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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.48.16

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

3.48.16

sarpam āśīviṣaṃ baddhvā vastrānte nāvabudhyase
grīvāyāṃ pratimuktaṃ ca kālapāśaṃ na paśyasi

'You have tied a venomous serpent to the hem of your robe and do not know it; you do not see the noose of Death already fastened round your neck.'

Words: sarpam — a serpent; āśīviṣaṃ — venomous; baddhvā — having bound, tied; vastrānte — at the hem of the garment; nāvabudhyase — you do not notice; grīvāyāṃ — around (your) neck; pratimuktaṃ — fastened, slipped on; ca — and; kālapāśaṃ — the noose of Death; na — not; paśyasi — you see

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.