A pall of gloom descended over the palace as Rama left it, with palms together, in a gesture of farewell. The women inside lamented aloud, their wails drowning the happy sounds of revelry. Ruthlessly condeming Dasaratha for abandoning Rama, they said, "Foolish that he is, the king seeks to devour all life on earth by renouncing his noble son, who is the refuge of all. Unshakable in the most abusive of situations, patient and kind Rama has been like a mother to us," lamented Ayodhya.Even the queens of the once mighty king, who was now reduced to a bundle of misery, reproached him for his dastardly act. They blamed the hapless monarch, whose plight cried out for compassion and not disdain. The grief stricken voices and the forlorn sounds of weeping fell on Dasaratha's ears as he lay crushed and bewildered. Meanwhile Rama entered his mother's abode, unaccompanied by any kind of royal fanfare or pomp. Kausalya, who had spent a night of meditation and prayer, was in the temple of Visnu, invoking his blessings upon her son. Rama beheld his mother clad in soft silks, radiant as a celestial, as she hurried to embrace him and softly touched her lips to his forehead saying, "My son! May you become a Rajarshi, illustrious and famous as befits your race. Go to your father, the honorable king, who waits to coronate you king of Kosala". Rama with head bowed in an attitude of reverence prepared himself to tell Kausalya that he was not to be king. Gathering his courage to take leave and dreading the pain it would cause her Rama gently said, "Mother, Bharata will be crowned ruler of Ayodhya and I am to dwell in the forest for fourteen years, leading the life of a mendicant."

Kausalya looked at Rama in disbelief. The blow dealt by those words was almost physical and she was thrown to the ground where she lay stunned. Recovering slowly she said, "My son, if I had not borne you I would have been spared this grief. Without you my life has no meaning, I will follow you like a cow follows. Even at the height of the king's glory I have never enjoyed the privileges that should have been mine. Slighted by him, dominated by Kaikeyi who is spiteful and full of anger, I have led a life of insignificance. Tormented by such agony, why does not my heart break? Disciplining myself with prayer and meditation I brought you up. My efforts cannot go waste like this," lamented Kausalya. Overwhelmed by the pathos of the situation, fighting a losing battle with her grief, the noble queen broke down sobbing without restraint.