Sage Sutikshna, addressing Rama with affection, spoke: “Rama, let me tell you where the great sage Agastya resides. From this hermitage, dear one, journey four yojanas to the south, and you will find the splendid hermitage of Agastya’s brother. That place lies in a mostly open region, adorned with groves of pippala trees, charming with an abundance of flowers and fruits, and alive with the melodious calls of many birds. There, you will see various lotus ponds with crystal-clear waters, crowded with swans and cranes, and beautified by chakravaka ducks. Spend one night there, O Rama, and in the morning, proceed southward along the edge of the forest. After traveling one more yojana, you will reach the hermitage of Agastya himself, nestled in a delightful part of the forest, adorned with many trees. In that charming forest, rich with trees, Sita and Lakshmana will rejoice together with you. If you are resolved to meet that great sage Agastya, O wise one, then fix your mind today on going there.” Having listened to the sage’s words, Rama, together with his brother Lakshmana, offered obeisance and, accompanied by Sita, set out toward Agastya’s hermitage. Along their journey, they beheld wondrous forests, mountains rising like clouds, and lakes and rivers gracing their path. Following the way indicated by Sutikshna, they traveled comfortably, and Rama, exceedingly delighted by the sights, spoke to Lakshmana: “Surely this is the hermitage of that great-souled sage, Agastya, the virtuous brother, for it appears before us just as described. See, the forest is filled with thousands of trees, their branches bent low with the weight of fruit and flowers. The pungent fragrance of ripe pippali peppers is suddenly carried to us by the wind. Here and there are piles of gathered wood, and darbha grass, shining like cat’s eye gems, has been cut and left about. In the midst of the forest, resembling the peak of a dark cloud, we can see the column of smoke from the hermitage fire. At secluded bathing places, twice-born sages, having completed their ablutions, offer flowers they have gathered themselves. Gentle one, as we have heard from Sutikshna, this must indeed be the hermitage of Agastya’s brother. This is a sacred place. For the world’s welfare, Agastya’s brother, a doer of virtuous deeds, subdued Death itself by force and made this southern region a sanctuary. It is said that here once dwelled the cruel Vatapi and Ilvala, two mighty asuras and slayers of Brahmins, who lived together as brothers. Ilvala, disguising himself as a Brahmin, would deceitfully invite Brahmins to a funeral feast. After performing the funeral rites for his brother, he would make Vatapi take the form of a ram and feed the Brahmins the flesh, as prescribed in the rites of a śrāddha. After the Brahmins had eaten, Ilvala would call out in a loud voice, ‘Vatapi, come out!’ Then, hearing his brother’s words, Vatapi, 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, day after day. At last, at the request of the gods, the great sage Agastya attended such a śrāddha and consumed the asura Vatapi. Afterwards, when Ilvala offered water for rinsing the hands and called out, ‘Come out, Vatapi!’ the wise and eminent sage Agastya smiled and said to the brahmin-slayer, ‘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?’ Hearing these words, which revealed his brother’s death, Ilvala, the night-wanderer, rushed at the sage in anger. But the foremost of brahmins, Agastya, burned him up with the brilliance of his gaze, like fire, and destroyed him completely. This is the hermitage of that noble brother, adorned with a lake and forest, where, out of compassion for the Brahmins, this difficult deed was accomplished.” As Rama recounted this tale to Saumitri (Lakshmana), the sun set and the time of evening twilight arrived. After duly performing the evening worship with his brother, Rama entered the hermitage and greeted the sage. Welcomed with proper hospitality, Rama spent that night there, partaking of roots and fruits. When night had passed and the sun had risen, Rama took leave of Agastya’s brother, saying, “I bow to you, venerable one. I have spent the night comfortably. Now I take my leave; I am going to see your elder brother, my teacher.” Receiving the sage’s blessing to depart, Rama, the scion of Raghu, set out along the indicated path, observing the beauty of the forest. He saw wild rice, jackfruit, śāla trees, vañjulā, tinisha, ciribilva, madhūka, bilva, and tinduka trees. All around, hundreds of forest trees were adorned with blossoming creepers whose tips were covered in flowers. Some trees were trampled by elephants’ trunks, some brightened by the presence of monkeys, and hundreds resounded with the cries of intoxicated flocks of birds as Rama continued on his sacred journey.