicked deeds, and a refuge of evil. He acts according to his sinful nature and is deserving of punishment.” At that moment, a bodiless voice spoke from the sky: “Do not kill the vulture, O Rāma. He was previously burned by the power of asceticism. Long ago, this one was burned by Gautama, the lord of creatures. His name is Brahmadatta, a valiant, truthful, and pure man. Having come to the house of the sage, Brahmadatta asked for food, and for a full hundred years, O best of kings, he ate there. For Brahmadatta, that noble one, the sage personally offered water for washing the feet and for hospitality, properly, in preparation for the meal. “One day, as the great-souled one was about to eat, he entered the house and saw a woman with full breasts, and then touched her with his hand.” Thus, the tale unfolded before Rāma and his assembly.