न कथञ्चन सा कार्या गृहीतधनुषा त्वया।
बुद्धिर्वैरं विना हुन्तुं राक्षसान्दण्डकाश्रितान्।
अपराधं विना हन्तुं लोकान्वीर न कामये॥
na kathañcana sā kāryā gṛhīta-dhanuṣā tvayā
buddhir vairaṁ vinā hantuṁ rākṣasān daṇḍakāśritān
aparādhaṁ vinā hantuṁ lokān vīra na kāmaye
na kathañcana = never; sā1 kāryā = should; gṛhīta-dhanuṣā = having taken up Your bow; tvayā = You; buddhiḥ = resolve; vairam = hostility; vinā = without; hantum = to kill; rākṣasān = the rākṣasas; daṇḍaka-āśritān = in Daṇḍakāraṇya; aparādham = if they have not offended [You]; vinā hantum = [You] to kill; lokān = creatures; vīra = O hero; na = not; kāmaye = I do want.
Having taken up Your bow, You should never resolve to kill the rākṣasas in Daṇḍakāraṇya without hostility.1 O hero, I do not want [You] to kill creatures if they have not offended [You].
Sītā-devī did not want Rāma, under any circumstance, to terribly resolve [to kill the rākṣasas in Daṇḍakāraṇya without hostility]. She implied that it was not fitting for Him to resolve so because it was not in line with His nature. Even if He decides to do so in consideration of Sītā, it would be inappropriate for Him as noted in the last line of this verse.
Then would the dharma of the kṣatriyas to wield a bow become devoid of any scope [of application]? Anticipating this question, Sītā-devī speaks the next verse.