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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.51.12
Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 51: Sītā condemns the deception. She connects the golden deer with her abduction, challenges Rāvaṇa to face the brothers and warns him to release her
In the sequence: she urges him to release her for his own safety, warning that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa will destroy him otherwise
3.51.12
sādhu kṛtvātmanaḥ pathyaṃ sādhu māṃ muñca rāvaṇa
matpradharṣaṇaruṣṭo hi bhrātrā saha patir mama
vidhāsyati vināśāya tvaṃ māṃ yadi na muñcasi
Do rightly by your own welfare; kindly release me, Rāvaṇa. For my husband, enraged at my molestation, together with his brother will contrive your destruction if you do not let me go.
Words: sādhu — well, rightly; kṛtvātmanaḥ — having done for oneself; pathyaṃ — (what is) wholesome, beneficial; sādhu — kindly, well; māṃ — me; muñca — release; rāvaṇa — O Rāvaṇa; matpradharṣaṇaruṣṭo — enraged at my molestation; hi — for; bhrātrā — with his brother; saha — together; patir — husband; mama — my; vidhāsyati — will contrive, bring about; vināśāya — for (your) destruction; tvaṃ — you; māṃ — me; yadi — if; na — not; muñcasi — you release
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.