Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 51: Jaṭāyu Fights with Rāvaṇa
Text 3.51.33
एवमुक्त्वा शुभं वाक्यं जटायुस्तस्य रक्षसः।
निपपात भृशं पृष्ठे दशग्रीवस्य वीर्यवान्॥
evam uktvā śubhaṁ vākyaṁ jaṭāyus tasya rakṣasaḥ
nipapāta bhṛśaṁ pṛṣṭhe daśagrīvasya vīryavān
evam = these; uktvā = having spoken; śubham = these auspicious; vākyam = words; jaṭāyuḥ = Jaṭāyu; tasya = of the; rakṣasaḥ = rākṣasa; nipapāta = swooped down; bhṛśam = powerfully; pṛṣṭhe = on the back; daśagrīvasya = ten-headed; vīryavān = the heroic.
Having spoken these auspicious words, the heroic Jaṭāyu powerfully swooped down on the back of the ten-headed rākṣasa.
Pṛṣṭhe (“on the back”) indicates that Rāvaṇa had disregarded Jaṭāyu and was escaping away [from him].