Canto 3 -
Araṇya-kāṇḍa
Chapter 17: Śūrpaṇakhā Meets Rāma
Text 3.17.1
कृताभिषेको रामस्तु सीता सौमित्रिरेव च।
तस्माद्गोदावरीतीरात्ततो जग्मुः स्वमाश्रमम्॥
kṛtābhiṣeko rāmas tu sītā saumitrir eva ca
tasmād godāvarī-tīrāt tato jagmuḥ svam āśramam
kṛta-abhiṣekaḥ = finishing their bath; rāmaḥ tu = Rāma; sītā = Sītā-devī; saumitriḥ eva = Saumitri; ca = and; tasmāt = from the; godāvarī-tīrāt = bank of Godāvarī; tataḥ = after; jagmuḥ = went; svam = to their; āśramam = āśrama.
After finishing their bath, Rāma, Sītā-devī and Saumitri went to their āśrama from the bank of Godāvarī.
In order to point out Lord Rāma’s special austerities [in Pañcavaṭī], the author described His first winter [there]. Three years later, sometime in the month of Caitra, an incident concerning Śūrpaṇakhā took place. The author describes this incident in this chapter. This would later lead to the destruction of the entire rākṣasa community.
They went to their āśrama, that is, their tapovana or forest for austerities 1.