Page 1- Jatayu
I wanted to read a little more about Jatayu because I found his story so interesting. He was one of those characters that showed up precisely when Rama needed him (which, if you'd read anything else from this blog, you know annoys me), and investigating what about him specifically led him to do that it what led me to his page. The story about him flying close to the sun also reminds me of the Greek story of Icarus.
Page 2- Sampati
In a similar vein as Jatayu, I was interested in Sampati because of his interaction with Rama in the Ramayana. I also find his decision to save his brother, and thus lose his power of flight, to be an example of the kind of self-sacrifice that characterizes so much of the Indian mythology that we've read so far. Unfortunately, this page didn't have too much information that wasn't already covered in the Ramayana.
Page 3- Madhya Pradesh
I chose this page because I'm always fascinated by the intersection of real, geographic spaces and mythology. This location is believed to be the birthplace of Sampati, and is often referred to as the "heart" of India. The region is especially notable for its folk music and its status as a center of Hindi culture/religion.
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| The Narmada River (in Madhya Pradesh) at Sunset by Wikipedia user Rbsrajput
Source: Wikipedia
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Page 4- Polymath
I was led to this page because of the line in Hamilton: The Musical where Alexander exclaims that he's a "polymath, a pain in the ass, a massive pain". I had a good grip on what the term meant, but it was interesting to read more about it in a formal setting. I find that there are a lot of similarities between this word and the person encapsulated by the phrase "renaissance man (or woman/person)". Indian history, and the history of Madhya Pradesk specifically, was filled with rulers who doubled as polymaths.
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