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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.8.20

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 8: Story of the tapasvin’s sword. Sītā describes how guarding Indra’s weapon corrupted a peaceful ṛṣi and warns Rāma against violence without enmity

In the sequence: Sītā says affection prompts her warning: she does not want Rāma to kill forest-dwellers who have committed no offense against him

3.8.20

snehāc ca bahumānāc ca smāraye tvāṃ na śikṣaye
na kathaṃ cana sā kāryā hṛhītadhanuṣā tvayā

Out of affection and out of deep regard I remind you—I do not instruct you: never should this (cruelty) be done by you when you hold the bow.

Words: snehāc ca — out of affection and; bahumānāc ca — and out of high regard; smāraye — I remind; tvāṃ — you; na — not; śikṣaye — I instruct; na kathaṃ cana — in no way whatever; sā — that (deed); kāryā — to be done; hṛhītadhanuṣā — holding the bow; tvayā — by you

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.