Canto 2 -
Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa
Chapter 24: Rāma Instructs Kausalyā
Text 2.24.28
अग्निकार्येषु च सदा सुमनोभिश्च देवताः।
पूज्यास्ते मत्कृते देवि ब्राह्मणाश्चैव सुव्रताः॥
agni-kāryeṣu ca sadā sumanobhiś ca devatāḥ
pūjyās te mat-kṛte devi brāhmaṇāś caiva suvratāḥ
agni-kāryeṣu = during special fire sacrifices; ca = and so on; sadā = always; sumanobhiḥ ca = with flowers; devatāḥ = demigods; pūjyāḥ = should be worshiped; te = the; mat-kṛte = for My sake; devi = O queen; brāhmaṇāḥ = brāhmaṇas; ca eva = and; suvratāḥ = good in their vows.
O queen, for My sake, the demigods and brāhmaṇas good in their vows should always be worshiped with flowers and so on during special fire sacrifices.
1 “Silent” because she didn’t want to deal with her co-wives and their associates and so on.
Rāma then considered that if His mother were to stay silent [in Ayodhyā while He is away in the forest], distress would overwhelm her.1 To ward off such distress, He prescribes a way to spend her time.
The special fire sacrifices He mentions are the Śāntika-homa and the Pauṣṭika-homa. The ca in the first line indicates that Kausalyā should use sandalwood pulp, betel and so on.