Canto 3: Araṇya-kāṇḍa ()Chapter 39: Mārīca Describes his Second Encounter with Lord RāmaText 3.39.20
Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 39: Mārīca Describes his Second Encounter with Lord Rāma
Text 3.39.20
रणे रामेण युध्यस्व क्षमां वा कुरु राक्षस।
न ते रामकथा कार्या यदि मां द्रष्टुमिच्छसि॥
raṇe rāmeṇa yudhyasva kṣamāṁ vā kuru rākṣasa
na te rāma-kathā kāryā yadi māṁ draṣṭum icchasi
raṇe = in battle; rāmeṇa = with Rāma; yudhyasva = fight; kṣamām vā kuru = or just tolerate [the situation]; rākṣasa = O rākṣasa; na = not [ever]; te rāma-kathā = talk about Rāma; kāryā = do; yadi = if; mām = me alive; draṣṭum = to see; icchasi = you want.
O rākṣasa, fight with Rāma in battle or just tolerate [the situation]. If you want to see me alive, do not [ever] talk about Rāma.
1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: loka-nyāyam āha bahava iti.
If Rāvaṇa wanted to retaliate, he should fight with Rāma in battle. Otherwise, he should just bear with the slaughter of Khara and others. Under all circumstances, Mārīca implies, Rāvaṇa should not kidnap [Sītā-devī].
He gives [Rāvaṇa] good advice in the second half of this verse and provides worldly wisdom in the next verse.1
GLOSS. Mārīca states that [Rāvaṇa] should fight [with Lord Rāma in battle] even though he is [factually] incapable [of facing Him in a fight] based on his consideration that the loss of a single person, Rāvaṇa, is mild in comparison to a significant loss [of the entire dynasty of rākṣasas who support Rāvaṇa].