Passage 1
सनत्कुमार उवाच— अथ भूयोऽपि ते वच्मि पादुकातत्त्वमुत्तमम्। यज्ज्ञात्वा कृतकृत्यत्वमाप्नोति सततं नरः॥१॥
Sanatkumāra said: “I shall tell you further the supreme truth of the sandals. By knowing it, a person becomes forever fulfilled.
Passage 2
वर्णाश्रमाधिकारोक्तं यत्कर्म कुरुते नरः। निवेदयेत्तदखिलं रामपादुकयोः सदा॥२॥
“Whatever action a person performs as prescribed by his station and stage of life, he should always offer it entirely to Rāma's sandals.
Passage 3
एवं कर्मोद्भवं दोषं बन्धनाख्यं दुरत्ययम्। नाप्नोति परधर्मेण निवेदनमहीयसा॥३॥
“Through this excellent supreme discipline of offering, he does not incur the hard-to-cross defect born of action called bondage.
Passage 4
निन्दितानि प्रशस्तानि कर्माणि निखिलान्यपि। भवन्ति बन्धनायैव न तु जाते निवेदने॥४॥
“All actions, censured or praised, produce bondage; but they do not do so once offering has taken place.
Passage 5
पुण्यं कर्माखिलं वीर प्रभोः पादे समर्पयेत्। अपुण्याच्च विरज्येत निरस्तफलभावनः॥५॥
“Hero, offer every meritorious act at the Lord's feet, renounce demerit, and abandon all expectation of fruit.
Passage 6
प्रमादात्सङ्गदोषाच्च कृतमप्यशुभं जनः। न तत्फलोन्मुखं कुर्याद्रामपादे समर्पयन्॥६॥
“If through heedlessness or corrupt association someone commits wrong, he should offer it at Rāma's feet and not direct it toward its fruit.
Passage 7
जिज्ञासेच्च परं तत्त्वं नित्यं गुरुमुखाम्बुजात्। तद्वै उपदिशन्त्येव करुणाः खलु साधवः॥७॥
“He should constantly seek the supreme truth from the guru's lotus mouth, for compassionate holy people truly teach it. Akṣara and Puruṣottama
Passage 8
युक्तः प्रकृत्या पुरुषो महत्सर्गप्रवर्तकः। तन्मूलं परमं ब्रह्म प्रवदन्ति यदक्षरम्॥८॥
“Puruṣa joined with prakṛti sets the creation beginning with Mahat in motion. The supreme Brahman at their root is declared to be Akṣara, the Imperishable.
Passage 9
जडजीवात्मना तद्वै एकोपादानकारणम्। पुरुषोत्तमसंज्ञस्य रामस्य चरणं स्मृतम्॥९॥
“As matter and living self, that single material cause is remembered as the feet of Rāma, who is called Puruṣottama.
Passage 10
अत एवोत्तमो रामः पुरुषात्प्रकृतेरपि। आत्माभेदेन जिज्ञास्यमक्षरं ब्रह्म तत्परम्॥१०॥
“Therefore Rāma is higher than both puruṣa and prakṛti. The supreme Akṣara Brahman is to be known as nondifferent from his Self.
Passage 11
श्रीरामपादुकारूपं सच्चिदानन्दमद्वयम्। यतोऽवताराः सर्वेऽपि स्रोतांसि जलधेर्यथा॥११॥
“It is nondual being-consciousness-bliss in the form of Śrī Rāma's sandals, from which all avatāras flow like currents from the ocean.
Passage 12
गुणावताराः सृष्ट्यर्थं ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेश्वराः। विभूतयः कलाश्चांशाः सर्वे ज्ञानक्रियात्मकाः॥१२॥
“Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara are avatāras governing the qualities for the sake of creation; all manifestations, portions, and partial portions consist of knowledge and action.
Passage 13
आवेशा अवताराश्च तत्तत्कार्यविधित्सया। पुरुषात्प्रभवन्त्येते पुरुषश्चाक्षरात्मकः॥१३॥
“Empowered beings and avatāras arise from Puruṣa to accomplish their respective tasks, and Puruṣa is of the nature of Akṣara.
Passage 14
नित्यज्ञानक्रियाशक्तिरक्षरं पुरुषोत्तमात्। चत्वारो व्यूहपुरुषा वासुदेवादयः परे॥१४॥
“Akṣara, with its eternal powers of knowledge and action, proceeds from Puruṣottama, as do the four transcendent vyūha persons beginning with Vāsudeva.
Passage 15
अक्षरात्मतया नित्यं निविष्टाः पुरुषोत्तमे। यद्विशुद्धतमं सत्त्वं परमं धाम तस्य तत्॥१५॥
“In the form of Akṣara they eternally abide in Puruṣottama; that most perfectly pure sattva is his supreme abode.
Passage 16
तदन्तरितदेहोऽसौ परमात्मा प्रकाशते। अनन्तरितदेहस्तु श्रीरामः पुरुषोत्तमः॥१६॥
“The Supreme Self appears with his body veiled by that abode, but Śrī Rāma, Puruṣottama, possesses a body concealed by nothing.
Passage 17
आनन्दमात्रसकलकरपादमुखोदरः। प्रेमभक्त्यैकविज्ञेयो नित्यलीलारसात्मकः॥१७॥
“Every hand, foot, face, and feature of his is bliss alone. He is known only by loving devotion and is the very rasa of eternal līlā.
Passage 18
तदेव परमं ब्रह्म सर्वव्यापकमव्ययम्। धर्मिधामस्वरूपेण स्वस्मिन्नेव प्रतिष्ठितम्॥१८॥
“That alone is the supreme, all-pervading, imperishable Brahman, established in itself as possessor, abode, and essential nature.
Passage 19
उपादानं निमित्तं च जगतो द्वैतवर्जितम्। अखण्डं सैन्धवघनं लीलामात्रप्रयोजनम्॥१९॥
“It is both material and efficient cause of the world, free of duality, indivisible like a solid mass of salt, and motivated by līlā alone.
Passage 20
अवतारावतारिभ्यो विश्वेभ्योऽतिविलक्षणम्। तद्भजस्व विशेषेण प्रेम्णा विधिविवर्जितः॥२०॥
“It is utterly distinct from avatāras, their sources, and every universe. Worship it especially through love, free from merely formal rule. Love as the Supreme Relation
Passage 21
प्रेमातिरिक्तः सम्बन्धस्तस्मिन्नैवोपपद्यते। अतः प्रेम्णैव सम्बद्धं तदात्मनि विभावय॥२१॥
“No relation other than love is fitting toward it. Therefore contemplate it in your heart as joined to you through love alone.
Passage 22
अमूर्तत्वान्न कर्माख्यः सम्बन्धस्तत्र युज्यते। दुर्ज्ञेयत्वाच्च न ज्ञानविषयत्वं भवेदिह॥२२॥
“Because it is not material, a relation defined by ritual action does not fit; because it is difficult to know, it cannot here be reduced to an object of knowledge.
Passage 23
प्रेमा रसमयः साक्षाद्रसो रामात्मकः स्फुटम्। अतस्तेनैव सम्बध्याद्रसरूपं सीतापतिम्॥२३॥
“Love directly consists of rasa, and rasa is manifestly Rāma's own nature. Therefore relate through love alone to Sītā's Lord, whose form is rasa.
Passage 24
कर्मापि तत्र कर्तव्यं रसरूपतया परम्। ज्ञानं च तत्र प्रेमाङ्गं भवत्येवेति निश्चयः॥२४॥
“Action toward him should likewise be performed as supreme rasa, and knowledge there certainly becomes a limb of love—this is the conclusion.
Passage 25
इति ते परमं तत्त्वमाख्यातं गुह्यमुत्तमम्। मथितं सर्ववेदेभ्यो भजनस्योपयोगि यत्॥२५॥
“Thus I have taught you the excellent secret supreme truth, churned from all the Vedas and useful for loving worship.”
Passage 26
इत्युक्त्वा भगवान् योगी भरताय महात्मने। सनत्कुमारः प्रययौ स्वेच्छाचारी यथागतम्॥२६॥
Having spoken thus to noble Bharata, the blessed yogin Sanatkumāra, moving by his own will, departed as he had come.
Passage 27
भरतश्च विशेषेण श्रुत्वाराध्यमहतत्त्वकम्। परमात्मस्वरूपेण सेवेत्पादुकाद्वयम्॥२७॥
Having heard in full the great truth of the object of worship, Bharata served the pair of sandals as the very form of the Supreme Self. *Thus ends Chapter Fifty-seven in the Reign of the Sandals within the Southern Book of the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍi in the venerable primal Rāmāyaṇa.*