The four armies leave, and the poet captures their noisy self-confidence: each monkey boasts that he alone will kill Ravana, split mountains or leap a hundred yojanas. The boasting is affectionate comedy, and it also sets up a contrast. When the southern party actually stands on the shore facing the ocean, almost all of them will fall silent, and only Hanuman, who boasts not at all here, will make the leap.

Rama stays behind on Prasravana with Lakshmana, waiting out the month. From here the narrative follows the southern party almost exclusively.