Mantralaya-2068
(Jatayu and Sampati )
Date : Nov 13, 2025
Dear Devotees : Namaskara.
| Sri MannMoolaRamastu Mannmathe Moolamahasamsthhaana Mantralaya Sri Rayaramathe||
|| OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAAYA NAMAHA||
Background
The unmatched bravery, sacrifice and devotion to dharma shown by Jatayu and Sampati are described in Mantralaya (2068).
Meaning
Today,
let us travel back into the sacred pages of the Ramayana and witness
the moving story of two mighty kings of the skies, the noble brothers
Jatayu and Sampati. Their story is not merely one of strength and
courage but of devotion, sacrifice and the eternal power of dharma.
Even after ages, their story continues to inspire us to rise above
fear, stand for righteousness and dedicate our lives to the service of
the Divine.
In the timeless story of the Ramayana, where the
Supreme descends upon earth to restore righteousness and destroy evil,
countless noble souls join the Lord’s divine mission. Among them shine
the names of Jatayu and Sampati, radiant like twin flames of faith.
Their courage, love and selfless sacrifice make them eternal symbols of
devotion in the great epic. They were not born for fame or victory but
for seva, to serve dharma and to surrender completely to the will of
the Lord.
Jatayu and Sampati’s lives remind us that true
devotion is not measured by form, power or birth. It is the quiet,
unwavering flame of love that burns in a heart filled with faith. Their
sacrifice became a light that still guides seekers of truth, teaching
that the path to God lies not in might or pride but in humility, love
and the willingness to give everything for righteousness.
According
to the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya by Sri Madhvacharyaru, Jatayu was
born in the sacred Garuda Kula, the divine family of Sage Kashyapa
Prajapati and his wife Vinata. His father Aruna was the charioteer of
Surya Deva, the Sun God. His mother Shyeni came from a noble race of
celestial beings known for their courage and strength. From this divine
family, Jatayu inherited bravery, wisdom and spiritual radiance. His
elder brother Sampati was his protector and guide, always caring for
him with love and discipline. Both were nephews of Garuda, the mighty
bird who serves Lord Vishnu. Their birth was not a chance of fate but a
part of a sacred lineage blessed by the Lord Himself.
Such a
birth signifies that Jatayu was a soul destined for
liberation(mukti-yogya). He was not an ordinary being bound by the
cycle of birth and death. He had descended to play his role in the
divine plan, to protect dharma and to serve the Supreme Lord in His
human incarnation as Sri Rama.
When Jatayu and Sampati were
young, the sky itself seemed too small for their dreams. Their wings
shimmered like gold in the sunlight and their hearts beat with pride,
love and the boundless courage of youth. They often raced each other
through the clouds, laughing as the winds sang around them. One fateful
day, driven by a spark of wonder and the innocence of brotherly pride,
they decided to fly toward the blazing Sun to see who could soar the
highest. Neither of them knew that this flight would be their last
together, the flight that would change their lives forever.
They
rose together, wing to wing, their hearts filled with joy. The warmth
of the Sun caressed their feathers at first, but soon that warmth
turned into a fierce blaze. The higher they went, the hotter it became.
Still, they kept looking into each other’s eyes, their bond giving them
courage. Jatayu’s youthful spirit burned with determination but his
strength began to fade as the Sun’s fire grew unbearable. Jatayu’s
wings trembled, his breath grew heavy and fear crept into his heart.
Sampati
saw the trembling of Jatayu’s wings and the pain filling his brother’s
eyes as the blazing sun drew closer. In that single heartbeat, all
pride melted away, leaving only pure love. With a cry that echoed
through the skies, Sampati soared upward, higher than he had ever flown
before, positioning himself above his beloved brother. The burning heat
tore at his feathers and seared his body, but he did not care.
Spreading his vast wings wide, he cast his shadow over Jatayu,
shielding him from the merciless flames with every ounce of strength
and love he had left.
“Brother, no! You will be burned!” Jatayu
shouted, his voice breaking with fear and love. But Sampati only looked
down at him with a tender smile, the kind that spoke of a lifetime of
care. “You must live, Jatayu,” he whispered. “You must fly.”
The
heat was unbearable. The golden feathers of Sampati’s wings began to
burn and curl, the pain unimaginable. Yet he did not move. He held his
place, wings outstretched, protecting Jatayu until his own strength was
gone. The sky echoed with Jatayu’s cries as his brother’s body gave way
to the fire.
Sampati fell from the heavens, his wings scorched
beyond recovery, landing far away on a lonely mountain. Jatayu too was
carried down by the winds, landing on another peak. When Jatayu awoke,
his body ached but it was his heart that bore the deepest wound. The
memory of Sampati’s sacrifice cut through him like fire. His brother
had given up the very essence of his being, his wings, his freedom, his
sky, just to save him.
Tears filled Jatayu’s eyes as he looked
toward the blazing Sun that had witnessed it all. From that moment
onward, he vowed to live for dharma and truth, carrying his brother’s
love as the light that would guide him forever.
Mahabharata
Tatparya Nirnaya beautifully records this incident as a symbol of love
and sacrifice. Jatayu never forgot that moment. He realized that true
power lies not in how high one can fly but in how much one can give of
oneself for the sake of another. That lesson of selflessness became his
guiding force, the very foundation of his devotion and dharma.
From
that day, Jatayu lived not for himself but for the world. His brother’s
sacrifice became his inspiration and his heart became a temple of
compassion and courage.
As years went by, Jatayu grew old, his
once mighty wings slower but his heart still filled with devotion. When
Sri Rama, along with Sita and Lakshmana, walked into the forest to live
in exile, Jatayu watched over them from the skies with love and
concern, like a guardian from above. He had known King Dasharatha and
held a bond of deep friendship and respect with him. Long ago, Jatayu
had promised the king Dasharatha that he would protect his family if
ever danger came their way. And now, seeing Sri Rama in the forest, his
heart recognized the divine truth that this was not just Dasharatha’s
son but the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself walking the earth.
Meanwhile,
the shadow of evil grew darker. Ravana, the mighty ruler of Lanka,
overcome by lust and arrogance, abducted Sita from the forest of
Dandaka. He carried her away in his divine chariot, the Pushpaka Vimana.
From
afar, Jatayu witnessed this terrible act. Though his body had grown old
and weak, his heart was strong. Devotion surged within him. He could
not stand silent while Adharma triumphed before his eyes. He remembered
his vow to King Dasharatha and the sacred duty to protect
righteousness. Gathering all his strength, Jatayu rose into the air to
confront Ravana.
As the two beings met in the heavens, a divine
battle unfolded. Jatayu’s wings roared like thunder and his claws
flashed like lightning. He attacked Ravana with fearless devotion,
tearing at the demon’s chariot and breaking its structure. His cries
echoed through the forest like mantras of courage. Ravana, furious,
fought back with all his might.But Jatayu was not an ordinary bird. His
strength came from his pure bhakti to Lord Hari. He was fighting not
for victory, but for dharma itself. Each strike he made was an
offering, every wound a prayer.Unable to defeat Jatayu by ordinary
means, Ravana invoked his powerful divine weapons, astras granted to
him by the gods. With these celestial weapons and his enchanted sword,
he finally struck Jatayu down.
Jatayu fell to the earth, his
mighty wings torn, his body covered in blood. The ground shook beneath
him, yet even as he fell, his eyes never left the sky. Through the pain
and the fading light, he watched the path that Ravana took, his heart
praying that Sri Rama would find Sita. He had lost the battle but not
his purpose. In that moment, the old bird had done what few in heaven
or earth had dared, he had stood alone against evil for the sake of
dharma.
Lying on the forest floor, his breath grew faint but his
faith still burned bright. He knew deep within that Sri Rama would soon
come that way. As his life slowly slipped away, Jatayu’s thoughts
turned to his beloved brother Sampati. With trembling lips and a voice
weak from pain, he whispered, “My dear brother Sampati, the life you
once gave me, I have spent in the service of dharma. I hope I have made
you proud, for I offered it for the sake of Sri Rama.” A tear of
gratitude and peace rolled down his face. Even as his strength faded,
his heart glowed with devotion. In that moment, Jatayu was not a fallen
bird but a soul soaring toward eternity, carried by the love of his
brother and the grace of the Lord.
Jatayu, holding his breath,
kept waiting for Sri Rama. When Rama and Lakshmana finally arrived,
they found Jatayu lying in silence beneath the trees. The forest was
still, as if the whole world was waiting. With blurred vision, Jatayu
looked up and saw Sri Rama before him, not as a prince but as the
radiant Lord Vishnu Himself. A faint smile touched his beak. In that
moment, his pain dissolved into peace. With trembling breath, Jatayu
told them all that had happened, how Ravana had taken Sita and which
way he had gone.
Jatayu’s final thoughts were filled only with
Rama’s name, his eyes closing not in suffering but in bliss. He had
lived for dharma and died in the remembrance of the Lord.
Sri
Rama knelt beside him, His eyes filled with divine sorrow and love. The
Lord who upholds the universe held the dying bird in His arms. In that
sacred moment, Sri Rama performed Jatayu’s final rites with His own
hands. The Supreme Being, who gives liberation to all souls, personally
gave moksha to one who had given his life for righteousness.
As
Sri Madhvacharyaru explains, when a soul remembers Vishnu at its last
breath, liberation is assured. Jatayu saw Vishnu before him and Vishnu
Himself performed his last rites. His soul, freed from all pain, rose
to the eternal abode of the Lord.
The forest that had witnessed
his fall now became holy ground. His sacrifice was complete, his duty
fulfilled. The bird who once soared in the skies of earth now flew
forever in the divine Mukti Loka, his journey ending where it had
always belonged, in the loving embrace of Sri Vishnu Himself.
Far
away on a lonely mountain, Sampati felt a sudden ache in his heart. His
wings, though long burned, seemed to tremble with a pain he could not
explain. Through divine intuition, he knew his beloved brother Jatayu
had left this world. A deep sorrow washed over him, heavier than the
weight of his wounded wings. He cried out to the skies, calling
Jatayu’s name but only the wind answered, carrying his grief across the
mountains.
Years passed, yet the ache in Sampati’s heart never
faded. One day, destiny brought Sri Rama’s divine presence close to
him. When Sampati heard from the Lord’s messengers about Jatayu’s
heroic battle and his noble death in the service of dharma, tears of
devotion and love flowed from his eyes. Every memory of his younger
brother, their laughter, their bond, their last flight together, came
alive within him. His heart broke, yet it also felt blessed, for Jatayu
had attained eternal union with the Lord.
Overwhelmed by
compassion, Sri Rama bestowed his divine touch upon Sampati. In that
sacred moment, the Lord’s grace flowed through him like sunlight after
endless darkness. The wings that had once been scorched by the Sun
began to heal and grow anew. Sampati, who had once lost his flight to
save his brother, now received it back through the mercy of the very
Lord his brother had served.
With renewed strength and devotion,
Sampati dedicated himself to Rama’s mission. He revealed to Hanuman the
direction of Lanka, helping the Lord’s army find Sita and fulfill the
divine plan. In doing so, the two brothers, separated by fate yet bound
by love, both found their purpose. Jatayu attained liberation through
sacrifice and Sampati served the Lord through guidance. Together, they
became eternal symbols of love, service and devotion that transcend
life and death.
In the sacred philosophy of Tattvavada, taught
by Sri Madhvacharyaru, the stories of Jatayu and Sampati are not just
tales of valor, but profound journeys of the soul from self to
surrender, from strength to sacrifice and from form to eternal freedom.
These two brothers, born of the Garuda lineage, remind us that true
devotion and love go beyond life itself, shining even in loss and pain.
Ravana
represents ego and illusion, clinging to false pride and fleeting
power. Jatayu and Sampati represent faith, humility and selfless
surrender. One gave his wings to save his brother, the other gave his
life to serve his Lord. The demon Ravana fought to possess, while these
divine birds fought to protect. Ravana’s weapons could pierce Jatayu’s
body but they could never touch his devotion. The Sun’s fire could burn
Sampati’s wings but it could not dim the light of his sacrifice.
Sri
Jayateertharu explains that their lives reveal the essence of pure
devotion. When a soul gives itself completely to the Lord without
expectation, it reaches the highest bliss. Jatayu found liberation
through sacrifice, dying in the Lord’s service. Sampati found
redemption through service, guiding Rama’s army with renewed faith.
Both reached the same divine goal, union with the Lord through love and
surrender.
Jatayu and Sampati’s names will forever echo in the
hearts of devotees as symbols of unbreakable faith and brotherly love.
Their wings once touched the sky together in youth, and though destiny
separated them, divine grace united them again, one through sacrifice,
the other through service.
When faith weakens and dharma seems
distant, their story calls us to rise again for truth, to live with
love and to surrender to the will of the Lord. For in the fire of
devotion lies the light of liberation and on the wings of surrender,
the soul learns to fly forever, free, fearless and filled with divine
grace.
The devotion towards
Sri Raghavendrateertharu is the ultimate truth and is the most simple
and effective way to reach Sri Hari - "NAMBI KETTAVARILLAVO EE
GURUGALA"! “Those who have complete faith in this Guru will never be
disappointed.”
|| BICHALI JAPADAKATTI SRI APPANACHARYA PRIYA MANTRALAYA
SRI RAGHAVENDRATEERTHA GURUBHYO NAMAHA||