कच्चित्तपःसमृद्धंवःकच्चिद्यज्ञःस्वनुष्ठितः । कच्चित्स्वदारनिरताःकच्चिदीशोभिपूज्यते
Is your austerity flourishing? Are sacrifices properly performed? Are you devoted to your own wives? Is the Lord being worshipped?
कच्चित्सुप्रजसोभार्याःकच्चित्सर्वंसुखोत्तरम्
Are your wives blessed with good offspring? Is everything supremely happy?
मुनय ऊचुः - त्वयि राजनि काकुत्स्थ सर्वं स्वस्थं तपस्विनाम् । गच्छामहे पदमितः किं वा त्वं मन्यसे नृप
The sages said: With you as king, descendant of Kakutstha, everything is well for the ascetics. We shall depart from here; what do you think, O king?
राम उवाच- यस्य विप्राः प्रसीदंति तस्य शंभुः प्रसीदति । यस्य प्रसीदतीशानस्तस्य भद्रं भविष्यति
Rama said: Where the Brahmins are pleased, Shiva is pleased; where the Lord is pleased, there auspiciousness will prevail.
तत्कृत्वा भोजनमिह गंतुमर्हा अनंतरम् । अथेत्युक्त्वा मुनिगणाः कृत्वा भोजनमुत्तमम्
Having said this, let food be served here, and then you may depart. Thus addressed, the group of sages, after enjoying excellent food,
अभिवर्ध्यतमाशीर्भिर्हृष्टाः स्वं स्वं पदं ययुः । रामोऽपि परमप्रीतः सभार्यश्च सहानुजः
Blessed Rama with their prayers, joyfully went each to their own abode. Rama too, supremely delighted, remained with his wife and brother.
अकंटकं स कृतवान्राज्यं सर्वजनप्रियः । शृणोत्येतदुपाख्यानं यः कश्चिदपि पातकी
He ruled without thorns, beloved by all people; even if a sinner hears this tale,
सर्वपापविनिर्मुक्तः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति । न दुर्गतिर्भवेत्तस्य यश्चेदं स्मरते नरः
he becomes free from all sins and attains the supreme Brahman; misfortune does not befall the man who remembers this.
यश्चापि कीर्तयेत्तस्य एवमेतदुदीरितम्
And whoever recites this as spoken here—
सूत उवाच- भारद्वाजगृहे भुक्त्वा रामचंद्रः प्रसन्नधीः । मुनींद्र विष्णुसहितो वानरर्क्षसमन्वितः
Sūta said: After eating in Bhāradvāja’s house, Rāma, his mind serene, accompanied by Viṣṇu, the chief of sages, and surrounded by monkeys and bears,
मेघच्छन्ने तथाकाशे मंदं चरति मारुते । तद्वनाभ्यंतरे क्वापि सुदेवगृहमुत्तमम्
under a sky covered with clouds and with a gentle breeze blowing, somewhere within that forest, found a splendid house of the blessed.
अष्टापदस्तंभयुतं हेमपट्टिककल्पितम् । मणिमौक्तिकसंयुक्तं राजतैः कलशैर्युतम्
It had eight-pada pillars, adorned with golden bands, set with gems and pearls, and decorated with silver vessels.
पाटीरचंद्रकस्तूरीकुंकुमैः सुरभीकृतम् । कर्द्दमैर्जालकयुतं शकलोपरि संवृति
Its walls were fragrant with camphor, sandalwood, musk, and saffron; latticed windows covered with clay, and protected above by tiles.
चंद्रजोत्स्नागमं सूर्य्या निरीक्ष्य मध्यभित्तिकम् । गृहांतर्भूतलं कृत्स्नं चंद्रपुष्परसोक्षितम्
Moonlight entered through the central wall, and the entire floor inside the house was sprinkled with the essence of moonflowers.
दिगुदीची तथा कृत्स्नाभित्तिकल्पनवर्जिता । स्तंभेस्तंभे चित्रकारी स्वपादी परिकल्पितम्
The northern direction was entirely free from wall structures; on each pillar, an artist had depicted his own feet.
शतहस्तांगणं तस्य स्फटिकोपरिकल्पितम् । गृहांगणाधिकच्छायः पारिजातमहीरुहः
Its courtyard measured a hundred hands and was paved with crystal; a pārijāta tree cast shade greater than the house itself.
कृत्स्नप्रावृतिकं तत्र निबिडं कदलीवनम् । कदलीवनसंयुक्तं केतकीवनसंवृतम्
There was a dense grove of banana trees, entirely lush, and surrounded by groves of ketakī flowers.
मयूरनादबहुलं मंजुकूजन्मधुव्रतम् । पारावतगणध्वानं नानोपवनशोभितम्
The place was filled with peacock calls, bees humming sweetly, and the sounds of flocks of pigeons, beautified by many gardens.
प्रासादशतसंबाधं मत्तकोकिलनादितम् । शाखालंबिमहारत्नशोभितानेकपादपम्
Crowded with hundreds of palaces, resounding with the cries of intoxicated cuckoos, and adorned with many trees hung with great jewels.
किन्नरीवनितागीतनादपूरितदिङ्मुखम् । अनेकारामसुभगं गौतमीतटमुत्तमम्
The quarters were filled with the songs and music of Kinnarī women; it was delightful with many parks and the excellent bank of the Gautamī.
भारद्वाजगृहं पुण्यमनंतगुणसेवितम् । रतिकंदर्पसंकाश दासीदासशतान्वितम्
The house of Bhāradvāja was holy, attended by endless virtues, radiant with passion and love, and filled with hundreds of maidservants and servants.
नानोपकरणोपेतं भारद्वाजगृहं शुभम् । तस्य चांतर्गतः सौधस्तत्रांतर्गृहवाटिकाः
The auspicious house of Bhāradvāja was equipped with various implements; inside were mansions and inner gardens.
अष्टौ तन्मध्यतो ह्येकं गृहं परमशोभनम् । चतुर्दिक्षु महादेव गृहप्रासादशोभितम्
Among eight houses in the center, one was supremely beautiful; in all four directions, O great god, it was adorned with mansions and palaces.
प्रतिदेवगृहं श्यामा तौर्य्यत्रिकसुशोभितम् । स्वर्गस्थितवरस्त्रीणां विश्रामायैव कल्पितम्
Each divine house was splendid with dark-skinned women and beautiful musical trios, made for the rest of the best women dwelling in heaven.
भारद्वाजगृहाद्रामो निर्गत्याशेषसंयुतः । तस्यैव च महागेहं वनमध्यगतं त्वगात्
Rama, accompanied by all, departed from Bharadvaja’s house and went to that great residence situated in the midst of the forest.
तदंतराच्छादितकंबलं तदा पृथक्स्थवस्त्रासनसंयुतं च । सिंहासनं मध्यगतं तथैकं मुन्यासनानेकगतं विवेश
There, in the center, he entered a lion-throne covered with a blanket within, furnished separately with cloth and seats, and also with many seats for sages.
पौराणिकस्यानुपमासनांतरं भूपालहर्यृक्षवरासनं च । पौराणिकं पूर्वमथोपवेश्य ततो वसिष्ठं मुनिपुंगवांश्च
He seated the Puranic reciter first on an incomparable seat, then the kings, monkeys, and bears on their respective seats, and after that, the foremost sages including Vasistha.
नारायणं भूमिपतीन्कपींश्च नीचासनं च स्वयमाससाद । मेघावृतं व्योमदिशः प्रसन्नाः सुपुष्पमुर्वीतलमुप्तबीजम्
Narayana, the kings, and the monkeys sat on lower seats, while he himself took his place; the directions of the sky were covered with clouds, the earth was bright, and seeds were sown in the well-flowered ground.
तदंगणं नोष्णमहो न शीतलं संतानपुष्पं दमपुष्पगंधि । शंभुं विलोक्याथ वचो बभाषे रामः कथां कीर्तय शंकरस्य
That courtyard was neither hot nor cold, fragrant with the scent of sandalwood and flowers of self-restraint; then, seeing Shambhu, Rama spoke: ‘Tell the story of Shankara.’
तृप्तिर्न जाता मुनिवर्य्य शृण्वतो माहेशमाख्यानमघौघनाशनम् । चकार किं वा ननु गौतमाश्रमे महेश्वरो देवगणाधिसंवृतः
O best of sages, though I listen to the account of Maheshvara, destroyer of heaps of sin, I am not satisfied; what did Maheshvara do at Gautama’s hermitage, surrounded by hosts of gods?