Sita, having listened carefully to Lakshmana’s words, did just as he had instructed her. After spending the night there, she resolved in her heart that it was time to depart. At that moment, Saumitri—Lakshmana—spoke firmly, saying, “I will not go, by any means. I will not proceed into the forest, nor will I return to Ayodhya. How did you, my brother, once leave Ayodhya together with me? If ever there was a mistake, let it be made for my sake now; lead me also, O Raghava.” Turning to Rama, Lakshmana declared again, “I will not go again to the forest.” But Rama replied, “Do not follow me, Saumitri; I will go alone into the woods.” Lakshmana, his mind troubled and heavy, took up his bow and stood, ready to act. Rama then said, “Turn back, Saumitri, and hand over your bow to me.” Lakshmana, feeling abandoned, asked, “For what reason have I been forsaken? What offense have I committed?” Sita, seeing the tension, turned to Rama and questioned, “For what reason, by you, Lakshmana…?” Rama gently reassured her, “I will not abandon Lakshmana, O lovely-hipped one. It is known that this place has been disturbed before. Here, people do not regard each other, being motivated only by their own interests. The disciple does not heed the teacher’s word, nor does the teacher consider the disciple’s action.” Having spoken thus, Rama, Lakshmana, and Janaki—Sita—set out together. They bathed at Rama’s sacred ford and paid homage to Rameshvara Shiva. Freed from all sins by this act, they attained supreme good fortune. At the sacred place of clarified butter, one should also bathe Shiva with ghee and worship the goddess, the mistress of yoga, revered by both gods and demons. One who bathes at Śaṅkhāvarta becomes free from all sins. On the fourteenth day, bathing in pure water brings liberation. Now, another sacred place, famous throughout the three worlds, is described. In the ancient Tretā Yuga, there lived a brahmin named Sunetra, O Vyāsa. By the curse of Yavakrīta, Sunetra’s own father was slain by him. Seeking purification, the brahmin bathed at the sacred place Kiṃpunaka and then journeyed to the holy Dhārā. There, he wondered, “How has my stream become fallen, or how has my recitation become false?” Bathing again at that sacred place, he heard a divine voice: “You are not afflicted by brahminicide; it has been destroyed by bathing here.” Remaining there, the great lord beheld the city once again. The god of gods, Maheśvara, is worshipped there as Pattaneśvara. A man endowed with devotion, O Vyāsa, should always worship him properly. Such a devotee is taken to the world of Shiva in a vehicle drawn by swans. This place is famed as Durdharṣa, the liberator from the sin of brahminicide. Situated on the riverbank, it is renowned as purified by the Sun. On the seventh or eighth day, or at the time of the solar transition, especially on a Sunday, one should see Maheshvara established on the bank of the Shipra. Having done so, and having uplifted his entire lineage of ancestors and mothers, a devotee should approach Shiva. The merit gained from these acts remains imperishable in the world, enduring as long as the moon and the sun themselves endure.