Shloka 3.1.20
तापसाश्रममण्डलदर्शनम् (Entering Dandaka and Meeting the Sages)
ते वयं भवता रक्ष्या भवद्विषयवासिनः।नगरस्थो वनस्थो वा त्वं नो राजा जनेश्वरः।।।।
śaraṇyaṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ susammṛṣṭājiraṃ sadā |
mṛgair bahubhir ākīrṇaṃ pakṣisaṅghaiḥ samāvṛtam ||
With courtyards always well swept, the hermitages were a refuge for all beings—filled with many deer and covered with flocks of birds.
Since we are the residents of your territory we deserve to be protected by you. Whether you live in the city or in the forest, you are the lord of the people and our king.
Dharma here includes universal shelter and non-harm: a righteous community becomes ‘śaraṇya’—a safe refuge even for animals and birds—through cleanliness, restraint, and peace.
The poem continues its scenic-ethical description of the forest āśramas that Rāma encounters, portraying them as orderly and compassionate spaces.
The sages’ compassion and restraint (dayā, dama) are implied by the fearlessness of animals living freely within the hermitage grounds.