As suggested by Vibhishana, Rama started to pray the lord of rivers, Varuna by spreading sacred grass on the sea shore, making a respectful salutation by joining his palms to the great ocean with his face turned eastward, lied down with his arm, resembling the body of a snake, as his pillow. His arm formerly adorned with armlets of gems and gold and the most excellent jewels of pearls, was touched more than once, by excellent women i.e. Kausalya and other mothers and by royal maids and of course, by his dear wife Seetha. Formerly, his arm used to be tended with sandalwood and aloe and with saffron pastes and made beautiful like the splendor of a rising sun. Until that rakshash Ravana kidnapped her (i.e. Rama's dear wife Seetha), the aforesaid arm was graced by the head of Seetha. It resembled the body of Takshaka supported on the water of the Ganga. The aforesaid arm resembled a yoke. It enhanced the grief of his enemies in battle. It was delightful to his friends. It is now placed on the sands on the shore of the sea. The aforesaid arm whose skin had been hardened by the strokes of his bow string, off the left arm resembling a great mace and that mighty right arm that bestowed thousands of cows in charity was used as a pillow. Rama, making a resolve to get the help from Varuna laid down by the ocean, restraining his speech and with a pious disposition according to tradition.
Following the scriptural injunction, Rama who was devoted to his sacred vow, while sleeping on the ground spread with Kusha grass, spent three nights there. Remaining there for three nights, Rama who was skilled in policy and fond of piety, waited upon the ocean, the lord of rivers. Though honored according to his worth by the self subdued Rama, the careless ocean did not deign to appear in his personal form to Rama. Rama becoming angry with the ocean, having the outer corners of his eyes turned red, shouted "O, what arrogance of the ocean, who does not appear himself personally before me! Indeed the qualities of noble men viz. calmness, forbearance, kindness and forwardness seem to give weak results, when directed towards those having no virtues. This world honors that man, who boasts himself, is corrupt and shameless, runs about in all directions advertising himself and commits every kind of excess. In this world, it is not possible to obtain fame, glory or victory at the end of a battle, by conciliation. I will now make this ocean suffocated with its crocodiles floated on all sides and broken asunder by my arrows. See here, O, Lakshmana, the coils of water snakes, the huge bodies of alligators and the trunks of sea elephants being shattered by me. I will make the ocean with its multitude of conches, oyster shells, fishes and crocodiles, dry up now by my asthras. This ocean is considering me as an incapable man endowed as I am with forbearance. It is a great mistake to show forbearance to such an individual. The Ocean is not appearing himself before me on kind words or by humble supplication. O, Lakshmana! Bring my bow and the serpentine arrows. I shall dry up this ocean, so that our vanaras can cross it by feet. Being provoked now, I will shake this ocean, even if it is unshakable. I will force the ocean, which is demarcated by banks and agitated with thousands of waves, bereft of any boundary by my arrows. I will agitate the great ocean thronged with great asuras."
Rama with his eyes made larger by anger and wielding the bow (handed over to him by his brother) with his hand, became dreadful to look at, as a blazing fire at the end of the world. Swaying his terrific bow and making the earth tremble by his violence Rama released the arrow resembling a powerful thunderbolt of Indra. Those excellent arrow having a great speed and ablaze by their splendor, penetrated the waters of the ocean, striking the water- snakes with terror. The great jerk of water with fishes and alligators of the ocean, together with the resonance of the wind became very much dreadful. Immediately that great ocean, became shaken by the cluster of huge waves enveloped by a multitude of conches in its rolling waves and a smoke came out. Sea-snakes having brilliant faces and glittering eyes and the very valiant Danavas residing in Patala, were perturbed. Thousands of waves, so large resembling Vindhya and Mandhara mountains, jumped up from the sea with its crocodiles and sea monsters. That ocean with its multitude of fluctuating waves, with its frightened serpents, rakshashas and huge crocodiles coming out, became very noisy.
Seeing that awful outcome of Rama's anger, Lakshmana rushed towards Rama who was set in action to punish the ocean once more, crying "O! My! my!, that will do" and held the bow to prevent Rama from using it. He then told his angry brother "Even without the destruction of the ocean your purpose will be fulfilled. Men like you do not fall into the sway of anger. Let us look into some durable, noble and viable alternatives." Brahmarshis and devarishis, cried from above in the sky in loud voices "Please do not repeat! Once by you is plenty!"
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