Maareecha the asura takes the form of a golden deer and Sita sends Rama after it. Just before dying, Maareecha calls out to Lakshmana and Sita, as if it were Rama Himself calling them. Sita dispatches Lakshmana to go to look for Rama. When Rama sees Lakshmana, He chides him, saying that even if Sita had asked him to leave in search of Rama, he should have refused. Women were bound to say some things in their anxiety, but one should not pay heed to them. Evident here is Rama's concern for the welfare of Sita. Upon return to the hermitage, when Rama finds Sita missing, He is unable to bear with the sorrow. He cries out for information on Sita.

He questions the river Godavari if She has seen Sita. Goavari had, in fact, seen Sita being abducted by Ravana, and Sita had even implored Godavari to tell Rama of what had happened. But when questioned by Rama, the river observes silence, for she is scared of Ravana's wrath. Rama, looking for Sita and drawing a blank everywhere, says He will destroy the whole Universe, if Sita is not brought back with the same smile on Her face with which She sent Him after the deer. So saying, He picks up His bow. Lakshmana asks Him how He could destroy everyone and everything, just to punish whoever it is who has taken away Sita. Though Lakshmana is the younger of the two and always pays heed to his brother, on this occasion Rama sees the validity of Lakshmana's words. Throughout, as Rama laments the loss of Sita, One sees how the Divine Couple can never brook separation.

It behoves us therefore to worship them as a Couple, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. Lakshmana's words about the unfairness of destroying everything to punish one erring individual strike Rama as logical and just. So He desists from such wholesale destruction. But anger and the inclination to punish are evident in the Lord only in the absence of Sita. Sita is the sobering influence on Him.

As Rama and Lakshmana proceed to look for Sita, Rama wonders if She has been eaten by a demon. It is only when they stumble upon the mortally wounded Jatayu that they get to know the truth: Ravana has taken Sita away.