Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
pravṛttireva prathamaṃ yathāśāstravihāriṇām .
prabheva varṇabhedānāṃ sādhanī sarvakarmaṇām
||1||manasā vāñchate yacca yathāśāstraṃ na karmaṇā .
sādhyate mattalīlāsau mohanī nārthasādhanī
||2||yathā saṃyatate yena tathā tenānubhūyate .
svakarmaiveti cāste'nyā vyatiriktā na daivadṛk
||3||ucchāstraṃ śāstritaṃ ceti dvividhaṃ pauruṣaṃ smṛtam .
tatrocchāstramanarthāya paramārthāya śāstritam
||4||dvau huḍāviva yudhyete puruṣārthau samāsamau .
prāktanaścaihikaścaiva śāmyatyatrālpavīryavān
||55||ataḥ puruṣayatnena yatitavyaṃ yathā tathā .
puṃsā tantreṇa sadyogādyenāśvadyatano jayet
||6||dvau huḍāviva yudhyete puruṣārthau samāsamau .
ātmīyaścānyadīyaśca jayatyatibalastayoḥ
||7||anarthaḥ prāpyate yatra śāstritādapi pauruṣāt .
anarthakartṛ balavattatra jñeyaṃ svapauruṣam
||8||paraṃ pauruṣamāśritya dantairdantānvicūrṇayan .
śubhenā'śubhamudyuktaṃ prāktanaṃ pauruṣaṃ jayet
||9||prāktanaḥ puruṣārtho'sau māṃ niyojayatīti dhīḥ .
balādadhaspadīkāryā pratyakṣādadhikā na sā
||10||tāvattāvatprayatnena yatitavyaṃ supauruṣam .
prāktanaṃ pauruṣaṃ yāvadaśubhaṃ śāmyati svayam
||11||doṣaḥ śāmyatyasaṃdehaṃ prāktano'dyatanairguṇaiḥ .
dṛṣṭānto'tra hyastanasya doṣasyādya guṇaiḥ kṣayaḥ
||12||asaddaivamadhaḥkṛtvā nityamudriktayā dhiyā .
saṃsārottaraṇaṃ bhūtyai yatetā''dhātumātmani
||13||na gantavyamanudyogaiḥ sāmyaṃ puruṣagardabhaiḥ .
udyogastu yathāśāstraṃ lokadvitayasiddhaye
||14||saṃsārakuharādasmānnirgantavyaṃ svayaṃ balāt .
pauruṣaṃ yatnamāśritya hariṇevāripañjarāt
||15||pratyahaṃ pratyavekṣeta dehaṃ naśvaramātmanaḥ .
saṃtyajetpaśubhistulyaṃ śrayetsatpuruṣocitam
||16||kiṃcitkāntānnapānādikalilaṃ komalaṃ gṛhe .
vraṇe kīṭa ivāsvādya vayaḥ kāryaṃ na bhasmasāt
||17||śubhena pauruṣeṇāśu śubhamāsādyate phalam .
aśubhenāśubhaṃ nityaṃ daivaṃ nāma na kiṃcana
||18||pratyakṣamānamutsṛjya yo'numānamupaityasau .
svabhujābhyāmimau sarpāviti prekṣya palāyate
||19||daivaṃ saṃprerayati māmiti dagdhadhiyāṃ mukham .
adṛṣṭaśreṣṭhadṛṣṭīnāṃ dṛṣṭvā lakṣmīrnivartate
||20||tasmātpuruṣayatnena vivekaṃ pūrvamāśrayet .
ātmajñānamahārthāni śāstrāṇi pravicārayet
||21||citte cintayatāmarthaṃ yathāśāstraṃ nijehitaiḥ .
asaṃsādhayatāmeva mūḍhānāṃ dhigdurīpsitam
||22||pauruṣaṃ ca navānantaṃ na yatnamabhivācchyate .
na yatnenāpi mahatā prāpyate ratnamaśmataḥ
||23||yathā ghaṭaḥ parimito yathā parimitaḥ paṭaḥ .
niyataḥ parimāṇasthaḥ puruṣārthastathaiva ca
||24||sa ca sacchāstrasatsaṅgasadācārairnijaṃ phalam .
dadātīti svabhāvo'yamanyathā nārthasiddhaye
||25||svarūpaṃ pauruṣasyaitadevaṃ vyavaharannaraḥ .
yāti niṣphalayatnatvaṃ na kadācana kaścana
||26||dainyadāridryaduḥkhārtā apyanye puruṣottamāḥ .
pauruṣeṇaiva yatnena yātā devendratulyatām
||27||ābālyādalamabhyastaiḥ śāstrasatsaṅgamādibhiḥ .
guṇaiḥ puruṣayatnena svārthaḥ saṃprāpyate yataḥ
||28||iti pratyakṣato dṛṣṭamanubhūtaṃ śrutaṃ kṛtam .
daivāttamiti manyante ye hatāste kubuddhayaḥ
||29||ālasyaṃ yadi na bhavejjagatyanarthaḥ
ko na syādbahudhanako bahuśruto vā .
ālasyādiyamavaniḥ sasāgarāntā
saṃpūrṇā narapaśubhiśca nirdhanaiśca
||30||bālye gate'viratakalpitakelilole
dordaṇḍamaṇḍitavayaḥprabhṛti prayatnāt .
satsaṅgamaiḥ padapadārthaviśuddhabuddhiḥ
kuryānnaraḥ svaguṇadoṣavicāraṇāni
||31||vālmīkiruvāca .
ityuktavatyatha munau divaso jagāma
sāyaṃtanāya vidhaye'stamino jagāma .
snātuṃ sabhā kṛtanamaskaraṇā jagāma
śyāmākṣaye ravikareṇa sahājagāma
||32||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye mumukṣuvyavahāraprakaraṇe pauruṣasthāpanaṃ nāma pañcamaḥ sargaḥ .. 5 .. prathamo divasaḥ .