जय श्रीराम!
तयोस्तस्मिन्नवीभूतपितृव्यापत्तिशोकयोः । पितरीवाग्निसंस्कारात्परा ववृतिरे क्रियाः ॥१२.५६॥
Notes: Kālidāsa says," Śrīrāma and Lakṣmaṇa, experiencing intense grief upon the death of their new-found father Jaṭāyu, performed his last rites as his children."
Let's remember that Kālidāsa is condensing around 20,000 shlokas of the original Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa's five Kānḍas into a mere 104 shlokas. So what are the important things he wants to select and highlight? Instances and acts such as this devotion of Śrīrāma, even to an aged bird, because the bird showed all the affection and commitment as his own father would have done in their hour of distress. Jaṭāyu was indeed the personification of Emperor Daśaratha whom Śrīrāma had missed being with during his last moments.
Notice that even in his extreme grief and anxiety over the abduction of Sītā, Śrīrāma never loses sight of Dharma. No wonder we worship him as Maryādā Puruṣottama!
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जय श्रीराम!
