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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.48.26

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 challenges Rāvaṇa to fight rather than flee while the brothers are absent → he vows to serve Rāma and Daśaratha even at the cost of his life.

3.48.26

avaśyaṃ tu mayā kāryaṃ priyaṃ tasya mahātmanaḥ
jīvitenāpi rāmasya tathā daśarathasya ca

'Come what may, I must do a service to that great-souled Rāma — and to Daśaratha too — even at the cost of my life.'

Words: avaśyaṃ — certainly, without fail; tu — indeed; mayā — by me; kāryaṃ — should be done; priyaṃ — a kindness, service; tasya — for him; mahātmanaḥ — the great-souled; jīvitenāpi — even with (my) life; rāmasya — of Rāma; tathā — and, likewise; daśarathasya — of Daśaratha; ca — and

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. 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.