Adhyatma Ramayanam

Adhyatma Ramayanam
Translation into English from Malayalam by P. R. Ramachander

Preface

Adhyathma Ramayanam, the spiritual version of Ramayanam finds a place in Brahmanda Puranam and its author is considered to be Veda Vyasa. This is a much smaller work than Valmiki Ramayanam and contains 4000 verses.

Valmiki Ramayanam depicts Lord Rama in a living form of a human being with all his noble strengths and common weaknesses rarely referring to his divinity as the real God Vishnu. But almost the entire Adhyatma Ramayanam portrays Rama as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu with many prayers and stotrams to Him and at the same time containing the essence of Brahma Vidya or the knowledge about Brahman through various dialogues without losing emphasis on Bhakti or devotion. Hence the greatness of Adhyatma Ramayanam lies in its fusion of Bhakti and Jnana into a single harmonious song providing melodious music to the ears and spiritually inspiring thoughts to the head and heart.

I have translated this great work not from its Sanskrit original but from its popular and famous Malayalam translation by Sri Thunjathu Ezhuthachan. The Sanskrit text with its Hindi translation by Sri Muni Lal is available at: archive.org/stream/AdhyatmaRamayana/GitaPress-AdhyatmaRamayan-Unabridged-Munilalsanskrit-hindi#page/n0/mode/2up. The translation by Ezhthachan in Malayalam is available at: archive.org/details/AdhyathmRaramayanam-Malayalam-TunchathuEzhuthachan

A remarkable write up about what is Adhyathma Ramayana and how it is different from Valmiki Ramayana by a Scholar called Sri T. N. Sethumadhavan is added here with his permission as an Introduction to this translation. This essay entitled "Adhyathma Ramayana - The Spiritual Version of the Story of Sri Rama" was earlier published in the website esamskriti.com. This examines in depth the differences in approach between Valmiki Ramayanam and Adhyathma Ramayanam. I am deeply indebted to Sri T. N. Sethumadhavan, who helped me immensely in editing and bringing out this English version.

P. R. Ramachander

What is Adhyathma Ramayanam?
By Sri T. N. Sethumadhavan

[From his scholarly article at: www.esamskriti.com/essay-chapters/Adhyatma-Ramayana-The-Spiritual-Version-of-the-Story-of-Sri-Rama-1.aspx with his permission]

Introduction

"The Ramayana" is not a single book like "the Bible" but rather a chronicle of history and a tradition of storytelling. Ramayana serves as an excellent window through which the great panorama of the Indian civilization is opened. The story of Rama depicted in the Ramayana unlocks a gateway leading the readers in an any part of the globe to encounter with the world-view of a great civilization that both resembles, and markedly differs from their own and a process which enables them to realize that they should have a world view in the first place.

The Ramayana tradition has enjoyed a unique popularity throughout the subcontinent of South Asia (comprising the modern states of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka) and beyond - for versions of the tale have flourished in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Although the core story of the travails of Prince Rama and Princess Sita and their companions remains much the same everywhere, storytellers and poets in dozens of languages have chosen not simply to translate some "original" version, but instead have retold the saga in their own words, often modifying and embellishing it according to regional traditions or their own insights and interpretations. Thus we have today different versions of Ramayana in various languages indicating the deep penetration and influence of the personalities of Rama and Sita in the hearts and minds of the Indian people.

India is very vast and has varied cultural and literary traditions. It has always maintained and nurtured plants and flowers of different kinds, colors and shapes. Therefore an assortment of varieties and traditions of Rama Katha has been flourishing here not only in Sanskrit but in all the other Indian languages since centuries. Sri Rama, even now, is the pet subject of poets, novelists, story writers, cartoonists, philosophers, thinkers, dramatists, film-makers and management consultants besides contemporary politicos of different hues.

Valmiki Ramayana, Adhyatma Ramayana, Vasishta Ramayana, Ananda Ramayana, Agasthya Ramayana in Sanskrit, Ranganatha Ramayana in Telugu, Kamba Ramayana in Tamil, Tulasi Ramayana or Ramacharitamanasa in Hindi, Kirtivasa Ramayana in Bengali, and Ezuthachan's Adhyatma Ramayana in Malayalam are some of the well-known versions.

For all these works on the saga of Rama, Ramayana authored by Valmiki who is called Aadi Kavi has been the basis which is called Aadi Kavya.

Adhyatma Ramayana - Date and Authorship

Tradition ascribes the authorship of Adhyatma Ramayana to Vedavyasa since it is said to be an integral part of Brahmanda Purana. However, some scholars attribute it to the period 14th -15th century AD and the author as unknown.

Adhyatma Ramayana is the portrayal of a conversation between Lord Siva and Goddess Parvati (as reported by Lord Brahma to Sage Narada). It is this work that provided Tulasidasa with the inspiration to compose his immortal work, the Ramacharitamanasa.
Brief Sketch

Adhyatma Ramayana has about 4000 verses and is popular amongst the devotees of Rama and also among the Vedantins. Written in mellifluous Sanskrit, the work sums up the main events of the Valmiki Ramayana. Discussions pertaining to Advaita Vedanta philosophy, the path of Bhakti (devotion) in general and Ramabhakti in particular and several hymns in praise of Rama are the hallmarks of this work.

Adhyatma Ramayana is essentially a Puranic work demonstrating the inquisitiveness of Parvati and unambiguous expositions by Mahadeva. But in the orthodox circles of Rama devotees, the Adhyatama Ramayana is considered to be a Mantra-sastra, a sacred book, each stanza of which is revered as a Mantra (mystic syllable) and devoutly repeated in a ceremonial way.

A question naturally arises why Adhyatma Ramayana when Valmiki Ramayana is already there. The answer could be that the purpose behind the work was not to narrate Rama Katha but to propound ideological principles of Bhakti in co-ordination with Advaita Vedanta. The very title 'Adhyatma Ramayana' indicates this as otherwise it would have been christened as Vyasa Ramayana as in the case of Valmiki Ramayana. This is to be viewed against the picturisation of Sri Rama by Valmiki as a perfect human being, a maryada purushottama, with embodiment of Dharma.

In Adhyatma Ramayana we see Rama as Brahman - omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, the cause without a cause and the One without a second. The factors that caused Him to incarnate Himself in a human form were, as stated in the Gita, to protect Dharma and destroy the evil.

Comparison with Valmiki Ramayana

In a study of Adhyatma Ramayana it is essential to know where it differs from the Valmiki Ramayana.

Valmiki's object seems to describe Rama as an ideal human character though he accepts him as an avatar of Maha Vishnu; but the divinity of Rama is always kept latent. This objective of Valmiki is made clear at the very beginning of the epic in verses 1 to 18 of Chapter 1 of Bala Kanda. Here Valmiki asks Narada the following questions:

1. "Who in the world today is a great personage, endowed with all virtues, who is courageous, who knows the secret of Dharma, who is grateful, who is ever truthful and who is established in sacred observances"?

2. "Who has great family traditions, who has got sympathy for all creatures, who is most learned, who is skilful, and whose outlook is ever kindly"?

3. "Who is courageous, who has subdued anger, who is endowed with splendor, who is free from jealousy, who, when angry in the field of battle, is a terror even to the Devas"?

In reply to this question, Sage Narada narrated in brief the entire Rama Katha which formed the basis for Valmiki to expand and make it a vast, beautiful and unique epic poem of great literary value which came to be called Valmiki Ramayana. (Narada's brief exposition of Rama Katha to Valmiki is called 'Sankshepa Ramayana' which is used in many households for the purpose of daily recitation).

The object of an epic which begins with such a description of its hero is obviously to give us a picture of human perfection. But this does not mean that Valmiki did not recognize divinity in his hero. When a person is described as a Deity, it happens that ordinary human beings start worshipping him and are not inclined to treat him as a role-model to imitate and follow. This probably must have been the reason for Valmiki to propound the divinity of Rama in subdued tones and paint him prominently as a great human being with all the human frailties and weaknesses so that the people at large may learn from his life.

While Valmiki's great epic is the saga of Rama in respect of its direct approach, Adhyatma Ramayana is a direct elaboration of its spiritual implications. In the former Rama is a great hero, in the latter he is a deity- Maha Vishnu, covered in thin apparel - held before all to worship. This is made clear in the very first chapter of the book entitled 'Sri Rama Hridaya".

The text of Adhyatma Ramayana projects Rama as the Supreme Self; but while doing so it takes care to see that Rama is also a Personal Deity, the Supreme Isvara, who is to be prayed and sought after by all those who seek knowledge of non-duality. It teaches Bhakti of the most intensive type and stresses that through devotion to Rama alone the saving Jnana would arise in the Jiva. The teaching of the Adhyatma Ramayana is an extension of the declaration of the Svetasvatara Upanishad, "it is only in one who has supreme devotion to God and to his spiritual teacher that this truth - knowledge of the non-dual Self - when taught will shine".

Thus to establish Rama's divine status, as an object of worship and devotion and to teach that Bhakti and Jnana are not only reconcilable but always go together is the prime object this great text. In order to achieve this objective, the Adhyatma Ramayana, while sticking to the main trends and incidents of the Rama Katha described in Valmiki's epic, makes various deviations in the course of its extensive narration. A few such instances are cited below.

Another feature which distinguishes the Adhyatma Ramayana from the Valmiki Ramayana is the large number of hymns sung by the various personages in the narrative and the many philosophical discourses that are spread in various parts of the text. Besides teaching intense devotion, these give us a very simple but profound exposition on non-dualism. Valmiki's Ramayana contains no such hymns and discourses.

Deviations Chapter 2

The major alteration in the fact of the story found in the Adhyatma Ramayana is the introduction of a "Shadow Sita" throughout the period of her abduction. The real Sita disappears into fire just before the golden deer episode. Tulasidasa also follows the Adhyatma Ramayana in this respect.

Compare Tulasi's Sri Ramacharitamanasa, Aranya Kanda, Doha 23 and the Chopai: "When Lakshmana had gone to the woods to gather roots, fruits and bulbs, Sri Rama, the very incarnation of compassion and joy, spoke with a smile to Janak's daughter (Sita):- Listen my darling, who have been staunch in the holy vow of fidelity to me and are so virtuous in conduct: I am going to act a lovely human part. Abide in fire until I have completed the destruction of the demons."

"No sooner had Sri Rama told Her everything in detail than she impressed the image of the Lord's feet on Her heart and entered into the fire, leaving with Him only a shadow of Hers, though precisely of the same appearance and the same amiable and gentle disposition. Lakshmana, too, did not know the secret of what the Lord had done behind the curtain."

In the Adhyatma Ramayana, Sita emerges from the fire at the end of the war when the shadow Sita enters into it. (The whole drama is preplanned and enacted at the bidding of Sri Rama Himself).

Other alterations in the Adhyatma Ramayana include: Ravana treats Sita with the respect due to a mother and Sri Rama establishes a Sivalinga at the site of the bridge to Lanka.

The major contribution of the Adhyatma Ramayana lies in the casting of Rama in the role of the spiritual teacher and in the several exquisite hymns sung in praise of Rama. There are four occasions when Rama assumes the role of the teacher and gives philosophical disquisition.

Rama reveals himself as four-handed Maha Vishnu at his very birth, a feature that is not seen in Valmiki

Sage Valmiki depicts Sri Rama as an ideal man while admitting his divinity, whereas Sage Vyasa present him as the Supreme Being incarnate with the full remembrance of his divinity and the recognition of it by all wise men.

In response to Lakshmana's questions on different occasions he teaches knowledge, devotion and detachment, methods of worship and the way of emancipation. In reply to Kaushalya's query, Rama teaches the three Yogas of Karma (action), Jnana (knowledge) and Bhakti (devotion).

The well-known Ramagita is part of Adhyatma Ramayana. It contains teachings on Advaita Vedanta. The real contribution of this work is in its repeatedly propounding the doctrine that Rama is Brahman the Absolute and that Sita is His Maya-shakti or Prakriti, thereby raising the personality of Rama to the highest level and providing a firm base to the worship of Rama.

Ahalya the wife of Sage Gautama is in invisible form in the Valmiki Ramayana, whereas in the Adhyatma she has been depicted in the rock form.

In the Ayodhya Kanda of Adhyatma Ramayana the section opens with a visit of Sage Narada to Sri. Rama to remind him of the purpose of his incarnation, which Sri. Rama acknowledges. All these incidents are not in Valmiki.

In the Adhyatma, banishment of Sri Rama is accomplished by the Devas through Goddess Saraswathi, by possessing the two women i.e. maid servant Manthara and Kaikeyi. In Valmiki this incident is explained as a simple court intrigue.

Sage Valmiki's evil past has been explained in detail in Adhyatma, but not in the other.

In Adhyatma, Lakshmana requests Rama to instruct him on the means of attaining Salvation. Rama also gives him an elaborate discourse on Jnana and Bhakti, conveying the quintessence of Vedanta. This is not there in Valmiki Text.

According to Adhyatma, Ravana is aware of the fact that Sri. Rama in human form is Lord Vishnu incarnated to kill him. Ravana is also aware of the fact that destruction at Sri. Rama's hand is easier way of gaining salvation than through spiritual practices (devotion through confrontation - an example for vidvesha bhakti).

In Adhyatma - unknown to Lakshmana, Rama informs Sita that Ravana will be coming to abduct her, and that therefore he is handing her over to the Fire deity Agni for safe custody, till he takes her back again. In her place Maya Sita is left in Asrama, and it is this illusory Sita that Ravana abducts. This is unknown in the Valmiki.
In Valmiki, it is Kabandha who advises Sri. Rama to make friends with Sugreeva and gives details about the place of his residence, whereas in Adhyatma it is ascetic Sabari who first tells Rama about Sugreeva and informs him that Sita is confined in Ravana's palace.

After the death of Vali it is Hanuman who consoles Tara in Adhyatma Ramayana, whereas in Valmiki Sri. Rama gives her an elaborate advice of philosophy of Vedanta and the practice of devotion, besides consoling her.

In Adhyatma while Rama is staying at Mount Pravarshana after the coronation of Sugreeva, he gives an elaborate discourse to Lakshmana on the ritualistic worship of Lord Maha Vishnu (i.e Himself), thus revealing his identity with the Supreme Being openly.

Swayamprabha comes to meet Rama and praises Him, identifying him as Supreme Being. According to the advice of Rama she goes to Badari to attain Mukthi.. This episode is absent in Valmiki.

Sampati gives an elaborate discourse to the monkeys who meet him He quotes Sage Chandramas, while telling about the divinity of Sri. Rama. This incident is available in Adhyatma only.

A conspicuous addition in the Adhyatma is Rama's installation of the Sivalinga in Rameswara, before the construction of Sethu for the success of the enterprise. Rama also declares about the merit of Pilgrimage to Rameswara and Sethu Bandha here. These elaborations are not available in Valmiki.

Sri Rama is well aware of his divinity during the Nagapasa missile episode and Garuda's arrival to release them. In Valmiki, Rama is not aware of his Divinity till the end when Brahma imparts that knowledge to him.

Kalanemi obstructs Hanuman while he is on his way to bring Mritasanjivani, a herb that can revive one who is almost dead. This incident is absent in Valmiki.

Narada praises Rama after the death of Kumbakarna in Adhyatma. This is absent in Valmiki.

Killing of Maya Sita by Indrajit and illusion created thereon by black magic is available in Valmiki but not in Adhyatma

Before going to battle Ravana, for gaining invincibility in fighting, begins fire rite, as per the advice of his guru Sukra. This rite is blocked and stopped by the monkeys. These incidents are absent in Valmiki Ramayana.

Rama cuts down the heads of Ravana repeatedly, but could not kill him. Vibhishana informs Rama that Ravana has got amrita deposited in his umbilicus and that until it is removed he cannot be killed. This is available in Adhyatma Ramayana. But in Valmiki Ramayana as per the advice of Sage Agasthya Rama chants Adhithya Hrudaya and worships Lord Soorya to kill Ravana.

According to Adhyatma on the death of Ravana, his spirit, having luminosity of lighting enters into Rama and attains salvation. This explanation finds no place in Valmiki.

After the death of Ravana, Sita's fire ordeal is only to replace the Maya Sita by Rama. The whole event is given the appearance of a real ordeal in Valmiki.

In Adhyatma Ramayana every one praises and chants the hymn on Rama starting from Vamadeva, Valmiki, Bharadwaja, Narada, Viradha, Sarabanga, Sutikshna, Agasthya, Viswamitra, Vasishta, Jatayu, Kabhanda, Sabari, Swayamprabha, Parasurama, Vibhishana, Hanuman etc. This is absent in Valmiki.
Conclusion

Though the traditional origin of these two Ramayanas are different and though there are differences in the treatment of the subject - Rama Katha - one should not jump to the conclusion that there are contradictions between the two. We have to bear in mind that both of them deal with the same history of Rama and what Adhyatma Ramayana has done is only to make explicit what Valmiki has taught us implicitly and indirectly in his epic. As a much smaller text (containing about 4000 slokas) than that Vamiki's (containing 24000 slokas) and complete in itself, Adhyatma Ramayana offers the devotees of Rama a smaller and devotional exposition of Rama's greatness which they can use in their daily practices of worship.

Jai Shri Ram.

References:
1. Adhyatma Ramayana by Swami Tapasyananda
2. Kalyana Kalpataru - Srimadadhyatma Ramayana Number - October 1998 and
3. Adhyatma Ramayan (Hindi) - Both by Gita Press, Gorakhpur

Thunjathu Ezhuthachan's Adhyatma Ramayanam

I. Bala Kandam
[Childhood Chapter]

SYNOPSIS:
This first chapter of Ramayana starts with the prayer of the author, his request to the parrot to tell the story of Rama, The importance of Ramayana with a concise entire story as told by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvathy, The request of mother earth, devas and Brahma to Lord Vishnu to put an end to the troubles caused by Ravana, the conduct of Putrakeshti by king Dasaratha, Birth of Rama, Bharatha, Lakshmana and Shatrugna, their education, visit of sage Viswamithra to Dasaratha with a request to send Lord Rama to help him to protect the Fire sacrifice he is conducting to please the manes, Killing of Thadaga, Killing of Subahu, conduct of the fire Sacrifice, story of Ahalya, lifting of curse on her by Lord Rama, prayer of Ahalya addressed to Rama, Visit of Rama to Mithila, his marriage with Sita, and the destruction of pride of Parasurama.

I.1 Author's Prayers
[Normally written as a prelude before writing great works.]

Rama, Rama, Rama, victory to Ramachandra,
Rama, Rama, Rama, victory to Ramabhadra,
Rama, Rama, Rama victory to the ever pretty one of Sita,
Rama, Rama, Rama, victory to the stealer of the mind of the world,
Rama, Rama, Rama, victory to the killer of Ravana,
Rama, please make my mind joyous, Rama, Rama,
The soul of Raghava-Rama, the consort of Lakshmi-Rama,
Salutations to Rama, who has a very pretty mien,
Salutations to Narayana, Salutations to Narayana,
Salutations to Narayana, Salutations to Narayana,
Oh she parrot who came singing the name of Rama,
Without any hesitation, please tell us the story of Rama,
That baby of the parrot saluted those who are great,
And started telling with the memory of Rama.

PRAYER TO GANESHA

The causal leader of the ganas,
The one who has the soul of Brahma,
The epitome of mercy, the god made possible
By Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi,
The one who has an elephant face,
Is being saluted by me to the best possible extent,
So that he helps me to completely cross the blockades created by my fate.

PRAYER TO GODDESS SARASWATHI

Please come, and live always on my tongue,
Oh Goddess Saraswathi, who has a pretty varied form,
Who is the soul of Vedas,
Without and sense of shame please dance on my tongue,
Oh Goddess with deer like limbs, like the one dressed by sky in the forest,
Oh Bala, who lives in the face of Lord Brahma, born out of a lotus,
Like the tides in the wide ocean,
Make the words of the language come in front of me from time to time,
Oh Goddess with auspiciousness,
Do not bother to see appropriateness again and again.

PRAYER TO LORD KRISHNA, SAGE VYASA AND SAGE VALMIKI

Let Lord Krishna who was born in the clan of Vrushnis,
And who was Lord Vishnu, the soul of the world, bless me specially,
I salute sage Vyasa who was born in the family that started from Vishnu,
Who was really a sage who can be considered as incarnation of Vishnu,
And who was the one who saw the illusory history of Lord Vishnu,
And who was the one who wrote all the epics.
I salute that sage Valmiki who wrote Ramayana,
Which is equal to the four Vedas
And who was deeply respected by Lord Brahma with four heads,
And who was a great sage so that he grants me boons always.

GENERAL PRAYER TO BRAHMA, ELDERS AND TEACHERS

I should be helped by the devas like Lord Brahma,
Great sages like Narada, Goddess Parvathi, the consort of lord Shiva
And also my goddess Lakshmi who was born out of a lotus.
I salute the causal Brahmin leaders, who examined my work,
And also removed all the weakness in my work by toiling effort.
My teacher told me That, all the Vedas,
Are the God who is basis of different worlds.
Those who are the basis of all the Vedas,
Are to be seen as the great Gods of this earth.
Through them and are on the part of Lord Vishnu, Shiva and other lords,
And they who were the part of Vedas,
To whom they will teach all they know?

I.2 Introduction by the Author
[The author gives a brief introduction to Ramayana and expresses that he is not a Brahmin and says that in spite of that he will pray God that he becomes capable of telling the story of Ramayana.]

This servant who has been working under their feet,
Who is the wise man among the lowest Hindu Varnas,
Am attempting to tell the old Ramayana which has been approved by Vedas,
In such a way that even the ignorant would easily understand it,
And I pray that the Vedas, vedangas and knowledge emanating from Vedas,
Should become clear to my mind and I would try my best in my attempt.

Let Lord Indra, the lord of Devas, Agni who is the Lord of Swaha,
Lord Yama who is the lord of manes, Varuna, the Lord of water,
The wind God, Kubhera the God of all wealth,
The treasure of mercy Lord Shiva, Moon who is the Lord of stars,
Lord Ganapathi who is the son of Lord Shiva,
Lord Shiva who is the leader of Pramadhas,
Lord Sun who is the soul of hearing and speech, the Lord of lands,
All the beings of this world which move and do not move,
Should bless me who does not have the support of any one,
And I salute all of them through my innermost mind.
My elder brother who is much greater in scholarship to me,
My teacher who lives with very many disciples,
Let Rama the teacher and all the chief elders who are my teachers,
Should always live and bless me from my innermost self.

The Ramayana was composed by Lord Brahma in olden times,
And had hundred billion slokas in this world.
Once a hunter chanted the name of Rama,
And he became a great saint and seeing this Lord Brahma,
Ordered him to write Ramayana so that,
It would help in the salvation of all beings on this earth,
And Lord Narada then taught him Ramayana,
And the Goddess Saraswathi occupied the tongue of Valmiki.

Let her also live like that in my tongue also,
But I feel ashamed when I realize that I do not have sufficient wisdom,
As I am not authorized to learn Vedas and Sasthras,
I request you to please overlook and pardon this.
This Adhyathma Ramayana gives rise to divine wisdom,
And is also kept as very secret and has been told by Lord Shiva himself,
And all human beings who learn this great book,
Would definitely get salvation even within this life.
Please hear all this with great devotion,
This greatness of Rama has been told to you in a summary form,
Also if this is happened to be heard by wise people,
They would get rid of all problems immediately and also attain salvation.

For lessening the burden of this earth,
When Brahma and other devas, with great devotion,
Prayed Lord Vishnu who was sleeping on a snake in the ocean of milk,
He was born in the clan of Sun god as the son of Dasaratha who was greatly valorous,
And sent asuras who travel at night like Ravana,
To the town of the son of Sun God (Yama),
And later attained first the divine position,
And I salute the divine feet of him who is the consort of Lakshmi.

I.3 Uma Maheswara Samvadham
[Uma Maheswara Dialogue - Summary of Ramayana]

That goddess who is the pretty daughter of ice Mountain
And who lives on his left side saluted and asked with devotion,
Him who lives on Kailasa Mountain with the light of billions of suns,
In the purest of temple sitting on the jeweled throne in the yogic pose,
Who has an eye on his forehead, who is served by sages, devas and Sidhas,
Who has a blue red colour and who is her husband.

"Oh Lord who is the soul of all beings, Oh divine God, victory to you.
Oh God who lives on all worlds, Oh god of all, Oh greatest god,
Oh Sarvaa, Oh Sankara, Oh God who likes people who surrender to you,
Oh God of all devas, Oh Lord of all universe, Oh Sea of mercy,
Even if a matter is that which is a great secret,
Those people who are greater than the greatest,
When they see devotion, faith and services,
It seems teach it to their great devotees.
And so I have taken courage to ask your great self,
Along with great expectation and a mind full of devotion,
"If you have at least a small mercy on me,
Now teach me the principle of the God Rama."

Difference in philosophies, renunciations involving sciences and wisdom,
The real symptoms of devotion, Sankhya, Yoga and other aspects,
The result of going to temple and starving, the result of doing fire sacrifices,
The result of taking bath in sacred waters, the result of charity and gifts,
The dharmas of different castes and the dharmas suiting period of life,
Are heard to be with me always due to the blessings of the great yourself,
And my heart is filled with happiness due to it,
And having heard the cause of attachment as well as renunciation,
My mental blindness has completely left me, Oh God of the universe.
"I have great desire in my mind to hear the story of God Rama,
And if I am suitable to hear it, Oh sea of mercy, please shower your grace on me,
For except you oh great God there is no one who can tell me this."
The Goddess Karthyayani, Parvathi, Bhagwathi,
Said like this to the Parameshwara who is a great God,
And hearing this the great God, who is the lord of entire universe,
Answered her with a very happy smile.

"Blessed one, wife, daughter of the Mountain, Hey Parvathi, Hey lady,
Oh Darling no one has devotion to god as much as you have,
It is great luck that in your mind that a desire was formed,
To hear the principles of the God Rama.
So far no one has requested for this and on your oath,
I also have not told about it to anybody, oh darling of the soul.
To get a great desire to know the very secret,
Principle behind the divine God shows your wonderful devotion.
Which increased greatly in the branch of your mind,
I would salute the lotus feet of Rama and summarize,
The wonderful and essential principle. Please hear it from me."

God Rama, the divine God, the God who is in divine bliss,
Lord Vishnu, the cause of nature, one who is alone and divine,
The greatest of men, God, The endless one, the primeval lord,
Teacher, the merciful one, the greatest one, the divine Brahman,
The God who is responsible for creation, upkeep and destruction of the world,
The God who is himself Vishnu, Brahma and Lord Shiva,
He who does not have second, the first one,
He who loves people, The God who is Rama the soul.
The divine one who is the meaning of principles,
He who is in all souls, he who is God,
And those who think that he is only a man are ignorant ones,
And since the mind is dark due to it being hidden by illusion,
And since The hearing of the discussion between Rama, Sita and Hanuman,
Is the one which leads to salvation, I will tell it to you, darling, please hear.

But long, long ago, the lord of the universe, The God Rama,
Who has a lotus like eyes, Who is blessed with divine joy,
After killing Ravana with ten heads who defeated several devas,
Reached Ayodhya immediately along with his brother and wife,
And immediately crowned himself as the king of Ayodhya.
He who has the purest of souls, the God of all,
The Lord who does not change,
Who was being served by friends and their sons,
By the group of several type of friends,
By greatly pure people, by the brother valorous heroes,
By Lord Bharatha son of Kaikeyi, By Vibheeshana,
And by Vasishta the son of Lord Brahma and other sages,
And who Shined with a luster which was equivalent to billions of suns,
Heard the stories which are famous in this world and became very happy,
Along with his Wife Janaki who was Maya devi,
And while he was sitting on the golden throne studded with purest of great gems,
That Lord of divine joy, saw Hanuman the son of air who was standing there,
Saluting him and that merciful god smilingly saw Sita and told her,
"Hey pretty one, are you not seeing Hanuman?
He is always within me and you, always without fail,
With his mind filled with the division less devotion."

Great one, he does not have any desire for,
Anything except the knowledge of the divine God.
He is pure and deserves to be given knowledge about soul,
As he has no attachment and is forever first among Brahmacharis (Bachelor),
Please understand that he does not have any stains,
And so without hesitating please tell what is in your mind,
Oh divine one, Oh one who spreads all over, One who is only goodness,
And one who is completely filled with illusion,
He is fit to be taught about the knowledge of Brahman,
For among those who seek that knowledge he is the first.
When at that time after Sri Rama told like this,
The Goddess called Hanuman and told him thus,
"The leading stone of the crown worn by valorous heroes,
The greatest among devotees of Rama, please hear what I say,
Please decide within your mind that God Rama is the,
The divine joy, the one and only one, one who does not have a second, the divine Brahman,
The one who does not move, One who is not attached to anything, One who is only essence,
And that thing which cannot be known in spite of determination,
You please understand that this God Rama is pure, without stains,
One without properties, one who is not having any feelings,
One who does only good, One who is peaceful, One who is the divine soul, one who is forever happy,
A thing which does not have any birth or death and he is the divine Brahman.
Please understand that God Rama is the cause of all, one who is spread everywhere, one who is the soul of all,
One who is everything, One who is the God of all, one who is witness of all, one who is forever,
One who is everything and basis of all, one who is spread in all gods and a without sensations.

Now I would tell you the principle of mine in real terms,
To you I have become the primeval causal basis,
And my husband who is the divine God
Allows me to create anything just by his presence.

All those which have been created by me due to his presence,
Are understood by foolish people as the real divine form,
Not understanding that his form does not have any birth,
For only those who have realized him will know About it.
In this earth, in the clan of the sun God, in Ayodhya,
The God of all was born in the form of Sri Rama,
And for killing Asuras who eat flesh of humans,
When he went along with sage Viswamithra,
He killed on his way the very bad Thadaga,
Who approached him with anger and saved,
The hermitage of the sage and also protected the Yaga (fire sacrifice),
And accompanied the very great sage called Koushika,
To the kingdom of Mithila and on the way,
Ended the curse of Ahalya who was the wife of sage Gauthama,

After blessing her who saluted his lotus like feet
He entered the town of Mithila with all respect,
And then broke the bow of the enemy of three cities (Shiva),
And then married me and when he was returning,
Lord Parasurama came before him and prevented him,
And he destroyed his pride and entered the city of Ayodhya,
And lived there happily for another twelve years,
And at that time his father made arrangements for his coronation,
And due to this being prevented by his mother Kaikeyi,
Along with his brother Lakshmana, the son of Sumithra,
He reached Chithrakoota and during that time,
His father expired and entered the city of death,
And hearing this with mind full of sorrowful thoughts,
He performed the after death rites and sent,
His devotee Bharatha to rule the kingdom.

When he entered Dandakaraya forest,
He killed Viradha and visited Agasthya born out of a pot,
And he promised before the learned men and sages,
That soon he would completely decimate the clan of Rakshasas,
And then he entered Pancha vati and when he was living there,
Soorpanaka the sister of the Lord of Rakshasas,
Came In the grip of the arrow shot by the God of love,
And Lakshmana cut off her nose,
And this made the highly placed Khara angry,
And he came to fight with fourteen thousand Rakshasas,
But they were all killed within one and half hour time,
And later Soorpanakha went to Ravana and told him about this,
And Rama gave salvation to Mareecha by using an arrow,
When he came in deceit as a deer made of gold,
And after Ravana went away taking the duplicate illusory Sita,
That man of illusion gave salvation to the bird Jatayu,
And later went and later gave Salvation to Kabandha,
Who came taking the form of a Rakshasa,
And later he went and saw Sabari,
And accepted the worship by her,
And he entered the banks of river Pampa,
And there he saw you and along with you,
He saw Sugreeva the son of Sun god,
And signed a treaty of friendship with him,
And killed Bali the son of Indra who was the enemy of Vruthra.

Later they searched for Sita in the southern ocean,
Built a bridge, destroyed Lanka and later,
Killed the enemy Ravana who came ready for war,
Along with his sons, friends, mothers and servants
Using an arrow and saved the three worlds,
And later crowned his devotee Vibheeshana.

I who had taken to hiding inside the fire,
Was brought out making the world agree on my purity,
And riding the Pushpaka which was made by the rays of the sun,
And after taking permission of the devas also,
The lord of the world crowned himself as the king of Ayodhya,
And remained worshipped by devas and others.

"He is the Narayana addressed by Yajnas and he grants,
Salvation to those who are devoted to him, he is without any stains,
He always makes all actions of his to be performed by me who is his Maya Devi,
And he is the teacher of the world Rama who is without properties,
He is the mind catcher of the world, one without change, One who is many,
One whose soul is joy, The one who entertains the soul, one who does not have second,
Divine one, one who does not have stains, One who is a garden to the bee like learned ones,
One who is firm, One who is peaceful, God Narayana
One who is beyond going, sitting, becoming wonderstruck or becoming sad,
A soul without feelings, One shining whole which arrows cannot pierce,
And he would not do any action at any time, One who is pure, One who does not change with time,
A collection of joy, a divine being, one who is full of illusion, and he makes,
His illusory consort do the job and make it appear as if he has done it,
Because I completely obey his conduct of illusion."
After the philosophy of the existence of Rama,
Was explained by Goddess Sita to the son of Anjana
Lord Rama with a pretty smile told him,
"The souls that we all see is but the refection,
Of the form of the divine soul that exists everywhere."

Oh great monkey, My lustrous illusion,
Without any doubt has the image in you,
Like in each and every lake, the great sky,
Can be directly seen by you, and similar to that,
The real Divine Brahman, the form for which.
The divine God is himself the witness is very stable, my friend,
You should understand the principle behind me,
By the great Vedic sayings like "You are That",
And my devotee due to the grace of Guru,
When he understands this, without any doubt,
Would reach me and my form.

"Those who are not interested in my devotion, jump,
Into all places where science is mentioned and love that place,
To those who do not have devotion, even after hundred thousand births,
They would not get knowledge of philosophy and salvation,
Do not inform those men who do not have devotion to me,
This fact which has been told by me as God anytime.
There is no divine advice which is above this."
Thus Lord Shiva told Goddess Parvathi,
About the greatness of Rama, which is holy and held as great secret,
And which was told by the real Lord Rama himself to the son of wind god,
And it leads to salvation, it destroys sins, that which starts killing of darkness of the heart,
And which is the meaning of all Vedanthas, And is the principle behind Lord Rama.
All these divine words which were taught to lord Hanuman,
If read by a man always along with great devotion,
Without any doubt will set him free.

Great problems like Brahma hathya, even though,
They have been earned in several of your births.
Would all get destroyed, told Lord Rama,
To the great Monkey and is it not the truth.
Even though he is a Man who is hated in his clan, one who steals other women and money,
Sinner, killer of mother, killer of father, one who kills Brahmins,
One who does crime to groups of yogis, one who steals gold, bad man,
And one who is found fault by the entire world,
If he chants the name of Rama with devotion,
He would be worshipped by the gods with respect,
And not only that for he would reach the land of Vishnu,
Which is even difficult to get for kings among those who sacrifice,
And there is absolutely no doubt in that.

Hearing the way that it was told by the great God,
The Goddess told with ebbing devotion in her,
"Oh auspicious one, my husband, Lord of the universe,
Lover of Ganga, The greatest God, Treasure of mercy,
One who is decorated by snake, I am now blessed,
I have become honoured, I have become contented and all this now and also peaceful,
Now All my doubts have been torn in to pieces,
All my desires have been destroyed due to your blessing,
The pure philosophy of Rama is a compound of nectar,
Though I drank that which flowed from your mouth to full capacity,
There is no possibility that my mind becomes contented,
And because of that I have to tell you one thing.

What you have told me in summary and that did not satisfy me,
All the greatness of the real Lord Narayana,
Would not add knowledge to those who consider time as insignificant,
And would not add to the wealth of those who consider property as insignificant,
And would not give daily happiness to those who consider loans as insignificant,
And would not improve the status of those who consider Gods as insignificant,
So without any laziness, please tell me in detail the holy story of Rama.

The God, the greatest God, The divine God,
When he heard the question of the Goddess,
Broke in to a pleasant smile and that divine Chandra Shekara told,
"Hey pretty one, please hear. In the olden times Lord Brahma,
Wrote Ramayana in detail with Thousand billion stanzas,
And this was accepted by the Vedas.
Under the orders of Lord Brahma, sage Valmiki wrote this again,
Using only twenty four thousand stanzas for the salvation of man.
And that was further summarized and told to us by Lord Rama.

This was named as Adhyathma Ramayanam for.
Those who read this would get knowledge of the divine soul,
They would also get wealth of children, increase of wealth,
Long life, wealth of friends, fame and freedom from diseases
Their devotion also would increase and they would get salvation,
And though it is a great secret, please hear it from me.

I.4 Shiva's Story Narration

Due to always being burdened by Ravana,
And his great army of Rakshasa.
Goddess Earth took the form of a cow and along with crowds of sages and devas,
Reached the land of Brahma who sits on a lotus and cried.
And when she told about all her pain to Lord Brahma,
And Lord Brahma after deep thought for some time,
Came to the conclusion that there is no alternative,
Other than going and appealing to Lord of the Vedas, God Vishnu,
And after thinking like this Lord Brahma with greatly added sorrow,
Took all of them and reached the ocean of milk,
And prayed the Lord along with the devas and sages.

He then prayed the lord with great devotion,
Using Purusha Sooktham and was waiting,
And at that time he was able to see Lord Vishnu,
With lotus like eyes with a shine similar,
To ten thousand suns raising on the east.

The God's form was pretty and could not be seen,
Easily even with great Sidha Yogis and which had,
Smile like the light of the moon, which had a pretty form,
Which resembled the full moon and that God had eyes like lotus flower,
Had the colour of blue sapphire, was divine and he had,
The very pretty goddess Lakshmi on his chest,
And he was like the worshipful rise of God,
And he was the God decorated by Sri Vathsam.
His lotus like feet where very dear to his devotees,
He was like the celebration of the entire world,
He was served by the good, he was wearing a crown,
Resembling the Meru Mountain, and decorated by,
Ear studs, pearl necklaces, armlets bangles, belt, ring,
And his body was mind bewitching, he was epitome of mercy,
And seeing him thus, The Lord Brahma became deliriously happy,
And using very pretty and sweet words started praying him thus,
"Oh God of divine joy, Oh God of luck, victory, victory.

Oh God whose lotus like feet is extremely difficult to see,
Even to the great Sidha Yogis who thirst after salvation,
My prayer and salutations to you forever and ever,
Oh Lord of all universes, Oh forever pure God,
My prayer and salutations to you forever and ever,
Oh true wisdom, Oh Joy, oh deathlessness,
Oh God without a second and who is one and only one,
My prayer and salutations to you forever and ever,
Oh Ocean of mercy, Oh Lord of the universe,
Who creates, upkeeps and destroys it, salutations,
My prayer and salutations to you forever and ever,

One can never get emancipation in this world through,
Learning of Vedas, penance or through fire sacrifices,
But if we want to get salvation, there is no other method,
Except deep devotion to your feet, and the two lotus like feet,
Of yours have been seen by me today, due to my luck.

I need to get complete devotion always and forever,
To your lotus like feet, Which are daily worshipped with complete devotion,
By The great among the sages who are peaceful in nature.
Oh God who loves his devotees my prayers.

To the men who are suffering in the wheel of birth and death,
And have a worried mind, there is no other medicine except devotion to you,
And in my mind I have great pity towards them when I think of their death
Oh God who is the treasure house of mercy,
Please give me a boon that they think about,
Your lotus like feet which are like the baby sun
During the time of their death when there is a growing need for,
Thinking about your feet, Oh giver of mercy, Salutations,
I surrender to you God, Oh consort of Lakshmi, Oh Consort of earth,
Oh God who is personification of divine joy, Oh God, victory, victory,
Oh divine one, Oh divine soul, Oh God who is the divine Brahman, victory,
Oh God pervaded with divinity, Oh diviner than the divine, Oh God with lotus like eyes, victory,
Oh God who blesses, Oh Narayana, Oh Vaikunta, victory.

When Lord Brahma prayed like this to Lord Vishnu,
He sweetly with a great smile in his face,
Asked "Why have all of you come,
Here at this time as a group and with unity,
Please tell me about this. ' and hearing this,
Lord Brahma made him understand the situation like this,
"There is nothing in this world, that is not known to you,
But still I will tell you. In all the three words,
Sorrow has reached its peak, Oh Lord,
Due to Ravana the son of sage Poulasthya,
All the three worlds have been completely destroyed, Oh God of universe."

Alas, Becoming proud due to the strength of boons given to me,
Without any kindness he is destroying the entire world,
He shook even the guardians of the world,
And created different rules in all those places,
In the war he tied Lord Indra and created,
Only one rule in this world, that Ravanan,
Due to that fire sacrifices were stopped,
And not only that he also eats,
Great yogis and great sages and catches and takes away
Virtuous wives and so all good has been destroyed.
Oh Lord of the world, it has been earlier decided,
That he does not face death from anyone else other than man,
And so your goodself should himself be born as a man,
And should kill that Ravana, Oh treasure of mercy,
And I again and again salute you for that, oh enemy of Madhu,
I should be able to think about your very tender feet.

When Lord Brahma told him like this,
Lord Vishnu with lotus eyes smiled and told him like this,
"With a pure heart, in olden times, Kasyapa Prajapathi served me,
For some time wishing to get a son, and I am happily,
Fulfilling his wish and I am going to do it now."

Kasyapa became a king called Dasaradha,
In a place which is in earth, Of Brahma,
And Kasyapa's wife Adhithi became Dasaratha's wife Kousalya,
And I would be born as a son to them,
And there would be brother's for me,
And in the divine form, the goddess of universe, who is my friend,
Who is the Goddess Yoga Maya would enter the house of Janaka,
AS the death to the clan of Rakshasas, not being born to any mother,
The devas should be born in the world as monkey warriors,
For the sake of reducing the burden of Goddess earth,
Told Lord Vishnu, and when the Lord of Vedas disappeared,
Lord Brahma saluted him with great devotion.

At the time the worries of all devas came to an end,
And facing the direction where the primeval lord disappeared,
Bereft of all sorrow in the mind and with great love there,
Fell on the ground and saluted the Lord.
After giving great hope with words of solace to the Goddess earth,
Lord Brahma addressed the devas and told.

"The enemy of asuras, the treasure of mercy, the consort of Lakshmi,
Would take an incarnation of a great human being,
In the clan of the Sun God, in the city of Ayodhya,
And all of you who are devas also should one thing.
For the sake of helping Lord Vishnu as servants to him,
You all should be born in the earth and also,
Fight with great heroes of the army of Rakshasas.
Without delay You should become monkeys,
And occupy all forests, hills, mouth of caves and on all trees."

After telling to Indra and other devas, about the order,
Of his Lord, he became happy and immediately,
Went to his Sathya loka and Goddess earth became,
Free of all her worries and became contended and happy.

Then Indra and all other great devas,
Took the form of monkeys for,
The sake of helping Lord Vishnu in the human form,
And with very fast valour on Mountains and trees,
Along with a body which is equal to a Mountain,
And where those great monkeys lived happily,
In earth and waited for the appearance of Lord Vishnu.

1.5 Puthra Labha Alochana
[Thought of Getting a Son]

When King Dasaratha who had extremely good qualities,
Who was pure, king of Ayodhya, Soul of justice, valorous hero,
Equal to one born in clan of devas, Really great valorous one,
One equal to God of love and one who is the gem of mercy,
Along with queen Kausalya and with the two queens Kaikeyi and Sumathra,
Who were giving great credence to looking after their husbands,
And along with his ministers, after thinking over the problems and blessings,
Was ruling over the entire earth and due to his being not blessed by sons,
Along with great sorrow saluted the two lotus like feet of his guru and asked,
"How and when can I get good sons, kindly tell me for,
If I does not have sons, for me all the wealth that I have only leads to sorrow."

The great sage of penance, Vasishta, after hearing this,
Laughed and told to king Dasaratha like this,
"You would soon get four sons, so do not be sad,
Thinking about this in your mind, Oh king,
Without delay get sage Rishya Srunga,
And immediately perform the Puthra Kameshti sacrifice."

1.6 Puthra Kameshti
[Fire Sacrifice to get Children]

As per the words of his Guru sage Vasishta,
The king got the help of the sage Rishya Srunga.
He constructed the place for doing Yaga, in the shores of Sarayu,
And that Lord of earth observed the penance of the Yaga,
And after performing the Aswamedha sacrifice,
That Dasaradha who was like the Lord of the world,
Along with the sages performed with devotion the Puthra Kameshti,
For the incarnation of The Lord of the earth..
All the devas and Gods were satisfied by the offering in fire,
Made by sage Rishya Srunga and at that time,
From the fire place rose the God of fire,
Along with a pot of Payasa (Sweet porridge).

"For the sake of getting sons, take this porridge,
Which is made by Gods," said the Fire God,
And gave it to the great king and disappeared,
And as per the orders of sages, he took it.

He gave them their fees and saluted them with devotion,
That great hero Dasaratha, and immediately with love,
He gave half the quantity to his wife Kousalya,
And with great love gave the other half to Kaikeyi,
At that time queen Kousalya, gave half of what she got,
Without any hesitation to queen Sumathra,
And seeing this Kaikeyi also gave half her share to Sumithra,
And seeing this the king became very happy,
And the three queens got in to the family way,
Giving great joy to the citizens of Ayodhya.

Right from that time, the king of the earth, Dasaradha,
Started assembling great learned Brahmins,
And performed chanting fire sacrifice etc for the safety of the pregnancy,
And when in those pretty women, the proper signs of pregnancy started appearing in time,
The love in the mind of the great king also increased.
Like the ornaments for his queens, to the Brahmins,
To the citizens, to the earth and to the gods,
Sorrow became very less daily, and
Great luster increased for those who talk less,
He performed rituals like Seemantham and Pumsavanam,
And the king also gave money to charity to his full desire,
And the pregnancy came to an end and at that time,
Four children were born to him at the time,
When five planets in exalted position, and at that time,
Lord Vishnu became the son of queen Kausalya,
His star was Punarvasu and the thidhi (moon's phase) was Navami,
And the great Lord was born at the time when,
Lord Jupiter was along with the lord of his birth star,
And it was in Karkidaga Lagnam, it was in greatly exalted position,
Lord Sun was greatly exalted, Sani was in Thula Rasi,
Lord Venus was in Meena Rasi, Lord mars was in retrograde,
And was greatly exalted in Makara Rasi,
All the Gods were crowding in all directions,
And at that time in Poosa star Kaikeyi got a son,
And the next day queen Sumithra got twins.

When God, divine soul, Mukunda, Narayana,
God of the universe, One who does not have births, One who has lotus like eyes,
And God of the earth, was born along with the symbols of Lord Vishnu,
Kausalya saw him as thousand rays of light coming together,
As if one who rises up like thousand suns,
As one wearing a honourable crown which was venerated,
By Lord Brahma, sages like Narada and Sanaka,
As one having pretty hair and with prettiness of the curly locks,
As the one having eyes which were filled with the nectar of mercy,
With hips dressed with silk of the rising sun in the sky,
With hands shining with conch, wheel and mace,
As one wearing a necklace of Kousthubha gem in his conch like neck,
As one who is having Srivathsa mole which was extremely clear,
So that his devotees who love him would be able to identify him,
As one wearing ear studs, pearl necklace, anklets, girdle and other decorations,
As one having a moon like face, as one having a feet which earlier measured the world,
As one sporting the divine joy which has been seen and seen,
And a the divine God who is responsible to give salvation and is the witness of the world,
And when she understood him as the real God Narayana,
And that very pretty Kausalya saluted him,
And started singing his praises continuously.

"Salutations to God of gods who wears the conch and the wheel,
Salutations to Vasudeva, the killer of Madhu and Hari,
Salutations to Narayana, Salutations to killer of Naraka,
Salutations to the God, the archer, Salutations to Lord of universe,
Your great self-using the goddess of illusion are always,
For Creating, looking after and destroying this universe,
And depending on the three character class like Sathwa,
Even the very pure great ones are not clear as to why this is for that."
The greatest, He who is not any other one, The divine Brahman, the divine one,
The divine soul, The divine Purusha, the complete one,
Achyuthan, The endless one, the not clear one, the imperishable one, he who is the one,
He who does not move, he who is unequalled, He who gives salvation, he who is forever,
He who is pure, he who is untainted, The God of the soul who does not have emotions,
The calm one, who is disinterested, he who is personification of absence of pride,
He who does not have any divisions, the purest one, the just one, he who does not have any stain,
He who does not have any characteristic, He who is worshipped by words of Vedas, the lord,
He who does not do anything, He who does not have a form, he who does not age, He who is honoured,
He who does not have desires, he who lives in the mind of just ones,
He who does not have a second, he who cannot be defeated, he who is forever joyful, Lord Narayana,
The learned one, the bee that hovers round the mind, the enemy of Madhu,
He who is truthful, The god of all souls, He who does not have beginning,
The being which collects truth, he who is served by sages like Sanaka,
The personification of meanings of philosophy, he who pervades all over universe,
He who is only essence, I surrender to your feet.

In your honour's stomach daily and endlessly,
All the universes are always lying,
And what is the cause of that type of yourself,
Living within my stomach, salutations to you.
And me who is foolish is now experiencing,
The sensation of great devotees now.

Being daily drowned in the sea of husband, children and worries in life,
I am completely confused and due to the strength of great illusion,
Today I am lucky enough to see your lotus like feet.

By your mercy, we have to live comfortably,
And though this form of yours is to destroy bad actions,
Your great illusion who is prettiest in the world,
Oh God of universe, should not make me desire for it, Oh consort of Lakshmi,
The form of Vaishnava maya is very unusual,
Oh God of devas, please hide this form before others see it,
And take the form of a child which is more suitable to hug you,
And bring you up with care, and show me, oh treasure of mercy,
And I with a reason of affection towards my son,
Would serve you and cross the ocean of the sad samsara.

When she with great devotion, saluted and prayed to him,
The God who is the darling of his devotees, That great Purusha told,
"Oh mother, I do not have any problem in taking a form,
That is liked by you and it would come as you think,
For killing Ravana who is roaming with great pride,
And to bring good life to all the people on earth,
Once Brahma, Shiva and the great Lords of devas,
Prayed me with holy words and served me.
And I decided to be born in the clan of Manu,
As your child, taking the form of a human being,
And I was born as your son, because you,
Served me once with a wish in your mind,
That I only should be born as a child to you,
In your previous births and due to that reason,
I only showed you my real form."

Seeing me in this form can only be done rarely,
And this is meant for getting salvation to you,
If you can meditate on this form with devotion daily,
Then do not have any doubt that you would get salvation.

That man who reads or hears with devotion,
The discussion that took place between us,
Will attain my Saujya (salvation) definitely,
And at the time of his death he will remember me,

Saying this he took the normal form of a little baby,
And immediately started crying shaking his arms and legs,
And he was extremely pretty with the colour of blue sapphire,
Also one having lotus like eyes, Mukundan, soul of divine joy,
One saluted by those present in the lotus like temple of Shiva,
And thus he took incarnation in his world.

Hearing the news of the birth of a son,
That king was blessed with divine joy,
And to all those servants who told the news of son's birth,
He gave cloths, ornaments and lots of wealth,
After Seeing the face of his son, he went with great joy,
And after taking a very cleansing bath and as per the orders of the Guru,
He performed the ritual of birth and also meditated afterwards,
To Kaikeyi a son was born the next day,
And to Sumithra two sons were born,
And Dasaratha who was the killer of enemies, also,
Performed ritual of birth to all the children,
And after that all his citizens shed tears of joy.

To the Brahmins countless and innumerable,
Gold, jewels, cloth, land and other material were given as charity,
And in the land of Gods also there was a big festival,
And for Lord Indra all his thousand eyes became clear.

Remembering that that all souls of all the worlds,
Are happy daily because of him, Vasishta,
Gave the name of Rama, to the pretty boy of black colour,
And due to his, Being an expert in administration,
The son of Kaikeyi was called Bharatha,
To the son of Sumithra who had all good features,
He called him as Lakshmana, and due to,
His quality of killing all his enemies,
The other son of Sumithra was called Shatrugna,
And after giving these names to all his four sons,
The king lived happily along with his wives.

With the very pretty group of his brothers,
The black coloured, world bewitching God,
With the glance which was full of nectar of mercy,
With clear colour of the lake, with nectar like music,
With the prettiness which used to attract the universe,
With softness of body that gave rise to real joy,
With the taste of the kiss of his lips which are like red hibiscus flower,
With the humour emanating from his pretty teeth,
With the two feet which rest on the land,
And with his pretty and attractive movements,
He gave love to all the sense organs,
Of his father, mother and people of the town.

With The beauty of curly tendrils enhanced by wearing on his forehead,
The mark of sandal wood, In the shape of a golden leaf of a peepal tree,
The side long glances out of his eyes made more pretty,
Due to his wearing black eye paint on them,
The ears shining due to the handsome ear globes,
The cheeks which were shining like a golden mirror,
The very eminent nails, the necklace of corals,
In which here and there beads made of gold,
Which he was wearing around his neck,
Necklaces of pearls, garlands of forest flowers,
The broad long chains made of thulasi leaves,
The incomparable light emanating from the sri vathsa,
Armlets, bangles and golden rounds that he wore,
The Arms which were shining due to his rings,
The yellow silk upper cloth that he was wearing like a belt,
And Other anklets and lotus flower that he was wearing,
The Lord of goddess along with his brothers heightened the beauty of the earth.

Goddess Lakshmi started living very happily,
In Ayodhya where her husband was living,
From that day onwards everything in earth,
Heightened its existence and the world was a happy place.

Their childhood made their parents very happy,
And slowly their youth also approached,
And the great sage Vasishta who was the son of Brahma,
According to dharma made the children wear the sacred thread,
And taught them Vedas along with several branches,
As also the human law book as well as their branches,
And surprisingly all these were learned them without any effort,
For they are all very difficult to teach and learn,
Due their being taught by sage Vasishta,
The son of the God who arose from a lotus flower,
To the god who was the teacher of all moving and not moving beings.
Dasaradha seeing that his sons have returned,
As great experts in the sea of the science of archery,
Became happy with the ebbing joy of his mind,
And greatly made happy the great sage.
Among Rama and Lakshmana the feeling,
Of the lord and his assistant grew up,
And in the hearts of the pretty Bharatha and Shatrugna,
There Developed a feeling of God and his servant,
And this grew more and more with the passage of time,
And at that time one day Rama with lot of happiness in his mind,
Speedily climbed on a great gem of a horse,
And along with Lakshmana who was like his soul,
Armed themselves with weapons like bow, arrow and sword,
Started travelling inside the forest for the sake of hunting,
And killed very many groups of cruel animals.

He killed very large number of wild animals like,
Deer, Monkey, elephant bear, Mountain boar,
And lion and brought and kept them at the feet of his father,
And as per the practice saluted him by falling at his feet.

Getting up at really very early morning, taking bath,
Doing with great devotion the salutations of dawn,
Saluting the lotus like feet of his father and mother,
Thinking about affairs of ruling of the state along with his brother,
After always bringing about peace without crossing the limits of law,
After looking after Dharma, and then after taking,
Very tasty and quality food along with relatives and elders,
After hearing Dharma Sasthras and historical events,
Daily with a pure mind completely merging with divine joy,
That great one, the one who was divine, one who is like divine Brahman,
One who is outside everything, Lord Vishnu, the divine soul, the personification of divine joy,
After taking incarnation in this world as a man,
Lived with the ideal role of a ruler of earth.

If we think and see it in our mind, he is the one,
Who does nothing but the real truth and there are,
No feelings and further evolution in him,
And the divine joy of the soul is but an illusion, strange, strange.

1.7 Viswamithra's Fire Sacrifice Protection

At that time the great sage who was called Viswamithra,
Came on a visit to Ayodhya, knowing that Rama,
Was born in this earth due to the act of illusion,
And is really the divine soul who has taken a pretty form,
And with a view to see the real wisdom and endless nectar of joy,
He came with desire filled in his mind and mind ebbing with devotion.

On seeing sage Kaushika, the king Dasaratha,
With great nervousness started welcoming him,
And along with sage Vasishta, the son of Brahma,
He saluted him and with great devotion and smile,
Told that great sage as follows:-
"Due to your coming my birth has become fruitful,
And by the coming of your great self, the soul within me,
Has become contended, oh great sage,
The country which your great self has visited,
Would become auspicious and wealth will come there,
Oh treasure of mercy, be pleased to tell me,
With what objective did you come here?
I would do anything which is possible by me,
Without hesitation, Oh lord among sages, please tell the real reason."

Becoming pleased sage Viswamithra told,
With great hope to Dasaratha at that time,
"On every new moon day, meditating,
On the mane gods, I do a fire sacrifice,
But this is being stopped by Rakshasas,
Like Mareecha, Subahu and their assistants,
For killing them and protecting the fire sacrifice,
Oh king, you have to send God Rama,
And he told this to sage Vasishta also,
And without any hesitation you have,
To send Lord Lakshmana also,
Let all that is good come to you, oh king,
Oh auspicious one, oh treasure of mercy, Oh lord of men."

Getting worried that king belonging to the clan of Sun,
Calling his Guru told to him in private,
"Oh teacher, what should I tell him,
It is not for sacrificing my son that, at a time,
When I was weak and desiring for a son,
I got by God's grace Rama as a son and by parting with him,
I will definitely die and if I do not give Rama,
Viswamithra would completely destroy our clan,
Your honour may be pleased to tell me now,
After great thought, as to what I should tell him."

"Then please hear from me the secret of the devas,
Which is being kept as greatly secret and oh king,
There is no reason for you to be sorry about.
Oh great gem among men, Rama is not a man,
The divine soul who is forever joyful and who does not have any measure,
As a result of prayers done earlier by Lord Brahma,
Lord Vishnu who is in Vaikunda, who is Narayana himself
For the sake of reducing the burden of this world,
Has taken incarnation as your son and Kausalya's son.

Oh Dasaratha, I will now tell you about your previous birth.
Earlier you were Kasyapa Prajapathi, son of Lord Brahma,
And Adhithi who was your wife then is now Kausalya.
Both of you together did very tough penance for several years,
To get a son and repeated it again and again,
Addressed to Lord Vishnu along with worship and meditation.
That God who likes his devotees, who blesses and who is divine,
Came in person before you and asked, " You receive the boons from me,"
And because you immediately requested him,
"You should be born as our son". Today that lord,
Has born as your son Rama, please understand this.
Oh king Lord Adhisesha is born as your son Lakshmana,
And Vishnu's wheel and conch have been born as Bharatha and Shatrugna,
And so leave away all these doubts and also hear the following."

In Mithila, the Goddess Yog Maya has been born,
Without born from any being, in the stage of penance
And you understand that Sage Vswamithra who has come here,
Would make a meeting possible between them,
This is a great secret and should not be told to any one,
And so without hesitation send your son."

Dasaratha who became very happy, saluted,
Sage Kausika, worshipped as per procedure and along with great devotion,
Saying "You can take Rama and Lakshmana along with you",
The king gave his sons to him with great joy, and he calling,
"Come Rama, Rama, come Lakshmana" Took them near to him,
And embraced them close to his heart in a tight manner,
Caressed and caressed them, kissed them on their head,
And told them, "Go so that all good will come to you,"
Those lads then saluted the lotus like feet of their father and mother,
And also saluted the feet of the sage who was their guru,
And later went and saluted sage Viswamithra.
For the sake of protecting the world the sage took them,
And sage Kasyapa and along with those royal lads armed with,
Bow, quiver, arrows and sword, bid farewell to others after blessing them.
Along with those lads of divine feet Viswamithra walked,
And after seeing some countries after a sauntering walk,
Smiled at them and told them,
"Hey Rama, Hey Raghava, Hey Rama, Hey lad Lakshmana, please hear.
You both are only handsome lads and you since both have been brought up,
Without knowing what is hunger and thirst, for you not suffering from,
Hunger and thirst, there are two great lessons called Bala and Athibala.
Without any hesitation please learn them and then chant the same."

The sage to ld them that this knowledge is made by devas,
And he taught them these manthras,
Learning which the boys got rid of hunger and thirst,
And immediately sage Viswamithra crossed the river Ganges with them.

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