While Bharata was narrating to his friends the dream seen by him the previous night, the messengers from Ayodhyā arrive in his presence and, bowing low to Bharata, communicate to him the orders of Sage Vasistha. Having heard of the welfare of all from the mouth of the messengers, the prince takes leave of his maternal grandfather and others and departs for Ayodhyā.
Finding Bharata oppressed and sad, his friends try to beguile him by means of music and narration of stories. But when the prince does not return to his normal mood even then, they inquire of him as to what makes him pensive and Bharata tells them how he saw a bad dream the previous night.
With the concurrence of Mārkandeya and other sages, Vasistha despatches messengers to call back Bharata and Śatrughna from their maternal grandfatherís. They leave forthwith for the capital of Kekaya and quickly enter that city.
Attributing the rise and fall of a kingdom to the presence and disappearance of its ruler, Mārkandeya and other great sages, who attended the kingís court the following day, urge Vasistha to install any of the princes on the throne immediately.
Resting the head of the lifeless monarch in her own lap and severely reproaching Kaikeyī, Kausalyā grievously mourns for Śrī Rāma and other exiles. Holding back Kausalyā - who was lamenting with her arms placed round her deceased husbandís bosomó and consigning the Emperor’s dead body to a trough filled with oil, the ministers and other functionaries return each to his own abode in the evening.
When the Emperor did not wake up even though roused by means of panegyrics sung by bards, accompanied by musical instruments played upon for the same purpose, the ladies of the gynaeceum conclude by other means that the king is dead; and soon after commences the loud wail of Kausalyā, Sumitrā and other queens.
Daśaratha continues to tell Kausalyā how, having sought the presence of the aged parents of the deceased, he apprised them of the sad incident and escorted them to the river bank, where their son lay dead; how, clasping the boy to their bosom, they both piteously wailed and offered libations of water to his spirit for its benefit; how, invested with an ethereal body, the spirit ascended to heaven while consoling the aged couple and finally how, having cursed the king that he too would meet his death in his agony of separation from his son, the ascetic couple gave up the ghost and attained the Supreme. Having thus related the story of his imprecation and loudly lamenting, the Emperor breathes his last with the thought of Śrī Rāma foremost in his mind.
Waking from sleep after a while and recalling his sinful deed, which spelt death to him, Daśaratha proceeds to tell Kausalyā how, while he was Prince Regent of Ayodhyā, he went out a-hunting in the forest one day and heard during the last watch of the night the sound of a hermit boy filling his pitcher with water by submerging into Sarayū river. Mistaking the gurgling sound for the trumpeting of an elephant, Daśaratha hit the boy with an arrow, which dug deep into his body and mortally wounded him. On approaching his quarry he discovered the fatal blunder and tendered his heartfelt apology to the hermit boy, who asked him to extract the arrow from his body and report the matter to his aged parents. The boy died immediately the arrow was taken out of his body.
When reproached in harsh words by Kausalyā, though already feeling disconsolate through separation from his sons and daughter-in-law, Daśaratha falls into a swoon recalling his past sin in the form of killing a hermit boy, which was responsible for his present misfortune. On waking from his swoon he tries with folded hands to conciliate Kausalyā and on the latter reciprocating his sentiments, the Emperor is lulled into a nap.
Apprehending danger to the king from his inability to bear the grief caused by separation from Śrī Rāma, Kausalyā, though foremost among devoted wives, twits Daśaratha.
Sumantra does not succeed in soothing the agony of Kausalyā, who tossed about on the floor due to excess of grief over her separation from Śrī Rāma, even though he consoles her by telling her that Śrī Rāma, being resolute and high-minded, was living in the forest free from agony.
To satisfy the Emperor's curiosity, Sumantra tells him further of Śrī Rāma’s departure for the forest, and also apprises him of the pitiable condition of the animate as well as of the inanimate creation in his realm as also of his capital consequent on Śrī Rāma’s exile. Hearing of the woeful tale, Daśaratha raves like a madman in many ways in the presence of the charioteer-minister.
Bewailing the lot of Śrī Rāma, Sītā and Laksmana, who did not in anyway deserve the hardships they were undergoing in the forest, the Emperor urges Sumantra to deliver their parting message and the charioteer proceeds to tell him what they said.
Having been told of Śrī Rāma’s departure for Citrakūta by the spies of Guha and taking leave of the latter, Sumantra drives back to Ayodhyā. Entering the royal gynaeceum, he submits to the Emperor what he reported earlier to the citizens who followed his chariot. Daśaratha and Kausalyā fall into a swoon to hear about Śrī Rāma’s departure for Citrakūta and all the inmates of the gynaeceum burst into a wail from agony.
Moving further next morning and rejoicing on the way to see the loveliness of the forest, the party reaches Citrakūta and enters the hermitage of Vālmiki. Making up his mind to sojourn there with the permission of the sage, Śrī Rāma gets Laksmana to erect a hut of leaves for themselves and, worshipping the deities presiding over the structure, they solemnly enter their abode at a propitious hour.
Sage Bharadwāja tells Śrī Rāma and Laksmana, even as they set out on their journey to Citrakūta, the route by which they should proceed. Accompanied by Sītā, Śrī Rāma and Laksmana cross the Yamunā on a raft prepared by themselves. In the evening they halt on the bank of the Yamunā alongwith Sītā, who is rejoiced to get fruits and blossoms of her liking.
Set out on his journey for the Dandaka forest with Sītā and Laksmana, Śrī Rāma reaches at dusk the hermitage of Sage Bharadwāja in the vicinity of the confluence of the holy Gangā and Yamunā rivers. Paying due honours to Śrī Rāma and his party, the sage recommends Citrakūta as the fittest place for him to sojourn in. Spending the night in discourses on various topics with him, the sage grants him leave early next morning to depart for Citrakūta.
Apprehending trouble for Kausalyå and others at the hands of Kaikeyī, Śrī Rāma, who was seated at the foot of a banyan tree and was a past master in the art of persuasion, persuades Laksmana to the best of his ability to return to Ayodhyā. Laksmana, however, pleads inability to survive in his absence and does not budge an inch from his resolution to stay with his eldest brother. Śrī Rāma, therefore, yields and sets his seal to his continuing with him during his exile.
While about to step into the boat brought by Guha’s men and asked by Guha if he could be of any further use to the prince, Śrī Rāma enjoins him to obey the Emperor. Importuned by Sumantra to take him as a personal attendant to the forest, the prince declines his loving offer and, expostulating with him, sends him back to Ayodhyā. Entangling their locks into a thick mass with the milk of a banyan tree, procured by Guha, Śrī Rāma and Laksmana with Sītā get into the boat. On reaching the middle of the stream, Sītā offers prayers to Mother Gangā (the deity presiding over the stream) and after crossing the river all the three halt for the night at the foot of a tree.
Expressing his readiness to guard the Crown prince and his consort, keeping awake the whole night, Guha importunes Laksmana to repose. Reminding Guha of Śrī Rāma’s greatness, Laksmana, however, tells him that even though the duty of guarding his princely brother and his consort could as well be entrusted to Guha, he felt that he did not deserve to lie down in the presence of his elder brother and sister-in-law and preferred to remain awake. Expressing grief for his royal father and loving mothers he therefore spends the night talking with Guha.