In that sacred land, the waters are graced by the elegant presence of swans, cranes, chakravaka ducks, and many other splendid birds, filling the air with beauty and serenity. To bathe in these holy waters brings immense merit, pure joy, and deep delight; such an act pleases the ancestors and wins the favor of all the deities. After this sacred bath, it is right to offer gold and food to a worthy twice-born person, thus completing the ritual with generosity. Journeying westward from there, one finds the excellent Jatakunda, renowned above all other holy reservoirs. In these earlier sacred pools, it is Bharata, the fortunate brother, who should be worshipped. Especially on the fourteenth day of the dark half of the month of Chaitra, pilgrims gather annually to honor him. According to the highest ordinances, worship is then offered to Rama and Sita, and afterwards to Lakshmana at the sacred Bharata-kunda. O Brahmin, at this place, one should also worship Ajita; such devotion assures success. A great festival is held here, resounding with singing and the music of instruments, filling the atmosphere with joy and reverence. To the north of this spot, O wise one, lies an auspicious sign of the hero. After bathing in the lake, it is fitting to remain there, for the heroic protector of Ayodhya grants fulfillment of all desires and aims to those who seek his grace. By offering fragrances, flowers, incense, and food with proper rites, whatever wish a devotee holds in his heart is surely fulfilled. To the south, there abides the Rakshasi named Surasa. Worshipping her with devotion, a person attains all that he desires, for she was brought here from Lanka by Rama himself, the doer of great deeds. After honoring her with proper rituals, one should behold her with respect, making every effort to do so, accompanied by the festive sounds of singing and musical instruments. On the third day of Navaratri, her annual procession takes place, enchanting all with songs, music, and dance. When these observances are performed, there is no doubt that the devotee will always be protected. Further west, O great sage, lies another most excellent place, to be worshipped with care using fragrances, flowers, rice grains, and similar offerings. By the power of worshipping here, success comes readily to men. After bathing in the sacred waters of the Sarayu, one should worship Pindaraka, whose procession is celebrated with flowers during the Navaratri festival. Merely seeing him removes even the slightest obstacle from a person’s path. From this place in the northeast, the birth of Rama is celebrated with great joy. To the east of Vighneshvara and to the north of Vasishtha, these auspicious sites are found. Beholding these places grants victory over the cycle of birth, freeing one from the state of dwelling in the womb. When the ninth day arrives, those who observe the sacred vow— even those who give a thousand tawny cows each day— attain the fruits of great merit. The rewards gained by men and ascetics who dwell in hermitages, or by seeing a person devoted to discipline, especially at his birthplace, are immense. Indeed, simply beholding the land of one’s birth bestows the same fruit. The merit acquired by dwelling in Kāśī for thousands of aeons, by performing ancestral rites at Gayā and beholding the Supreme Person, by living in Mathurā for a single age, or by residing at Puṣkara and Prayāga in the holy months of Māgha or Kārttika, or by dwelling in Avantī for countless aeons, or even by bathing in the Bhāgīrathī for sixty thousand years— all these great merits are equaled, and even surpassed, by contemplating Rama for a moment, or even half a moment. Whoever, wherever he may be, remembers Ayodhyā in his heart, attains all these blessings and more, for such is the supreme sanctity and grace of this sacred land and its divine stories.