Shloka 3.8.12
सुतीक्ष्णाश्रमप्रस्थानम् (Departure from Sutikshna’s Hermitage)
पश्याश्रमपदं रम्यं दण्डकारण्यवासिनाम्।एषां तपस्विनां वीर तपसा भावितात्मनाम्।।।।
paśyāśrama-padaṃ ramyaṃ daṇḍakāraṇya-vāsinām |
eṣāṃ tapasvināṃ vīra tapasā bhāvitātmanām ||
Behold, O hero, the delightful grounds of the hermitages of these ascetics dwelling in the Daṇḍaka forest—souls refined and ennobled by tapas (austerity).
O valient Rama! the sages, living in the Dandaka forest, are self realised souls. See how delightful is the location of their hermitages!.
It honours tapas as a dharmic discipline: moral and spiritual refinement that sustains forest communities and protects sacred life.
Sūtīkṣṇa points out the hermitage-settlements of Daṇḍaka’s sages and praises their spiritually cultivated lives.
The sages’ self-mastery and purity; Rama’s respectful attention to holy places and holy persons.