Shloka 3.57.15
मारीचवधोत्तरं रामस्य शङ्का-निमित्त-दर्शनं लक्ष्मण-निग्रहश्च (After Maricha’s Slaying: Omens, Anxiety, and Rama’s Rebuke of Lakshmana)
ततो लक्ष्मणमायान्तं ददर्श विगतप्रभम्।ततोऽविदूरे रामेण समीयाय स लक्ष्मणः।।।।विषण्णस्सुविषण्णेन दुःखितो दुःखभागिना।
sañjagarhe 'tha taṃ bhrātā jyeṣṭho lakṣmaṇam āgatam |
vihāya sītāṃ vijane vane rākṣasasevite ||
Then the elder brother rebuked Lakṣmaṇa who had come, for he had left Sītā alone in the lonely forest frequented by rākṣasas.
He then saw Lakshmana coming towards him with a cheerless face. When the sad, depressed Lakshmana came near, he saw Rama (equally) despondent and grief-stricken.
Dharma demands protection of the entrusted: leaving a vulnerable person alone amid known danger is a breach of guardianship and must be answered for.
After returning, Rāma finds Lakṣmaṇa away from Sītā and reprimands him for leaving her alone in a demon-haunted forest.
Accountability and protective duty: Rāma insists on strict responsibility for Sītā’s safety.