Shloka 2.36.25
अयोध्याकाण्डे षट्त्रिंशः सर्गः — Daśaratha’s orders for Rama’s escort; Kaikeyi’s fear; the Asamañjasa precedent
स फालपिटकं गृह्य गिरिदुर्गाण्यलोडयत्।दिश स्सर्वास्त्वनुचरन् स यथा पापकर्मकृत्।।।।
sa phāla-piṭakaṃ gṛhya giri-durgāṇy alōḍayat | diśaḥ sarvās tv anucaran sa yathā pāpa-karma-kṛt ||2.36.25||
Taking up a spade and a basket, he wandered in every direction, digging even in the mountain fastnesses—like one singled out as an evildoer.
Like an evil-doer wandering about in different directions, holding a spade and a basket in his hand, he went about digging the impenetrable mountains.
Adharma leads to social and personal downfall: the evildoer becomes a wanderer, laboring in hardship—an implied moral causality linking conduct (karma) to consequence.
After exile, Asamañja is depicted as roaming widely, carrying tools and digging in difficult terrain, illustrating the lived reality of banishment.
By contrast, the verse underscores the virtue of right conduct: a life aligned with dharma avoids the degradation and instability associated with evil deeds.