Shloka 3.34.2
आरण्यकाण्डे चतुस्त्रिंशः सर्गः — Śūrpaṇakhā Reports to Rāvaṇa; Rāma’s Might and Sītā’s Description
कश्च रामः कथंवीर्यः किंरूपः किंपराक्रमः।किमर्थं दण्डकारण्यं प्रविष्टस्सुदुरासदम्।।।।
kaś ca rāmaḥ kathaṁvīryaḥ kiṁrūpaḥ kiṁparākramaḥ |
kimarthaṁ daṇḍakāraṇyaṁ praviṣṭaḥ sudurāsadam ||
Who is this Rāma—what is his strength, what is his form, what is his valor? And for what purpose has he entered the hard-to-approach Daṇḍaka forest?
Who is Rama? What is his strength? How does he look? How valiant is he? For what purpose has he entered the impenetrable Dandaka forest?
Inquiry itself is ethically neutral, but in dharmic terms, knowledge should serve right judgment; here, the questioning foreshadows strategic intent that will be turned toward adharma.
Hearing Śūrpaṇakhā’s report, Rāvaṇa asks probing questions about Rāma’s identity and capabilities and why he is in Daṇḍaka.
Discernment and assessment (viveka) appear as a capacity—though the narrative later shows how such capacity can be misdirected by ego and desire.