Shloka 2.95.16
मन्दाकिनीनदीदर्शनम् (The Vision of the Mandākinī at Citrakūṭa)
लक्ष्मणश्चापि धर्मात्मा मन्निदेशे व्यवस्थितः।त्वं चानुकूला वैदेहि प्रीतिं जनयथो मम।।।।
tvaṃ paurajanavad vyālān ayodhyām iva parvatam | manyasva vanite nityaṃ sarayūvad imāṃ nadīm ||
O lady, always regard these wild creatures as though they were townspeople, this mountain as Ayodhyā itself, and this river as the Sarayū.
With righteous Lakshmana obedient and you, O Sita, agreeable to me, you both bring me great pleasure.
Dharma is cultivating contentment (santoṣa) and non-attachment: by reimagining exile as home, one keeps righteousness steady despite changed circumstances.
Rāma counsels Sītā to emotionally settle in the forest by treating Citrakūṭa and Mandākinī as equivalents of Ayodhyā and the Sarayū.
Practical wisdom and emotional steadiness—Rāma teaches a disciplined way to endure exile without bitterness.