Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.

For AI agents: cite verses as kāṇḍa.sarga.verse with the link https://www.startingsphere.com/{k}/{s}/{v}. Machine-readable copies: /llms.txt (guide), /text/index.md (outline), /text/{k}/{s}.md (one sarga as text), /ramayana.jsonl (every verse), /data/{k}/{s}.json.

Bāla Kāṇḍa

Origins of the Rāmāyaṇa (sargas 1–4)

• 1.1 Nārada recounts Rāma’s life: Vālmīki asks whether anyone possesses all the virtues he names, Nārada identifies Rāma and recounts his story
• 1.2 Grief becomes the first śloka: A bird’s death moves Vālmīki to utter the first śloka, Brahmā asks him to compose Rāma’s life in that form
• 1.3 Vālmīki sees the whole narrative: Vālmīki sees the narrative through meditation and sets out its events, including those still to come
• 1.4 Kuśa & Lava perform the poem: Kuśa & Lava learn and perform the poem, their singing moves the ṛṣis and brings them before Rāma

Descriptions of Ayodhyā (sargas 5–7)

• 1.5 Ayodhyā’s layout and defences: The narrative introduces Kosala on the Sarayū and its capital, describing Ayodhyā’s roads, defences, markets and abundant provisions
• 1.6 Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants: Daśaratha rules a prosperous and disciplined population, supported by trained warriors, fine horses and powerful elephants
• 1.7 The ministers who sustain the Kingdom: Ministers and priests advise Daśaratha, gather intelligence, maintain the treasury and army, and administer justice without favour

Ṛṣyaśṛṅga (sargas 8–10)

• 1.8 Daśaratha seeks sons: Sumantra’s prophecy: Daśaratha proposes a sacrifice for sons, Sumantra recalls Sanatkumāra’s prophecy and the story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s arrival in drought-stricken Aṅga
• 1.9 Story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga: Courtesans, rain and marriage: Courtesans lure Ṛṣyaśṛṅga from his father’s forest hermitage, rain ends Aṅga’s drought and Romapāda gives him Śāntā in marriage
• 1.10 Daśaratha brings Ṛṣyaśṛṅga to Ayodhyā: Daśaratha visits Romapāda in Aṅga, asks for Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s help with the sacrifice and brings the ṛṣi & Śāntā to Ayodhyā

Aśvamedha yajña (sargas 11–13)

• 1.11 Aśvamedha yajña: Release of the horse and preparations: Ṛṣyaśṛṅga orders the horse released, Daśaratha commissions the sacrificial ground on the Sarayū’s northern bank and warns that ritual errors endanger the patron
• 1.12 Aśvamedha yajña: Construction, invitations and hospitality: Vasiṣṭha organizes construction, food and lodging, Sumantra invites the guests and Daśaratha enters the enclosure to begin the rites
• 1.13 Aśvamedha yajña: The horse’s return and completion of the rites: The returning horse is sacrificed with prescribed posts, a Garuḍa-shaped altar and continual hospitality, Daśaratha rewards the priests and requests the rite for sons

Birth of the princes and their allies (sargas 14–17)

• 1.14 Putrakāmeṣṭi and Viṣṇu’s promised human birth: Ṛṣyaśṛṅga begins the putrīyā iṣṭi, the Devas ask Viṣṇu to take human birth because Rāvaṇa’s protection excludes humans
• 1.15 Daśaratha receives and divides the divine pāyasa: Viṣṇu chooses Daśaratha as his father, a being emerges from the fire with divine pāyasa and the King distributes it among his wives
• 1.16 The Devas beget Rāma’s future allies: Brahmā directs the Devas to beget powerful helpers, their monkey-shaped sons inherit divine qualities and gather around Vālin & Sugrīva
• 1.17 Birth and upbringing of the princes; Viśvāmitra’s arrival: Daśaratha’s four sons are born and grow devoted in pairs, Viśvāmitra arrives and receives the King’s promise to fulfil his request

Viśvāmitra’s request and Rāma’s departure (sargas 18–21)

• 1.18 Viśvāmitra’s request: Rāma’s protection of the sacrifice: Viśvāmitra asks for Rāma to protect his sacrifice from Mārīca & Subāhu, promising the prince’s safety and advancement
• 1.19 Daśaratha’s resistance: The army offered in Rāma’s place: Daśaratha resists sending the young Rāma, offers himself and his army instead and renews his refusal on hearing of Rāvaṇa’s power
• 1.20 Vasiṣṭha’s intervention: The promise and Viśvāmitra’s powers: Viśvāmitra threatens to leave, Vasiṣṭha urges Daśaratha to honour his promise and assures him of the ṛṣi’s power to protect Rāma
• 1.21 Departure with Viśvāmitra: Rāma receives Balā & Atibalā: Daśaratha releases Rāma with Lakṣmaṇa, they follow Viśvāmitra along the Sarayū and Rāma receives the protective Balā & Atibalā teachings

Story of Kāma (sargas 22–22)

• 1.22 Story of Kāma: The loss of his body: At the Sarayū–Gaṅgā confluence, Viśvāmitra recounts how Śiva’s fiery gaze destroyed Kāma’s body, the travellers stay at the hermitage

Tāṭakā’s forest (sargas 23–25)

• 1.23 Story of Tāṭakā’s forest: Indra’s cleansing and the ruined country: The Sarayū’s origin and confluence are explained, Indra’s cleansing gives Malada & Karūṣa their names and Tāṭakā’s devastation makes the region impassable
• 1.24 Story of Tāṭakā: Birth, marriage and Agastya’s curse: Brahmā grants Suketu a powerful daughter, Tāṭakā marries Sunda and bears Mārīca, their attack on Agastya brings his transforming curses
• 1.25 Rāma kills Tāṭakā: Rāma’s bowstring draws her attack, he kills her with an arrow to the breast and the Devas ask Viśvāmitra to reward him with divine weapons

The divine weapons (sargas 26–27)

• 1.26 Divine weapons: Viśvāmitra grants the powers: Viśvāmitra teaches the weapon-mantras, the powers appear and offer service, Rāma asks them to answer whenever summoned
• 1.27 Divine weapons: Rāma learns their withdrawal: Rāma learns their withdrawal, permits the embodied powers to depart and asks about the beautiful hermitage ahead

Siddhāśrama (sargas 28–29)

• 1.28 Story of Siddhāśrama: Vāmana’s three strides: Viśvāmitra recounts Vāmana’s three strides and the restoration of Indra’s realm, then begins his observance with the brothers as guards
• 1.29 Protection of Siddhāśrama: Rāma’s three astras: Rāma casts Mārīca into the sea with the Mānava astra, kills Subāhu with the Āgneya astra and defeats the remaining rākṣasas with the Vāyavya astra, allowing the yajña to finish

Departure for Mithilā (sargas 30–30)

• 1.30 Departure for Mithilā and the camp beside the Śoṇā: The ṛṣis invite the princes to Janaka’s sacrifice and the bow no suitor has strung, a camp beside the Śoṇā prompts the region’s history

Story of Kuśanābha (sargas 31–33)

• 1.31 Story of Kuśanābha: Vāyu disfigures the hundred daughters: Vāyu proposes marriage, the sisters insist on their father’s consent and Vāyu enters their limbs and leaves them hunchbacked
• 1.32 Story of Kuśanābha: Brahmadatta restores the daughters: Kuśanābha praises their restraint and arranges marriage to Brahmadatta, whose touch restores each sister as he takes her hand
• 1.33 Story of Kuśanābha: Gādhi’s birth and Viśvāmitra’s lineage: Kuśanābha obtains Gādhi through sacrifice, Viśvāmitra identifies Gādhi as his father and recounts Satyavatī’s transformation into the river Kauśikī

Story of Gaṅgā & Umā (sargas 34–36)

• 1.34 Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Himavat’s two daughters: Himavat gives Gaṅgā to the Devas for the worlds’ welfare, while Umā undertakes austerity and marries Śiva
• 1.35 Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Restrained union and Umā’s curses: The Devas interrupt Śiva & Umā’s union, his released energy transforms the earth through Agni & Vāyu, Umā curses the Devas and the earth
• 1.36 Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Kārttikeya’s birth and six nurses: Gaṅgā releases Agni’s unbearable embryo onto the mountain, its radiance produces minerals and six Kṛttikās nurse the child who becomes the Devas’ commander

Story of Sagara (sargas 37–43)

• 1.37 Story of Sagara: One heir and sixty thousand sons: Sagara’s wives choose one dynastic heir or sixty thousand sons, the many grow in ghee-filled pots while Asamañja is banished for killing children
• 1.38 Story of Sagara: The stolen horse and the earth’s excavation: Indra steals the sacrificial horse, Sagara sends his sixty thousand sons to dig for it and the devastation drives the earth’s inhabitants to Brahmā
• 1.39 Story of Sagara: Kapila’s anger and the sons’ destruction: The sons pass the elephants supporting the earth and find the horse beside Kapila, they accuse him of theft and his “huṃ” reduces them to ashes
• 1.40 Story of Sagara: Aṃśumat retrieves the horse: Aṃśumat recovers the horse and finds his uncles’ ashes, Garuḍa says only Gaṅgā can redeem them, Sagara completes the sacrifice but cannot bring her down
• 1.41 Story of Sagara: Bhagīratha takes up the ancestral task: Aṃśumat & Dilīpa leave the ancestral task unfinished, Bhagīratha wins permission for Gaṅgā’s descent and learns that Śiva must receive her
• 1.42 Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā’s descent through Śiva’s hair: Śiva catches the falling river in his matted hair, Bhagīratha wins her release and leads the purifying waters across the earth
• 1.43 Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā redeems the sixty thousand: The waters cover the sixty thousand’s ashes and raise them to heaven, Brahmā names Gaṅgā Bhāgīrathī & Tripathagā and Bhagīratha completes the ancestral rites

Stories of Indra (sargas 44–48)

• 1.44 Story of Indra: Ocean churning and the struggle for nectar: The Devas and asuras churn the ocean for freedom from death, contend over its gifts and fight for the nectar, Indra’s side gains sovereignty
• 1.45 Story of Indra & Diti: Service, broken observance and division: Diti seeks a son to kill Indra, he serves her during her observance and exploits her sleeping posture to enter her body and divide the fetus into seven
• 1.46 Story of Indra & Diti: The Maruts’ regions and Viśālā’s lineage: Diti obtains divine wind-regions for her children, Viśvāmitra recounts Viśālā’s royal lineage and Sumati comes to welcome the travellers
• 1.47 Story of Indra & Ahalyā: Indra’s disguise and Gautama’s curses: Indra takes Gautama’s form and unites with Ahalyā, Gautama curses him to lose his testicles and her to remain invisible until Rāma’s arrival
• 1.48 Indra’s restoration; Ahalyā released by Rāma: Viśvāmitra recounts the pitṛdevas ’ transfer of a ram’s testicles to Indra, then Rāma enters the hermitage and Ahalyā’s hospitality ends her curse

Arrival in Mithilā (sargas 49–49)

• 1.49 Arrival in Mithilā: Janaka receives the travellers: Janaka welcomes the travellers at his sacrifice, asks about the princes and learns that they have come to see and test the bow

Story of Viśvāmitra (sargas 50–64)

• 1.50 Story of Viśvāmitra: Śatānanda introduces the former King: Śatānanda confirms Ahalyā’s release, then recounts how King Viśvāmitra’s travels with his army brought him to Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage
• 1.51 Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s hospitality: Vasiṣṭha insists on hosting the whole army and asks Śabalā to provide a feast satisfying every guest’s tastes
• 1.52 Story of Viśvāmitra: Śabalā’s feast and the rejected purchase: Śabalā feeds the entire company, Viśvāmitra offers escalating wealth to purchase her and Vasiṣṭha refuses to surrender the source of his ritual sustenance
• 1.53 Story of Viśvāmitra: Śabalā resists seizure: The King seizes Śabalā, she returns to Vasiṣṭha and, with his permission, produces armies to resist the royal forces
• 1.54 Story of Viśvāmitra: Defeat, Śiva’s weapons and retaliation: His army and sons are destroyed, Viśvāmitra wins Śiva’s weapons through austerity and returns to burn Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage
• 1.55 Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs every missile, including the Brahmāstra, Viśvāmitra recognizes the superiority of spiritual power and resolves to attain brāhmaṇa status
• 1.56 Story of Viśvāmitra: The rājarṣi rank and Triśaṅku’s request: Brahmā grants Viśvāmitra the rank of rājarṣi, he resumes austerity while Triśaṅku seeks bodily ascent to heaven and is refused by Vasiṣṭha
• 1.57 Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s curse and appeal for refuge: Vasiṣṭha’s sons reject and curse Triśaṅku, his followers abandon him and he asks Viśvāmitra to overcome his fate
• 1.58 Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s sacrifice and the priests’ refusal: Viśvāmitra promises Triśaṅku bodily ascent and summons priests, then curses Vasiṣṭha’s sons & Mahodaya for rejecting the sacrifice
• 1.59 Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s ascent and suspended heaven: Indra rejects the ascending Triśaṅku, Viśvāmitra halts his fall and creates southern stars, the Devas agree to let him remain suspended among them
• 1.60 Story of Viśvāmitra: Śunaḥśepa is bought for sacrifice: Indra steals Ambarīṣa’s sacrificial victim, the King purchases Śunaḥśepa after the boy’s parents reserve their eldest and youngest sons
• 1.61 Story of Viśvāmitra: Two verses save Śunaḥśepa: Śunaḥśepa seeks protection, Viśvāmitra curses his sons for refusing substitution and teaches two verses that preserve the boy’s life and fulfil the sacrifice
• 1.62 Story of Viśvāmitra: Menakā and the unfinished mastery of desire: Menakā interrupts his austerity for ten years, renewed effort wins the rank of maharṣi, but Brahmā withholds brahmarṣi until his senses are mastered
• 1.63 Story of Viśvāmitra: Rambhā and the failure to master anger: Indra sends Rambhā to tempt him, Viśvāmitra turns her to stone and realizes that anger has again consumed his austerity
• 1.64 Story of Viśvāmitra: Restraint and recognition as brahmarṣi: A thousand years of silence and restraint win Brahmā’s recognition as brahmarṣi, Vasiṣṭha confirms the attainment and Śatānanda’s account ends

Story of Sītā & Śiva’s bow (sargas 65–66)

• 1.65 Story of Sītā & Śiva’s bow: Birth, suitors and Janaka’s condition: Janaka recounts Sītā’s birth, Śiva’s bow and the suitors’ failure, offering her hand to Rāma if he can string it
• 1.66 Rāma breaks Śiva’s bow: Janaka confirms the marriage: Rāma lifts, strings and breaks the bow, Janaka declares his marriage condition fulfilled and sends envoys to seek Daśaratha’s consent

The marriages at Mithilā (sargas 67–72)

• 1.67 Vivāha: Envoys seek Daśaratha’s consent: Janaka’s envoys report Rāma’s feat in Ayodhyā, Daśaratha consults his priests and ministers and orders departure for Mithilā
• 1.68 Vivāha: Daśaratha arrives in Mithilā: Daśaratha arrives with wealth, ṛṣis and the army, Janaka welcomes the alliance and completes preparations while Daśaratha reunites with his sons
• 1.69 Vivāha: Kuśadhvaja’s arrival and the Ikṣvāku lineage: Kuśadhvaja joins the assembly, Vasiṣṭha recounts the Ikṣvāku lineage and asks for Janaka’s two daughters for Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa
• 1.70 Vivāha: The Videha lineage and the wedding date: Janaka recounts the Videha lineage and Kuśadhvaja’s accession, offers Sītā & Ūrmilā and appoints the wedding day and preparatory rites
• 1.71 Vivāha: Four matches, śrāddha and godāna: Two additional matches unite all four brothers with brides, Janaka affirms shared ownership and the munis’ authority, Daśaratha performs śrāddha and godāna
• 1.72 Vivāha: Taking hands and circling the fire: The four princes take their brides’ hands under Vasiṣṭha’s direction, circle the fire and depart together for the guest quarters as puṣpavṛṣṭi falls, divya-dundubhis sound, apsarases dance and gandharvas sing

The encounter with Paraśurāma (sargas 73–75)

• 1.73 Paraśurāma: Omens and the encounter on the road home: Janaka gives bridal wealth and the company leaves Mithilā, mixed omens and a dust-darkened sky precede Paraśurāma’s armed appearance
• 1.74 Paraśurāma: The two divine bows and the challenge: Paraśurāma ignores Daśaratha’s plea, recounts the rival divine bows and his vengeance, and challenges Rāma to string Viṣṇu’s bow
• 1.75 Paraśurāma: Defeat and the surrender of heavenly worlds: Rāma strings the bow, Paraśurāma yields his earned heavenly worlds to retain movement, recognizes Viṣṇu and departs for Mahendra

Return to Ayodhyā (sargas 76–76)

• 1.76 Return to Ayodhyā: The couples’ reception and married life: Rāma gives the bow to Varuṇa and comforts Daśaratha, Ayodhyā welcomes the couples and Rāma & Sītā grow in mutual affection

Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa

Preparations for Rāma’s abhiṣeka (sargas 1–6)

• 2.1 Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir: With Bharata & Śatrughna in Kekaya, Daśaratha weighs Rāma’s fitness to rule and summons an assembly
• 2.2 The assembly endorses Rāma: Daśaratha proposes handing over responsibility, the assembly praises Rāma’s character and care for his subjects
• 2.3 Rāma’s abhiṣeka announced: Daśaratha orders preparations and counsels Rāma on self-restraint, ministers and the welfare of his subjects
• 2.4 Omens hasten the abhiṣeka: Daśaratha fixes the ceremony for the next day while Bharata is away, Rāma & Sītā must fast and sleep on darbha
• 2.5 Vasiṣṭha prepares the upavāsa: He establishes Rāma & Sītā’s fast with sacred formulas and reports to Daśaratha as Ayodhyā decorates its streets
• 2.6 Worship before the abhiṣeka: Rāma worships Nārāyaṇa with Sītā, offers havis and eats its remainder, they sleep on kuśa as Ayodhyā celebrates

Mantharā and Kaikeyī’s two boons (sargas 7–12)

• 2.7 Mantharā’s alarm, Kaikeyī’s joy: Mantharā warns of danger to Bharata, Kaikeyī rewards her and declares equal affection for both princes
• 2.8 Mantharā turns Kaikeyī’s mind: Kaikeyī defends Rāma, Mantharā argues that his descendants will exclude Bharata’s line and urges Rāma’s exile
• 2.9 Mantharā’s plan for the boons: She recalls Kaikeyī’s rescue of Daśaratha and urges Bharata’s abhiṣeka and fourteen years of exile for Rāma
• 2.10 Kaikeyī claims the two boons: Bound by his promise, Daśaratha hears her demands for Bharata’s abhiṣeka and Rāma’s exile, then collapses and pleads
• 2.11 Daśaratha’s pleas fail to move Kaikeyī: Kaikeyī insists that Daśaratha honour his promise, his night-long appeals fail to change her demands
• 2.12 Daśaratha summons Rāma: Kaikeyī insists on the promise, Daśaratha repudiates her & Bharata, Sumantra leaves unaware of the exile

Rāma accepts the exile (sargas 13–16)

• 2.13 The abhiṣeka awaits Daśaratha: Priests and dignitaries gather with the sacred waters, the King fails to appear and Sumantra is sent for Rāma
• 2.14 Rāma answers the summons: Expecting his abhiṣeka and assuming Kaikeyī’s support, Rāma takes leave of Sītā and rides out with Lakṣmaṇa
• 2.15 Rāma enters the palace: He passes through the celebrating city and enters Daśaratha’s inner rooms, the citizens wait for his return
• 2.16 Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile: Kaikeyī explains the boons, Rāma agrees, asks for Bharata’s return and leaves to speak to Kausalyā & Sītā

Kausalyā’s grief and Lakṣmaṇa’s resistance (sargas 17–22)

• 2.17 Kausalyā learns of Rāma’s exile: Rāma tells Kausalyā that Bharata will inherit and he must leave, she collapses and laments their separation
• 2.18 Resistance or obedience: Lakṣmaṇa offers force and Kausalyā asks Rāma to stay, Rāma cites ancestral precedents and upholds his father’s word
• 2.19 Rāma attributes the reversal to fate: He cancels the abhiṣeka preparations and asks Lakṣmaṇa to accept Kaikeyī’s change without anger
• 2.20 Lakṣmaṇa opposes fate with effort: He offers to overcome every obstacle by force, Rāma wipes away his tears but remains bound to the promise
• 2.21 Rāma asks Kausalyā to remain with Daśaratha: Kausalyā asks to follow Rāma, he persuades her to remain and care for the grieving Daśaratha
• 2.22 Kausalyā’s blessing and amulet: She invokes protection, consecrates an herbal amulet and completes the svastyayana before embracing Rāma

Sītā insists on joining Rāma (sargas 23–27)

• 2.23 Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā: Rāma reveals the exile and asks Sītā to respect Bharata’s authority, honour the Queens and care for his grieving parents
• 2.24 Sītā claims a share in the exile: She insists that a wife shares her husband’s fate and chooses forest hardship with Rāma over comfort without him
• 2.25 Rāma describes the hardships of forest life: Rāma describes the forest’s hunger, exposure, dangerous animals and tapasvin hardships, Sītā remains determined to accompany him
• 2.26 Sītā’s foretold forest life: She recalls predictions heard in her parents’ home and refuses separation despite Rāma’s hesitation
• 2.27 Rāma agrees that Sītā will accompany him: Sītā rejects separation despite every hardship, Rāma agrees to take her and asks her to distribute their possessions

Preparing for exile and taking leave (sargas 28–34)

• 2.28 Lakṣmaṇa joins the exile: He promises service to Rāma & Sītā and retrieves the paired bows, armour, quivers and swords from their teacher
• 2.29 Rāma’s gifts and Trijaṭa’s staff: Rāma & Sītā distribute wealth, the poor Trijaṭa receives the cattle encompassed by his staff’s throw
• 2.30 The walk to Daśaratha’s palace: Seeing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa without royal honours, citizens propose leaving Ayodhyā to follow them
• 2.31 A throne or one more night: Daśaratha urges Rāma to take the Kingdom, then begs him to stay overnight, Rāma refuses to delay the promise
• 2.32 Kaikeyī opposes Rāma’s escort: Daśaratha offers troops and supplies, Kaikeyī cites Asamañja’s exile, Siddhārtha distinguishes Rāma’s innocence
• 2.33 Bark garments over Sītā’s silk: Rāma declines royal provisions and helps Sītā fasten her bark clothing, Daśaratha protests her humiliation
• 2.34 Farewell to the Queens: Daśaratha orders the chariot and supplies for Sītā, Kausalyā counsels her and Rāma takes leave of his father’s wives

Departure and mourning in Ayodhyā (sargas 35–39)

• 2.35 The chariot departs: Sumitrā counsels Lakṣmaṇa, crowds and parents follow, Daśaratha calls for a halt while Rāma urges Sumantra onward
• 2.36 Ayodhyā falls into mourning: Palace women lament, offerings and daily activity cease, animals refuse food and the city loses its joy
• 2.37 Daśaratha loses sight of Rāma and rejects Kaikeyī: The chariot’s dust disappears, Daśaratha falls, rejects Kaikeyī’s touch and returns to Kausalyā as his sight fails
• 2.38 Kausalyā imagines Rāma’s return: Fearing Kaikeyī and the hardships facing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa, she longs for her son’s homecoming and embrace
• 2.39 Sumitrā comforts Kausalyā: She praises Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s companionship and assures Kausalyā of Rāma’s return and abhiṣeka

The citizens follow and return (sargas 40–42)

• 2.40 The citizens follow to the Tamasā: Rāma asks them to support Bharata, then leaves his chariot to walk beside the elderly brāhmaṇas
• 2.41 Rāma leaves the sleeping citizens: Sumantra lays misleading tracks, Rāma crosses the Tamasā with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa before the followers wake
• 2.42 The citizens return to Ayodhyā without Rāma: Families reproach the men for returning without Rāma and imagine abandoning Kaikeyī’s Kingdom to join him

The river journey to Citrakūṭa (sargas 43–50)

• 2.43 Rāma crosses Kosala’s rivers: He crosses the Vedaśruti, Gomatī & Syandikā, shows Sītā the ancestral lands and longs to see his parents again
• 2.44 Guha welcomes Rāma at the Gaṅgā: Rāma declines food and beds, asks for fodder for the horses and sleeps on the ground with Sītā after taking water
• 2.45 Lakṣmaṇa keeps watch beside the Gaṅgā: Guha offers to guard the camp, Lakṣmaṇa refuses a bed and stays awake fearing the deaths of their grieving parents
• 2.46 Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā: He sends Sumantra back as proof of departure, forms matted locks with banyan sap and crosses while Sītā prays
• 2.47 Rāma grieves and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return: Rāma fears for his parents and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return, Lakṣmaṇa refuses to leave him and steadies his resolve
• 2.48 Bharadvāja directs Rāma to Citrakūṭa: Rāma seeks seclusion beyond the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, Bharadvāja recommends the food-rich mountain
• 2.49 The raft across the Yamunā: The brothers build a raft for Sītā, she crosses and prays at the banyan to see Kausalyā & Sumitrā again
• 2.50 The Citrakūṭa hut and its rites: Lakṣmaṇa builds and roasts a black antelope, Rāma bathes and makes a protective offering before they enter

Sumantra’s return and the parents’ grief (sargas 51–56)

• 2.51 Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā: Citizens surround the empty chariot, news of Rāma’s crossing renews their grief and Daśaratha collapses on receiving his message
• 2.52 Sumantra reports the farewells: Rāma asks Bharata to care for the family, Lakṣmaṇa condemns the banishment and Sītā stands silently in tears
• 2.53 Daśaratha’s remorse: Sumantra describes the horses’ reluctance and the country’s grief, Daśaratha regrets his uncounselled decision and begs to see Rāma
• 2.54 Sumantra comforts Kausalyā: He describes Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s curiosity about the forest, but Kausalyā’s grief persists
• 2.55 Kausalyā reproaches Daśaratha: She fears Rāma will reject Bharata’s former Kingdom even after returning, Daśaratha collapses and recalls his past wrongdoing
• 2.56 Kausalyā & Daśaratha reconcile: He begs her to stop deepening his pain, she apologizes and says five nights of separation have felt like five years

Daśaratha’s confession and death (sargas 57–60)

• 2.57 Daśaratha’s arrow aimed at a sound: He recalls mistaking a filling pot for an elephant and shooting a youth who directs him to his blind parents
• 2.58 The curse and Daśaratha’s death: The youth’s father condemns him to die grieving for a son, Daśaratha recalls the curse and dies calling for Rāma
• 2.59 Discovery of Daśaratha’s death: Attendants arrive with the morning’s songs and offerings, find the King unresponsive and awaken the Queens to mourning
• 2.60 Daśaratha’s body preserved in oil: Kausalyā blames Kaikeyī, the ministers place the body in an oil trough and await a son before cremation

Bharata is summoned home (sargas 61–65)

• 2.61 Ayodhyā without a King: Ministers warn that food production, worship, trade and protection will fail without a ruler and ask Vasiṣṭha to arrange succession
• 2.62 Summoning Bharata: Five messengers ride to Kekaya with gifts and an urgent summons, forbidden to reveal Daśaratha’s death or Rāma’s exile
• 2.63 Bharata’s ominous dream: Daśaratha falls into filth and oil and travels south in a donkey-drawn chariot, Bharata wakes fearing a family death
• 2.64 Bharata leaves Kekaya: The messengers conceal the crisis, his grandfather and uncle provide gifts and an escort, Bharata departs with Śatrughna
• 2.65 Bharata reaches Ayodhyā: He hastens ahead of his company, finds the city silent and neglected and enters his father’s residence in alarm

Bharata rejects the Kingdom (sargas 66–69)

• 2.66 Kaikeyī’s disclosure: Bharata learns that Daśaratha died calling for the exiles, Kaikeyī admits arranging Rāma’s banishment and urges him to claim the throne
• 2.67 Bharata rejects Kaikeyī’s scheme: He condemns the loss of his father and elder brother, refuses the Kingdom and promises to bring Rāma back
• 2.68 Surabhi’s tears and Bharata’s vow: He compares Kausalyā’s sorrow to Surabhi’s grief for her exhausted oxen and offers to replace Rāma in exile
• 2.69 Kausalyā accepts Bharata’s innocence: Suspected of seeking the Kingdom, Bharata invokes curses on anyone who approved the exile and wins her trust

Daśaratha’s funeral and Mantharā’s punishment (sargas 70–72)

• 2.70 Daśaratha’s cremation: The body is lifted from oil and carried to a fragrant-wood pyre, the family offers water in the Sarayū and begins ten days of mourning
• 2.71 Daśaratha’s remaining rites: Bharata performs śrāddha and distributes gifts, the brothers grieve over the ashes and bones, Vasiṣṭha & Sumantra help them complete their duties
• 2.72 Bharata stops Mantharā’s punishment: Śatrughna drags her across the floor, Bharata orders her release to avoid Rāma’s condemnation

The expedition to bring Rāma back (sargas 73–77)

• 2.73 Bharata’s plan to restore Rāma: He refuses the prepared abhiṣeka, orders its materials taken to the forest and commissions a road for the expedition
• 2.74 Construction of Bharata’s route: Workers clear and level the ground, plant trees, dig wells and build supplied, defended camps along the road to the Gaṅgā
• 2.75 Bharata refuses royal honours: He stops the morning music proclaiming him King, Vasiṣṭha calls the ministers, priests, commanders and guild representatives to assemble
• 2.76 Bharata’s declaration to the assembly: He rejects the throne offered by Vasiṣṭha, declares Rāma the rightful ruler and orders Sumantra to prepare the expedition
• 2.77 Bharata’s march to the Gaṅgā: The Queens, army, priests, craftspeople and townspeople accompany him, the company camps before the river crossing

Guha and the Gaṅgā crossing (sargas 78–83)

• 2.78 Guha prepares to resist Bharata: Seeing the army, he readies five hundred armed boats to protect Rāma and approaches Bharata to learn his intentions
• 2.79 Guha accepts Bharata’s purpose: Bharata denies seeking Rāma’s death and asks the way to Bharadvāja, Guha offers guides and praises his refusal of the Kingdom
• 2.80 Guha recounts Lakṣmaṇa’s vigil: Lakṣmaṇa refused sleep and feared for their parents, then crossed the Gaṅgā with Rāma & Sītā at dawn
• 2.81 Rāma and Sītā’s grass bed: Guha shows Bharata where they slept after taking only water, while Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas kept watch
• 2.82 Bharata examines the grass bed: Traces of Sītā’s gold and silk reveal where she slept, he vows to adopt forest life and offer himself in Rāma’s place
• 2.83 Guha ferries Bharata’s company: Five hundred boats carry people, vehicles and provisions across the Gaṅgā, the army halts as Bharata approaches Bharadvāja

Bharadvāja’s welcome and guidance (sargas 84–86)

• 2.84 Bharadvāja questions Bharata: Bharata leaves his army and weapons behind, denies seeking to eliminate his brothers and is invited to stay before continuing
• 2.85 Bharadvāja’s divine feast: Invoked devatās provide the army with food, drink and comforts, Bharata honours Rāma’s throne and sits as a minister
• 2.86 Bharadvāja directs Bharata to Citrakūṭa: The Mandākinī and leaf hut identify Rāma’s home, Bharata introduces the Queens and is urged not to blame Kaikeyī

Bharata approaches Citrakūṭa (sargas 87–92)

• 2.87 Bharata locates Citrakūṭa: The marching army disturbs the forest, scouts report smoke and Bharata halts the main force to approach the dwelling
• 2.88 Rāma shows Sītā Citrakūṭa: Mineral-coloured peaks, fruit trees and waterfalls relieve his grief, forest life fulfils his father’s command while Bharata rules
• 2.89 Rāma invites Sītā into the Mandākinī: He urges her to bathe and regard the mountain as Ayodhyā, the river as Sarayū and its animals as citizens
• 2.90 Lakṣmaṇa suspects Bharata’s army: He recognizes the banner, assumes an attack and urges Rāma to extinguish the fire, hide Sītā and prepare to fight
• 2.91 Rāma restrains Lakṣmaṇa: He rejects suspicion of Bharata and shames his brother’s anger, Bharata spreads the camp around the mountain to avoid crowding the hermitage
• 2.92 Bharata searches for Rāma’s hut: Search parties enter the forest, smoke guides Bharata forward and he keeps the larger company back while approaching with Guha

The reunion and mourning for Daśaratha (sargas 93–96)

• 2.93 Bharata finds Rāma: Bark markers and smoke lead him to the hut, he falls before his brother in tapasvin dress, Rāma embraces him & Śatrughna
• 2.94 Rāma questions Bharata’s governance: He asks after the family, advisers, spies, troop provisions, water, revenue and impartial justice, still unaware of Daśaratha’s death
• 2.95 Rāma’s offerings for Daśaratha: Hearing of his death, Rāma collapses, then offers Mandākinī water and iṅgudī paste with jujube as his own forest fare
• 2.96 The mothers reach Rāma’s hut: Kausalyā grieves over Daśaratha’s humble offering, the mothers greet Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa & Sītā and the assembly gathers

The dispute over Kingship and duty (sargas 97–103)

• 2.97 Bharata offers Rāma the Kingdom: Rāma absolves him of blame but insists that both brothers honour their father’s division between Kingdom and forest
• 2.98 Bharata’s appeal and Rāma’s answer: Bharata asks him to restore the Kingdom, Rāma teaches the inevitability of loss, separation and death
• 2.99 Rāma explains Daśaratha’s obligations: The marriage pledge and wartime boons bind the succession, Bharata & Śatrughna must govern while Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa remain in the forest
• 2.100 Jābāli challenges the exile: He questions permanent family ties, offerings to the dead and belief in the unseen, urging Rāma to accept the available Kingdom
• 2.101 Rāma rejects Jābāli’s advice: A ruler’s actions guide his subjects, truth sustains trust and no worldly gain justifies breaking his father’s promise
• 2.102 Vasiṣṭha recounts the royal lineage: He traces the dynasty from creation through Ikṣvāku and Sagara, invoking its tradition of eldest succession
• 2.103 Bharata attempts a fast: He spreads grass and refuses to leave, then offers to serve the exile himself, Rāma rejects substitution and promises to rule after fourteen years

Rāma’s sandals and rule at Nandigrāma (sargas 104–107)

• 2.104 Bharata receives Rāma’s sandals: Rāma steps into the gold-adorned sandals and returns them, Bharata circles him and prepares to depart
• 2.105 Bharata carries the sandals home: The company circles Citrakūṭa, Bharata reports Rāma’s decision to Bharadvāja and recrosses the Yamunā & Gaṅgā toward Ayodhyā
• 2.106 Bharata returns without Rāma: Ayodhyā resembles an extinguished fire and deserted altar, he laments its emptiness and reaches Daśaratha’s residence
• 2.107 Bharata establishes rule at Nandigrāma: He places Rāma’s sandals on the throne, governs in their name and wears bark and matted hair while awaiting Rāma’s return

Leaving Citrakūṭa for Atri’s hermitage (sargas 108–111)

• 2.108 The ṛṣis leave Citrakūṭa: Rākṣasas assault the tapasvins and disrupt their rites, the community departs for another hermitage despite Rāma’s appeal to remain
• 2.109 Rāma leaves Citrakūṭa for Atri: Family memories and the army’s animal waste prompt departure, Atri recounts Anasūyā’s relief of a ten-year drought and sends Sītā to her
• 2.110 Anasūyā’s gifts and Sītā’s story: Sītā receives clothing, ornaments and unfading cosmetic, then recounts her earth-birth, the bow and marriage
• 2.111 Departure from Atri’s hermitage: Sītā wears Anasūyā’s gifts, Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa receive warnings of rākṣasas and take the forest path

Araṇya Kāṇḍa

Entering Daṇḍaka and defeating Virādha (sargas 1–3)

• 3.1 Daṇḍaka’s tapasvins seek protection: They welcome Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and claim the King’s protection as subjects who have renounced force
• 3.2 Virādha’s attack: The weapon-bearing man-eater seizes Sītā and claims her as his wife, Lakṣmaṇa steadies Rāma and vows to kill him
• 3.3 Virādha’s defeat and release: The brothers break his arms, he reveals himself as the cursed Tumburu, directs them to Śarabhaṅga and asks for burial

The forest ṛṣis seek protection (sargas 4–7)

• 3.4 Śarabhaṅga’s ascent through fire: Indra departs before meeting Rāma, the ṛṣi receives him and rises young from the flames to Brahmā’s world
• 3.5 The ṛṣis appeal for protection: Tapasvins display the victims of rākṣasa attacks, Rāma promises to defend them and gives his exile a purpose
• 3.6 Sutīkṣṇa’s hospitality: The ṛṣi offers heavenly worlds and a forest home, Rāma declines a long stay because hunting the resident deer would distress his host
• 3.7 Departure from Sutīkṣṇa: Rāma obtains leave to visit other hermitages and promises to return, Sītā hands the brothers their weapons

Sītā and Rāma debate the use of force (sargas 8–9)

• 3.8 Story of the tapasvin’s sword: Sītā describes how guarding Indra’s weapon corrupted a peaceful ṛṣi and warns Rāma against violence without enmity
• 3.9 Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis: He explains their refusal to spend tapasvin power on curses and declares that protecting them binds him more strongly than his own life

Ten years in the forest and settlement at Pañcavaṭī (sargas 10–14)

• 3.10 Ten years among the hermitages: Māṇḍakarṇi’s lake music is explained, years of visits lead toward Agastya, Rāma recounts his digestion of Vātāpi
• 3.11 Agastya’s gifts of weapons: He gives Rāma Viṣṇu’s bow, Brahmā’s arrow, Indra’s inexhaustible quivers and a gold-adorned sword
• 3.12 Agastya’s directions: Rāma asks for a wooded home near water, Agastya recommends food-rich Pañcavaṭī beside the Godāvarī and describes the route
• 3.13 Jaṭāyu’s offer: Daśaratha’s vulture friend recounts the ancestry of Devas, animals and humankind, identifies his own lineage and offers to guard Sītā
• 3.14 Lakṣmaṇa builds the Pañcavaṭī hut: He bathes in the Godāvarī and performs puṣpabali and śānti, Rāma embraces him and recalls Daśaratha’s care

The winter bath at Pañcavaṭī (sargas 15–15)

• 3.15 Rāma’s winter bath in the Godāvarī: Lakṣmaṇa describes cold water and imagines Bharata’s Sarayū bath, Rāma bathes with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and offers water

Śūrpaṇakhā and the first retaliation (sargas 16–20)

• 3.16 Śūrpaṇakhā’s proposal: Rāvaṇa’s sister asks Rāma to marry her and threatens to eat Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa so they can roam the forest together
• 3.17 Śūrpaṇakhā attacks Sītā: The brothers’ teasing turns to danger, Rāma orders her disfigurement, Lakṣmaṇa cuts off her ears and nose and she flees
• 3.18 Khara sends fourteen rākṣasas: Śūrpaṇakhā demands the blood of Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and leads Khara’s warriors to their hermitage
• 3.19 Rāma kills the fourteen: He offers withdrawal, cuts down their fourteen spears with one volley and kills them with fourteen further arrows
• 3.20 Śūrpaṇakhā challenges Khara: She reports the fourteen deaths, threatens to die and tells him to fight Rāma or abandon Janasthāna

Khara’s march and the battle at Janasthāna (sargas 21–29)

• 3.21 Khara’s army mobilizes: Dūṣaṇa assembles fourteen thousand rākṣasas, Khara mounts his chariot and the armed force marches from Janasthāna
• 3.22 Omens on Khara’s march: Blood-coloured rain, darkness and bodily tremors warn of disaster, Khara dismisses them and advances with his leading warriors
• 3.23 Rāma prepares to fight alone: He reads the omens as signs of victory, sends Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa into a mountain cave and faces the fourteen thousand
• 3.24 Battle at Janasthāna: The army surrounds and wounds Rāma, his arrows drive it back and Dūṣaṇa rallies the survivors to attack with trees and rocks
• 3.25 Dūṣaṇa’s death: Rāma severs his arms, kills three commanders and destroys the troops, leaving Khara & Triśiras as the principal opponents
• 3.26 Triśiras loses his three heads: He takes Khara’s place in battle, Rāma wrecks his chariot and severs his heads, Khara advances himself
• 3.27 Rāma takes up Viṣṇu’s bow: Khara breaks his bow and shoots away his armour, Rāma uses Agastya’s gift to destroy Khara’s chariot and bow
• 3.28 Khara’s mace destroyed: Rāma condemns his attacks on the ṛṣis, Khara throws a blazing mace and Rāma shatters it with arrows
• 3.29 Rāma kills Khara with Indra’s arrow: He shatters Khara’s thrown tree, kills him and hears the ṛṣis’ plan, Sītā returns to embrace him

Śūrpaṇakhā turns Rāvaṇa toward Sītā (sargas 30–33)

• 3.30 Śūrpaṇakhā reaches Rāvaṇa’s court: The narrative recalls his conquests, tapas and protection from nonhuman enemies, leaving him vulnerable to a human
• 3.31 Śūrpaṇakhā rebukes Rāvaṇa: She exposes his ignorance of Janasthāna’s destruction and warns that pleasure, failed intelligence and neglect will cost him his Kingdom
• 3.32 Śūrpaṇakhā describes Sītā: She recounts Rāma’s victory, praises Sītā’s beauty and urges Rāvaṇa to kill the brothers and take her as his wife
• 3.33 Rāvaṇa’s flight and Garuḍa’s story: He passes the banyan of Garuḍa’s broken branch and amṛta quest, then reaches Mārīca’s hermitage

The abduction plan and Mārīca’s warnings (sargas 34–39)

• 3.34 Rāvaṇa’s abduction plan: Mārīca must become a golden deer to lure the brothers away, leaving Sītā unguarded and Rāma vulnerable to grief
• 3.35 Mārīca’s warning: He corrects Rāvaṇa’s account of Rāma’s exile, praises Rāma’s character and urges consultation before a plan that could destroy Laṅkā
• 3.36 Mārīca’s story of his first defeat: He recalls attacking Viśvāmitra’s sacrifice and being hurled a hundred yojanas into the sea by the young Rāma’s arrow
• 3.37 Mārīca’s second defeat and terror: His deer-form attack costs two companions, he abandons violence but still sees and fears Rāma everywhere
• 3.38 Rāvaṇa compels Mārīca: He rejects unwelcome advice, offers half his Kingdom for help and threatens immediate death if Mārīca refuses the deer disguise
• 3.39 Mārīca’s final warning: He condemns advisers who fail to restrain a destructive ruler and predicts that the abduction will kill them both and ruin Laṅkā

The golden deer separates Rāma and Sītā (sargas 40–43)

• 3.40 The golden deer appears: Mārīca yields to Rāvaṇa, travels to the hermitage and assumes a jewelled deer’s form that attracts Sītā while frightening the real deer
• 3.41 Rāma pursues the deer: Lakṣmaṇa suspects Mārīca, Sītā asks for the living animal or its hide and Rāma leaves Lakṣmaṇa to guard her
• 3.42 Mārīca’s false cry: Mortally wounded, he calls in Rāma’s voice, Rāma fears for Sītā and takes another deer’s meat before hurrying back
• 3.43 Lakṣmaṇa leaves Sītā: He identifies the cry as deception, but her accusations overcome his resolve to stay and he departs toward Rāma

Rāvaṇa’s disguise and Sītā’s abduction (sargas 44–47)

• 3.44 Rāvaṇa’s parivrājaka disguise: He approaches Sītā with Vedic words and praise of her beauty, she receives him as a brāhmaṇa guest
• 3.45 Rāvaṇa reveals his identity: Sītā recounts her marriage and exile, he offers Queenship in Laṅkā and she rejects him with warnings of destruction
• 3.46 Rāvaṇa boasts of his power: He recounts defeating Kubera and seizing Puṣpaka, offers Laṅkā’s pleasures and is rebuked by Sītā for disgracing his lineage
• 3.47 Sītā’s abduction: Rāvaṇa reveals his ten-faced form and lifts her into his flying chariot, she calls on the forest, river and Jaṭāyu to inform Rāma

Jaṭāyu’s resistance and Rāvaṇa’s escape (sargas 48–50)

• 3.48 Jaṭāyu confronts Rāvaṇa: The aged vulture condemns the abduction, demands Sītā’s release and challenges the armed ruler despite his own disadvantage
• 3.49 Jaṭāyu’s battle and fall: He wrecks Rāvaṇa’s chariot and renews the attack, Rāvaṇa cuts his wings, feet and flanks, Sītā embraces him
• 3.50 Rāvaṇa seizes Sītā again: He tears her from the trees and resumes the flight, flowers and ornaments fall while the landscape shares her distress

Sītā’s resistance and confinement in Laṅkā (sargas 51–54)

• 3.51 Sītā condemns the deception: She connects the golden deer with her abduction, challenges Rāvaṇa to face the brothers and warns him to release her
• 3.52 Sītā drops her ornaments: She drops her silk and ornaments among five monkeys, Rāvaṇa confines her in Laṅkā and sends agents to Janasthāna
• 3.53 Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā: He displays his palace, promises wealth and authority over his wives, claims rescue is impossible and bows at her feet
• 3.54 Rāvaṇa’s deadline and threat: Sītā refuses him, he gives her twelve months to submit or be killed for his meal, then sends her to the aśoka grove

The empty hut and the search for Sītā (sargas 55–59)

• 3.55 Rāma meets Lakṣmaṇa: Omens and the false cry make him fear a plot against Sītā, he reproaches Lakṣmaṇa for leaving her alone
• 3.56 Return to the empty hut: Rāma imagines Sītā’s loss and its consequences, hurries back with Lakṣmaṇa and finds their dwelling deserted
• 3.57 Lakṣmaṇa explains his departure: He recounts Sītā’s accusations after the false cry, Rāma insists that her harsh words should not have overridden his order
• 3.58 Rāma searches for Sītā: He finds the hut disordered, questions trees and animals and imagines her yellow clothing among the woods
• 3.59 Lakṣmaṇa renews the search: He urges Rāma to inspect caves, rivers and groves before assuming Sītā’s death, their fruitless search returns Rāma to grief

The battle’s traces and Rāma’s anger (sargas 60–62)

• 3.60 Traces of Sītā’s abduction: Flowers, footprints, blood and chariot wreckage suggest a struggle, Rāma’s uncertainty turns to threats against the whole world
• 3.61 Lakṣmaṇa restrains Rāma’s anger: He rejects destroying the world for one offender and urges a search and persuasion before resorting to force
• 3.62 Lakṣmaṇa recalls Rāma’s own teaching: Even the great suffer loss, judgment and effort must survive grief so that the enemy can be found and defeated

Jaṭāyu’s report and funeral (sargas 63–64)

• 3.63 Discovery of the wounded Jaṭāyu: Rāma mistakes him for Sītā’s killer, Jaṭāyu names Rāvaṇa and explains the wreckage, the brothers embrace him
• 3.64 Rāma performs Jaṭāyu’s funeral: Jaṭāyu reports the southward flight and dies, Rāma cremates him as kin, offers deer meat and gives water in the Godāvarī

Kabandha and the proposed alliance (sargas 65–69)

• 3.65 Kabandha’s grasp: A headless being with a chest-eye, belly-mouth and two long arms seizes both brothers as they search the forest
• 3.66 Kabandha’s arms severed: Lakṣmaṇa proposes cutting their captor’s arms, the brothers strike together and Kabandha recognizes the foretold means of his release
• 3.67 Story of Kabandha: A ṛṣi’s curse and Indra’s thunderbolt produced his deformed body, he asks for cremation to restore his discernment and name a helpful ally
• 3.68 Kabandha advises friendship with Sugrīva: Restored by cremation, he urges a pledge before fire and explains how the two can help each other
• 3.69 Kabandha’s directions to Pampā: He describes food and cool water, Śabarī’s hermitage and unfading flowers, then Sugrīva’s refuge on Ṛṣyamūka

Śabarī and the approach to Pampā (sargas 70–71)

• 3.70 Śabarī’s welcome and ascent: She shows the seven seas gathered for her teachers’ bath, receives Rāma’s permission and enters fire to rejoin them
• 3.71 Rāma enters Pampā’s waters: The sacred rites renew his hope, the lake revives his longing for Sītā and he resolves to seek Sugrīva