Shloka 3.2.2
Virādha-saṃvādaḥ — Encounter with Virādha in the Daṇḍakāraṇya (Aranya Kanda, Sarga 2)
नानामृगगणाकीर्णमृक्षशार्दूल सेवितम्।ध्वस्तवृक्षलतागुल्मं दुर्दर्शसलिलाशयम्।।।।निष्कूजनानाशकुनिझिल्लिकागणनादितम्।लक्ष्मणानुगतो रामो वनमध्यं ददर्श ह।।।।
nānāmṛgagaṇākīrṇam ṛkṣaśārdūlasevitam |
dhvastavṛkṣalatāgulmaṃ durdarśasalilāśayam ||
niṣkūjanānāśakunijhillikāgaṇanāditam |
lakṣmaṇānugato rāmo vanamadhyaṃ dadarśa ha ||3.2.2||
With Lakṣmaṇa following him, Rāma beheld the heart of the forest—crowded with many herds of wild animals, frequented by bears and tigers; its trees, creepers, and shrubs crushed, its water-sources hard to find, and its depths echoing with the calls of many birds and the chirping of crickets.
With Lakshmana following, Rama went through the forest, filled with herds of animals and inhabited by bears and tigers. It was a place where trees, creepers and bushes were crushed (by frequent visits of demons). It was difficult to locate a water source. And it resounded with the chirping of various birds and insects (crickets).
Dharma in exile includes endurance and disciplined passage through hardship; the forest setting frames the moral testing-ground where virtues are proven.
The narration describes the dangerous, resource-scarce forest terrain that Rama and Lakshmana traverse during exile.
Perseverance and tapas-like resilience: they proceed into harsh wilderness without abandoning duty.