Shloka 2.58.10
अष्टपञ्चाशः सर्गः (Sarga 58) — Daśaratha Questions Sumantra; Messages from the Forest Threshold
सिद्धार्थः खलु सूत त्वं येन दृष्टौ ममाऽत्मजौ।वनान्तं प्रविशन्तौ तावश्विनाविवमन्दरम्।।।।
siddhārthaḥ khalu sūta tvaṁ yena dṛṣṭau mamātmajau |
vanāntaṁ praviśantau tāv aśvināv iva mandaram ||
“Truly, O charioteer, you are blessed, since you beheld my two sons as they entered the forest’s outskirts, like the Aśvins approaching Mandara.”
You are blessed indeed, O charioteer to have seen my sons entering the outskirts of the forest like Aswinis stepping into the region of the Mandara mountain.
Dharma is framed through reverence for the righteous: Daśaratha treats the sight of his dharmic sons—even entering exile—as spiritually significant.
Daśaratha speaks to Sumantra, acknowledging that Sumantra has witnessed Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa proceeding into the forest.
Veneration for virtue and filial attachment: Daśaratha elevates his sons’ conduct and honors the witness who saw them.