Shloka 4.61.3
सूर्यानुगमनवृत्तान्तः — The Account of Following the Sun
अहं चैव जटायुश्च सङ्घर्षाद्धर्पमोहितौ।आकाशं पतितौ वीरौ जिज्ञासन्तौ पराक्रमम्।।।।
rājyena hīno bhrātrā ca pakṣābhyāṃ vikrameṇa ca | sarvathā martum eveच्छan patiṣye śikharād gिरेḥ ||
Deprived of my kingdom, my brother, my wings, and my strength, desiring only death in every way, I will cast myself from the mountain’s peak.
'Deluded by pride, I and my brother Jatayu challenging each other to test our relative strength flew far into the sky.
The verse portrays adharma-like despair as a consequence of pride and loss; dharma would redirect grief toward endurance and meaningful duty rather than self-destruction.
Sampāti, ruined and incapacitated, expresses a wish to end his life by leaping from a mountain.
A cautionary contrast: the absence of hope and resilience; the narrative sets the stage for later redirection toward purpose.