Shloka 2.119.18
अनसूयाप्रीतिदानम् — Anasūyā’s Blessing and the Forest Path
तावूचुस्ते वनचरास्तापसा धर्मचारिणः।वनस्य तस्य सञ्चारं राक्षसैस्समभिप्लुतम्।।।।
tāv ūcus te vanacarās tāpasā dharmacāriṇaḥ | vanasya tasya sañcāraṁ rākṣasaiḥ samabhiplutam ||
Those forest-dwelling ascetics, living by dharma, told the two of them that travel through that region of the forest was overrun by rākṣasas.
The righteous ascetics dwelling in the forest informed both Rama and Lakshmana that part of the forest infested by demons.
Dharma includes protecting the righteous and safeguarding sacred spaces; the sages’ warning frames the forest as a moral arena threatened by adharma (rākṣasa violence).
As Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa prepare to depart, the ascetics inform them that the forest route is infested by rākṣasas.
The ascetics’ responsibility and truthfulness in warning, and the implied kṣātra-duty of Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to confront threats to dharma.