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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.54.19

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 54: Rāvaṇa’s deadline and threat. Sītā refuses him, he gives her twelve months to submit or be killed for his meal, then sends her to the aśoka grove

In the sequence: she refuses to dishonor herself even if he binds or kills her, then falls silent

3.54.19

idaṃ śarīraṃ niḥsaṃjñaṃ bandha vā ghātayasva vā
nedaṃ śarīraṃ rakṣyaṃ me jīvitaṃ vāpi rākṣasa
na hi śakṣyāmy upakrośaṃ pṛthivyāṃ dātum ātmanaḥ

This body of mine is beyond feeling—bind it or slay it as you will. I need guard neither this body nor my life, rākṣasa; for I could never bring reproach upon myself in this world.

Words: idaṃ — this; śarīraṃ — body; niḥsaṃjñaṃ — beyond feeling, insensible; bandha — bind; vā — or; ghātayasva — have (it) slain; vā — or; nedaṃ — this (is) not; śarīraṃ — body; rakṣyaṃ — to be guarded; me — my; jīvitaṃ — life; vāpi — or even; rākṣasa — O rākṣasa; na — not; hi — for; śakṣyāmy — I shall be able; upakrośaṃ — reproach, blame; pṛthivyāṃ — in the world, on earth; dātum — to bring, give; ātmanaḥ — upon myself

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.