Shloka 3.9.16
सीताया धर्मोपदेशः—शस्त्रसंयोगदोषकथा (Sita’s Counsel on Dharma and the Peril of Weapon-Association)
क्षत्रियाणामपि धनुर्हुताशस्येन्धनानि च।।3.9.16।।समीपतस्स्थितं तेजो बलमुच्छ्रयते भृशम्।
purā kila mahābāho tapassvī satyavāk śuciḥ ||3.9.17||
kasmiṃś cid abhavat puṇye vane ratamṛgadvije |
Long ago, O mighty-armed one, there lived in a certain sacred forest an ascetic—pure and truthful—where deer and birds moved about in peace.
A bow in the hand of a kshatriya is like fuel to fire. It surely swells his strength and his brilliance.
Satya and śauca (purity) are highlighted as foundations of dharma; the forest is portrayed as a space where non-violence and sacred practice can flourish.
Sītā begins an illustrative story about an exemplary truth-speaking ascetic to support her argument about the dangers surrounding power and temptation.
The ascetic’s satya (truthfulness) and inner purity, presented as an ideal worth protecting.