Shloka 3.1.8
तापसाश्रममण्डलदर्शनम् (Entering Dandaka and Meeting the Sages)
पुण्यैश्च नियताहारैः शोभितं परमर्षिभिः।तद्ब्रह्मभवनप्रख्यं ब्रह्मघोषनिनादितम्।।।।
puṇyaiś ca niyatāhāraiḥ śobhitaṃ paramarṣibhiḥ | tad brahmabhavanaprakhyaṃ brahmaghoṣanināditam ||
That hermitage-settlement, resounding with Vedic chants and seeming like Brahmā’s own abode, shone with great sages—holy men disciplined in their measured way of life and food.
The hermitages echoing with the sounds of Vedic recitations and resembling the very abode of Brahma were adorned with great, holy sages living on regulated diet.
Dharma is presented as disciplined sacred living—purity, restraint (especially in food and habits), and devotion to Vedic study/recitation as the social-spiritual order sustaining the forest hermitages.
As Rāma’s journey moves through the forest region, the text describes the ascetic settlements: sanctified by sages and filled with the sound of Vedic chanting.
The sages’ virtue: tapas (austerity) expressed through niyama (self-regulation), especially measured diet and disciplined religious practice.