In plain words
Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa in Mithilā
When his yāga was complete, Viśvāmitra took Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa to the city of Mithilā. The breaking of Śiva's bow was to take place the next day. After that they would have to go to Ayodhyā in any case, so a longing arose in Lakṣmaṇa to see the beauty of the city of Mithilā first of all. He humbly put his wish to Rāma. Then Rāma: “Lakṣmaṇa! We are bound by the guru's command. Without the guru's command we may not do anything,” He said. The two of them went to Viśvāmitra and said, “Gurujī! We long to see the city of Mithilā.” “Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa! You were born to protect this world, to enchant the world, and to root out the delusions of the people. So go about Mithilā by all means and make all the people holy,” he said.
With the guru's leave, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa walked along the streets of Mithilā, and as they went, people stopped still wherever they were and gazed at them without blinking. Children playing in the streets came running and took Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa by the hands: “Brother! Where have you come from? When did you come? Please come to our house just once,” they kept inviting them. As Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa went through the bazaar with heads bowed, the women longed to see their eyes just once. Hoping that if they struck them with flowers they might look their way at least, they showered flowers on them. But however much anyone showered, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa looked at none of the women; they walked on with heads bowed. This is the chief sādhana that devotees of Rāma must do. Creation itself comes under the sway of one who has reined in his sight. Because Rāma was one who had reined in His sight, Sītā, born of the earth, came under His sway. Many such sacred messages are revealed to us in the story of Rāma.
Daśaratha's dream
One night Daśaratha had a dream. It seemed to him that all the water in the sea had dried up, that the moon had fallen down and broken into pieces, that an elephant in rut had fallen and given up its life, and that the throne on its back had crashed down. At once he sat up. “What a strange thing! They say a dream that comes in the fourth watch comes true. And this is the fourth watch, so what can the inner meaning of this dream be!” Within himself he was sorely distressed. He got down from his bed and looked at his own reflection in the tall mirror beside it. White hairs showed here and there on his head. That is, he saw that old age had begun for him. When he tried to pour water from the jug beside him into a cup, his hands shook a little. That meant, he noticed, that the strength of his senses too had declined. “As long as I had the strength of my senses, I ruled this kingdom. Now the strength of my senses has declined. So I am no longer fit to rule the kingdom,” he thought. At once he sent for his gurus and his ministers.