मर्त्यावतारस्त्विह मर्त्यशिक्षणं रक्षोवधायैव न केवलं विभो । कुतोऽन्यथा स्याद्ऽऽरमतः स्व आत्मनः सीताकृतानि व्यसनानीश्वरस्य
O Lord, your descent among mortals is not only for instructing humanity and slaying the demons, but how else could the Lord, whose own self is ever blissful, experience the sufferings caused by Sītā?
न वै स आत्मात्मवतां सुहृत्तमः सक्तस्विलोक्यां भगवान्वासुदेवः । न स्त्रीकृतं कश्मलमश्नुवीत न लक्षणं चापि विहातुमर्हति
Truly, that Supreme Self, the best friend of the self-realized, the Blessed Vāsudeva, is not attached to worldly things; he does not suffer impurity caused by a woman, nor should he abandon his own true nature.
न जन्म नूनं महतो न सौभगं न वाङ् न चुद्धिर्नाकृतिस्तोषहेतुः । तैर्यद्विसृष्टानपि नो वनौकस- श्चकार सख्ये बत लक्ष्मणाग्रजः
Neither birth, nor greatness, nor good fortune, nor speech, nor intellect, nor form is the cause of satisfaction; yet, though he created them, the Lord, elder brother of Lakṣmaṇa, befriended the forest-dwellers—how wonderful!
सुरोऽसुरो वाप्यथवा नरोऽनरः सर्वात्मना यः सुकृतज्ञमुत्तमम् । भजेत रामं मनुजाकृतिं हरिं य उत्तराननयत्कोसलान् दिवम्
Whether god, demon, human, or non-human, whoever with all their being worships Rāma, the supreme knower of virtue, Hari in human form, who led the people of Kosala to heaven, attains the highest.
श्रीनारायण उवाच एवं किम्पुरुषे वर्षे सत्यसन्धं दृढव्रतम् । रामं राजीवपत्राक्षं हनुमान् वानरोत्तमः
Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Thus, in the land of Kimpuruṣa, Hanuman, the best of monkeys, praises Rāma, steadfast in truth and firm in vows, lotus-eyed, the Lord.
स्तौति गायति भक्त्या च संपूजयति सर्वशः । य एतच्छृणुयाच्चित्रं रामचन्द्रकथानकम् । सर्वपापविशुद्धात्मा याति रामसलोकताम्
He praises, sings, and worships him with devotion in every way; whoever hears this wondrous tale of Rāmacandra, with a mind purified of all sins, attains the same world as Rāma.
भुवनकोशवर्णने भारतवर्षवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच भारताख्ये च वर्षेऽस्मिन्नहमादिजपूरुषः । तिष्ठामि भवता चैव स्तवनं क्रियतेऽनिशम्
Description of the regions of the world: Description of Bhāratavarṣa. Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: In this land called Bhārata, I, the primeval person, reside, and you continually offer praise to me.
नारद उवाच ॐ नमो भगवते उपशमशीलायोपरतानात्म्याय नमोऽकिञ्चनवित्ताय ऋषिऋषभाय नरनारायणाय परमहंसपरमगुरवे आत्मारामाधिपतये नमो नम इति । कर्तास्य सर्गादिषु यो न बध्यते न हन्यते देहगतोऽपि दैहिकैः । द्रष्टुर्न दृश्यस्य गुणैर्विदूष्यते तस्मै नमोऽसक्तविविक्तसाक्षिणे
Nārada said: Om, obeisance to the Blessed One, whose nature is tranquility, who is detached from ego, who possesses nothing, the foremost of sages, Nara-Nārāyaṇa, supreme swan, supreme teacher, lord of the self-delighted; repeated obeisance. He who is the creator of the universe but is not bound in creation, who is not slain though embodied, who is not tainted by the qualities of the seen or the seer—salutations to that unattached, distinct witness.
इदं हि योगेश्वरयोगनैपुणं हिरण्यगर्भो भगवाञ्जगाद यत् । यदन्तकाले त्वयि निर्गुणे मनो भक्त्या दधीतोज्झितदुष्कलेवरः
This is indeed the skill in yoga of the Lord of Yogis, which the blessed Hiraṇyagarbha declared: that at the time of death, one should fix the mind on you, the qualityless one, with devotion, having abandoned the impure body.
यथैहिकामुष्मिककामलम्पटः सुतेषु दारेषु धनेषु चिन्तयन् । शङ्केत विद्वान् कुकलेवरात्यया- द्यस्तस्य यत्नः श्रम एव केवलम्
Just as a man greedy for worldly and otherworldly pleasures worries about sons, wife, and wealth, so the wise man, fearing the loss of the impure body, exerts himself—but his effort is only toil in vain.
तन्नः प्रभो त्वं कुकलेवरार्पितां त्वं माययाहं ममतामधोक्षज । भिन्द्याम येनाशु वयं सुदुर्भिदां विधेहि योगं त्वयि नः स्वभावजम्
O Lord, you are the master; I am bound by attachment to this impure body through your māyā, O Transcendent One. Please break this difficult bondage of mine quickly; grant us the yoga that arises from our own nature and is fixed in you.
एवं स्तौति सदा देवं नारायणमनामयम् । नारदो मुनिशार्दूलः प्रज्ञाताखिलसारदृक्
Thus, Nārada, the best of sages, ever praises the faultless Lord Nārāyaṇa, who knows the essence of all things.
अस्मिन् वै भारते वर्षे सरिच्छैलास्तु सन्ति हि । तान्प्रवक्ष्यामि देवर्षे शृणुष्वैकाग्रमानसः
In this land of Bhārata, there are indeed many rivers and mountains; I will describe them to you, O sage of the gods, listen with focused mind.
मलयो मङ्गलप्रस्थो मैनाकश्च त्रिकूटकः । ऋषभः कूटकः कोल्लः सह्यो देवगिरिस्तथा
Malaya, Maṅgalaprastha, Maināka, Trikūṭa, Ṛṣabha, Kūṭaka, Kolla, Sahya, and Devagiri—these are the mountains.
ऋष्यमूकश्च श्रीशैलो व्यङ्कटाद्रिर्महेन्द्रकः । वारिधारश्च विन्ध्यश्च मुक्तिमानृक्षपर्वतः
Ṛṣyamūka, Śrīśaila, Vyaṅkaṭādri, Mahendra, Vāridhāra, Vindhya, Muktimān, and Ṛkṣaparvata—
पारियात्रस्तथा द्रोणश्चित्रकूटगिरिस्तथा । गोवर्धनो रैवतकः ककुभो नीलपर्वतः
Pāriyātra, Droṇa, Citrakūṭa mountain, Govardhana, Raivataka, Kakubha, and Nīlaparvata—
गौरमुखश्चेन्द्रकीलो गिरिः कामगिरिस्तथा । एते चान्येऽप्यसंख्याता गिरयो बहुपुण्यदाः
Gauramukha, Indrakīla, and Kāmagiri—these and countless other mountains grant great merit.
एतदुत्पन्नसरितः शतशोऽथ सहस्रशः । पानावगाहनस्नानदर्शनोत्कीर्तनैरपि
From these arise hundreds and thousands of rivers, which by drinking, bathing, immersion, seeing, or praising,
नाशयन्ति च पापानि त्रिविधानि शरीरिणाम् । ताम्रपर्णी चन्द्रवशा कृतमाला वटोदका
destroy the threefold sins of embodied beings: Tāmraparṇī, Candravaśā, Kṛtamālā, and Vaṭodakā.
वैहायसी च कावेरी वेणा चैव पयस्विनी । तुङ्गभद्रा कृष्णवेणा शर्करावर्तका तथा
Vaihāyasī, Kāverī, Veṇā, Payasvinī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Kṛṣṇaveṇā, and Śarkarāvartakā as well.
गोदावरी भीमरथी निर्विन्ध्या च पयोष्णिका । तापी रेवा च सुरसा नर्मदा च सरस्वती
Godāvarī, Bhīmarathī, Nirvindhyā, Payoṣṇikā, Tāpī, Revā, Surasā, Narmadā, and Sarasvatī.
चर्मण्वती च सिन्धुश्च अन्धशोणौ महानदौ । ऋषिकुल्या त्रिसामा च वेदस्मृतिर्महानदी
Carmaṇvatī, Sindhu, Andhaśoṇa, Mahānada, Ṛṣikulyā, Trisāmā, Vedasmṛti, and Mahānadī.
कौशिकी यमुना चैव मन्दाकिनी दृषद्वती । गोमती सरयू रोधवती सप्तवती तथा
Kauśikī, Yamunā, Mandākinī, Dṛṣadvatī, Gomati, Sarayū, Rodhavatī, and Saptavatī as well.
सुषोमा च शतद्रुश्च चन्द्रभागा मरुद्वृधा । वितस्ता च असिक्नी च विश्वा चेति प्रकीर्तिताः
Suṣomā, Śatadru, Candrabhāgā, Marudvṛdhā, Vitastā, Asiknī, and Viśvā are also named.
अस्मिन्वर्षे लब्धजन्मपुरुषैः स्वस्वकर्मभिः । शुक्ललोहितकृष्णाख्यैर्दिव्यमानुषनारकाः
In this land, people are born according to their own actions, and as white, red, or black, they experience divine, human, or hellish existences.
भवन्ति विविधा भोगाः सर्वेषां च निवासिनाम् । यथा वर्णविधानेनापवर्गो भवति स्फुटम्
Various enjoyments arise for all the inhabitants, and, according to the order of castes, liberation is clearly attained.
एतदेव च वर्षस्य प्राधान्यं कार्यसिद्धितः । वदन्ति मुनयो वेदवादिनः स्वर्गवासिनः
Because of the fulfillment of duties, the sages, the knowers of the Vedas, and the dwellers in heaven declare this land to be foremost.
अहो अमीषां किमकारि शोभनं प्रसन्न एषां स्विदुत स्वयं हरिः । यैर्जन्म लब्धं नृषु भारताजिरे मुकुन्दसेवौपयिकं स्पृहा हि नः
Ah, what good deed have these people done, or is it that Hari himself is pleased with them? For they have taken birth among humans in Bhāratavarṣa, fit to serve Mukunda—this is our longing.
किं दुष्करैर्नः क्रतुभिस्तपोव्रतै- र्दानादिभिर्वा द्युजयेन फल्गुना । न यत्र नारायणपदपङ्कज- स्मृतिः प्रमुष्टातिशयेन्द्रियोत्सवात्
What use to us are difficult sacrifices, austerities, vows, gifts, or even victory in battle, if, due to the overwhelming delight of the senses, the remembrance of Nārāyaṇa's lotus feet is lost?
कल्पायुषां स्थानजयात्पुनर्भवा- त्क्षणायुषां भारतभूजयो वरम् । क्षणेन मर्त्येन कृतं मनस्विनः संन्यस्य संयान्त्यभयं पदं हरेः
Better is the rule of Bhāratavarṣa for even a moment by mortals than the conquest of a place among those who live as long as a kalpa, or liberation from rebirth; for in a moment, the wise, having renounced all, attain the fearless abode of Hari.