Rama, Seeta and Lakshmana reached the hermitage of the old sage Sharabhanga, who had been keeping alive only to see Sri Rama. He sent them to sage Suteekshna, before himself taking samadhi in a fire. Sage Suteekshna also gave them great support and they stayed to protect the rishis who were involved in their meditation and rituals. They came to the ashrama of the great sage Agastya who had moved with his wife, Lopamudra, to the south of the Vindhya mountain. Rama introduced himself and Seeta and Lakshmana, seeking the blessings of Agastya. The wise sage, who could see the future, welcomed them warmly. He directed them to go to Panchavati, which was a beautiful place, and gave Rama a bow made by Vishwakarma for Lord Vishnu, with a quiver that never ran out of arrows, and a mighty sword. With his blessings they went to Panchavati.
Towards Panchavati
