Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 2, Shloka 11
द्वितीयः सर्गः — श्लोकप्रादुर्भावः
The Manifestation of the Śloka
तं शोणितपरीताङ्गं वेष्टमानं महीतले ।भार्या तु निहतं दृष्ट्वा रुराव करुणां गिरम् ।।1.2.11।। वियुक्ता पतिना तेन द्विजेन सहचारिणा ।ताम्रशीर्षेण मत्तेन पत्रिणा सहितेन वै ।।1.2.12।।
taṃ śoṇitaparītāṅgaṃ veṣṭamānaṃ mahītale |
bhāryā tu nihataṃ dṛṣṭvā rurāva karuṇāṃ giram ||1.2.11||
Voyant son compagnon abattu—les membres baignés de sang et se tordant sur la terre—la femelle poussa un cri plaintif, plein de compassion.
The female companion saw the male bird struck down by the hunter and rolling on the earth, drenched in blood. Separated from her winged comparion with copper-crested head intoxicated with her love, the female companion lifted a piteous wail.
FAQs
Dharma includes responsiveness to suffering: the lament of the innocent reveals the moral weight of harm and calls forth compassion rather than indifference.
The female bird witnesses her partner dying on the earth and cries out; her grief becomes the emotional trigger for Vālmīki’s response.
The virtue highlighted is karuṇā—sensitivity to another’s pain—which will soon manifest as Vālmīki’s compassionate indignation.