Dasaratha sank into a deep melancholy as he brooded over events that had taken place and which were beyond his control. Slowly in his mind surfaced the memory of an incident that had occurred many years ago. He remembered an unpardonable sin he had committed, as a young prince, while indulging in his favorite pastime of hunting. He had unwittingly released an arrow, towards what he thought was a sound made by an animal only to find out that his target was an ascetic. It now dawned on Dasaratha that his present suffering was the consequence of that act, which had ended in a great calamity. The memory shook him and bowing to Kausalya, with palms together, he said, "Do forgive me! You are a woman of great compassion even to your enemies. I, who am plunged in a great sorrow, beg you to curb your temper, for I cannot bear such anger."

Hearing a king as mighty as Dasaratha, begging for mercy and forgiveness, Kausalya was devastated. Holding Dasaratha's hands, she said, "I prostrate in obeisance to you my lord, and I am a sinner for having made you beg of me. A woman, who compels her husband to seek her pardon, loses her place in this world and the world after. My grief perhaps betrays my discretion for there is no greater enemy than grief. Rama's five days of exile seem like five years to me and the more I think of him the more I sorrow."The sun set on one more day and the great monarch lulled and consoled by his consort fell into blissful sleep.