In plain words
He agreed, but He did not look at Sītā.
At a wedding the bride and the groom must put garlands of flowers on each other. Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna stood in a row. Rāma was the eldest of them all. So Sītā had to put her garland round Rāma's neck first. Only after that would their brides put garlands on Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna, each on her own. Sītā stood holding the garland in her hand. But Rāma did not look her way. For the marriage had not yet taken place. Until the marriage took place, she was another man's woman! To raise one's eyes and look at another man's woman is a great sin. Sītā waited and waited, poor thing! But Rāma did not bow His head. So she could not put the garland on Him. Then Lakṣmaṇa thought of a ploy. All of a sudden he came and fell at Rāma's feet. As Rāma bent to raise him up, Sītā at once put the garland round Rāma's neck.
You see! How pure the hearts of the people of that time were! How eternally Satya they are! In the Tretā and Dvāpara ages people gave the greatest importance to good character. That is why those ages won so great a name. Like Rāma, you too must obey the command of your elders in every matter. You must worship your elders and honour them. Only when you follow the words of your elders with love, without neglecting them, can you experience Śānti in life.
Many strange and wonderful events kept taking place in the Rāmāyaṇa. By the word Daśaratha had given Kaikā, there had to be fourteen years of life in the forest. Great queen though she was, Kaikā gave in to what her servant said. Urged on by Mantharā, she sent Rāma to the forest. We must give weight to the master's word, not to a servant's words. By giving in to a servant's words, Kaikā came to grief. Sītā too set out for the forest with Rāma. ‘Lord! For a wife, her husband is God. Where the husband is, there the wife must be,’ she said. ‘Brother! I cannot stay away from You for even a single moment,’ said Lakṣmaṇa, and he too went with them to the forest.
Lakṣmaṇa and Śatrughna were born to Sumitrā. Sumitrā was a woman of great virtue. She was true to her name. She dedicated both her sons to service alone. At her wish Lakṣmaṇa went on serving Rāma. Śatrughna went on serving Bharata. Sītā, Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa, all three, had to face many hardships in the forest. This is a matter everyone knows. One day, as Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa were wandering in the forest, Lakṣmaṇa's mind suddenly changed. ‘Brother! Why this life in the forest for us? Why must we suffer so many hardships? Why must we put Mother Sītā, who has never known the sun, through so many troubles? In this forest it is very hard to keep Mother Sītā safe from the clutches of the demons. So let us go back to Ayodhyā and live in comfort,’ he said. Then Rāma grasped that it was the influence of the place. With a smile He took Lakṣmaṇa by the hand, walked some distance ahead and said, ‘Tell Me now, Lakṣmaṇa! Shall we go back to Ayodhyā?’ Lakṣmaṇa saw his mistake and repented. ‘Brother! We need not go to Ayodhyā. By our father's command we must live these fourteen years in the forest itself. Why have I, who never once spoke against You, talked like this today? I cannot understand why my mind changed like this,’ he said. ‘Lakṣmaṇa! This is not a quality natural to you. This is the influence of the place. Many demons roam about in this region. You entered a place where demons roam. That is why demonic qualities entered you,’ said Rāma, and He set Lakṣmaṇa's mind at rest. So we must keep in view the place, the time and the circumstances, and the influence of the places we move in as well, and go on conducting ourselves accordingly. No other book teaches good character as fully as the Rāmāyaṇa does. Today many are unable to recognise the greatness of the Rāmāyaṇa. The Rāmāyaṇa is the very heart of the people of Bhārata. Failing to recognise this Satya and act on it is the root cause of all the hardships the people of Bhārata suffer today.
Wherever a man may be, sorrows are not things he can escape. But we must place our burden on God and face them with courage.