Sutīkṣṇa, his heart gladdened, turned to the son of Daśaratha and spoke: “Rāma, I too wished to speak to you about this, together with Lakṣmaṇa. Go, Rāghava, with Sītā, and seek out the sage Agastya. By good fortune, you yourself have now asked me about this matter.” He continued, “I shall tell you where the great sage Agastya resides. From this very hermitage, dear one, go four yojanas to the south, and there you will find the splendid hermitage of Agastya’s brother. The region is mostly open land, adorned with groves of pippala trees, charming with many flowers and fruits, and filled with the sweet calls of many kinds of birds. There, you will find lotus ponds with clear waters, crowded with swans and cranes, and beautified by chakravaka ducks.” Sutīkṣṇa instructed, “Spend one night there, O Rāma. In the morning, proceed southward, skirting the edge of the forest. After traveling a yojana, you will come to the hermitage of Agastya, in a delightful part of the forest adorned with many trees. There, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa will rejoice with you, for that charming forest is rich with bounty. If you have resolved to see the great sage Agastya, O wise one, then today set your mind firmly on this journey.” Hearing these words, Rāma, together with Lakṣmaṇa, offered his obeisance to the sage. With Sītā by his side, he set out toward Agastya’s hermitage. As they journeyed, they beheld wondrous forests, mountains towering like clouds, and lakes and rivers that graced their path. Following the route indicated by Sutīkṣṇa, they traveled comfortably, and Rāma, his heart filled with delight, spoke to Lakṣmaṇa, “Surely this is the hermitage of that great-souled sage, Agastya—the virtuous brother—as it now appears before us.” He observed, “Look, thousands of trees are bent with the weight of fruit and flowers in this forest. The pungent fragrance of ripe pippali peppers is carried to us suddenly by the wind. Here and there are piles of gathered wood, and darbha grass, shining like cat’s eye gems, is cut and lying about. In the midst of the forest, resembling the peak of a dark cloud, the column of smoke from the hermitage fire is visible. In secluded bathing places, twice-born sages, having performed their ablutions, offer flowers they have gathered themselves.” Rāma continued, “Therefore, gentle one, as I have heard from Sutīkṣṇa, this must indeed be the hermitage of Agastya’s brother. For the world’s welfare, his brother, a doer of virtuous deeds, subdued Death by his power and made this southern region a sanctuary. Here, it is said, once dwelt the cruel Vātāpi and Ilvala—two mighty asuras and slayers of Brahmins—brothers who lived together.” He told the tale: “Ilvala would assume the form of a Brahmin and, with deceitful words, invite Brahmins to a funeral feast, mercilessly. After performing the funeral rites for his brother, he would transform Vātāpi into a ram and feed him to the Brahmins as part of the prescribed śrāddha. When the Brahmins had eaten, Ilvala would call out loudly, ‘Vātāpi, come out!’ At his brother’s summons, Vātāpi, bleating like a ram, would burst forth from the bodies of the Brahmins, tearing them apart. In this way, thousands of Brahmins were destroyed by these flesh-eating beings, who could assume any form they wished.” “But then, at the request of the gods, the great sage Agastya attended such a śrāddha and consumed the asura Vātāpi. Afterwards, when Ilvala, as was his custom, called out, ‘Vātāpi, come out!’ the wise and eminent Agastya smiled and replied, ‘How can one who has been digested by me—your rakshasa brother in the form of a ram, who has gone to the abode of Yama—come out?’ Realizing his brother was dead, the enraged Ilvala rushed at the sage, but was burned up and destroyed by Agastya, whose brilliance blazed like fire from his eyes.” “This,” Rāma concluded, “is the hermitage of that brother, adorned with a lake and forest, where, out of compassion for the Brahmins, this difficult deed was accomplished.” As Rāma shared this story with Saumitri, the sun set and the time of evening twilight arrived. After duly performing their evening worship together, Rāma entered the hermitage and greeted the sage. Welcomed warmly, he spent the night there, partaking of roots and fruits. When dawn broke and the sun had risen, Rāma took leave of Agastya’s brother, saying, “I bow to you, venerable one. I have spent the night comfortably. Now I take my leave, for I am going to see your elder brother, my teacher.” Receiving his blessing to depart, Rāma, the joy of the Raghus, set out along the indicated path, observing the beauty of the forest. Along the way, he saw wild rice, jackfruit, śāla trees, vañjulā, tinisha, ciribilva, madhūka, bilva, and tinduka trees, as their journey toward Agastya continued.