Shloka 3.7.3
सुतीक्ष्णाश्रमप्रवेशः — Entry into Sutikshna’s Hermitage
तत स्तदिक्ष्वाकुवरौ सन्ततं विविधैर्द्रुमैः।काननं तौ विविशतुस्सीतया सह राघवौ।।3.7.3।।
tān ahaṃ sumahābhāga mṛgasaṅghān samāgatān || 3.7.20 ||
hanyāṃ niśitadhāreṇa śareṇāśanivarcasā |
“O greatly fortunate one, those herds of deer that keep gathering here—I would strike them down with a sharp-edged arrow, blazing like a thunderbolt.”
Rama and Lakshmana, the best of the Ikshvaku family, accompanied by Sita entered the dense forest filled with trees all over.
The verse raises a dharmic tension: kṣatriya capability for force is acknowledged, yet it must be governed by restraint and the higher ethics of living near ascetics.
Rāma speaks about the recurring presence of animal herds near the hermitage and his ability to kill them with powerful arrows.
Martial competence under moral reflection—strength that seeks guidance from dharma rather than acting impulsively.