Jaritāri

Jaritāri was the eldest of the four bird-sons of the ṛshi Mandapāla and his wife Jaritā. The four were śāraṅgaka nestlings (young birds of the śāraṅgaka kind) in the Khāṇḍava forest.

The fire in the Khāṇḍava forest

The Khāṇḍava forest was burning, and Jaritāri and his brothers could not yet fly. They faced death in the fire. Their mother Jaritā could not carry all of them to safety.

The youngest brother, Droṇa, spoke a brahma-stotra (a hymn of praise to Brahman). His stotra moved Bhagavān Agni to spare the nest, and all four brothers survived.

The Mahābhārata counts Jaritāri and his brothers among the destined survivors of the Khāṇḍavadāha, the burning of the Khāṇḍava forest.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapters 228–234