Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 12: Kaikeyī Reaffirms her Demands
Text 2.12.43
शैब्यः श्येनकपोतीये स्वमांसं पक्षिणे ददौ।
अलर्कश्चक्षुषी दत्त्वा जगाम गतिमुत्तमाम्॥
śaibyaḥ śyena-kapotīye sva-māṁsaṁ pakṣiṇe dadau
alarkaś cakṣuṣī dattvā jagāma gatim uttamām
śaibyaḥ = Śaibya; śyena-kapotīye = when there was a quarrel between that eagle and a pigeon; sva-māṁsam = his flesh; pakṣiṇe = to an eagle; dadau = gave; alarkaḥ = Alarka; cakṣuṣī = his eyes; dattvā = gave and; jagāma = attained; gatim = destination; uttamām = an excellent.
Śaibya gave his flesh to an eagle when there was a quarrel between that eagle and a pigeon. Alarka gave his eyes and attained an excellent destination.
1 “I don’t need anything else” means “I don’t need that pigeon.”
Even difficult promises should be fulfilled. Kaikeyī now points this out with reference to the [authoritative] behavior of previous emperors.
Śaibya was a king. He gave his own flesh in lieu of a pigeon’s flesh to an eagle when there was a quarrel between the two birds. This history is well known in the Purāṇas.
Indra and Agni once became an eagle and a pigeon to test Śaibya’s generosity. The eagle pretended to be hungry to eat the pigeon and flew to Śaibya. Seeking safety, the pigeon sat on Śaibya’s lap and Śaibya promised it security. Then the eagle told the king, “This pigeon is meant to be eaten by me as destined by providence. So release it.” The king replied, “I won’t release it, but I will give you my own flesh in lieu of it.” The eagle then said, “Then give me your flesh. I don’t need anything else.”1 And the king gave the flesh of his entire body to that eagle.
Alarka was a saintly king. He once gave a benediction to a blind brāhmaṇa and promised to fulfill it. The brāhmaṇa requested him to restore [his sight] by replacing his eyes with the king’s eyes. The king did so and attained an excellent destination.