Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 65: Lakṣmaṇa Consoles Rāmacandra
Text 3.65.9
नैकस्य तु कृते लोकान्विनाशयितुमर्हसि।
युक्तदण्डा हि मृदवः प्रशान्ता वसुधाधिपाः॥
naikasya tu kṛte lokān vināśayitum arhasi
yukta-daṇḍā hi mṛdavaḥ praśāntā vasudhādhipāḥ
na = not; ekasya tu = of one; kṛte = for the sake; lokān = [all] the worlds; vināśayitum = destroy; arhasi = You should; yukta-daṇḍāḥ = mete out appropriate punishment; hi = because; mṛdavaḥ = gentle; praśāntāḥ = and peaceful; vasudhā-adhipāḥ = rulers of earth.
You should not destroy [all] the worlds for the sake of one because gentle and peaceful rulers of earth mete out appropriate punishment.1
1 Not inappropriate punishment. See Rāmāyaṇa 1.7.13 and its commentary.
According to Lord Lakṣmaṇa, this principle is especially the dharma for Lord Rāma. With this in mind, Śrī Lakṣmaṇa states the next verse.