In the Ramayana, we find descriptions of two birds named Sampati and Jatayu, who belonged to the vulture species. While the Ramayana doesn't contain extensive descriptions of these two, Jatayu figures prominently. Sampati is only mentioned during the time of Sita's pursuit, yet his story is truly inspiring. Today, we will learn about Sampati, the eldest of these two brothers.
The son of the Supreme Lord Brahma was Maharishi Marichi, one of the Saptarishis. He married Kala, the daughter of Kardama Prajapati, and had Maharishi Kashyap as his son. Maharishi Kashyap married 17 daughters of Daksha Prajapati, and from their sons all the races originated.
Maharishi Kashyap had a wife, Vinata, who pleaded with her husband for a son. Maharishi Kashyap asked her how many sons she wanted, but she wished for only two valorous sons. When the time came, Vinata laid two eggs, but even after 100 years, no living creature emerged from them. In her impatience, Vinata broke one of the eggs. A giant bird emerged from the egg, but its body was only half formed, the other half still undeveloped.
He then expressed his anger at his mother's unfair treatment, saying that she had prematurely removed him from the egg, leaving him with a weak half. But she should not make the same mistake with the second egg. Maharishi Kashyapa named him Arun and went to the forest to perform penance to Suryanarayana. Mindful of her son's wishes, Vinata preserved the second egg, and in time, a mighty bird was born from it. Arun's younger brother was named Garuda.
Meanwhile, Arun, through his intense penance, pleased the Sun God. When he asked him for a boon, he asked to be Suryanarayana's charioteer. Suryadev said, "So be it," and Arun accepted his position as his charioteer. In time, Arun married a girl named Shyeni, and they had two sons: Sampati and Jatayu. Thus, Arun gave birth to the vultures, and Garuda gave birth to the Garuda race.
As young men, Sampati and Jatayu once competed to see who could touch the Sun. They also desired to see their father. The two brothers raced towards the Sun. As they approached, the Sun's heat intensified, causing pain. But neither brother would retreat. As they approached, their wings began to burn. To save his brother, Sampati covered him with his own wings. Jatayu was saved, but Sampati's wings were completely burned, and he fell on the Vindhya Mountains near the seashore.
Due to the burns and the fall from such a height, Sampati remained unconscious for six days. To escape the heat of the sun, he somehow reached a cave, where he met a sage named Nishakar. In some places, this sage's name is also mentioned as Chandra. Nishakar, using his powers, relieved Sampati of his pain and told him that his wings would grow back in the future, but for now, he would have to remain on the same seashore without his wings, as he would have to perform an important task as the incarnation of Lord Hari.
Sampati then continued to live on the same seashore, and Jatayu settled in Panchavati. Much later, when Shri Ram, Sita, and Lakshman returned to Panchavati, Jatayu moved in with them. When Ravana abducted Sita, Jatayu, despite his advanced age, fought to save her, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Later, Shri Ram himself performed his last rites.
Sampati's wife is not mentioned in the Ramayana, but in some places, one of his sons, "Suparshva," is mentioned. Since Sampati was wingless and could not fly, his son Suparsva also started living with his father. He used to arrange food, water, etc. for his father.
One day, Suparsva came to his father very late and he did not make any arrangements for food for him. Angered by this, Sampati asked Suparsva why he had not made any arrangements for food. Suparsva then told him that today he had seen a demon carrying away a woman through the sky. He was so late in seeing him that he did not make any arrangements for food. Then Sampati understood that the time of his salvation was near.
Some time later, when the monkey army, led by Angada, went south to search for Sita, they met Sampati. He informed Sampati of the death of his younger brother, Jatayu, which deeply saddened him. When Jambavan and Hanuman sought his help, it was Sampati, using his farsighted vision, who informed the monkeys that Ravana had taken Sita across the 100-yojana sea to Lanka. Hanuman then crossed the sea and tracked her down. Some accounts also state that Sampati encouraged the monkeys to cross the sea and find Sita.
Some texts state that Sampati died on the same beach, chanting the name of Rama, but the Valmiki Ramayana describes that after locating Sita, Sampati, as instructed by sage Nishakar, grew two enormous red wings and flew away. Thus, Arun's two sons, Sampati and Jatayu, became immortal in history by assisting Lord Rama.
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