Shloka 3.24.21
उत्पातदर्शनं खरसैन्यसमागमश्च (Omens of calamity and the approach of Khara’s army)
स्वस्ति गोब्राह्मणेभ्योऽस्तु लोकानां येऽभिसङ्गताः।जयतां राघवो युद्धे पौलस्त्यान् रजनीचरान्।।।।चक्रहस्तो यथा युद्धे सर्वानसुर पुङ्गवान्।
imān paśya mahābāho sarvabhūtāpahāriṇaḥ |
samutthitān mahotpātān saṃhartuṃ sarvarākṣasān ||
O mighty-armed one, look at these great portents that have arisen—omens of sweeping destruction—foretelling the annihilation of all the rākṣasas.
'Let there be well-being for the cows, brahmins, and all the worlds. Let Rama, the scion of the Raghu race, conquer the Paulastyas (demons) in war like lord Visnu, wielder of the disc, who defeated the most powerful demons'.
Dharma here is vigilance and moral clarity before violence: the battle is framed not as aggression but as the impending destruction of adharma (rākṣasa terror), signaled by portents.
On the eve of combat, ominous signs appear in the forest as the rākṣasa forces gather; Lakṣmaṇa draws Rāma’s attention to the portents.
Lakṣmaṇa’s alertness and protective duty—his readiness to support righteous action by reading the situation carefully.