Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrībhagavānuvāca .
sthairyaṃ dehasya dṛṣṭasya jīvitaṃ procyate janaiḥ .
dehāntarārthaṃ dehasya saṃtyāgo maraṇaṃ smṛtam
||1||dvābhyāṃ caivāsi pakṣābhyāmābhyāṃ mukto mahāmate .
kiṃ te maraṇamastīha kiṃ vā jīvitamasti te
||2||nidarśanārthametattu mayoktamarimardana .
na tvaṃ jīvasi sarvajña mriyase na kadācana
||3||dehasaṃstho'pyadehatvādadeho'si videhadṛk .
vyomasaṃstho'pyasaktatvādavyomeva hi mārutaḥ
||4||sparśasaṃbodhakāritvāddeha evāsti suvrata .
utsedhārodhakatvena khamutsedhasya kāraṇam
||5||prabuddho jñātavastutvāddehaḥ kva śamināmiha .
idaṃ tvekaṃ paricchinnaṃ rūpamajñeṣu duḥsthitam
||6||sarvadā sarvamevāsi citprakāśaḥ paraikadhīḥ .
ko dehaḥ ko'pyadehaste yaṃ gṛhṇāsi jahāsi ca
||7||samudetu vasanto vā vātu vā pralayānilaḥ .
bhāvābhāvavihīnasya kimabhyāgatamātmanaḥ
||8||praluṭhatsvapi śaileṣu kalpāgniṣu dahatsvapi .
vahatsūtpātavāteṣu svātmanyeva hi tiṣṭhati
||9||sarvabhūtāni tiṣṭhantu sarvameva prayātu vā .
naśyantu vātha vardhantāmātmanyevābhitiṣṭhati
||10||kṣīyate na kṣayaṃ prāpte vardhamāne na vardhate .
na spandate spandamāne dehe'sminparameśvaraḥ
||11||dehasyāhamahaṃ dehīti kṣīṇe cittavibhrame .
tyajāmi na tyajāmīti kiṃ mudhā kalanoditā
||12||idaṃ kṛtvā karomīdamidaṃ tyaktvedamityalam .
iti tattvavidāṃ tāta saṃkalpāḥ saṃkṣayaṃ gatāḥ
||23||prabuddhāḥ sarvakartāraḥ kariṣyantīha kiṃcana .
na tasyākaraṇe nityamakartṛtvapadaṃ gatāḥ
||14||akartṛtvādabhoktṛtvamarthādeva samāgatam .
saṃgṛhītaṃ kilānuptaṃ keneha bhuvanatraye
||15||śānte kartṛtvabhoktṛtve śāntireveha śiṣyate .
prauḍhimabhyāgatā saiva muktirityucyate budhaiḥ
||16||prabuddhāścinmayāḥ śuddhāḥ sarvamākramya saṃsthitāḥ .
kiṃ tyaktaṃ parigṛhṇantu kiṃ gṛhītaṃ tyajantu vā
||17||grāhyagrāhakasaṃbandhapramitāvayavikramaiḥ .
hīnaḥ prameyāvayavaiḥ kiṃ gṛhṇātu jahātu kim
||18||grāhyagrāhakasaṃbandhe kṣīṇe śāntirudetyalam .
sthitimabhyāgatā śāntirmokṣanāmnābhidhīyate
||19||tatra sthitāḥ sadā śāntāstvādṛśāḥ puruṣottamāḥ .
suṣuptāvayavaspandasādharmyeṇa caranti hi
||20||parāvabodhaviśrāntavāsano jagati sthitim . .
ardhasupta ivehemāṃ tvaṃ paśyātmasthayā dhiyā
||21||na ramante hi ramyeṣu svātmanyeva gatāśayāḥ . .
nodvijante'nyaduḥkheṣu svātmanyekarasāyanāḥ
||22||nityaprabuddhā gṛhṇanti kāryāṇīmānyasaṅginaḥ .
mukurā iva bimbāni yathāprāptānyavāñchayā
||23||jāgrati svātmani svasthāḥ suptāḥ saṃsārasaṃsthitau .
bālavatpravivepante suṣuptasadṛśāśayāḥ
||24||tvamajitapadavīmupāgato'ntaḥ
kamalajavāsaramekameva bhuktvā .
guṇagaṇakalitāmihaiva lakṣmīṃ
vraja paramāspadamacyutaṃ mahātman
||25||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye mokṣopāyeṣūpaśamaprakaraṇe prahlādabodhanaṃ nāma catvāriṃśaḥ sargaḥ .. 40 ..