Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 68: Jaṭāyu’s Liberation
Text 3.68.31
एवमुक्त्वा चितां दीप्तामारोप्य पतगेश्वरम्।
ददाह रामो धर्मात्मा स्वबन्धुमिव दुःखितः॥
evam uktvā citāṁ dīptām āropya patageśvaram
dadāha rāmo dharmātmā sva-bandhum iva duḥkhitaḥ
evam = this; uktvā = having said; citām = on a pyre; dīptām = fit for cremation; āropya = placed; pataga-īśvaram = the lord of birds; dadāha = He then cremated; rāmaḥ = Śrī Rāma; dharma-ātmā = the dhārmika soul; sva-bandhum iva = him as if he were His relative; duḥkhitaḥ = in distress.
Having said this, the dhārmika soul Śrī Rāma placed the lord of birds on a pyre fit for cremation. In distress, He then cremated him as if he were His relative.
“As if he were His relative” indicates that Lord Śrī Rāma uttered [appropriate Vedic] mantras before cremating Jaṭāyu.