Rama coming looked forward to the onward journey. Guha readied a sturdy boat to ferry the royal travelers across Ganga and Sumantra reverently asked, "What shall I do?" Rama said, "Return to Ayodhya and serve the king with devotion." Crestfallen at not being permitted to accompany his master Sumantra pleaded "Rama the world will never accept your exile. Your matchless loyalty and respect for your father will be renowned in the three worlds. As for us we will be destroyed by Kaikeyi's evil mind."

Rama met Sumantra's outburst with soothing words "Sumantra! Your devotion to the Ikshvakus is incomparable. Do minister to my father who is tormented by an unbearable sorrow. The will of him who holds the scepter should ever be obeyed. Never has the noble king faced adversities, shield him from all evil and tell him not to worry about life in the forest. On our behalf pay him obeisance. Inform Dasaratha and his queens that Bharata is to be sent for and crowned king of Kosala. Tell the king that he should welcome Bharata and treat all our mothers equally.

Sumantra unwilling to be dismissed continued to plead with Rama. "My fondness for you drives away my fear and so I ask, how can I possibly go back to an Ayodhya that still grieves for you? When the heartbroken citizens beholding the chariot, deprived of your presence, accost me, what answer shall I give them? What should I say to queen Kausalya? Should I say, Mother, do not weep! I have left your son with his maternal uncle? An untruth that may be pleasant to her, but being a lie cannot be uttered. How can I tell her the bitter truth, that I have abandoned you in the forest? It is unthinkable to go back to Ayodhya without you. Even the horses will refuse to draw the chariot. If you do not heed me I shall immolate myself, because the heaven of being with you has been denied to me."

Rama insisted that Sumantra should go back, "Seeing you, mother Kaikeyi will rest in the knowledge that I have really gone away. I wish her to enjoy supreme authority in the name of Bharata. As ordered by my father my exile begins now, so does my solitude and my austerities."They asked Guha to procure the sap of the banyan tree to matt their locks. Robed in bark and armed with their bows the mighty Ikshvaku Princes resembled resplendent priests. Rama offered traditional worship to the holy river and Sita invoked mother Ganga for her blessings before crossing it.

Upon reaching the far bank of the river, Rama warned Lakshmana to be more vigilant in guarding Sita. "From now Sita will realize the discomforts of the forest. A forest devoid of all human habitation, where neither grove nor garden exists, but perils and impediments abound."