Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 11: Rāma Goes to Agastya’s Āśrama
Text 3.11.54
विविक्तेषु च तीरेषु कृतस्नाना द्विजातयः।
पुष्पोपहारं कुर्वन्ति कुसुमैः स्वयमार्जितैः॥
vivikteṣu ca tīreṣu kṛta-snānā dvi-jātayaḥ
puṣpopahāraṁ kurvanti kusumaiḥ svayam ārjitaiḥ
vivikteṣu ca = in pure 6; tīreṣu = river water; kṛta-snānāḥ = having bathed; dvi-jātayaḥ = the twice-born; puṣpa-upahāram kurvanti = perform flower offerings [to the deities]; kusumaiḥ = with flowers; svayam ārjitaiḥ = that they had personally collected.
Having bathed in pure river water, the twice-born perform flower offerings [to the deities] with flowers that they had personally collected.
1 Śabda-kalpa-druma and Vācaspatyam quote a portion of Padma Purāṇa, Uttara-khaṇḍa, Chapter 131 that contains this text.
The twice-born personally collect flowers for offering them [to the deities] because of the Smṛti injunction:
samit-puṣpa-kuśādīni śrotriyaḥ svayam āharet
“A learned brāhmaṇa should personally collect firewood, flowers, kuśa grass and so on [for fire sacrifices and offerings].”1