गृध्रराजं परिष्वज्य परित्यज्य महद्धनुः।
निपपातावशो भूमौ रुरोद सहलक्ष्मणः॥
gṛdhra-rājaṁ pariṣvajya parityajya mahad dhanuḥ
nipapātāvaśo bhūmau ruroda saha-lakṣmaṇaḥ
gṛdhra-rājam = the king of vultures; pariṣvajya = He embraced; parityajya = and abandoned; mahat = His great; dhanuḥ = bow; nipapāta = He fell; avaśaḥ = losing control of Himself; bhūmau = to the ground; ruroda = then cried; saha-lakṣmaṇaḥ = He and lakṣmaṇa.
He embraced the king of vultures and abandoned His great bow. Losing control of Himself, He fell to the ground. He and Lakṣmaṇa then cried.1
1 Jaṭāyu is a devotee of Lord Rāma. Since the Supreme Lord Śrī Rāmacandra is naturally affectionate to His devotees and since He noticed that Jaṭāyu had sacrificed his life for His sake, He cried. The residents of Ayodhyā had already observed—vyasaneṣu manuṣyāṇāṁ bhṛśaṁ bhavati duḥkhitaḥ: “He is very sorry for men in calamity.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.2.41) Here we see the Supreme Personality of Godhead exhibiting His true affection for His pure devotee, even if that devotee happens to be in the body of an animal.