Shloka 3.15.9
पञ्चवटी-निवासः (Settlement at Pañcavaṭī and Construction of the Hermitage)
स तं रुचिरमाक्रम्य देशमाश्रमकर्मणि।हस्तौ गृहीत्वा हस्तेन रामस्सौमित्रिमब्रवीत्।।।।
kañcit kālaṃ sa dharmātmā sītayā lakṣmaṇena ca |
anvāsyamāno nyavasat svarga-loke yathāmaraḥ ||
For some time, that righteous-souled one lived there, with Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa attending upon him—like an immortal in heaven.
Having come to a beautiful spot suitable for the asram, Rama took both the hands of Lakshmana in his own and said:
Dharma appears as harmony sustained by righteousness: when the leader is dhārmic and companions serve with sincerity, even forest-exile becomes ‘heaven-like’ in spirit.
The sarga concludes by describing their settled life for a period—Rāma living as a dhārmic ascetic-householder, attended by Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa.
Rāma’s dharma-centered nature (dharmātmā) and the devoted service of Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa.