Shloka 3.29.23
अरण्यकाण्डे एकोनत्रिंशः सर्गः (Sarga 29: Rama’s Admonition to Khara and the Shattering of the Mace)
कामं बह्वपि वक्तव्यं त्वयि वक्ष्यामि न त्वहम्।अस्तं गच्छेद्धि सविता युद्धविघ्नस्ततो भवेत्।।।।
na tu mām iha tiṣṭhantaṃ paśyasi tvaṃ gadādharam | dharādharam ivākampyaṃ parvataṃ dhātubhiś citam ||
Do you not see me standing here, mace in hand—unshakable like a mountain, streaked with mineral veins, as though it were the very bearer of the earth?
Indeed, I shall not speak any more even though a lot can be said on you. But the Sun is about to set and it will be improper to wage war thereafter.
The verse illustrates how arrogance (mada) can cloud discernment; dharma requires clear seeing and restraint rather than self-exalting threats.
Khara taunts Rāma on the battlefield, portraying himself as an immovable, earth-supporting mountain with a mace.
By contrast (in the larger episode), Rāma’s steadiness is highlighted against Khara’s boastful aggression.