Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 30: Khara Destroyed
Text 3.30.17

स तमुत्पाटयामास सन्दश्य दशनच्छदम्॥

sa tam utpāṭayām āsa sandaśya daśana-cchadam

saḥ = he; tam = the tree; utpāṭayām āsa = and uprooted; sandaśya daśana-chadam = pressed his lips together.

He pressed his lips together and uprooted the tree.

Khara’s pressing his lips together indicates that the sāla tree was difficult to be handled.1

1 Rāmāyaṇa-bhūṣaṇa: anena sālasya durgrahatvam uktam.