Shloka 1.39.20
सगरयज्ञाश्वहरणम् — The Stolen Sacrificial Horse of Sagara
योजनानां सहस्राणि षष्टिं तु रघुनन्दन ।बिभिदुर्धरणीं वीरा: रसातलमनुत्तमम्।।1.39.20।।
viśvāmitras tu kākutstham uvāca prahasann iva |
śrūyatāṁ vistaro rāma sagarasya mahātmanaḥ || 1.39.3 ||
Viśvāmitra, as if smiling, addressed Kakutstha Rāma: “Hear, O Rāma, the full account of the great king Sagara.”
O Descendant of the Raghus! the heroic sons of Sagara excavated sixty thousand yojanas of earth reaching the nether world (one of the several regions below the earth).
Dharma here is the respectful transmission of sacred history: a teacher presents an instructive narrative so the listener may learn righteous conduct through precedent.
Viśvāmitra begins introducing the extended story of King Sagara to Rāma, setting up the episode that follows.
Viśvāmitra’s pedagogical restraint and clarity—he frames the account as something to be attentively heard, guiding Rāma’s learning.