Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 1: Lord Rāma Meets the Sages of Daṇḍakāraṇya
Text 3.1.9
स दृष्ट्वा राघवः श्रीमांस्तापसाश्रममण्डलम्।
अभ्यगच्छन्महातेजा विज्यं कृत्वा महद्धनुः॥
sa dṛṣṭvā rāghavaḥ śrīmāṁs tāpasāśrama-maṇḍalam
abhyagacchan mahā-tejā vijyaṁ kṛtvā mahad dhanuḥ
saḥ = the; dṛṣṭvā = upon seeing; rāghavaḥ = Rāma; śrīmān = handsome; tāpasa-āśrama-maṇḍalam = the āśrama of the ascetics; abhyagacchat = and approached [the āśrama]; mahā-tejāḥ = of great prowess; vijyam kṛtvā = unstringed; mahat = His great; dhanuḥ = bow.
Upon seeing the āśrama of the ascetics, the handsome Rāma of great prowess unstringed His great bow and approached [the āśrama].
Rāma unstringed His bow because one should enter an āśrama with a humble appearance. The deer, birds and and other creatures in the āśrama would then not be frightened.