Shloka 5.63.17
दधिमुख-विज्ञापनम् / Dadhimukha Reports the Madhuvana Incident
वनं यदाऽभिपन्नास्ते साधितं कर्म वानरैः।दृष्टा देवी न सन्देहो न चान्येन हनूमता।।।।
āgataiś ca pramathitaṃ yathā madhuvanaṃ hi taiḥ | dharṣitaṃ ca vanaṃ kṛtsnam upayuktaṃ ca vānaraiḥ ||
Having returned, those vānaras indeed stormed Madhuvana; the entire grove was violated and ravaged, and the monkeys made free use of it—yet, in these circumstances, their boldness is understandable.
"If they have trespassed into the garden that way, they might have done their duty. No doubt, Hanuman alone among them might have seen Sita.
Dharma involves proportional judgment: even when an act appears blameworthy, its context (mission accomplished, relief after hardship) may explain it without denying norms.
News arrives that the returning vānaras have damaged Madhuvana; Lakṣmaṇa interprets this as a sign of success rather than failure.
Balanced discernment—Lakṣmaṇa neither excuses wrongdoing blindly nor ignores the larger righteous goal.