Shloka 3.67.9
जटायुवृत्तान्तः — Jatāyu’s Testimony and Rāma’s Grief
ततः पर्वतकूटाभं महाभागं द्विजोत्तमम्।।।।ददर्श पतितं भूमौ क्षतजार्द्रं जटायुषम्।
nikṛtta-pakṣaṁ rudhirāvasiktaṁ sa gṛdhrarājaṁ parirabhya rāmaḥ | kva maithilī prāṇasamā mama iti vimucya vācaṁ nipapāta bhūmau ||
Rāma embraced the king of vultures, his wings shorn and his body drenched in blood. Crying, “Where is Maithilī—she who is as dear to me as life itself?” his words burst forth, and he fell upon the earth.
Then he saw the great Jatayu, a wonderful bird, looking like a mountain top, drenched in blood and fallen on the ground.
Dharma is not emotional coldness: the epic validates truthful human grief while still situating it within righteous bonds—Rāma’s fidelity to Sītā and reverence for Jaṭāyu.
Rāma, overwhelmed, embraces the mortally wounded Jaṭāyu and cries out for Sītā, then collapses in sorrow.
Ekapatnī-vrata and devotion—Rāma’s love and loyalty to Sītā are shown as life-bound; alongside this, empathy toward a fallen ally.