# Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa — outline

## 1. Bāla Kāṇḍa

### 1–4 · Origins of the Rāmāyaṇa
- [1. Nārada recounts Rāma’s life](/text/1/1.md) — Vālmīki asks whether anyone possesses all the virtues he names, Nārada identifies Rāma and recounts his story
- [2. Grief becomes the first śloka](/text/1/2.md) — A bird’s death moves Vālmīki to utter the first śloka, Brahmā asks him to compose Rāma’s life in that form
- [3. Vālmīki sees the whole narrative](/text/1/3.md) — Vālmīki sees the narrative through meditation and sets out its events, including those still to come
- [4. Kuśa & Lava perform the poem](/text/1/4.md) — Kuśa & Lava learn and perform the poem, their singing moves the ṛṣis and brings them before Rāma

### 5–7 · Descriptions of Ayodhyā
- [5. Ayodhyā’s layout and defences](/text/1/5.md) — The narrative introduces Kosala on the Sarayū and its capital, describing Ayodhyā’s roads, defences, markets and abundant provisions
- [6. Daśaratha and Ayodhyā’s inhabitants](/text/1/6.md) — Daśaratha rules a prosperous and disciplined population, supported by trained warriors, fine horses and powerful elephants
- [7. The ministers who sustain the Kingdom](/text/1/7.md) — Ministers and priests advise Daśaratha, gather intelligence, maintain the treasury and army, and administer justice without favour

### 8–10 · Ṛṣyaśṛṅga
- [8. Daśaratha seeks sons: Sumantra’s prophecy](/text/1/8.md) — Daśaratha proposes a sacrifice for sons, Sumantra recalls Sanatkumāra’s prophecy and the story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s arrival in drought-stricken Aṅga
- [9. Story of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga: Courtesans, rain and marriage](/text/1/9.md) — Courtesans lure Ṛṣyaśṛṅga from his father’s forest hermitage, rain ends Aṅga’s drought and Romapāda gives him Śāntā in marriage
- [10. Daśaratha brings Ṛṣyaśṛṅga to Ayodhyā](/text/1/10.md) — Daśaratha visits Romapāda in Aṅga, asks for Ṛṣyaśṛṅga’s help with the sacrifice and brings the ṛṣi & Śāntā to Ayodhyā

### 11–13 · Aśvamedha yajña
- [11. Aśvamedha yajña: Release of the horse and preparations](/text/1/11.md) — Ṛṣyaśṛṅga orders the horse released, Daśaratha commissions the sacrificial ground on the Sarayū’s northern bank and warns that ritual errors endanger the patron
- [12. Aśvamedha yajña: Construction, invitations and hospitality](/text/1/12.md) — Vasiṣṭha organizes construction, food and lodging, Sumantra invites the guests and Daśaratha enters the enclosure to begin the rites
- [13. Aśvamedha yajña: The horse’s return and completion of the rites](/text/1/13.md) — 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

### 14–17 · Birth of the princes and their allies
- [14. Putrakāmeṣṭi and Viṣṇu’s promised human birth](/text/1/14.md) — Ṛṣyaśṛṅga begins the putrīyā iṣṭi, the Devas ask Viṣṇu to take human birth because Rāvaṇa’s protection excludes humans
- [15. Daśaratha receives and divides the divine pāyasa](/text/1/15.md) — Viṣṇu chooses Daśaratha as his father, a being emerges from the fire with divine pāyasa and the King distributes it among his wives
- [16. The Devas beget Rāma’s future allies](/text/1/16.md) — Brahmā directs the Devas to beget powerful helpers, their monkey-shaped sons inherit divine qualities and gather around Vālin & Sugrīva
- [17. Birth and upbringing of the princes; Viśvāmitra’s arrival](/text/1/17.md) — Daśaratha’s four sons are born and grow devoted in pairs, Viśvāmitra arrives and receives the King’s promise to fulfil his request

### 18–21 · Viśvāmitra’s request and Rāma’s departure
- [18. Viśvāmitra’s request: Rāma’s protection of the sacrifice](/text/1/18.md) — Viśvāmitra asks for Rāma to protect his sacrifice from Mārīca & Subāhu, promising the prince’s safety and advancement
- [19. Daśaratha’s resistance: The army offered in Rāma’s place](/text/1/19.md) — Daśaratha resists sending the young Rāma, offers himself and his army instead and renews his refusal on hearing of Rāvaṇa’s power
- [20. Vasiṣṭha’s intervention: The promise and Viśvāmitra’s powers](/text/1/20.md) — Viśvāmitra threatens to leave, Vasiṣṭha urges Daśaratha to honour his promise and assures him of the ṛṣi’s power to protect Rāma
- [21. Departure with Viśvāmitra: Rāma receives Balā & Atibalā](/text/1/21.md) — Daśaratha releases Rāma with Lakṣmaṇa, they follow Viśvāmitra along the Sarayū and Rāma receives the protective Balā & Atibalā teachings

### 22 · Story of Kāma
- [22. Story of Kāma: The loss of his body](/text/1/22.md) — At the Sarayū–Gaṅgā confluence, Viśvāmitra recounts how Śiva’s fiery gaze destroyed Kāma’s body, the travellers stay at the hermitage

### 23–25 · Tāṭakā’s forest
- [23. Story of Tāṭakā’s forest: Indra’s cleansing and the ruined country](/text/1/23.md) — The Sarayū’s origin and confluence are explained, Indra’s cleansing gives Malada & Karūṣa their names and Tāṭakā’s devastation makes the region impassable
- [24. Story of Tāṭakā: Birth, marriage and Agastya’s curse](/text/1/24.md) — Brahmā grants Suketu a powerful daughter, Tāṭakā marries Sunda and bears Mārīca, their attack on Agastya brings his transforming curses
- [25. Rāma kills Tāṭakā](/text/1/25.md) — 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

### 26–27 · The divine weapons
- [26. Divine weapons: Viśvāmitra grants the powers](/text/1/26.md) — Viśvāmitra teaches the weapon-mantras, the powers appear and offer service, Rāma asks them to answer whenever summoned
- [27. Divine weapons: Rāma learns their withdrawal](/text/1/27.md) — Rāma learns their withdrawal, permits the embodied powers to depart and asks about the beautiful hermitage ahead

### 28–29 · Siddhāśrama
- [28. Story of Siddhāśrama: Vāmana’s three strides](/text/1/28.md) — Viśvāmitra recounts Vāmana’s three strides and the restoration of Indra’s realm, then begins his observance with the brothers as guards
- [29. Protection of Siddhāśrama: Rāma’s three astras](/text/1/29.md) — 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

### 30 · Departure for Mithilā
- [30. Departure for Mithilā and the camp beside the Śoṇā](/text/1/30.md) — 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

### 31–33 · Story of Kuśanābha
- [31. Story of Kuśanābha: Vāyu disfigures the hundred daughters](/text/1/31.md) — Vāyu proposes marriage, the sisters insist on their father’s consent and Vāyu enters their limbs and leaves them hunchbacked
- [32. Story of Kuśanābha: Brahmadatta restores the daughters](/text/1/32.md) — Kuśanābha praises their restraint and arranges marriage to Brahmadatta, whose touch restores each sister as he takes her hand
- [33. Story of Kuśanābha: Gādhi’s birth and Viśvāmitra’s lineage](/text/1/33.md) — Kuśanābha obtains Gādhi through sacrifice, Viśvāmitra identifies Gādhi as his father and recounts Satyavatī’s transformation into the river Kauśikī

### 34–36 · Story of Gaṅgā & Umā
- [34. Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Himavat’s two daughters](/text/1/34.md) — Himavat gives Gaṅgā to the Devas for the worlds’ welfare, while Umā undertakes austerity and marries Śiva
- [35. Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Restrained union and Umā’s curses](/text/1/35.md) — The Devas interrupt Śiva & Umā’s union, his released energy transforms the earth through Agni & Vāyu, Umā curses the Devas and the earth
- [36. Story of Gaṅgā & Umā: Kārttikeya’s birth and six nurses](/text/1/36.md) — Gaṅgā releases Agni’s unbearable embryo onto the mountain, its radiance produces minerals and six Kṛttikās nurse the child who becomes the Devas’ commander

### 37–43 · Story of Sagara
- [37. Story of Sagara: One heir and sixty thousand sons](/text/1/37.md) — 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
- [38. Story of Sagara: The stolen horse and the earth’s excavation](/text/1/38.md) — 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
- [39. Story of Sagara: Kapila’s anger and the sons’ destruction](/text/1/39.md) — 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
- [40. Story of Sagara: Aṃśumat retrieves the horse](/text/1/40.md) — 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
- [41. Story of Sagara: Bhagīratha takes up the ancestral task](/text/1/41.md) — Aṃśumat & Dilīpa leave the ancestral task unfinished, Bhagīratha wins permission for Gaṅgā’s descent and learns that Śiva must receive her
- [42. Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā’s descent through Śiva’s hair](/text/1/42.md) — Śiva catches the falling river in his matted hair, Bhagīratha wins her release and leads the purifying waters across the earth
- [43. Story of Sagara: Gaṅgā redeems the sixty thousand](/text/1/43.md) — The waters cover the sixty thousand’s ashes and raise them to heaven, Brahmā names Gaṅgā Bhāgīrathī & Tripathagā and Bhagīratha completes the ancestral rites

### 44–48 · Stories of Indra
- [44. Story of Indra: Ocean churning and the struggle for nectar](/text/1/44.md) — 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
- [45. Story of Indra & Diti: Service, broken observance and division](/text/1/45.md) — 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
- [46. Story of Indra & Diti: The Maruts’ regions and Viśālā’s lineage](/text/1/46.md) — Diti obtains divine wind-regions for her children, Viśvāmitra recounts Viśālā’s royal lineage and Sumati comes to welcome the travellers
- [47. Story of Indra & Ahalyā: Indra’s disguise and Gautama’s curses](/text/1/47.md) — 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
- [48. Indra’s restoration; Ahalyā released by Rāma](/text/1/48.md) — Viśvāmitra recounts the pitṛdevas ’ transfer of a ram’s testicles to Indra, then Rāma enters the hermitage and Ahalyā’s hospitality ends her curse

### 49 · Arrival in Mithilā
- [49. Arrival in Mithilā: Janaka receives the travellers](/text/1/49.md) — Janaka welcomes the travellers at his sacrifice, asks about the princes and learns that they have come to see and test the bow

### 50–64 · Story of Viśvāmitra
- [50. Story of Viśvāmitra: Śatānanda introduces the former King](/text/1/50.md) — Śatānanda confirms Ahalyā’s release, then recounts how King Viśvāmitra’s travels with his army brought him to Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage
- [51. Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s hospitality](/text/1/51.md) — Vasiṣṭha insists on hosting the whole army and asks Śabalā to provide a feast satisfying every guest’s tastes
- [52. Story of Viśvāmitra: Śabalā’s feast and the rejected purchase](/text/1/52.md) — Śabalā feeds the entire company, Viśvāmitra offers escalating wealth to purchase her and Vasiṣṭha refuses to surrender the source of his ritual sustenance
- [53. Story of Viśvāmitra: Śabalā resists seizure](/text/1/53.md) — The King seizes Śabalā, she returns to Vasiṣṭha and, with his permission, produces armies to resist the royal forces
- [54. Story of Viśvāmitra: Defeat, Śiva’s weapons and retaliation](/text/1/54.md) — His army and sons are destroyed, Viśvāmitra wins Śiva’s weapons through austerity and returns to burn Vasiṣṭha’s hermitage
- [55. Story of Viśvāmitra: Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs the weapons](/text/1/55.md) — Vasiṣṭha’s staff absorbs every missile, including the Brahmāstra, Viśvāmitra recognizes the superiority of spiritual power and resolves to attain brāhmaṇa status
- [56. Story of Viśvāmitra: The rājarṣi rank and Triśaṅku’s request](/text/1/56.md) — Brahmā grants Viśvāmitra the rank of rājarṣi, he resumes austerity while Triśaṅku seeks bodily ascent to heaven and is refused by Vasiṣṭha
- [57. Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s curse and appeal for refuge](/text/1/57.md) — Vasiṣṭha’s sons reject and curse Triśaṅku, his followers abandon him and he asks Viśvāmitra to overcome his fate
- [58. Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s sacrifice and the priests’ refusal](/text/1/58.md) — Viśvāmitra promises Triśaṅku bodily ascent and summons priests, then curses Vasiṣṭha’s sons & Mahodaya for rejecting the sacrifice
- [59. Story of Viśvāmitra: Triśaṅku’s ascent and suspended heaven](/text/1/59.md) — Indra rejects the ascending Triśaṅku, Viśvāmitra halts his fall and creates southern stars, the Devas agree to let him remain suspended among them
- [60. Story of Viśvāmitra: Śunaḥśepa is bought for sacrifice](/text/1/60.md) — Indra steals Ambarīṣa’s sacrificial victim, the King purchases Śunaḥśepa after the boy’s parents reserve their eldest and youngest sons
- [61. Story of Viśvāmitra: Two verses save Śunaḥśepa](/text/1/61.md) — Śunaḥśepa seeks protection, Viśvāmitra curses his sons for refusing substitution and teaches two verses that preserve the boy’s life and fulfil the sacrifice
- [62. Story of Viśvāmitra: Menakā and the unfinished mastery of desire](/text/1/62.md) — Menakā interrupts his austerity for ten years, renewed effort wins the rank of maharṣi, but Brahmā withholds brahmarṣi until his senses are mastered
- [63. Story of Viśvāmitra: Rambhā and the failure to master anger](/text/1/63.md) — Indra sends Rambhā to tempt him, Viśvāmitra turns her to stone and realizes that anger has again consumed his austerity
- [64. Story of Viśvāmitra: Restraint and recognition as brahmarṣi](/text/1/64.md) — A thousand years of silence and restraint win Brahmā’s recognition as brahmarṣi, Vasiṣṭha confirms the attainment and Śatānanda’s account ends

### 65–66 · Story of Sītā & Śiva’s bow
- [65. Story of Sītā & Śiva’s bow: Birth, suitors and Janaka’s condition](/text/1/65.md) — Janaka recounts Sītā’s birth, Śiva’s bow and the suitors’ failure, offering her hand to Rāma if he can string it
- [66. Rāma breaks Śiva’s bow: Janaka confirms the marriage](/text/1/66.md) — Rāma lifts, strings and breaks the bow, Janaka declares his marriage condition fulfilled and sends envoys to seek Daśaratha’s consent

### 67–72 · The marriages at Mithilā
- [67. Vivāha: Envoys seek Daśaratha’s consent](/text/1/67.md) — Janaka’s envoys report Rāma’s feat in Ayodhyā, Daśaratha consults his priests and ministers and orders departure for Mithilā
- [68. Vivāha: Daśaratha arrives in Mithilā](/text/1/68.md) — Daśaratha arrives with wealth, ṛṣis and the army, Janaka welcomes the alliance and completes preparations while Daśaratha reunites with his sons
- [69. Vivāha: Kuśadhvaja’s arrival and the Ikṣvāku lineage](/text/1/69.md) — Kuśadhvaja joins the assembly, Vasiṣṭha recounts the Ikṣvāku lineage and asks for Janaka’s two daughters for Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa
- [70. Vivāha: The Videha lineage and the wedding date](/text/1/70.md) — Janaka recounts the Videha lineage and Kuśadhvaja’s accession, offers Sītā & Ūrmilā and appoints the wedding day and preparatory rites
- [71. Vivāha: Four matches, śrāddha and godāna](/text/1/71.md) — Two additional matches unite all four brothers with brides, Janaka affirms shared ownership and the munis’ authority, Daśaratha performs śrāddha and godāna
- [72. Vivāha: Taking hands and circling the fire](/text/1/72.md) — 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

### 73–75 · The encounter with Paraśurāma
- [73. Paraśurāma: Omens and the encounter on the road home](/text/1/73.md) — Janaka gives bridal wealth and the company leaves Mithilā, mixed omens and a dust-darkened sky precede Paraśurāma’s armed appearance
- [74. Paraśurāma: The two divine bows and the challenge](/text/1/74.md) — Paraśurāma ignores Daśaratha’s plea, recounts the rival divine bows and his vengeance, and challenges Rāma to string Viṣṇu’s bow
- [75. Paraśurāma: Defeat and the surrender of heavenly worlds](/text/1/75.md) — Rāma strings the bow, Paraśurāma yields his earned heavenly worlds to retain movement, recognizes Viṣṇu and departs for Mahendra

### 76 · Return to Ayodhyā
- [76. Return to Ayodhyā: The couples’ reception and married life](/text/1/76.md) — Rāma gives the bow to Varuṇa and comforts Daśaratha, Ayodhyā welcomes the couples and Rāma & Sītā grow in mutual affection

## 2. Ayodhyā Kāṇḍa

### 1–6 · Preparations for Rāma’s abhiṣeka
- [1. Daśaratha proposes Rāma as heir](/text/2/1.md) — With Bharata & Śatrughna in Kekaya, Daśaratha weighs Rāma’s fitness to rule and summons an assembly
- [2. The assembly endorses Rāma](/text/2/2.md) — Daśaratha proposes handing over responsibility, the assembly praises Rāma’s character and care for his subjects
- [3. Rāma’s abhiṣeka announced](/text/2/3.md) — Daśaratha orders preparations and counsels Rāma on self-restraint, ministers and the welfare of his subjects
- [4. Omens hasten the abhiṣeka](/text/2/4.md) — Daśaratha fixes the ceremony for the next day while Bharata is away, Rāma & Sītā must fast and sleep on darbha
- [5. Vasiṣṭha prepares the upavāsa](/text/2/5.md) — He establishes Rāma & Sītā’s fast with sacred formulas and reports to Daśaratha as Ayodhyā decorates its streets
- [6. Worship before the abhiṣeka](/text/2/6.md) — Rāma worships Nārāyaṇa with Sītā, offers havis and eats its remainder, they sleep on kuśa as Ayodhyā celebrates

### 7–12 · Mantharā and Kaikeyī’s two boons
- [7. Mantharā’s alarm, Kaikeyī’s joy](/text/2/7.md) — Mantharā warns of danger to Bharata, Kaikeyī rewards her and declares equal affection for both princes
- [8. Mantharā turns Kaikeyī’s mind](/text/2/8.md) — Kaikeyī defends Rāma, Mantharā argues that his descendants will exclude Bharata’s line and urges Rāma’s exile
- [9. Mantharā’s plan for the boons](/text/2/9.md) — She recalls Kaikeyī’s rescue of Daśaratha and urges Bharata’s abhiṣeka and fourteen years of exile for Rāma
- [10. Kaikeyī claims the two boons](/text/2/10.md) — Bound by his promise, Daśaratha hears her demands for Bharata’s abhiṣeka and Rāma’s exile, then collapses and pleads
- [11. Daśaratha’s pleas fail to move Kaikeyī](/text/2/11.md) — Kaikeyī insists that Daśaratha honour his promise, his night-long appeals fail to change her demands
- [12. Daśaratha summons Rāma](/text/2/12.md) — Kaikeyī insists on the promise, Daśaratha repudiates her & Bharata, Sumantra leaves unaware of the exile

### 13–16 · Rāma accepts the exile
- [13. The abhiṣeka awaits Daśaratha](/text/2/13.md) — Priests and dignitaries gather with the sacred waters, the King fails to appear and Sumantra is sent for Rāma
- [14. Rāma answers the summons](/text/2/14.md) — Expecting his abhiṣeka and assuming Kaikeyī’s support, Rāma takes leave of Sītā and rides out with Lakṣmaṇa
- [15. Rāma enters the palace](/text/2/15.md) — He passes through the celebrating city and enters Daśaratha’s inner rooms, the citizens wait for his return
- [16. Rāma accepts fourteen years of exile](/text/2/16.md) — Kaikeyī explains the boons, Rāma agrees, asks for Bharata’s return and leaves to speak to Kausalyā & Sītā

### 17–22 · Kausalyā’s grief and Lakṣmaṇa’s resistance
- [17. Kausalyā learns of Rāma’s exile](/text/2/17.md) — Rāma tells Kausalyā that Bharata will inherit and he must leave, she collapses and laments their separation
- [18. Resistance or obedience](/text/2/18.md) — Lakṣmaṇa offers force and Kausalyā asks Rāma to stay, Rāma cites ancestral precedents and upholds his father’s word
- [19. Rāma attributes the reversal to fate](/text/2/19.md) — He cancels the abhiṣeka preparations and asks Lakṣmaṇa to accept Kaikeyī’s change without anger
- [20. Lakṣmaṇa opposes fate with effort](/text/2/20.md) — He offers to overcome every obstacle by force, Rāma wipes away his tears but remains bound to the promise
- [21. Rāma asks Kausalyā to remain with Daśaratha](/text/2/21.md) — Kausalyā asks to follow Rāma, he persuades her to remain and care for the grieving Daśaratha
- [22. Kausalyā’s blessing and amulet](/text/2/22.md) — She invokes protection, consecrates an herbal amulet and completes the svastyayana before embracing Rāma

### 23–27 · Sītā insists on joining Rāma
- [23. Rāma asks Sītā to remain in Ayodhyā](/text/2/23.md) — Rāma reveals the exile and asks Sītā to respect Bharata’s authority, honour the Queens and care for his grieving parents
- [24. Sītā claims a share in the exile](/text/2/24.md) — She insists that a wife shares her husband’s fate and chooses forest hardship with Rāma over comfort without him
- [25. Rāma describes the hardships of forest life](/text/2/25.md) — Rāma describes the forest’s hunger, exposure, dangerous animals and tapasvin hardships, Sītā remains determined to accompany him
- [26. Sītā’s foretold forest life](/text/2/26.md) — She recalls predictions heard in her parents’ home and refuses separation despite Rāma’s hesitation
- [27. Rāma agrees that Sītā will accompany him](/text/2/27.md) — Sītā rejects separation despite every hardship, Rāma agrees to take her and asks her to distribute their possessions

### 28–34 · Preparing for exile and taking leave
- [28. Lakṣmaṇa joins the exile](/text/2/28.md) — He promises service to Rāma & Sītā and retrieves the paired bows, armour, quivers and swords from their teacher
- [29. Rāma’s gifts and Trijaṭa’s staff](/text/2/29.md) — Rāma & Sītā distribute wealth, the poor Trijaṭa receives the cattle encompassed by his staff’s throw
- [30. The walk to Daśaratha’s palace](/text/2/30.md) — Seeing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa without royal honours, citizens propose leaving Ayodhyā to follow them
- [31. A throne or one more night](/text/2/31.md) — Daśaratha urges Rāma to take the Kingdom, then begs him to stay overnight, Rāma refuses to delay the promise
- [32. Kaikeyī opposes Rāma’s escort](/text/2/32.md) — Daśaratha offers troops and supplies, Kaikeyī cites Asamañja’s exile, Siddhārtha distinguishes Rāma’s innocence
- [33. Bark garments over Sītā’s silk](/text/2/33.md) — Rāma declines royal provisions and helps Sītā fasten her bark clothing, Daśaratha protests her humiliation
- [34. Farewell to the Queens](/text/2/34.md) — Daśaratha orders the chariot and supplies for Sītā, Kausalyā counsels her and Rāma takes leave of his father’s wives

### 35–39 · Departure and mourning in Ayodhyā
- [35. The chariot departs](/text/2/35.md) — Sumitrā counsels Lakṣmaṇa, crowds and parents follow, Daśaratha calls for a halt while Rāma urges Sumantra onward
- [36. Ayodhyā falls into mourning](/text/2/36.md) — Palace women lament, offerings and daily activity cease, animals refuse food and the city loses its joy
- [37. Daśaratha loses sight of Rāma and rejects Kaikeyī](/text/2/37.md) — The chariot’s dust disappears, Daśaratha falls, rejects Kaikeyī’s touch and returns to Kausalyā as his sight fails
- [38. Kausalyā imagines Rāma’s return](/text/2/38.md) — Fearing Kaikeyī and the hardships facing Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa, she longs for her son’s homecoming and embrace
- [39. Sumitrā comforts Kausalyā](/text/2/39.md) — She praises Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s companionship and assures Kausalyā of Rāma’s return and abhiṣeka

### 40–42 · The citizens follow and return
- [40. The citizens follow to the Tamasā](/text/2/40.md) — Rāma asks them to support Bharata, then leaves his chariot to walk beside the elderly brāhmaṇas
- [41. Rāma leaves the sleeping citizens](/text/2/41.md) — Sumantra lays misleading tracks, Rāma crosses the Tamasā with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa before the followers wake
- [42. The citizens return to Ayodhyā without Rāma](/text/2/42.md) — Families reproach the men for returning without Rāma and imagine abandoning Kaikeyī’s Kingdom to join him

### 43–50 · The river journey to Citrakūṭa
- [43. Rāma crosses Kosala’s rivers](/text/2/43.md) — He crosses the Vedaśruti, Gomatī & Syandikā, shows Sītā the ancestral lands and longs to see his parents again
- [44. Guha welcomes Rāma at the Gaṅgā](/text/2/44.md) — Rāma declines food and beds, asks for fodder for the horses and sleeps on the ground with Sītā after taking water
- [45. Lakṣmaṇa keeps watch beside the Gaṅgā](/text/2/45.md) — Guha offers to guard the camp, Lakṣmaṇa refuses a bed and stays awake fearing the deaths of their grieving parents
- [46. Rāma crosses the Gaṅgā](/text/2/46.md) — He sends Sumantra back as proof of departure, forms matted locks with banyan sap and crosses while Sītā prays
- [47. Rāma grieves and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return](/text/2/47.md) — Rāma fears for his parents and asks Lakṣmaṇa to return, Lakṣmaṇa refuses to leave him and steadies his resolve
- [48. Bharadvāja directs Rāma to Citrakūṭa](/text/2/48.md) — Rāma seeks seclusion beyond the Gaṅgā–Yamunā confluence, Bharadvāja recommends the food-rich mountain
- [49. The raft across the Yamunā](/text/2/49.md) — The brothers build a raft for Sītā, she crosses and prays at the banyan to see Kausalyā & Sumitrā again
- [50. The Citrakūṭa hut and its rites](/text/2/50.md) — Lakṣmaṇa builds and roasts a black antelope, Rāma bathes and makes a protective offering before they enter

### 51–56 · Sumantra’s return and the parents’ grief
- [51. Sumantra returns to Ayodhyā](/text/2/51.md) — Citizens surround the empty chariot, news of Rāma’s crossing renews their grief and Daśaratha collapses on receiving his message
- [52. Sumantra reports the farewells](/text/2/52.md) — Rāma asks Bharata to care for the family, Lakṣmaṇa condemns the banishment and Sītā stands silently in tears
- [53. Daśaratha’s remorse](/text/2/53.md) — Sumantra describes the horses’ reluctance and the country’s grief, Daśaratha regrets his uncounselled decision and begs to see Rāma
- [54. Sumantra comforts Kausalyā](/text/2/54.md) — He describes Lakṣmaṇa’s service and Sītā’s curiosity about the forest, but Kausalyā’s grief persists
- [55. Kausalyā reproaches Daśaratha](/text/2/55.md) — She fears Rāma will reject Bharata’s former Kingdom even after returning, Daśaratha collapses and recalls his past wrongdoing
- [56. Kausalyā & Daśaratha reconcile](/text/2/56.md) — He begs her to stop deepening his pain, she apologizes and says five nights of separation have felt like five years

### 57–60 · Daśaratha’s confession and death
- [57. Daśaratha’s arrow aimed at a sound](/text/2/57.md) — He recalls mistaking a filling pot for an elephant and shooting a youth who directs him to his blind parents
- [58. The curse and Daśaratha’s death](/text/2/58.md) — The youth’s father condemns him to die grieving for a son, Daśaratha recalls the curse and dies calling for Rāma
- [59. Discovery of Daśaratha’s death](/text/2/59.md) — Attendants arrive with the morning’s songs and offerings, find the King unresponsive and awaken the Queens to mourning
- [60. Daśaratha’s body preserved in oil](/text/2/60.md) — Kausalyā blames Kaikeyī, the ministers place the body in an oil trough and await a son before cremation

### 61–65 · Bharata is summoned home
- [61. Ayodhyā without a King](/text/2/61.md) — Ministers warn that food production, worship, trade and protection will fail without a ruler and ask Vasiṣṭha to arrange succession
- [62. Summoning Bharata](/text/2/62.md) — Five messengers ride to Kekaya with gifts and an urgent summons, forbidden to reveal Daśaratha’s death or Rāma’s exile
- [63. Bharata’s ominous dream](/text/2/63.md) — Daśaratha falls into filth and oil and travels south in a donkey-drawn chariot, Bharata wakes fearing a family death
- [64. Bharata leaves Kekaya](/text/2/64.md) — The messengers conceal the crisis, his grandfather and uncle provide gifts and an escort, Bharata departs with Śatrughna
- [65. Bharata reaches Ayodhyā](/text/2/65.md) — He hastens ahead of his company, finds the city silent and neglected and enters his father’s residence in alarm

### 66–69 · Bharata rejects the Kingdom
- [66. Kaikeyī’s disclosure](/text/2/66.md) — Bharata learns that Daśaratha died calling for the exiles, Kaikeyī admits arranging Rāma’s banishment and urges him to claim the throne
- [67. Bharata rejects Kaikeyī’s scheme](/text/2/67.md) — He condemns the loss of his father and elder brother, refuses the Kingdom and promises to bring Rāma back
- [68. Surabhi’s tears and Bharata’s vow](/text/2/68.md) — He compares Kausalyā’s sorrow to Surabhi’s grief for her exhausted oxen and offers to replace Rāma in exile
- [69. Kausalyā accepts Bharata’s innocence](/text/2/69.md) — Suspected of seeking the Kingdom, Bharata invokes curses on anyone who approved the exile and wins her trust

### 70–72 · Daśaratha’s funeral and Mantharā’s punishment
- [70. Daśaratha’s cremation](/text/2/70.md) — 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
- [71. Daśaratha’s remaining rites](/text/2/71.md) — Bharata performs śrāddha and distributes gifts, the brothers grieve over the ashes and bones, Vasiṣṭha & Sumantra help them complete their duties
- [72. Bharata stops Mantharā’s punishment](/text/2/72.md) — Śatrughna drags her across the floor, Bharata orders her release to avoid Rāma’s condemnation

### 73–77 · The expedition to bring Rāma back
- [73. Bharata’s plan to restore Rāma](/text/2/73.md) — He refuses the prepared abhiṣeka, orders its materials taken to the forest and commissions a road for the expedition
- [74. Construction of Bharata’s route](/text/2/74.md) — Workers clear and level the ground, plant trees, dig wells and build supplied, defended camps along the road to the Gaṅgā
- [75. Bharata refuses royal honours](/text/2/75.md) — He stops the morning music proclaiming him King, Vasiṣṭha calls the ministers, priests, commanders and guild representatives to assemble
- [76. Bharata’s declaration to the assembly](/text/2/76.md) — He rejects the throne offered by Vasiṣṭha, declares Rāma the rightful ruler and orders Sumantra to prepare the expedition
- [77. Bharata’s march to the Gaṅgā](/text/2/77.md) — The Queens, army, priests, craftspeople and townspeople accompany him, the company camps before the river crossing

### 78–83 · Guha and the Gaṅgā crossing
- [78. Guha prepares to resist Bharata](/text/2/78.md) — Seeing the army, he readies five hundred armed boats to protect Rāma and approaches Bharata to learn his intentions
- [79. Guha accepts Bharata’s purpose](/text/2/79.md) — Bharata denies seeking Rāma’s death and asks the way to Bharadvāja, Guha offers guides and praises his refusal of the Kingdom
- [80. Guha recounts Lakṣmaṇa’s vigil](/text/2/80.md) — Lakṣmaṇa refused sleep and feared for their parents, then crossed the Gaṅgā with Rāma & Sītā at dawn
- [81. Rāma and Sītā’s grass bed](/text/2/81.md) — Guha shows Bharata where they slept after taking only water, while Lakṣmaṇa and the Niṣādas kept watch
- [82. Bharata examines the grass bed](/text/2/82.md) — Traces of Sītā’s gold and silk reveal where she slept, he vows to adopt forest life and offer himself in Rāma’s place
- [83. Guha ferries Bharata’s company](/text/2/83.md) — Five hundred boats carry people, vehicles and provisions across the Gaṅgā, the army halts as Bharata approaches Bharadvāja

### 84–86 · Bharadvāja’s welcome and guidance
- [84. Bharadvāja questions Bharata](/text/2/84.md) — Bharata leaves his army and weapons behind, denies seeking to eliminate his brothers and is invited to stay before continuing
- [85. Bharadvāja’s divine feast](/text/2/85.md) — Invoked devatās provide the army with food, drink and comforts, Bharata honours Rāma’s throne and sits as a minister
- [86. Bharadvāja directs Bharata to Citrakūṭa](/text/2/86.md) — The Mandākinī and leaf hut identify Rāma’s home, Bharata introduces the Queens and is urged not to blame Kaikeyī

### 87–92 · Bharata approaches Citrakūṭa
- [87. Bharata locates Citrakūṭa](/text/2/87.md) — The marching army disturbs the forest, scouts report smoke and Bharata halts the main force to approach the dwelling
- [88. Rāma shows Sītā Citrakūṭa](/text/2/88.md) — Mineral-coloured peaks, fruit trees and waterfalls relieve his grief, forest life fulfils his father’s command while Bharata rules
- [89. Rāma invites Sītā into the Mandākinī](/text/2/89.md) — He urges her to bathe and regard the mountain as Ayodhyā, the river as Sarayū and its animals as citizens
- [90. Lakṣmaṇa suspects Bharata’s army](/text/2/90.md) — He recognizes the banner, assumes an attack and urges Rāma to extinguish the fire, hide Sītā and prepare to fight
- [91. Rāma restrains Lakṣmaṇa](/text/2/91.md) — He rejects suspicion of Bharata and shames his brother’s anger, Bharata spreads the camp around the mountain to avoid crowding the hermitage
- [92. Bharata searches for Rāma’s hut](/text/2/92.md) — Search parties enter the forest, smoke guides Bharata forward and he keeps the larger company back while approaching with Guha

### 93–96 · The reunion and mourning for Daśaratha
- [93. Bharata finds Rāma](/text/2/93.md) — Bark markers and smoke lead him to the hut, he falls before his brother in tapasvin dress, Rāma embraces him & Śatrughna
- [94. Rāma questions Bharata’s governance](/text/2/94.md) — He asks after the family, advisers, spies, troop provisions, water, revenue and impartial justice, still unaware of Daśaratha’s death
- [95. Rāma’s offerings for Daśaratha](/text/2/95.md) — Hearing of his death, Rāma collapses, then offers Mandākinī water and iṅgudī paste with jujube as his own forest fare
- [96. The mothers reach Rāma’s hut](/text/2/96.md) — Kausalyā grieves over Daśaratha’s humble offering, the mothers greet Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa & Sītā and the assembly gathers

### 97–103 · The dispute over Kingship and duty
- [97. Bharata offers Rāma the Kingdom](/text/2/97.md) — Rāma absolves him of blame but insists that both brothers honour their father’s division between Kingdom and forest
- [98. Bharata’s appeal and Rāma’s answer](/text/2/98.md) — Bharata asks him to restore the Kingdom, Rāma teaches the inevitability of loss, separation and death
- [99. Rāma explains Daśaratha’s obligations](/text/2/99.md) — The marriage pledge and wartime boons bind the succession, Bharata & Śatrughna must govern while Rāma & Lakṣmaṇa remain in the forest
- [100. Jābāli challenges the exile](/text/2/100.md) — He questions permanent family ties, offerings to the dead and belief in the unseen, urging Rāma to accept the available Kingdom
- [101. Rāma rejects Jābāli’s advice](/text/2/101.md) — A ruler’s actions guide his subjects, truth sustains trust and no worldly gain justifies breaking his father’s promise
- [102. Vasiṣṭha recounts the royal lineage](/text/2/102.md) — He traces the dynasty from creation through Ikṣvāku and Sagara, invoking its tradition of eldest succession
- [103. Bharata attempts a fast](/text/2/103.md) — He spreads grass and refuses to leave, then offers to serve the exile himself, Rāma rejects substitution and promises to rule after fourteen years

### 104–107 · Rāma’s sandals and rule at Nandigrāma
- [104. Bharata receives Rāma’s sandals](/text/2/104.md) — Rāma steps into the gold-adorned sandals and returns them, Bharata circles him and prepares to depart
- [105. Bharata carries the sandals home](/text/2/105.md) — The company circles Citrakūṭa, Bharata reports Rāma’s decision to Bharadvāja and recrosses the Yamunā & Gaṅgā toward Ayodhyā
- [106. Bharata returns without Rāma](/text/2/106.md) — Ayodhyā resembles an extinguished fire and deserted altar, he laments its emptiness and reaches Daśaratha’s residence
- [107. Bharata establishes rule at Nandigrāma](/text/2/107.md) — He places Rāma’s sandals on the throne, governs in their name and wears bark and matted hair while awaiting Rāma’s return

### 108–111 · Leaving Citrakūṭa for Atri’s hermitage
- [108. The ṛṣis leave Citrakūṭa](/text/2/108.md) — Rākṣasas assault the tapasvins and disrupt their rites, the community departs for another hermitage despite Rāma’s appeal to remain
- [109. Rāma leaves Citrakūṭa for Atri](/text/2/109.md) — 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
- [110. Anasūyā’s gifts and Sītā’s story](/text/2/110.md) — Sītā receives clothing, ornaments and unfading cosmetic, then recounts her earth-birth, the bow and marriage
- [111. Departure from Atri’s hermitage](/text/2/111.md) — Sītā wears Anasūyā’s gifts, Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa receive warnings of rākṣasas and take the forest path

## 3. Araṇya Kāṇḍa

### 1–3 · Entering Daṇḍaka and defeating Virādha
- [1. Daṇḍaka’s tapasvins seek protection](/text/3/1.md) — They welcome Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and claim the King’s protection as subjects who have renounced force
- [2. Virādha’s attack](/text/3/2.md) — The weapon-bearing man-eater seizes Sītā and claims her as his wife, Lakṣmaṇa steadies Rāma and vows to kill him
- [3. Virādha’s defeat and release](/text/3/3.md) — The brothers break his arms, he reveals himself as the cursed Tumburu, directs them to Śarabhaṅga and asks for burial

### 4–7 · The forest ṛṣis seek protection
- [4. Śarabhaṅga’s ascent through fire](/text/3/4.md) — Indra departs before meeting Rāma, the ṛṣi receives him and rises young from the flames to Brahmā’s world
- [5. The ṛṣis appeal for protection](/text/3/5.md) — Tapasvins display the victims of rākṣasa attacks, Rāma promises to defend them and gives his exile a purpose
- [6. Sutīkṣṇa’s hospitality](/text/3/6.md) — The ṛṣi offers heavenly worlds and a forest home, Rāma declines a long stay because hunting the resident deer would distress his host
- [7. Departure from Sutīkṣṇa](/text/3/7.md) — Rāma obtains leave to visit other hermitages and promises to return, Sītā hands the brothers their weapons

### 8–9 · Sītā and Rāma debate the use of force
- [8. Story of the tapasvin’s sword](/text/3/8.md) — Sītā describes how guarding Indra’s weapon corrupted a peaceful ṛṣi and warns Rāma against violence without enmity
- [9. Rāma’s promise to the ṛṣis](/text/3/9.md) — He explains their refusal to spend tapasvin power on curses and declares that protecting them binds him more strongly than his own life

### 10–14 · Ten years in the forest and settlement at Pañcavaṭī
- [10. Ten years among the hermitages](/text/3/10.md) — Māṇḍakarṇi’s lake music is explained, years of visits lead toward Agastya, Rāma recounts his digestion of Vātāpi
- [11. Agastya’s gifts of weapons](/text/3/11.md) — He gives Rāma Viṣṇu’s bow, Brahmā’s arrow, Indra’s inexhaustible quivers and a gold-adorned sword
- [12. Agastya’s directions](/text/3/12.md) — Rāma asks for a wooded home near water, Agastya recommends food-rich Pañcavaṭī beside the Godāvarī and describes the route
- [13. Jaṭāyu’s offer](/text/3/13.md) — Daśaratha’s vulture friend recounts the ancestry of Devas, animals and humankind, identifies his own lineage and offers to guard Sītā
- [14. Lakṣmaṇa builds the Pañcavaṭī hut](/text/3/14.md) — He bathes in the Godāvarī and performs puṣpabali and śānti, Rāma embraces him and recalls Daśaratha’s care

### 15 · The winter bath at Pañcavaṭī
- [15. Rāma’s winter bath in the Godāvarī](/text/3/15.md) — Lakṣmaṇa describes cold water and imagines Bharata’s Sarayū bath, Rāma bathes with Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and offers water

### 16–20 · Śūrpaṇakhā and the first retaliation
- [16. Śūrpaṇakhā’s proposal](/text/3/16.md) — Rāvaṇa’s sister asks Rāma to marry her and threatens to eat Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa so they can roam the forest together
- [17. Śūrpaṇakhā attacks Sītā](/text/3/17.md) — The brothers’ teasing turns to danger, Rāma orders her disfigurement, Lakṣmaṇa cuts off her ears and nose and she flees
- [18. Khara sends fourteen rākṣasas](/text/3/18.md) — Śūrpaṇakhā demands the blood of Rāma, Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa and leads Khara’s warriors to their hermitage
- [19. Rāma kills the fourteen](/text/3/19.md) — He offers withdrawal, cuts down their fourteen spears with one volley and kills them with fourteen further arrows
- [20. Śūrpaṇakhā challenges Khara](/text/3/20.md) — She reports the fourteen deaths, threatens to die and tells him to fight Rāma or abandon Janasthāna

### 21–29 · Khara’s march and the battle at Janasthāna
- [21. Khara’s army mobilizes](/text/3/21.md) — Dūṣaṇa assembles fourteen thousand rākṣasas, Khara mounts his chariot and the armed force marches from Janasthāna
- [22. Omens on Khara’s march](/text/3/22.md) — Blood-coloured rain, darkness and bodily tremors warn of disaster, Khara dismisses them and advances with his leading warriors
- [23. Rāma prepares to fight alone](/text/3/23.md) — He reads the omens as signs of victory, sends Sītā & Lakṣmaṇa into a mountain cave and faces the fourteen thousand
- [24. Battle at Janasthāna](/text/3/24.md) — The army surrounds and wounds Rāma, his arrows drive it back and Dūṣaṇa rallies the survivors to attack with trees and rocks
- [25. Dūṣaṇa’s death](/text/3/25.md) — Rāma severs his arms, kills three commanders and destroys the troops, leaving Khara & Triśiras as the principal opponents
- [26. Triśiras loses his three heads](/text/3/26.md) — He takes Khara’s place in battle, Rāma wrecks his chariot and severs his heads, Khara advances himself
- [27. Rāma takes up Viṣṇu’s bow](/text/3/27.md) — Khara breaks his bow and shoots away his armour, Rāma uses Agastya’s gift to destroy Khara’s chariot and bow
- [28. Khara’s mace destroyed](/text/3/28.md) — Rāma condemns his attacks on the ṛṣis, Khara throws a blazing mace and Rāma shatters it with arrows
- [29. Rāma kills Khara with Indra’s arrow](/text/3/29.md) — He shatters Khara’s thrown tree, kills him and hears the ṛṣis’ plan, Sītā returns to embrace him

### 30–33 · Śūrpaṇakhā turns Rāvaṇa toward Sītā
- [30. Śūrpaṇakhā reaches Rāvaṇa’s court](/text/3/30.md) — The narrative recalls his conquests, tapas and protection from nonhuman enemies, leaving him vulnerable to a human
- [31. Śūrpaṇakhā rebukes Rāvaṇa](/text/3/31.md) — She exposes his ignorance of Janasthāna’s destruction and warns that pleasure, failed intelligence and neglect will cost him his Kingdom
- [32. Śūrpaṇakhā describes Sītā](/text/3/32.md) — She recounts Rāma’s victory, praises Sītā’s beauty and urges Rāvaṇa to kill the brothers and take her as his wife
- [33. Rāvaṇa’s flight and Garuḍa’s story](/text/3/33.md) — He passes the banyan of Garuḍa’s broken branch and amṛta quest, then reaches Mārīca’s hermitage

### 34–39 · The abduction plan and Mārīca’s warnings
- [34. Rāvaṇa’s abduction plan](/text/3/34.md) — Mārīca must become a golden deer to lure the brothers away, leaving Sītā unguarded and Rāma vulnerable to grief
- [35. Mārīca’s warning](/text/3/35.md) — He corrects Rāvaṇa’s account of Rāma’s exile, praises Rāma’s character and urges consultation before a plan that could destroy Laṅkā
- [36. Mārīca’s story of his first defeat](/text/3/36.md) — He recalls attacking Viśvāmitra’s sacrifice and being hurled a hundred yojanas into the sea by the young Rāma’s arrow
- [37. Mārīca’s second defeat and terror](/text/3/37.md) — His deer-form attack costs two companions, he abandons violence but still sees and fears Rāma everywhere
- [38. Rāvaṇa compels Mārīca](/text/3/38.md) — He rejects unwelcome advice, offers half his Kingdom for help and threatens immediate death if Mārīca refuses the deer disguise
- [39. Mārīca’s final warning](/text/3/39.md) — He condemns advisers who fail to restrain a destructive ruler and predicts that the abduction will kill them both and ruin Laṅkā

### 40–43 · The golden deer separates Rāma and Sītā
- [40. The golden deer appears](/text/3/40.md) — Mārīca yields to Rāvaṇa, travels to the hermitage and assumes a jewelled deer’s form that attracts Sītā while frightening the real deer
- [41. Rāma pursues the deer](/text/3/41.md) — Lakṣmaṇa suspects Mārīca, Sītā asks for the living animal or its hide and Rāma leaves Lakṣmaṇa to guard her
- [42. Mārīca’s false cry](/text/3/42.md) — Mortally wounded, he calls in Rāma’s voice, Rāma fears for Sītā and takes another deer’s meat before hurrying back
- [43. Lakṣmaṇa leaves Sītā](/text/3/43.md) — He identifies the cry as deception, but her accusations overcome his resolve to stay and he departs toward Rāma

### 44–47 · Rāvaṇa’s disguise and Sītā’s abduction
- [44. Rāvaṇa’s parivrājaka disguise](/text/3/44.md) — He approaches Sītā with Vedic words and praise of her beauty, she receives him as a brāhmaṇa guest
- [45. Rāvaṇa reveals his identity](/text/3/45.md) — Sītā recounts her marriage and exile, he offers Queenship in Laṅkā and she rejects him with warnings of destruction
- [46. Rāvaṇa boasts of his power](/text/3/46.md) — He recounts defeating Kubera and seizing Puṣpaka, offers Laṅkā’s pleasures and is rebuked by Sītā for disgracing his lineage
- [47. Sītā’s abduction](/text/3/47.md) — Rāvaṇa reveals his ten-faced form and lifts her into his flying chariot, she calls on the forest, river and Jaṭāyu to inform Rāma

### 48–50 · Jaṭāyu’s resistance and Rāvaṇa’s escape
- [48. Jaṭāyu confronts Rāvaṇa](/text/3/48.md) — The aged vulture condemns the abduction, demands Sītā’s release and challenges the armed ruler despite his own disadvantage
- [49. Jaṭāyu’s battle and fall](/text/3/49.md) — He wrecks Rāvaṇa’s chariot and renews the attack, Rāvaṇa cuts his wings, feet and flanks, Sītā embraces him
- [50. Rāvaṇa seizes Sītā again](/text/3/50.md) — He tears her from the trees and resumes the flight, flowers and ornaments fall while the landscape shares her distress

### 51–54 · Sītā’s resistance and confinement in Laṅkā
- [51. Sītā condemns the deception](/text/3/51.md) — She connects the golden deer with her abduction, challenges Rāvaṇa to face the brothers and warns him to release her
- [52. Sītā drops her ornaments](/text/3/52.md) — She drops her silk and ornaments among five monkeys, Rāvaṇa confines her in Laṅkā and sends agents to Janasthāna
- [53. Rāvaṇa’s offer to Sītā](/text/3/53.md) — He displays his palace, promises wealth and authority over his wives, claims rescue is impossible and bows at her feet
- [54. Rāvaṇa’s deadline and threat](/text/3/54.md) — Sītā refuses him, he gives her twelve months to submit or be killed for his meal, then sends her to the aśoka grove

### 55–59 · The empty hut and the search for Sītā
- [55. Rāma meets Lakṣmaṇa](/text/3/55.md) — Omens and the false cry make him fear a plot against Sītā, he reproaches Lakṣmaṇa for leaving her alone
- [56. Return to the empty hut](/text/3/56.md) — Rāma imagines Sītā’s loss and its consequences, hurries back with Lakṣmaṇa and finds their dwelling deserted
- [57. Lakṣmaṇa explains his departure](/text/3/57.md) — He recounts Sītā’s accusations after the false cry, Rāma insists that her harsh words should not have overridden his order
- [58. Rāma searches for Sītā](/text/3/58.md) — He finds the hut disordered, questions trees and animals and imagines her yellow clothing among the woods
- [59. Lakṣmaṇa renews the search](/text/3/59.md) — He urges Rāma to inspect caves, rivers and groves before assuming Sītā’s death, their fruitless search returns Rāma to grief

### 60–62 · The battle’s traces and Rāma’s anger
- [60. Traces of Sītā’s abduction](/text/3/60.md) — Flowers, footprints, blood and chariot wreckage suggest a struggle, Rāma’s uncertainty turns to threats against the whole world
- [61. Lakṣmaṇa restrains Rāma’s anger](/text/3/61.md) — He rejects destroying the world for one offender and urges a search and persuasion before resorting to force
- [62. Lakṣmaṇa recalls Rāma’s own teaching](/text/3/62.md) — Even the great suffer loss, judgment and effort must survive grief so that the enemy can be found and defeated

### 63–64 · Jaṭāyu’s report and funeral
- [63. Discovery of the wounded Jaṭāyu](/text/3/63.md) — Rāma mistakes him for Sītā’s killer, Jaṭāyu names Rāvaṇa and explains the wreckage, the brothers embrace him
- [64. Rāma performs Jaṭāyu’s funeral](/text/3/64.md) — Jaṭāyu reports the southward flight and dies, Rāma cremates him as kin, offers deer meat and gives water in the Godāvarī

### 65–69 · Kabandha and the proposed alliance
- [65. Kabandha’s grasp](/text/3/65.md) — A headless being with a chest-eye, belly-mouth and two long arms seizes both brothers as they search the forest
- [66. Kabandha’s arms severed](/text/3/66.md) — Lakṣmaṇa proposes cutting their captor’s arms, the brothers strike together and Kabandha recognizes the foretold means of his release
- [67. Story of Kabandha](/text/3/67.md) — 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
- [68. Kabandha advises friendship with Sugrīva](/text/3/68.md) — Restored by cremation, he urges a pledge before fire and explains how the two can help each other
- [69. Kabandha’s directions to Pampā](/text/3/69.md) — He describes food and cool water, Śabarī’s hermitage and unfading flowers, then Sugrīva’s refuge on Ṛṣyamūka

### 70–71 · Śabarī and the approach to Pampā
- [70. Śabarī’s welcome and ascent](/text/3/70.md) — She shows the seven seas gathered for her teachers’ bath, receives Rāma’s permission and enters fire to rejoin them
- [71. Rāma enters Pampā’s waters](/text/3/71.md) — The sacred rites renew his hope, the lake revives his longing for Sītā and he resolves to seek Sugrīva