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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.61.4

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 61: Lakṣmaṇa restrains Rāma’s anger. He rejects destroying the world for one offender and urges a search and persuasion before resorting to force

In the sequence: Seeing Rāma poised for destruction, Lakṣmaṇa appeals to his usual restraint and concern for living beings

3.61.4

purā bhūtvā mṛdur dāntaḥ sarvabhūtahite rataḥ
na krodhavaśam āpannaḥ prakṛtiṃ hātum arhasi

Having formerly been gentle, self-controlled, and devoted to the welfare of all beings, you ought not, fallen under the sway of anger, to forsake your true nature.

Words: purā — formerly; bhūtvā — having been; mṛdur — gentle; dāntaḥ — self-controlled; sarvabhūtahite — in the welfare of all beings; rataḥ — devoted to, delighting in; na — not; krodhavaśam — under the sway of anger; āpannaḥ — fallen into, having come to; prakṛtiṃ — (your) nature; hātum — to abandon; arhasi — you ought

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.