Passage 1
परार्द्धस्मरलावण्यं बिभ्रत् सुन्दरविग्रहः। कामिनीनां कामरसं पोषयन् राघवो बभौ॥१॥
Bearing beauty equal to countless gods of Love, Rāghava’s form was exquisite. He shone while nourishing the rasa of love within the loving women.
Passage 2
सीतयार्द्धाङ्गसङ्गिन्या सह केलिरसं दधत्। ज्योत्स्नया चन्द्रवद्रामो रेजे नक्षत्रमण्डले॥२॥
Sharing the rasa of play with Sītā, who was joined to half his body, Rāma shone amid that circle like the moon surrounded by stars and moonlight.
Passage 3
मुग्धानां गोकुलस्त्रीणां जानक्याविष्टचेतसाम्। समूहं रसयन् रामो बभाराकृतिसौष्ठवम्॥३॥
As he filled the assembly of Gokula’s charming women—whose minds were pervaded by Jānakī—with rasa, Rāma displayed the perfection of his form.
Passage 4
यन्नेति नेतीति वदन्ति वेदाः ब्रह्मादयो यन्न लेभुस्तपोभिः। तत्त्वं परं तच्छ्रुतिमूर्ध्वमृग्यं व्रजाङ्गनाभिः करयोर्गृहीतम्॥४॥
That of which the Vedas say “not this, not this,” which Brahmā and the other gods could not attain through austerities—that supreme reality, sought at the summit of revelation, was held in the hands of the women of Vraja.
Passage 5
गुञ्जाहारं दधदुरसि लसच्छीर्षमायूरचन्द्रो वेणुं बिम्बोष्ठदलकलितं बिभ्रदापूर्णनादम्। स्निग्धा च श्रीर्नट इव लसद्वेश सौन्दर्यसारो बिभद् रामः प्रमुदविपिनं वल्लवीर्मोदयानः॥५॥
Rāma wore a necklace of guñjā berries upon his chest and a moonlike peacock ornament gleamed upon his head. He held a flute against his bimba-fruit lips, filling it with sound. Tenderly radiant like an actor in shining costume and the very essence of beauty, he adorned Pramoda Forest and delighted the cowherd women.
Passage 6
द्विपरार्द्धावसानेऽपि नित्यं क्रीडति राघवः। नान्तोऽस्य नित्यलीलानां स्वानन्दरसरूपिणः॥६॥
Even at the end of two parārdhas, Rāghava continues to sport eternally. There is no end to the eternal līlās of the one whose form is the rasa of his own bliss.
Passage 7
राघवो मोदयन् गोपीस्ता एव सपरिच्छदाः। एवं योगी वै रमते रामो रमयतां वरः॥७॥
Rāghava delighted those very cowherd women together with their attendants. Thus Rāma, the supreme yogī and best of all who give delight, sported.
Passage 8
निर्विकारो ब्रह्मणोऽपि प्रतिष्ठा परमास्पदम्। नास्य कामेन कोपेन लोभेन च महात्मनः॥८॥
He is changeless, the very foundation of Brahman and the supreme abode. In that great Self, desire, anger, and greed caused no
Passage 9
मनोविकारः समभूद्यथा संसिद्धियोगिनः। इत्येवं रामदेवस्य बाललीलां शृणोति यः॥९॥
alteration of mind, just as they cannot in a perfectly accomplished yogī. Whoever thus hears the childhood līlā of Lord Rāma—
Passage 10
अथाहमभिधास्यामि रामरासं मनोहरम्॥१०॥
now I shall describe Rāma’s enchanting rāsa.
Passage 11
अदृश्यं यत् सुरेन्द्राद्यैश्चकार रघुपुङ्गवः। कोटिकन्दर्पलावण्यविजयी रघुपुङ्गवः॥११॥
The foremost Raghu performed that which remained unseen even by Indra and the other gods. The foremost Raghu surpassed the beauty of millions of gods of Love.
Passage 12
रामकण्टकरूपांश्च महादैत्यानजीहनत्। तेषां वधेषु संविघ्नं सहसा विनिवारयन्। महावीरो रामचन्द्रश्चकारातीव विक्रमम्॥१२॥
He slew the great demons who had become thorns to Rāma. Swiftly removing every obstruction to their destruction, the great hero Rāmacandra displayed extraordinary valor.
Passage 13
रमणमनुदिनं यो रामचन्द्रस्य पूर्णं प्रणतमतिरधीते मानवो रामभक्तः। स भवति शिवतुल्यो रामभक्त्या प्रपूर्णः परमसुखनिमग्नश्चिन्मयानन्दरूपः॥१३॥
The devoted person who, with a reverent mind, daily studies the complete play of Rāmacandra becomes equal to Śiva, filled completely with devotion to Rāma, immersed in supreme happiness, and formed of conscious bliss. --- Thus ends the twenty-fourth chapter, “The Description of the Divine Play,” in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍa in the Śrīmad Ādi Rāmāyaṇa. Textual notes The chapter begins on the printed leaf where Chapter 23 closes and ends on the leaf where Chapter 25 begins. Verses 8–9 form one syntactic sentence, while the second half of verse 9 opens the statement continued in verse 10. Verse 12 is printed in three lines. The dense compounds and sandhi of verse 5 are divided into readable words without changing the transmitted wording.