Hidden Gems of Ramayana: The Story of Sampati

कूजन्तम् राम रामेति मधुरम् मधुराक्षरम्।

आरुह्य कविता शाखाम् वन्दे वाल्मीकि कोकिलम्॥

Ramayana has many good and exemplary characters beckoning holy nature. Varuna is the Charioteer and provides chariot riding services to the Sun God and is the brother of Garuda. Garuda serves Shree Mahavishnu providing self-body as a comfortable vehicle for his master’s satisfaction. Varuna one day desired to have a child and prayed to Sun God. God offered a male child immediately to Varuna but later, Varuna thought looking after a child with good care would become a problem while attending to his uninterrupted routine works of driving the horse chariot of Sun God.

Sun appeared from the east direction in the morning. In Sanskrit, prachi means east. Chetas means new life energy. Hence, holding the baby child simultaneously naming it as Prachetas, he reached over the holy river Ganga but could not accommodate it in the horse cart of Sun God. He wished to drop the baby child but thought it is not good to do so over the River Ganga and by this time reached over Hariyana (Haryana).

Clearly, he wished to entrust it to his brother, Garuda, and so handed it over to him. But Garuda also found it difficult to hold the baby while flying over the dense forests of Hariyana after seeing some hunters and foresters aiming towards him with arrows to shoot him down. Garuda knew, in Sanskrit, Hariyana means the vehicle of Shree Maha Vishnu and so started chanting manthras to safeguard the young baby, with closed eyes, thinking the deep and tall forest trees as soft as hairs of his master, and also tried to hold both his hands as Namaste. Alas! The baby child fell into the forest! He chanted the rudra manthras so the baby may be in safety always.

“ॐ नमो नमो वृक्षेभ्यो हरिकेशेभ्यः ॥”

He wished and prayed to his master for a glorious life to this baby child Prachetas. Garuda fled away to Vishnu loka with a loud announcement as “मानिषाद”, which means in Sanskrit as “hunter, don’t do it” for diverting those hunters from arrow aiming the sky in order to save the child. These words may be heard by the child or by the hunters as a boon and being as his strong wish.

The baby child was received by the foresters and hunters and they looked after it. The baby grew up in the forest as robber, just like a cruel lion. Later in future one day, the seven Rishis called the Saptharishis happened to cross the forest and brought a change in his life from Prachetas to become Valmiki Maharshi. This is the backstory of Valmiki.  

The Backstory of Ramayana

One day morning, while going to take bath in the river, he happened to see one hunter aiming his arrow at some flying innocent birds to kill down. Alarmingly, Valmiki requested him, “hunter, don’t do it’, in Sanskrit “मानिषाद ”  But one of the flying birds, screaming, fell down on earth and Valmiki Maharshi felt too much. He himself was controlled in his emotions then. But in some corner of his heart, the engraved words, “मानिषाद”, which were hidden so far, were now awakened. Later, one full day, he was under the hangover of that morning’s pitiable incidence and on the following day onwards he started writing the historical great epic “RAMAYANA”.

The Lesser Known Story of Sampati

Garuda, the brother of Varuna, prayed to God to bless him with children possessing with healthy and strong wings as justified to vultures so that they may fly in the sky as high as possible so that hunters may not be able to arrow them at any time. It may be an everlasting truth of this world that drivers’ requests are considered with priority. The master of the world, the protector of all, Shree MahaVishnu, blessed Garuda with two children.

The elder one was named as Sampati and the younger one was Jatayu. Both of them were healthy brothers and good vultures. There was absolute happiness in their youth times and they lead a pious life. They never indulged in any kind of sinful activities. Their duty was to keep the premises neat and clean. They were always patrolling in the high sky in detection of any dead bodies as natural to vultures. 

Tragedy in the Life of Sampati

In the playful youth, in free times one day, these brothers started competing each other as to test who will fly higher. Jatayu started flying up. Sampati flew higher up over the sea shore. When Sampati could not see Jatayu in sight, he looked downwards. Then he found the shadow of his younger brother on the sand bed of the sea shores. In his heart, he always remembered this scene; he looked up and suddenly became awe struck. Swiftly, within moments he also flew very high, stretched his large wings over his brother just to safeguard his brother from burning due to the hot scorching sun. Jatayu was saved fully, Sampati advised him to return home. Meanwhile, his own wings caught fire due to the hot flames of the sun. He was unable to fly further and fell down to the sea water where the flames automatically got extinguished but started severe pains. Later, he somehow managed to move south and found a meadow near a deep forest.

Sampati was severely depressed in life. Without wings, a vulture cannot fly and without flying, he could not get sufficient food for daily life. He met a holy man called Nishakara muni. He narrated his sad events and sought his wise advises. Nishakara muni was an astrologer. He thought it is mandatory in the life of an astrologer to counsel the depressed ones, so advised Sampati to lead a family life with new hopes by residing near to the forest where an old lady called Shabari is conducting penance. He informed that she is very old and waiting to have a view of Sri Rama. If some kind of service is rendered in the name of Rama, Sampati could get back the lost wings and later be able to live a normal life, Nishakara muni suggested.

Sampati got married and a male child born to him. He was called Suparswa. The child always brought sufficient food for Sampati and time passed.

The Demise of Jatayu

One day, Jatayu saw Ravana carrying Sita in his pushpak viman illegally. Jatayu started to fight with Ravana. Jatayu knew very well the family members of Sri Rama and also about the demon Ravana. Ravana was so crooked and cut both side wings of Jatayu. The merciful Sita Devi offered a boon to Jatayu such that ,till the meeting of Sri Rama, let him be alive. Ravana continued his journey capturing Sita Devi in his Pushpak vimana towards south.

Sri Rama and Lakshmana arrived there in search of Sita Devi. Jatayu narrated the events and told them that Ravana has carried Sita Devi to South side but not sure to which place finally and exactly, and died. With the help of Lakshmana, Sri Rama conducted the final rituals for Jatayu and Jatayu got moksha.

In Quest of Sita Devi

Sri Rama and Lakshmana proceeded in search of Sita. Further, they met with vanara king Sugreeva and his minister Veera Hanuman. After the assassination of Vali, the brother of Sugriva, the search for Sita continued.

Various batches moved to various directions. Veera Hanuman is a name assigned after Hanumanta, the able minister of Sugriva, in honour of his capabilities.

Hanumanta was accompanied by Angada, his mother Thara, age old Jambava and other monkeys. After all search, the troop reached the forest hill side where the old lady Shabari was conducting penance. But there was no hope of any clue to them to which side to move further. Suparsva, the son of Sampati had seen Ravana carrying Sita Devi to Lanka and he has given a detailed report to his father. Sampati could not move. But Suparsva could fly being a young vulture as per his desire and very well understood where Sita is exactly housed. Being young and wise, he never disturbed Ravana on his way, so nothing happened to him.

Sampati to the Rescue

Hanumanta met with Sampati. He is a friend in deed but wingless. He properly guided the team of Hanumanta being in the search of Sri Rama as per his son’s narrations. Immediately, a wonderful miracle happened. The lost wings of Sampati started budding. Also, the sad demise of Jatayu was intimated to Sampati.

He remembered the shadow of his brother on the sand bed of the sea shore. Sampati got both wings fully. With the search party of Hanumanta, Sampati went to the sea shore, poured sea water in honour of his brother over the place where his shadow had fallen as per his memory recollection.

In the end, Sampati and his son Suparswa flew away happily. Hanumanta with his team moved towards the sea shore planning to cross the sea to reach Lanka where Ravana housed Sita.

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Readers are requested to kindly visit the website frequently since more stories from Ramayana will appear here, in thirty one more articles, part by part in future. From the day of Karkataka Sankram till the day of Simha sankram, let us have one article of Ramayana each day here. The author seeks blessings of God to provide the ability to write and present to the readers. Once again, may Lord Sri Rama bless us all a happy and peaceful life.