Jatayu, Dasharath, and the Thirty-Three Crore Gods — The Inner Powers That Guide Us

Question:

Verma ji had asked — the vulture, Jatayu, represents an inner power that becomes active within us. In an ordinary person, this power remains dormant, but when one begins to move toward Self-knowledge, it awakens. Could you please explain this further — and also, why did Ram call Jatayu “my father Dasharath’s friend”?

Answer:

Yes — Jatayu is indeed the symbol of an inner power within us. In ordinary people, that power remains unmanifest, lying asleep in a dormant state.
But when a person starts moving toward Self-knowledge — when he begins to recognize his own true nature — all those inner powers that have been lying hidden within him as pure potential start to awaken and express themselves.

Then all those awakened powers begin to assist the Self-abiding person.

An ordinary person looks outside for help: “Who will support me? Who will help me in this difficulty?”
But the Self-abiding person doesn’t need outer assistance. He receives direction and guidance from within himself.

A great person is continuously guided from within, and no matter how difficult the situation, he finds the solution there itself.

So the entire episode of Jatayu in the Ramayana exists to remind us that such a powerful guiding force lives within us.
We just have to recognize it — and for that, self-reflection (atmamanthan) is essential.

Question:

Then why did Ram say, “Jatayu was my father Dasharath’s friend”?

Answer:

That’s a symbolic statement too.

We just understood that Jatayu represents the inner power that desires to protect purity.
Now, who is Dasharath?

Dasharath represents the pure mind — the mind in which all ten senses (the “ten chariots”) are under control and purified.
From that pure mind, Ram — the Self-abiding consciousness — is born.

So Dasharath stands for purity of mind; and Jatayu, too, stands for the power that protects purity. Both are related to the same quality — purity.

That’s why they are called friends.

Whenever two forces arise from the same divine quality, they are symbolically described as friends.

Jatayu is shown as a bird — a soaring power — while Dasharath is shown as a human king, but both signify the same essence: purity.
This is symbolic language, which is why it sometimes feels difficult to grasp.

Question:

Sister, my question earlier was perhaps unclear. I meant: Ram performing Jatayu’s cremation and tarpan — does that symbolize respect or gratitude toward that inner power?

Answer:

Exactly right — that’s precisely what it means.

The tarpan and cremation express reverence, gratitude, and respect for those inner powers that guide and help us from within.
Ram performing the rites means offering heartfelt thanks to that inner energy that served him.

Additional Explanation:

In Indian culture, we speak of thirty-three crore devas — gods and goddesses.
There’s deep respect for them everywhere. But these are not external deities sitting somewhere in the sky.

They are the many powers residing within our own personality — each helping and guiding us in its own way at the right time.

When the scriptures speak of “thirty-three crore gods,” they’re really pointing to the countless inner powers we possess but don’t yet recognize.
As we move forward on the spiritual path, reading texts like the Bhagavata Purana or Ramayana, we begin to realize how immense the potential of this human body truly is.

We may not yet experience those powers, but when we do, we’ll understand why Indian culture reveres so many gods and goddesses.
They all symbolize divine forces within — deva-like powers and asura-like tendencies both reside in us.

It’s the same teaching that appears in the Bhagavad Gita: daivi (divine) and asuri (demonic) tendencies are both within the human mind.
The gods and goddesses are not separate beings — they are the inner powers and divine qualities that can make us godlike, while negative tendencies can make us demonic.

Even on a biological level, think about it — our body is made of cells. If even one cell malfunctions, disease like cancer can arise.
We have six main systems sustaining the body; if they stop functioning, we fall ill or die. These gross systems already do so much for us.

Behind them, subtler systems operate — and behind every system, there is a power, a life-force, an animating consciousness.

This can also be understood spiritually: all of creation is made of just two principles — Purusha (consciousness) and Prakriti (matter).
Prakriti is the structure, and Purusha gives it motion and life.
Without Purusha, Prakriti is inert; without Prakriti, Purusha has no form to express itself.

So we owe gratitude to both — Purusha and Prakriti — for they are the foundation of everything.

This gratitude naturally awakens as we walk the spiritual path.
Otherwise, we take everything — our body, breath, air, and life itself — for granted.

Indian culture teaches: never take any power for granted.
Because every force, every form of energy, sustains this universe.
To worship the gods means simply to hold a deep feeling of thankfulness toward every power that supports our life.