It’s not Superman or a plane, it’s Jatayu. The mythical bird from the Ramayana was the first person ever to battle a terrorist (or so PM Modi tells us).
In his speech at Lucknow on Sunday, the PM referred to Jatayu, who fought Ravana till his death, as the first individual to fight a terrorist, for the sake of a woman’s honour.
"We might not be able to embody Ram, but we could try to be like Jatayu," the PM said. The comments were made on the the backdrop of India’s surgical strikes in PoK. The speech also saw the PM speak about the global problem of terror without referring to Pakistan. Modi also dwelt on the evils within India.
The Quint millennial-splains Jatayu, for those uninitiated into Hindu mythology.
Jatayu was a divine vulture in the Ramayana. A firm bond of friendship had formed between him and the king of Ayodhya, Dasharath. Jatayu was part of the Sheyani clan, the birds who could soar to the highest skies.
When Ravana abducted Sita, Jatayu was the one to fight him unto death.
Basically he was the real Birdman, with more empathy than most humans, as he fiercely fought to save Sita instead of letting her get abducted.
When Jatayu lay dying, he met Rama and told him what had happened and how he had fought till he could before Ravana injured him.
Clearly, Rama knew how important Jatayu was to his father, and he set out out to avenge his death and to find Sita.
Rama performed the last rites of the divine vulture where he fell. According to local lore, the spot is in present-day Chadayamangalam in Kerala's Kollam district.
The Jatayu Nature Park has been set at the site, with a giant sculpture of the bird. Legend says the spot has the mythical bird’s beak marks as well as Rama’s footprint.
So, like PM Modi said, everyone should aspire to fight evil like Jatayu. #BeMoreJatayu.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)