When Guha brought a boat to cross over the Gaṅgā, Rāma, Sītā and Lakṣmaṇa prepared to climb on the boat. Guha asked Rāmacandra what he should then do. Śrī Rāma requested Sumantra to abide by the commands of the king in Ayodhyā. Sumantra requested Lord Rāma in many ways to allow him to reside in the forest. Rāma requested Sumantra to tell King Daśaratha and others that Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa and Sītā-devī were happy and that Sumantra should go to Ayodhyā. Then Rāma used the milk of a fig tree to tie up His hair into a knot like an ascetic. Then the three of them got on the boat. When the boat was in the middle of Gaṅgā, Sītā-devī offered prayers to Gaṅgā. They then got down from the boat on the southern bank of Gaṅgā and went under a tree in the evening.