Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
saumyāmbutve taraṅgatve salilasyāmbutā yathā .
samaivābdhau tathā'dehasadehamunimuktatā
||1||sadehā vāstvadehā vā muktatā viṣaye na ca .
anāsvāditabhogasya kuto bhojyānubhūtayaḥ
||2||jīvanmukta muniśreṣṭhaṃ kevalaṃ hi padārthavat .
paśyāmaḥ purato nāsya punarvighno'ntarāśayam
||3||sadehādehamuktānāṃ bhedaḥ ko bodharūpiṇām .
yadevāmbutaraṅgatve saumyatve'pi tadeva tat
||4||na manāgapi bhedo'sti sadehādehamuktayoḥ .
saspando'pyathavā'spando vāyureva yathānilaḥ
||5||sadehā vā videhā vā muktatā na pramāspadam .
asmākamapi tasyāsti svaikatāstyavibhāginī
||6||tasmātprakṛtamevedaṃ śṛṇu śravaṇabhūṣaṇam .
mayopadiśyamānaṃ tvaṃ jñānamajñāndhyanāśanam
||7||sarvameveha hi sadā saṃsāre raghunandana .
samyakprayuktātsarveṇa pauruṣātsamavāpyate
||8||iha hīndorivodeti śītalāhlādanaṃ hṛdi .
parispandaphalaprāptau pauruṣādeva nānyataḥ
||9||pauruṣaṃ spandaphalavaddṛṣṭaṃ pratyakṣato nayat .
kalpitaṃ mohitairmandairdaivaṃ kiṃcinna vidyate
||10||sādhūpadiṣṭamārgeṇa yanmanoṅgaviceṣṭitam .
tatpauruṣaṃ tatsaphalamanyadunmattaceṣṭitam
||11||yo yamarthaṃ prārthayate tadarthaṃ cehate kramāt .
avaśyaṃ sa tamāpnoti na cedardhānnivartate
||12||pauruṣeṇa prayatnena trailokyaiśvaryasundarām .
kaścitprāṇiviśeṣo hi śakratāṃ samupāgataḥ
||13||pauruṣeṇaiva yatnena sahasāmbhoruhāspadam .
kaścideva cidullāso brahmatāmadhitiṣṭhati
||14||sāreṇa puruṣārthena svenaiva garuḍadhvajaḥ .
kaścideva pumāneva puruṣottamatāṃ gataḥ
||15||pauruṣeṇaiva yatnena lalanāvalitākṛtiḥ .
śarīrī kaścideveha gataścandrārdhacūḍatām
||16||prāktanaṃ caihikaṃ ceti dvividhaṃ viddhi pauruṣam .
prāktano'dyatanenāśu puruṣārthena jīyate
||17||yatnavadbhirdṛḍhābhyāsaiḥ prajñotsāhasamanvitaiḥ .
meravo'pi nigīryante kaiva prākpauruṣe kathā
||18||śāstraniyantritapauruṣaparamā puruṣasya puruṣatā yā syāt .
abhimataphalabharasiddhyai bhavati hi saivānyathā tvanarthāya
||19||kasyāṃcitsvayamātmaduḥsthitivaśātpuṃso daśāyāṃ śanai raṅgulyagranipīḍitaikaculukādāvāpabindurbahuḥ . kasyāṃcijjalarāśiparvatapuradvīpāntarālīkṛtā bhartavyocitasaṃvibhāgakaraṇe pṛthvī na pṛthvī bhavet ..
ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye mumukṣuvyavahāraprakaraṇe pauruṣaprakaraṇaṃ nāma caturthaḥ sargaḥ .. 4 ..