All the people of Ayodhya lived in joy, their hearts ever devoted to Rama. Yet, after some days, a cruel rumor arose from ignoble lips—a slanderous, disfiguring word that cast a shadow over the queen. Though the accusation against Sita was false and heavy, Rama, not born of a womb, felt compelled to act. For noble families, even false reproach is intolerable, and so, with a heavy heart, Rama abandoned Sita. Lakshmana, following the command of elders—an order that could not be transgressed—took Sita, innocent and weeping, to the hermitage of the foremost sage, Valmiki. Lakshmana himself wept as he left her there, acting out of fear and duty. Time passed, and then Rama, together with Saumitri (Lakshmana), was initiated for the great horse sacrifice. At that sacred event, two illustrious sons of Rama appeared. Lava and Kusha, renowned for their melodious voices and wisdom like the singing sage Narada, sang the entire Ramayana, enchanting all with their Gandharva-like music. These royal sons, singing of all Rama’s deeds, approached the sacrificial ground, their virtues shining forth. They were recognized as the heroic sons of Vaidehi, Sita, and were brought before Rama. In due order, the sons were consecrated. Rama took his sons onto his lap, embracing them again and again. For those weighed down by the sorrows of existence, the embrace of one’s children brings the highest peace. Rama, afflicted by separation, found solace in caressing and kissing his sons, holding them close repeatedly. Yet, as he sat lost in thought, sighing often, the Rakshasas dwelling in Lanka arrived. Sugriva, Hanuman, Angada, Jambavan, and all the other Vanaras, led by Vibhishana, came to see Rama. They approached the king seated upon his throne, but not seeing Sita, Hanuman and Angada, adorned with golden armlets, were perplexed. They asked, “Where has Mother Sita, born from the earth, gone? Only Rama is here.” The gatekeepers replied, “She has been abandoned by Rama.” As the guardians of the worlds looked on and Sita’s name was spoken, Sita herself entered the fire for purification. Yet, Rama remained unrestrained in his sorrow. Because of the words spoken among the people, Rama had abandoned his beloved. The Vanaras and Rakshasas, grieved, resolved, “Let us die,” and returned again to the banks of the Gautami. Rama, together with the citizens of Ayodhya, journeyed to the Gautami as well. There, they engaged in supreme austerity, remembering Sita again and again, sighing, longing for the mother of the world. They renounced all worldly attachments, eager to serve Gautami. Rama, lord of the three worlds, arrived with his brother. After bathing in the sacred Gautami, he devoted himself to the worship of Shiva. Surrounded by thousands, Rama cast off all sorrow. The place where these events occurred became known as Sahasrakunda, the “Thousand Pools.” There are ten other holy places nearby, all bestowing every desired result. Bathing and giving gifts there yield a thousandfold reward. On the bank of the sacred Gautami, the great sages, beginning with Vasistha, performed a sacrifice that destroys all sin and rescues from calamity. In the thousand pools, by the grace of the earth, that great ascetic obtained all he desired. By the favor of the river Gautami, destroyer of Rakshasas, Sahasrakunda became a place of great merit. There is a holy place called Kapila Tirtha, also remembered as Angirasa, Aditya, and Saiṃhikeyam. On the southern bank of the Gautami, Angiras performed sacrifices to the Adityas, and in return, they gave him the southern land as a gift. The Adityas then departed for austerity, but the land, now called Saiṃhikī, began to devour all who dwelled there. Frightened, the people reported this to Angiras, who realized by his wisdom that the land was Saiṃhikī. The Angirases followed the Adityas and said, “Let them take back the land that was given.” But the Adityas replied, “No.” The wise do not accept as a gift land once given, whether by oneself or another. Whoever seizes such land, whether self-given or given by another, is born as a worm in filth for sixty thousand years. There is no greater sin than this. Therefore, the Adityas refused to take back the land, saying that even accepting land once given is a terrible sin. However, they agreed to accept the land in exchange for a purchase. Thus, the gods gave a Kapila cow of auspicious marks on the southern bank of the Ganga, at the very place of the land. There, Vishnu himself stands in embodied form, granting both worldly enjoyment and liberation. The confluence with the Kapila cow destroys all sin. From the water of this gift, a river arose, called Kapila. Even from fertile earth, the gift of a cow is considered supreme. The sage, having made this exchange, accomplished the protection of the world. At the site of these events, the place is called Gotirtha, where a hundred holy places of merit are said to exist. Bathing and giving gifts there brings the fruit of giving land. This confluence with the Ganga is known as the Kapila confluence. There is also a holy place called Shankhahraḍa, where the bearer of the conch and mace, Vishnu, resides. Bathing there and beholding him frees one from the bonds of worldly existence. There, in the beginning of the Krita Yuga, the singers of the Sama Veda sang for Brahma—an event that bestows both enjoyment and liberation.