पुत्रौ दशरथस्यावां भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मणौ।
प्रविष्टौ सीतया सार्धं दुश्चरं दण्डकावनम्॥
फलमूलाशनौ दान्तौ तापसौ धर्मचारिणौ।
वसन्तौ दण्डकारण्ये किमर्थमुपहिंसथ॥
putrau daśarathasyāvāṁ bhrātarau rāma-lakṣmaṇau
praviṣṭau sītayā sārdhaṁ duścaraṁ daṇḍakā-vanam
phala-mūlāśanau dāntau tāpasau dharmacāriṇau
vasantau daṇḍakāraṇye kim-artham upahiṁsatha
putrau = We are sons; daśarathasya = of King Daśaratha; āvām = Us; bhrātarau = the brothers; rāma-lakṣmaṇau = Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa; praviṣṭau = We have entered; sītayā = Sītā; sārdham = with; duścaram = [this] inaccessible; daṇḍakā-vanam = Daṇḍakāraṇya; phala-mūla-aśanau = We eat fruits and roots; dāntau = control our senses; tāpasau = We are ascetics; dharmacāriṇau = and practice dharma; vasantau = living; daṇḍakā-araṇye = in Daṇḍakāraṇya; kim-artham = why; upahiṁsatha = do you trouble.
Why do you trouble Us? We are sons of King Daśaratha, the brothers Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa.1 We have entered [this] inaccessible Daṇḍakāraṇya with Sītā. We eat fruits and roots, control our senses and practice dharma. We are ascetics living in Daṇḍakāraṇya.
1 Two boys born to the same father may not have selfless brotherly affection for each other. To point out that Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa possessed selfless brotherly affection for each other, Lord Rāmacandra identifies Himself and Lakṣmaṇa as sons of King Daśaratha and as brothers.
1 The implication is that if two persons deceive others by presenting themselves as honorable ascetics though they are not ascetics in thought, word and deed, it is appropriate to kill them.
2 The young ascetic, who was unintentionally killed by Prince Daśaratha, also spoke along these lines in Rāmāyaṇa 2.63.27-31.
Lord Rāma points out here that He and Lakṣmaṇa have not deceptively put on the costumes [of ascetics].1
On the other hand, He had come to kill them. Śrī Rāma points this out in the next verse.
NOTE. “Why do you trouble Us?” indicates that a civilized person is expected to know whom to trouble and whom not to trouble. Prabhupāda explains this principle in the following words:
Everything has its proper utility, and a man who is situated in complete knowledge knows how and where to apply a thing for its proper utility. Similarly, violence also has its utility, and how to apply violence rests with the person in knowledge. (Bhagavad-gītā 2.21 purport)
Since Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were nondeceptively engaged in asceticism, it is inappropriate that violence be inflicted upon Them.2