Week 3: Storytelling || Jatayu and Sampathi

For 35 days Aruna and Maina, two demi-gods in the form of vultures, have been incubating two of their eggs. On the 36th day the first egg hatched and they named their son Sampathi. While Aruna fed and cared for his new chick, Maina waited anxiously atop the second egg for the arrival of her other child. The sun rose on the 40th day with such strength that the heat caused the second egg to hatch. Overjoyed with the arrival of their second son, who they named Jatayu, a life-long friend for their firstborn, Sampathi, the parents began the 10 week undertaking of raising their chicks to be independent of them.

With the arrival of Fall came the departure of the Aruna and Maina. The two brothers were still very young, able to fly and feed themselves but lacking a true understanding of their world and its mechanisms. Having been rid of their parents for a few days, they began to miss them. Sampathi devised a game that would entertain him and his brother, while also allowing them to become stronger fliers and more precise hunters. They pretended as though they were searching for their parents, soaring a great distance above their land and launching downward like lightening toward their prey, which until feeding began they imagined was one of their parents.

Sampathi

Jatayu

Both of the brothers were competitive, which inspired them to invent rules and challenge each other to new heights.

A day that brought colossal, restless clouds and a brilliant, glowing sun seeded the desire to resume their endless game. Commencing with more energy than expected, the brothers began a steep ascent toward the sun, using the clouds as an asylum from the sun gods threatening rays. Heavenward they escalated with intentions to glance at the resting place of the gods when Sampathi sternly said to Jatayu, “My brother, will the sun god find animosity to those who encroach upon his domain? We should abandon our flight and return to lower grounds, removing ourselves from the haste of the sun god.”

“You are my older brother, you are more knowledgeable of this world and I will follow you to the ends of it,” Jatayu said blithely as he agilely changed direction and flew parallel to the earth between the clouds. With Sampathi above him, and the clouds surrounding both of them, they were safe.

Oblivious of their altitude, the clouds began to shift around the brothers, exposing them to the presence of the sun god who was irritated with their incessant flight throughout his realm. He shifted the full extent of his strength toward the brothers with intention to incinerate both, but only succeeded in damaging one.

The 6-foot wingspan of his older brother protected the slightly smaller Jatayu from the catastrophic frustration of the sun god. Sampathi’s burned body plummeted toward the earth, leaving a trail of ashes behind him. Before Jatayu could change direction to follow his brothers deformed figure as he fell through the sky, a very dense rain storm approached, washing away all possible trails to the landing place of his big brother.

It is said that Sampathi rests atop a mountain, no longer resembling a vulture, but now a pile of bones and flesh awaiting a savior or the company of his beloved brother. Jatayu continued the game, forever in search of his dear brother.

Author’s note: I chose to tell the story in a similar fashion as Narayan narrates The Ramayana. I really enjoy this writing style and I find it intriguing. My main goal for this story was to instill a sense of longing in the reader and to leave them with the unsettling emotion of both brothers in search of each other in the end, rather than their parents.

Works Cited:

Narayan, R. K. (1972) The Ramayana.

Turkey Vulture. Website: Wikipedia.

Jatayu. Website: Wikipedia.