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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.48.17

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 48: Jaṭāyu confronts Rāvaṇa. The aged vulture condemns the abduction, demands Sītā’s release and challenges the armed ruler despite his own disadvantage

In the sequence: he urges Rāvaṇa to release Sītā before bringing fatal consequences upon himself

3.48.17

sa bhāraḥ saumya bhartavyo yo naraṃ nāvasādayet
tad annam upabhoktavyaṃ jīryate yad anāmayam

'That burden alone should be borne, gentle one, which does not crush a man; that food alone should be eaten which digests without harm.'

Words: sa — that; bhāraḥ — burden; saumya — O gentle one; bhartavyo — should be borne; yo — which; naraṃ — a man; nāvasādayet — would not overwhelm, crush; tad — that; annam — food; upabhoktavyaṃ — should be eaten; jīryate — is digested; yad — which; anāmayam — without sickness, wholesomely

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.