Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
bhavatāmādipuruṣa ikṣvākurnāma bhūpatiḥ .
ikṣvākuvaṃśaprabhava yathā muktastathā śrṛṇu
||1||ikṣvākurnāma bhūpālaḥ svarājyaṃ paripālayan .
kadācidekāntagato manasā samacintayat
||2||jarāmaraṇasaṃkṣobhasukhaduḥkhabhramasthiteḥ .
asya dṛśyaprapañcasya ko hetuḥ syāditi svayam
||3||jagato na vivedāsau kāraṇaṃ cintayannapi .
athaikadā pṛcchadasau brahmalokāgataṃ manum
||4||pūjitaṃ svasabhāsaṃsthaṃ bhagavantaṃ prajāpatim .
ikṣvākuruvāca .
māṃ yojayati dhārṣṭyena bhagavankaruṇānidhe
||5||bhavatprasāda evāyaṃ bhavantaṃ praṣṭumañjasā .
kutaḥ sargo'yamāyātaḥ svarūpaṃ cāsya kīdṛśam
||6||kiyadetajjagatkasya kadā keneti kathyate .
ahaṃ kathaṃ ca viṣamādasmātsaṃsṛtivibhramāt
||7||vimucyeya ghanāstīrṇājjālādiva vihaṃgamaḥ .
manuruvāca .
aho nu cirakālena viveke suvikāsini
||8||vitathānarthavicchettā sāraḥ praśnastvayā kṛtaḥ .
yadidaṃ dṛśyate kiṃcittannāsti nṛpa kiṃcana
||9||yathā gandharvanagaraṃ yathā vāri marusthale .
yattu no dṛśyate kiṃcittanna kiṃcidiva sthitam
||10||manaḥṣaṣṭhendriyātītaṃ yatsyādapi na kiṃcana .
avināśaṃ tadastīha tatsadātmeti kathyate
||11||iyaṃ tu sarvadṛśyāḍhyā rājansargaparaṃparā .
tasminneva mahādarśe pratibimbamupāgatā
||12||bhāḥ svabhāvasamutpannā brahmasphuraṇaśaktayaḥ .
kāścidbrahmāṇḍatāṃ yānti kāścidgacchanti bhūtatām ..
anyāstvanyatvamāyānti bhavatyevaṃ jagatsthitiḥ .
na bandho'sti na mokṣo'sti brahmaivāsti nirāmayam .
naikamasti na ca dvitvaṃ saṃvitsāraṃ vijṛmbhate
||14||ekaṃ yathā sphurati vāri taraṅgabhaṅgai-
revaṃ parisphurati cinna ca kiṃcideva .
tvaṃ bandhamokṣakalane pravimucya dūre
svastho bhavā'bhavabhayo'bhayasāra eva
||15||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye de0 mo0 nirvāṇaprakaraṇe pū0 ikṣvākumanusaṃvāde saptadaśādhikaśatatamaḥ sargaḥ .. 117 ..