Texts 16-17
tatrāyutam adād dhenūr
brāhmaṇebhyo halāyudhaḥ
kṛtamālāṁ tāmraparṇīṁ
malayaṁ ca kulācalam
tatrāgastyaṁ samāsīnaṁ
namaskṛtyābhivādya ca
yojitas tena cāśīrbhir
anujñāto gato ’rṇavam
dakṣiṇaṁ tatra kanyākhyāṁ
durgāṁ devīṁ dadarśa saḥ
tatra — there (at Setubandha, known also as Rāmeśvaram); ayutam — ten thousand; adāt — He gave away; dhenūḥ — cows; brahmaṇebhyaḥ — to brāhmaṇas; hala-āyudhaḥ — Lord Balarāma, whose weapon is the plow; kṛtamālām — to the Kṛtamālā River; tāmraparṇīm — the Tāmraparṇī River; malayam — Malaya; ca — and; kula-acalam — the principal mountain range; tatra — there; agastyam — to Agastya Ṛṣi; samāsīnam — sitting (in meditation); namaskṛtya — bowing down; abhivādya — glorifying; ca — and; yojitaḥ — granted; tena — by him; ca — and; āśīrbhiḥ — blessings; anujñātaḥ — given permission to leave; gataḥ — He went; arṇavam — to the ocean; dakṣiṇam — southern; tatra — there; kanyā-ākhyām — known as Kanyā-kumārī; durgām devīm — Goddess Durgā; dadarśa — saw; saḥ — He.
There at Setubandha [Rāmeśvaram] Lord Halāyudha gave brāhmaṇas ten thousand cows in charity. He then visited the Kṛtamālā and Tāmraparṇī rivers and the great Malaya Mountains. In the Malaya range Lord Balarāma found Agastya Ṛṣi sitting in meditation. After bowing down to the sage, the Lord offered him prayers and then received blessings from him. Taking leave from Agastya, He proceeded to the shore of the southern ocean, where He saw Goddess Durgā in her form of Kanyā-kumārī.