Shloka 2.103.2
पिण्डदानदर्शनम् — The Queens Behold Rama’s Śrāddha Offering
राजपत्न्यश्च गच्छन्त्यो मन्दं मन्दाकिनीं प्रति।ददृशु स्तत्र तत् तीर्थं रामलक्ष्मणसेवितम्।।2.103.2।।
rājapatnyaś ca gacchantyo mandaṃ mandākinīṃ prati | dadṛśus tatra tat tīrthaṃ rāmalakṣmaṇasevitam ||
The king’s wives, walking slowly toward the Mandākinī, beheld there that sacred bathing-place (tīrtha) frequented by Rama and Lakshmana.
The wives of the king while proceeding slowly towards the river Mandakini beheld the bathing place frequented by Rama and Lakshmana.
It frames the forest life in terms of disciplined living near tīrthas: dharma in exile is maintained through purity, restraint, and sanctified routine rather than royal privilege.
The queens approach the Mandākinī area and notice a bathing-place associated with Rama and Lakshmana’s daily practices.
Rama and Lakshmana’s orderly, sāttvika life in exile—suggested by their regular use of a tīrtha.