When the sage Śarabhaṅga ascended to heaven, a great assembly of sages gathered together and approached Rāma of the illustrious Kakutstha lineage, who shone with radiant, blazing energy. Among them were the Vaikhānasa and Vālakhilya sages, the Samprakṣālas, the Marīcipas, many Ashmakuṭṭas, and ascetics who sustained themselves solely on leaves. There were also those who used their teeth as mortars, others who remained immersed in water, those who slept on the bare ground or never slept at all, and those who dwelled in the open air. Some sages lived only on water, others subsisted on air alone, some took up residence in the sky, while others lay on the bare earth. There were those who dwelled standing upright, those who had fully subdued their senses, those clad in wet garments, those devoted to constant recitation, steadfast in austerity, and others practicing the fivefold penance. Having thus approached Rāma, the foremost upholder of righteousness, these assembled sages, well-versed in dharma, addressed him, the supreme knower of righteousness: “You are the mighty chariot-warrior of the Ikṣvāku line, the foremost and protector of this earth, like Maghavan among the gods. Your fame and valor are renowned throughout the three worlds; in you are found deep devotion to your father, unwavering truthfulness, and abundant righteousness. We have come to you, O great-souled one, the knower and lover of righteousness, seeking your aid. O protector, please forgive us for making this request. “A grave unrighteousness would be committed by a king who takes a sixth part of his people’s produce but does not protect them as his own children. He who, ever devoted, protects all his subjects as his own life, or as beloved sons, with all his strength, attains true kingship. Such a king, O Rāma, gains lasting fame for many years, reaches the abode of Brahmā, and is honored there. Whatever supreme righteousness an ascetic living on roots and fruits performs, a fourth part of that accrues to the king who protects his people with righteousness. “This great community of forest-dwelling ascetics, mostly brāhmaṇas, though under your protection, O Rāma, is being grievously slain by rākṣasas, as if unprotected. Come, see the bodies of many noble-minded sages, slain in various ways by fierce rākṣasas in the forest. A great slaughter is being committed among those dwelling by the Pampā river, the Anumandākinī, and those residing at Citrakūṭa. We cannot endure the terrible harm being done in the forest to ascetics by rākṣasas engaged in dreadful deeds. Therefore, seeking refuge, we have come to you, the worthy protector; protect us, O Rāma, who are being slain by night-roaming beings. O hero, there is no other refuge on earth apart from you; protect us all, O prince, from the rākṣasas.” Hearing these words, the righteous son of Kakutstha addressed all the ascetics devoted to austerity: “You ought not to command me thus; I am not to be ordered by ascetics. I must enter the forest solely for my own duty. I have entered this forest, carrying out my father’s command, to remove the harm done to you by the rākṣasas. By chance, I have come for the accomplishment of your purpose; for me, dwelling in the forest will bear great fruit. I wish to slay the rākṣasa enemies of the ascetics in battle; let the sages, rich in austerity, witness my valor together with my brother.” Having thus granted a boon to the ascetics, the self-controlled Rāma, steadfast in righteousness, together with Lakṣmaṇa, set out with the ascetics and went to the hermitage of Sutīkṣṇa. Now begins the seventh canto. Rāma, the destroyer of foes, accompanied by his brother Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā, journeyed to the hermitage of Sutīkṣṇa in the company of those twice-born sages. Having traveled a long distance and crossed many rivers brimming with water, he beheld a pure and lofty mountain, towering like the great Meru. Then, the two descendants of Raghu, always together, entered the forest filled with a multitude of trees, along with Sītā. Entering that dreadful forest, rich with flowering and fruit-laden trees, he saw a hermitage in a secluded spot, adorned with garlands of bark-cloth. There, Rāma addressed Sutīkṣṇa, the ascetic rich in austerity, who was seated, bearing the marks of penance and ascetic filth, as was the custom. “I am Rāma, O venerable one, come to see you; therefore, speak to me, O knower of righteousness, great sage of true valor.” Sutīkṣṇa welcomed him warmly: “Welcome to you, best of the Raghus, Rāma, foremost among the upholders of truth. This hermitage, now entered by you, is as if protected by a lord. Awaiting only you, O greatly renowned one, I have not yet ascended to the world of the gods, though I have left my body on earth. I have heard that, deprived of your kingdom and having taken up residence at Citrakūṭa, you, O Kakutstha, have come here, and even Indra, the lord of gods, has come. The great lord, ruler of the gods, approached me and said that by my merit I have conquered all the worlds. In this place, honored by gods and sages, which I have won through austerity, by my favor, you may dwell here with your wife and with Lakṣmaṇa.” To that great sage, blazing with severe austerity and truthful in speech, Rāma, self-possessed, replied as Indra would to Brahmā: “O great sage, I myself will conquer the worlds; but I desire a dwelling here in the forest, as you have indicated. You are skilled in all matters and devoted to the welfare of all beings; this has been told to me by the noble Śarabhaṅga and Gautama.