Shloka 3.37.9
मारीचोपदेशः — Maricha’s Counsel to Ravana (On Rama’s Dharma and the Peril of Abduction)
न च पित्रा परित्यक्तो नामर्यादः कथञ्चन।न लुब्धो न च दुश्शीलो न च क्षत्रियपांसनः।।3.37.8।।न च धर्मगुणैर्हीनः कौसल्यानन्दवर्धनः।न तीक्ष्णो न च भूतानां सर्वेषामहिते रतः।।3.37.9।।
na ca dharmaguṇair hīnaḥ kausalyānandavardhanaḥ |
na tīkṣṇo na ca bhūtānāṃ sarveṣām ahite rataḥ ||3.37.9||
Rāma—the delight and joy of Kausalyā—is not deficient in the virtues of dharma; he is neither harsh nor engaged in bringing harm to any being at all.
Rama, the delight of Kausalya, has not forsaken by his father. He has never crossed the limits of dharma. He is not miserly. He has no bad conduct. He is not a slur on the kshatriyas. He does not lack in righteousness. He is not cruel nor is he engaged in doing harm to others.
It presents Rāma as inherently grounded in dharma—possessing its virtues, avoiding harshness, and never taking delight in harming any being—an ethical ideal of restraint and universal goodwill.
Sītā’s truthful testimony about Rāma’s character supports dharma: truth is used to affirm his moral boundaries (maryādā), compassion, and non-harm, countering any false accusations about him.