प्रदानेन तु सीतायाः श्रेयो व्यवसितं मया। अप्रदाने पुनयुद्धं दृष्टमेव तथैव नः॥
pradānena tu sītāyāḥ śreyo vyavasitaṃ mayā| apradāne punayuddhaṃ dṛṣṭameva tathaiva naḥ||
English Meaning
And I had declared myself for giving up Sītā as fraught with our welfare; and we saw war involved in withholding her.
— M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)