July 27 - Sarga 119 of Ayodhya Kanda and sarga 1 of Aranya Kanda.
Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Sita enter the Dandakaranya forest. This is the densest forest region of India and will turn out to be the theatre of action for Sri Rama, creating a chain of events.
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व्यक्ताक्षरमिदं चित्रं भाषितं मधुरं त्वया ।
यथा स्वयंवरं वृ्त्तं तत् सर्वं च श्रुतं मया ॥
रमेयं कथया ते तु दृढं मधुरभाषिणी ।
रविरस्तं गतः श्रीमानुपोह्य रजनीं शुभाम् ॥
Sati Anasuya warmly embraces Sita and kisses her head. Anasuya responds to Sita's narrative of the Swayamvara: "Dear Sita, you have painted a lovely picture in front of my eyes of the Swayamvara as it happened, with your lovely narrative. I had heard it before but wanted to hear it from you. I immensely enjoyed your account. You are surely gifted with a very sweet voice and style of speech, dear Sita! We didn't notice it so far, but the sun god has set and retired for the auspicious nightfall."
Anasuya describes how the birds have started coming back to their nests full of cheery stories of the day. The ascetics have returned from the river for the evening fire worship. The sacred fires are emitting smoke with red hues and one hears the chanting of auspicious mantras. The ashrama animals are all retiring in their chosen spots around the homa platform.
Anasuya has a final request. The divine ornaments and garments Sita has received from her should be worn in her presence and Sita should go to Rama thus decked up. Sita happily obliges and Anasuya sees a veritable goddess make her way to where Sri Rama is sitting.
Sri Rama and Lakshmana are delighted to behold the godly beauty of Sita in her divine attire and ornaments.
The three rest for the night there and the next morning, after ablutions and prayers, take leave of the ascetics.
All the ascetics say that every part of the forest they move around in is now infested with man-eating demons and blood-thirsty wild animals. One has to be on guard all the time. They all say that Sri Rama has come just in time to give them protection. They point to the path they usually take to gather fruits, roots, and firewood.
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Sri Rama, Sita and Lakshmana enter the Dandaka forest. This forest once belonged to a king. It was once prosperous. By a curse from sage Shukrachaरya, it has been turned into a wild jungle.
After some travel, they arrive near a clump of hermitages of ascetics. The signs of a very active assembly of ascetics invite him. The materials for homa, the ascetics' bark and skin garments, pots of water, firewood, stores of roots and fruits, are seen. The birds and animals are happily residing in the trees and around the ring of hermitages.
The ascetics look radiant like the sun. Sri Rama unfastens the string from the bow as an act of humility and peace and approaches the hermitages.
The sages come out and see the astonishingly delightful sight of the divinely handsome Sri Rama, Lakshmana, and the godly Sita. The three are surely from a different world and have arrived like a godsend. Sri Rama looks like the radiant full moon indeed. Everyone - ascetics, other humans, birds, and animals do not blink lest they lose sight of the threesome even for an instant.
The sages welcome Sri Rama with full honours and auspicious chants. They offer them the choicest forest fare available. Then the sages bow down to Sri Rama and speak:
धर्मपालो जनस्यास्य शरण्यश्च माहायशाः ।
पूजनीयश्च मान्यश्च राजा दण्धधरो गुरुः ॥
राजा तस्माद् वरान् भोगान् रम्यान् भुङ्क्ते नमस्कृतः ।
ते वयं भवता रक्ष्या भवद्विषयवासिनः ॥
न्यस्तदण्डा वयं राजञ्जितक्रोधा जितेन्द्रियाः ।
रक्षणीयास्त्वया शश्वद् गर्भभूतास्तपोधनाः ॥
"Dear Sri Rama, you are the renowned king who upholds Dharma and protects us here who seek refuge. You are therefore worshippable and we revere you as the one holding the sceptre (a sign of royal protection). Indeed you are our guru.
"We, therefore, offer you whatever best we have for hospitality. We also beseech you to protect us who are your subjects.
"King Rama, we are ascetics. We have renounced violence and carry no weapons. We have conquered hate and have regulated our senses. We deserve your protection always like the baby in the womb."
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॥ श्रीरामजयम् ॥
