Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 68: Jaṭāyu’s Liberation
Text 3.68.1
रामः सम्प्रेक्ष्य तं गृध्रं भुवि रौद्रेण पातितम्।
सौमित्रिं मित्रसम्पन्नमिदं वचनमब्रवीत्॥
rāmaḥ samprekṣya taṁ gṛdhraṁ bhuvi raudreṇa pātitam
saumitriṁ mitra-sampannam idaṁ vacanam abravīt
rāmaḥ = when Lord Rāma; samprekṣya = saw that; tam = the; gṛdhram = vulture; bhuvi = to the ground; raudreṇa = by the terrible Rāvaṇa; pātitam = had been thrown; saumitrim = to Saumitri; mitra-sampannam = a friend to all; idam = the following; vacanam = words; abravīt = He spoke.
When Lord Rāma saw that the vulture had been thrown to the ground by the terrible Rāvaṇa, He spoke the following words to Saumitri, a friend to all.1
In this chapter, it is described that [the Supreme Lord] awarded the king of vultures liberation from material existence [since] he gave up his body for the mission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Mitra-sampannam also indicates that Lakṣmaṇa was an intimate friend and well-wisher of Rāmacandra.1