Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
cūḍālovāca .
athemamaparaṃ ramyaṃ vṛttāntaṃ śṛṇu bhūmipa .
paraṃ prabodhanaṃ buddheḥ sādho sadṛśamātmanaḥ
||1||asti vindhyavane hastī mahāyūthapayūthapaḥ .
āgastyā śuddhayā buddhyā vindhyenevoditaḥ svataḥ
||2||vajrārcirviṣamau dīrghau tasyāstāṃ daśanau sitau .
kalpānalaśikhātulyau sumerūnmūlanakṣamau
||3||sa baddho lohajālena hastipena kilābhitaḥ .
munīndreṇeva vindhyādrirupendreṇeva vā baliḥ
||4||nibaddho yantraṇāmāpa śastrakumbhardito gajaḥ .
tāṃ jagāma vyathāṃ dhīro navāgnau purameti yām
||5||ripau hastipake dūrādapaśyati sa vāraṇaḥ .
ayaḥsamudgake yasminnināya divasatrayam
||6||khedānnigaḍanirbhede yatnavānsa mataṃgajaḥ .
cakāra kikiṇīkvāṇaṃ mukhoddhātairathānyadā
||7||dantābhyāṃ yatnatastābhyāṃ muhūrtadvitayena saḥ .
babhañja śṛṅkhalājālaṃ svargārgalamivāsuraḥ
||8||taṃ tasya nigaḍacchedamapaśyaddūrato ripuḥ .
baleḥ svargāvadalanaṃ harirmerutalādiva
||9||tasya vicchinnapāśasya mūrdhni tālataro ripuḥ .
papāta kramataḥ svargaṃ harirmerorbaleriva
||10||sa patanpādapadmābhyāmaprāpya kariṇaḥ śiraḥ .
papātorvyāṃ phalaṃ pakvaṃ vātāhatamivākulaḥ
||11||taṃ puraḥ patitaṃ dṛṣṭvā mahebhaḥ karuṇāṃ yayau .
sphuratsphāraguṇāḥ santaḥ santi tiryaggatāvapi
||12||patitaṃ dalayāmīti kiṃ nāma mama pauruṣam .
vāraṇo'pīti kalayanna jaghāna sa taṃ ripum
||13||kevalaṃ nigaḍavyūhaṃ vidāryābhijagāma ha .
vitataṃ setumutsārya vipulaugha ivāmbhasaḥ
||14||dayāmāśritya mātaṅgo bhaṅktvā jālaṃ jagāma ha .
vidārya meghasaṃghātaṃ nabhasīva divākaraḥ
||15||gate gaje samuttasthau hastipaḥ svasthadehadhīḥ .
gajenaiva samaṃ tasya vyathā dūrataraṃ gatā
||16||proccalattālaśikharātsa tathā patito'pi san .
na bhedamāpa durbhedā manye dehā durātmanām
||17||vardhate prāvṛṣīvābhraṃ kukāryeṣvasatāṃ balam .
āsīdadhikamutsāhī sa ca caṃkramaṇe tadā
||18||vāraṇārirasiddhāṅgo gatebho duḥkhamāyayau .
āgatyopagate'ntardhiṃ nidhāna iva vardhanaḥ
||19||so'nviyeṣa gajaṃ yatnādgulmakāntaritaṃ vane .
payodapiṇḍitaṃ bhoktuṃ rāhurindumivāmbare
||20||cireṇālabhatebhendraṃ kasmiṃścitkānane sthitam .
viśrāntaṃ taṃ tarutale samarādiva nirgatam
||21||atha yatra sthito nāgastatra tadbandhanakṣamam .
parayā rājasāmagryā gajalampaṭabhūmayā
||22||sa khātavalayaṃ cakre hastipaḥ kānane'bhitaḥ .
sarvadikkaṃ vidhirbhūmau samudravalayaṃ yathā
||23||uparyasthagayadvālalataughena sa taṃ śaṭhaḥ .
śūnyatātantujālena śaratkāla ivāmbaram
||24||dinaiḥ katipayaireva vāraṇo viharanvane .
tasminnipatitaḥ khāte śuṣkābdhāviva parvataḥ
||25||vrajanparyākṛtau kūpe pātālatalabhīṣaṇe .
khātaśuṣkābdhyadhobhāge gajaratnasamudgake
||26||iti bhūyo dṛḍhaṃ baddhastena hastipakena saḥ .
tiṣṭhatyadyāpi duḥkhena bhūsadmani yathā baliḥ
||27||ahaniṣyatpuraivāsau yadyagre patitaṃ ripum .
tannālapsyattato duḥkha gajaḥ khātanibandhanam
||28||maurkhyādāgāmina kālaṃ vartamānakriyākramaiḥ .
aśodhayannaro duḥkhaṃ yāti vindhyagajo yathā
||29||mukto'smi śastranigaḍāditi tuṣṭo hi vāraṇaḥ .
dūrastho'pi punarbaddho maurkhyaṃ kva ca na bādhate
||30||maurkhyaṃ hi bandhanamavehi paraṃ mahātma-
nbaddho na baddha iti cetasi tadvimuktyai .
ātmodayaṃ trijagadātmamayaṃ samastaṃ
maurkhye sthitasya sahasā nanu sarvabhūmiḥ
||31||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vā0 de0 mokṣo0 nirvāṇaprakaraṇe pū0 cū0 hastikopākhyānaṃ nāmaikonanavatitamaḥ sargaḥ .. 89 ..