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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 3.9.19

Araṇya Kāṇḍa, sarga 9: Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis. He explains their refusal to spend tapasvin power on curses and declares that protecting them binds him more strongly than his own life

In the sequence: he declares that he would sooner surrender his life, Sītā, or Lakṣmaṇa than break his word, especially to brāhmaṇas → protecting the munis would be his duty even without a promise

3.9.19

tad avaśyaṃ mayā kāryam ṛṣīṇāṃ paripālanam
anuktenāpi vaidehi pratijñāya tu kiṃ punaḥ

So the protection of the sages must without fail be done by me even unasked, O Vaidehī—how much more when I have promised it!

Words: tad — so, therefore; avaśyaṃ — without fail, necessarily; mayā — by me; kāryam — to be done; ṛṣīṇāṃ — of the seers; paripālanam — the protection; anuktenāpi — even unasked; vaidehi — O Vaidehī; pratijñāya — having promised; tu — but; kiṃ punaḥ — how much more

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.