Traditionally attributed to Vālmīki; dialogue of Vasiṣṭha and Rāma
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca .
imaṃ viśvaparispandaṃ karomītyastavāsanam .
pravartate yaḥ kāryeṣu sa mukta iti me matiḥ
||1||pauruṣīṃ tanumāśritya kecidetatkriyāratāḥ .
svargānnarakamāyānti svargaṃ ca narakātpunaḥ
||2||kecittvakarmaṇi ratā viratā api karmaṇaḥ .
narakānnarakaṃ yānti duḥkhādduḥkhaṃ bhayādbhayam
||3||kecitsvavāsanātantubaddhāḥ karmaphaloditāḥ .
tiryaktvātsthāvaratanuṃ yānti tiryaktanuṃ tataḥ
||4||kecidātmavido dhanyā vicāritamanodṛśaḥ .
vicchinnatṛṣṇānigaḍā yānti niṣkevalaṃ padam
||5||purā katipayānyeva bhuktvā janmāni rāghava .
asmiñjanmani yo muktastasmādrājasasāttvikaḥ
||6||jāto'sau vṛddhimabhyeti pārvaṇaścandramā iva .
kuṭajaṃ prāvṛṣīvainaṃ saubhāgyamanugacchati
||7||yasyedaṃ janma pāścātyaṃ tamāśveva mahāmate .
viśanti vidyā vimalā muktā veṇumivottamam
||8||āryatā hṛdyatā maitrī saumyatā karuṇā jñatā .
samāśrayanti taṃ nityamantaḥpuramivāṅganāḥ
||9||yaḥ kurvansarvakāryāṇi puṇye naṣṭe'tha tatphale .
samaḥ sansarvakāryeṣu na tuṣyati na śocati
||10||tamāṃsīva divā yānti tatra dvandvāni saṃkṣayam .
śaradīva ghanāstatra guṇā gacchanti śuddhatām
||11||peśalācāramadhuraṃ sarve vāñchanti taṃ janāḥ .
veṇuṃ madhuranidhvānaṃ vane vanamṛgā iva
||12||naraṃ pāścātyajanmānamevaṃprāyā guṇaśriyaḥ .
jātamevānudhāvanti balākā iva vāridam
||13||tato'sau guṇasaṃpūrṇo gurumevānugacchati .
sa tamevaṃ viveke vai niyojayati pāvane
||14||vicāravairāgyavatā cetasā guṇaśālinā .
devaṃ paśyatyathātmānamekarūpamanāmayam
||15||tanotyayaṃ vicāreṇa cāruṇā śāntacetasā .
prabodhanāya prathamaṃ manomananamāntaram
||16||ye hi pāścātyajanmānaste hi suptaṃ manomṛgam .
prabodhayanti prathamaṃ guṇahīnaṃ mahāguṇāḥ
||17||prathitaguṇānsugurūnniṣevya yatnā-
damaladhiyā pravicārya cittaratnam .
gatimamalāmupayānti mānavāste
paramavalokya ciraṃ prakāśamantaḥ
||18||ityārṣe śrīvāsiṣṭhamahārāmāyaṇe vālmīkīye mokṣopāyeṣūpaśamaprakaraṇe prathamopadeśo nāma ṣaṣṭhaḥ sargaḥ .. 6 ..