Passage 1
तत्र रासरसारम्भे ऋतुषट्कोत्थकेलिभिः। चान्द्रीपुष्पावचयैस्तरुस्कन्धावलम्बनैः॥१॥
At the beginning of that rāsa, the play born from all six seasons included gathering moonlit flowers and swinging while holding the branches of trees.
Passage 2
जलक्रीडाविहारैश्च नित्योत्साहैश्च मङ्गलैः। नानाभूषणविन्यासैर्नानावसनवासनैः॥२॥
There were excursions of water-play, ever-fresh enthusiasm and festivity, arrangements of many ornaments, and the wearing and perfuming of many garments.
Passage 3
नानानुलेपनैश्चैव नानामाल्यविनिर्मितैः। नानाधूपानुधूपैश्च नानादीपोत्सवैस्तथा॥३॥
There were many anointing pastes and many fashioned garlands, many successive offerings of incense, and many festivals of lamps.
Passage 4
नानाभोगविलासैश्च नानासुरतबन्धनैः। नानामानविधानैश्च नानामानविमोचनैः॥४॥
There were many pleasures and diversions, many forms of amorous union, many ways of assuming loving indignation, and many ways of dispelling it.
Passage 5
हावैश्च विविधैर्भावैर्विविधालापसक्तिभिः। विविधैर्नर्महासैश्च प्रहासैश्च परस्परम्॥५॥
They exchanged varied gestures and emotions, absorbed themselves in many kinds of conversation, and shared playful smiles and open laughter.
Passage 6
विधिमानसजैर्दारै रतिदर्पनिरासनैः। क्रीडतो रामचन्द्रस्य सहस्रं शरदां ययुः॥६॥
As Rāmacandra played with the brides born from the Creator’s mind, whose love humbled the pride of Rati herself, a thousand autumns passed.
Passage 7
तावन्निमेष एवासीन्नृणां साकेतवासिनाम्। राममायाप्रभावेण न जज्ञुर्दिवसान् गतान्॥७॥
To the people dwelling in Sāketa, all that time was only the blink of an eye. Through the power of Rāma’s māyā they did not know that days had passed.
Passage 8
यथैकाकी प्रविष्टोऽभूद् रसालविपिनान्तरे। तथैव चिरमत्रास भुञ्जन् भोगान् मनोरथान्॥८॥
Just as he had entered the mango woodland alone, so he remained there for a long time, enjoying pleasures that fulfilled every desire.
Passage 9
नित्यं रासविलासादौ सीतासान्निध्यमाचरत्। तां दृष्ट्वा चकिताः सर्वा आसन् मानसकन्यकाः॥९॥
In every rāsa diversion and other play he remained in Sītā’s presence. On seeing her, all the mind-born maidens were astonished.
Passage 10
सीतायाः रूपसौन्दर्यं दृष्ट्वा ताः सकला अपि। गतदर्पभरास्तस्थुर्ज्योत्स्नायां तारका इव॥१०॥
When all of them saw the beauty of Sītā’s form, their great pride disappeared; they stood like stars fading in moonlight.
Passage 11
सीतायाश्चैव रामस्य दृष्ट्वा प्रेम परस्परम्। भूयो ननन्दुरात्मानं तादृक्प्रेमकृतस्पृहाः॥११॥
Seeing the mutual love of Sītā and Rāma, they rejoiced still more within themselves and longed for love of that very kind.
Passage 12
अहो अत्यद्भुतं रूपमनयोर्लोककान्तयोः। अहो अत्यद्भुतं प्रेम दुर्लभं भुवनत्रये॥१२॥
“Ah, how exceedingly wondrous is the beauty of these two who enchant the worlds! Ah, how exceedingly wondrous is their love, rare throughout the three worlds!
Passage 13
अहो ईदृग्विधो योगश्चन्द्रचन्द्रिकयोरिव। नेत्रानन्दाय जगति भाग्येनैव प्रजायते॥१३॥
“Ah, a union like this—like the moon joined with its moonlight—appears in the world only through good fortune, to give delight to the eyes.
Passage 14
अहो सौन्दर्यसीमानावेतौ पूर्णमनोरथौ। अस्मदुद्धारणायैव चक्षुषोर्गोचरं गतौ॥१४॥
“Ah, these two are the very limits of beauty and the fulfillment of every desire. They have entered the field of our sight solely to deliver us.”
Passage 15
इत्युक्त्वा स्वगतं सर्वा बहिरूचुर्नृपात्मजम्। अहो राजकुमार त्वत्सङ्गे केयं शुभाकृतिः॥१५॥
After saying this privately among themselves, they all addressed the king’s son aloud: “Ah, Prince, who is this auspiciously formed woman beside you?
Passage 16
विद्युल्लतेव गौराङ्गी लक्ष्मीरिव मनस्विनी। शचीविलसितैश्वर्या साक्षाद्रतिरिवाद्भुता॥१६॥
“Her fair body resembles a streak of lightning; she is high-minded like Lakṣmī, possesses splendor like Śacī’s, and is wondrous like Rati herself.
Passage 17
यदा त्वमागतो राम नेयं सङ्गे तदा स्थिता। कुतः समागता कस्मान्मध्ये रासादिकेलिषु॥१७॥
“Rāma, when you arrived she was not standing in your company. From where and for what reason has she appeared in the midst of the rāsa and its play?
Passage 18
नानया सदृशी काचित् त्रैलोक्ये क्वापि कामिनी। दृष्टा श्रुतापि चास्माभिश्चिराज्जाताभिरीश्वर॥१८॥
“Lord, nowhere in the three worlds is there any lovely woman equal to her. In all our long existence we have neither seen nor even heard of one.” Śrī Rāma said:
Passage 19
एवं सैव निजानन्दशक्तिर्लीलाधिदेवता। नानया रहितः क्वापि स्थास्यामि भुवनत्रये॥१९॥
“She alone is my own power of bliss, the presiding deity of divine play. I do not remain anywhere in the three worlds without her.
Passage 20
रमण्यः सन्ति यावन्त्यो मम लीलाविनोदिकाः। तासामियं मुख्यतमा रमणीनां शिरोमणिः॥२०॥
“However many women take part in my playful diversions, she is foremost among them all, the crest-jewel of beloved women.
Passage 21
नैनां विना रासलीलाविलासो मे भवेदिति। एतामाविर्भाव्य पूर्वं पश्चादाविर्भवाम्यहम्॥२१॥
“Because my delightful rāsa-play cannot exist without her, I first manifest her and only afterward manifest myself.
Passage 22
अस्या एव प्रसादेन शं लब्धं व्रजदारकैः। आविवेशेयमबलास्ततोऽहं रतवानिमाः॥२२॥
“By her grace alone the women of Vraja obtained blessedness. She entered those women, and therefore I loved them.
Passage 23
भवतीष्वप्यसौ पूर्वमाविष्टा स्वांशभागतः। अतो मया रतानां चेद् व्यभिचारो भवेन्नहि॥२३॥
“She likewise entered you beforehand through a portion of her own power. Consequently, although I loved you, no infidelity occurred.
Passage 24
कायेन मनसा वाचा नैनां व्यभिचराम्यहम्। एकपत्नीव्रतं यस्मात् कीर्तितं मे जगत्त्रये॥२४॥
“In body, mind, or speech I am never unfaithful to her. Therefore my vow of one wife is celebrated throughout the three worlds.
Passage 25
राधायां चैव रुक्मिण्यां सत्यायां च श्रियामपि। भूलीलादिषु चैवैषा स्वांशेनाविष्टविग्रहा॥२५॥
“In Rādhā, Rukmiṇī, Satyā, Śrī, and in Bhū, Līlā, and the other divine women, she has entered their forms through portions of herself.
Passage 26
सर्वत्र सर्वरूपेण मन्मनोरमणाश्रया। एकधानेकधा चैव दृश्यते नित्यकेलिनी॥२६॥
“Everywhere and in every form, she is the abode of delight for my mind. The mistress of eternal play appears both as one and as many.
Passage 27
इति श्रुत्वा राघवेन्द्रगिरं ता विधिकन्यकाः। सहजां तुष्टुवुः सर्वा रामलीलाधिदेवताम्॥२७॥
Hearing Rāghavendra’s words, all those daughters of the Creator praised Sahajā, the presiding deity of Rāma’s divine play. The maidens said:
Passage 28
नमस्ते सहजानन्दे राघवेन्द्रस्य वल्लभे। तव सौभाग्यतो देवि सौभाग्यं भुवनत्रये॥२८॥
“Homage to you, Sahajānandā, beloved of Rāghavendra! Goddess, through your good fortune the three worlds possess good fortune.
Passage 29
गायत्री चैव सावित्री तथा देवी सरस्वती। लक्ष्मीर्गौरी शची चैव त्वयैव सुभगाभवत्॥२९॥
“Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, the goddess Sarasvatī, Lakṣmī, Gaurī, and Śacī have become fortunate only through you.
Passage 30
त्वं देवि सर्वसौभाग्यं देहिनो राघवं पतिम्। यथा तव सदाकान्तस्तथैवास्तु सदैव नः॥३०॥
“Goddess, you embody every form of good fortune, for you possess Rāghava as your husband. Just as he is always your beloved, may he likewise be ours forever.”
Passage 31
इति स्तुत्वा चिरं सीतां तत्प्रसादसमन्विताः। सर्वा गोप्यो गतिं लेभुर्दुर्लभां भुवनत्रये॥३१॥
After praising Sītā for a long time and becoming endowed with her grace, all the cowherd women attained a state rare throughout the three worlds. Thus ends Chapter Eighty-five, called “The gift of liberation to the creepers,” in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍi in the glorious Ādi Rāmāyaṇa. Source note This chapter is transcribed directly from printed pages 356–359 of the 1975 Pūrva-khaṇḍa witness (source leaves 487–490). The scan controls the text; OCR served only as a locator. Verses 1–6 form a single syntactic catalogue of the play that filled a thousand years, while verse 7 explains that the same span was only an instant in Sāketa. The bracketed correction printed in verse 18 is normalized to dṛṣṭā. The difficult vrajadārakaiḥ and ā viveśeyam abalāḥ in verse 22 are retained from the main text, with the sense made explicit in English. The final speaker label reads “the maidens,” while the concluding verse calls them gopīs; both designations are preserved.