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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.48.18

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

3.48.18

yat kṛtvā na bhaved dharmo na kīrtir na yaśo bhuvi
śarīrasya bhavet khedaḥ kas tat karma samācaret

'A deed by which no merit, no fame, no glory on earth is won, but only weariness of body results — who would ever undertake such a deed?'

Words: yat — which; kṛtvā — having done; na — not; bhaved — would there be; dharmo — merit, dharma; na — not; kīrtir — fame; na — not; yaśo — glory; bhuvi — on earth; śarīrasya — of the body; bhavet — would be; khedaḥ — weariness, distress; kas — who; tat — that; karma — deed; samācaret — would perform

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.