Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 40: Rāvaṇa Criticizes Mārīca
Text 3.40.1

मारीचेन तु तद्वाक्यं क्षमं युक्तं निशाचरः।
उक्तो न प्रतिजग्राह मर्तुकाम इवौषधम्॥

mārīcena tu tad vākyaṁ kṣamaṁ yuktaṁ niśācaraḥ
ukto na pratijagrāha martu-kāma ivauṣadham

mārīcena tu = of Mārīca; tat = the; vākyam = words; kṣamam = which were sufficient to restrain [Rāvaṇa and]; yuktam = which he ought to have followed; niśācaraḥ = the night-ranger Rāvaṇa; uktaḥ = upon being [thus] addressed; na = not; pratijagrāha = did accept; martu-kāmaḥ = a man who wants to die; iva = just as; auṣadham = [does not accept appropriate] medicine.

Just as a man who wants to die [does not accept appropriate] medicine, the night-ranger Rāvaṇa did not accept the words of Mārīca which were sufficient to restrain [Rāvaṇa and] which he ought to have followed upon being [thus] addressed.1

With my head [on the ground], I offer my obeisances to the Lord of the Raghus. He is an ocean of auspicious attributes. Evil people don’t understand His true nature which has been explained [in the Vedic scriptures].

1 “A man who wants to die” sarcastically refers to a man who is inevitably about to die.