Chapter 23 - Ramachandra and Lakshmana reach the hermitage of Kama

A little before dawn, the great Muni Vishvamitra, reclining on his grassy couch, addressed the princes, saying: “O Son of Queen Kaushalya, O Rama, the dawn is about to break, arise and perform your morning devotions.”

The two princes, hearing the words of the most generous sage, rose, performed their ablutions, offered ceremonial water to the rising sun, worshipped their ancestors and began to repeat the holy Gayatri. Their devotions completed, they offered salutations with great reverence to the distinguished ascetic and stood ready to proceed further.

In their company, the holy sage reached the confluence of the rivers where the Ganges unites herself with the Sarayu. There they beheld the holy ascetics in their sacred hermitage, where for a long time they had practised Yoga assiduously.

Seeing the peaceful hermitage, Shri Ramacandra and Lakshmana were filled with delight and said to the Sage Vishvamitra: “O Blessed Lord, whose holy hermitage is this? Who dwells here? We are both eager to hear of this.”

The great sage smiled and answered Rama, saying: “Hear, my son, I will tell you who formerly dwelt here. Kandarpa, whom the pundits called Kama once took human form and fixed in meditation, worshipped the Lord Shiva here. When Shri Shiva was passing with his newly-wedded bride, accompanied by celestial beings, Kama tried to agitate the mind of the Lord Shiva and reaped the due punishment of his insolence. O Son of the House of Raghu, Shiva in wrath opened his third eye and the members of Kama’s body were consumed. Since Kama was reduced to ashes by the God, he has been a disembodied being. O Rama, since that time, he has been known as Ananga (bodiless) and the country where his limbs were strewn as he sought to flee, is known as Anga. This hermitage belongs to the Lord Shiva and the holy men who dwell here are his traditional devotees: they are both righteous and sinless. O Rama, You of pleasing looks, this night I shall break my journey at this hermitage and to-morrow we shall cross the sacred river and proceed further. O Rama, let us first purify ourselves by bathing and then recite the holy Gayatri silently, offering oblations into the sacred fire, we will thereafter pass the night in the hermitage.”

While Shri Rama and the sage were conversing, the holy ascetics dwelling in the hermitage, knew by the power of their Yoga, that these great beings were approaching and were highly gratified.

Having presented arghya to Shri Vishvamitra, they then offered hospitality to Shri Ramacandra and Lakshmana. Entertained by those dwelling in the hermitage who regaled them with the holy traditions and philosophical discourses, they remained there for their evening devotion and with great delight abode in the hermitage of Kama, the devout sages gathering round Shri Vishvamitra who engaged them in pleasing converse.