Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrīrāma uvāca .
mahākalpāntasargādau prathamo'sau prajāpatiḥ .
smṛtyātmā jāyate manye smṛtyātmaiva tato jagat
||1||śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
mahāpralayasargādāvevametadraghūdvaha .
smṛtyātmaiva bhavatyādau prathamo'sau prajāpatiḥ
||2||tatsaṃkalpātmakajagatsmṛtyātmaivamidaṃ tataḥ .
bhāti saṃkalpanagaraṃ sthitaṃ pūrvaṃ prajāpateḥ
||3||smṛtirna saṃbhavatyeva sargādau paramātmanaḥ .
janmābhāvātkathaṃ kutra nabhasīva mahādrumaḥ
||4||śrīrāma uvāca .
na saṃbhavati kiṃ brahmansargādau prāktanī smṛtiḥ .
mahāpralayasaṃmohairnaśyati prāksmṛtiḥ katham
||5||śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
ye mahāpralaye prājñāḥ sarve brahmādayaḥ purā .
kila nirvāṇamāyātāste'vaśyaṃ brahmatāṃ gatāḥ
||6||prāktanaḥ kaḥ smṛteḥ kartā tasmātkathaya suvrata .
smṛtirnirmūlatāṃ yātā smarturmuktatayā yataḥ
||7||ataḥ smarturabhāvena smṛtirvodeti kiṃ katham .
avaśyaṃ hi mahākalpe sarve mokṣaikabhāginaḥ
||8||nānubhūte'nubhūte ca svataścidvyomni yā smṛtiḥ .
sā jagadbhūriti prauḍhā dṛśyā sāstyeva citprabhā
||9||bhāti saṃvitprabhaiveyamanādyantāvabhāsinī .
yattadetajjagaditi svayaṃbhūriti ca sthitam
||10||anādikālasaṃsiddhaṃ yadbhānaṃ brahmaṇo nijam .
sa ātivāhiko deho virājo jagadākṛtiḥ
||11||paramāṇāvidaṃ bhāti trijagatsavanābhrakham .
deśakālakriyādravyadinarātrikramānvitam
||12||paramāṇuḥ pravitatastasyāste tādṛgeva ca .
bhāti bhāsuratākāri tādṛggirikulaṃ punaḥ
||13||tatrāpi tādṛgākārameva pratyanusaṃtatam .
dṛśyamābhāti bhārūpametadaṅga na vāstavam
||14||ityastyanto naṃ saddṛṣṭerasaddṛṣṭeśca vā kvacit .
asyāstvabhyuditaṃ buddhaṃ nābuddhaṃ prati vānagha
||15||buddhaṃ pratīdaṃ brahmaiva kevalaṃ śāntamavyayam .
abuddhaṃ prati buddhyaitadbhāsuraṃ bhuvanānvitam
||16||yathedaṃ bhāsuraṃ bhāti jagadaṇḍakajṛmbhitam .
yathā koṭisahasrāṇi bhāntyanyānyapyaṇāvaṇau
||17||yathā stambhe putrikāntastasyāḥ svāṅgeṣu putrikā .
tasyāśca putrikāstyaṅge tathā trailokyaputrikā
||18||nābhinnā nāpi saṃkhyeyā yathādrau paramāṇukāḥ .
tathā brahma bṛhanmerau trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ
||19||sūryādyaṃśuṣu saṃkhyātuṃ śakyante laghavo'ṇavaḥ .
utpadyante cidāditye trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ
||20||yathāṇavo vahantyarkadīptiṣvapsu rajaḥsu ca .
tathā vahanti cidvyomni trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ
||21||śūnyānubhavamātrātma bhūtākāśamidaṃ yathā .
sargānubhavamātrātma cidākāśamidaṃ tathā
||22||sargastu sargaśabdārthatayā buddho nayatyadhaḥ .
sa brahmaśabdārthatayā buddhaḥ śreyo bhavatyalam
||23||vijñānātmā śāsitā viśvabījaṃ
brahmaivālaṃ svaṃ cidākāśamātram .
yasmājjātaṃ yattadeveti vidyā-
dvedyaṃ svāntarbodhasaṃbodhamātram
||24||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye de0 mo0 sthitiprakaraṇe jagadānantyavarṇanaṃ nāma tṛtīyaḥ sargaḥ .. 3 .. 4.4