Passage 1
श्रीराम उवाच— एवमेतत्त्वया काल यथोक्तं ब्रह्मणो वचः। सम्पादितं मया कार्यं देवानां च तथा नृणाम्॥१॥
Śrī Rāma said: So it is, Time, just as you have conveyed Brahmā's words. I have accomplished the work required for the gods and for humanity.
Passage 2
नाधुना मम कर्तव्यं त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यते। उज्जासिता यद्रिपवो महान्तो राक्षसाधिपाः॥२॥
Nothing now remains for me to do in the three worlds, since the mighty enemies—the lords of the rākṣasas—have been driven away.
Passage 3
तथापि ब्रह्मणो वाच्यं त्वया मद्वचनादिदम्। कालमायातिगां लीलां कथं तौ वर्जयिष्यतः॥३॥
Nevertheless, you must tell Brahmā this statement of mine: how could those two set limits upon play that transcends Time and māyā?
Passage 4
किं चतुर्दश लक्षाणि किमायुर्ब्रह्मणोऽपि च। किं कल्पाः कोटिकल्पाश्च पुरुषस्यायुरेव च॥४॥
What are fourteen hundred thousand years? What even is Brahmā's lifespan? What are kalpas, tens of millions of kalpas, or indeed the lifespan of the cosmic Person?
Passage 5
किं कालस्य च माहात्म्यं किं कालकलनापि च। न मे भवेत्परिच्छेदो ब्रह्मकल्पशतैरपि॥५॥
What is the might of Time, and what is Time's reckoning? Not even hundreds of Brahmā's kalpas could impose a limit upon me.
Passage 6
कथं त्वया ज्ञातमिदं विरञ्चे चतुर्दश प्रययुर्वर्षपुङ्गाः। भवादृशाः कोटिविरञ्चयो गता विक्रीडतो मे सहजं प्रमुद्दने॥६॥
How did you conclude, Virañci, that fourteen excellent years have passed? While I sport naturally in Pramodavana, tens of millions of Virañcis like you have come and gone.
Passage 7
वर्षाण्यतीतानि चतुर्दशेति त्वयोदितं नोभयथापि सङ्गतम्। निमेषमात्रं मम तु प्रयातं स्वच्छन्दलीलस्य सलक्ष्मणस्य॥७॥
Your declaration that fourteen years have passed does not accord with the truth in either reckoning. For me, sporting freely together with Lakṣmaṇa, only the instant of a blink has elapsed.
Passage 8
निजवर्षप्रमाणेन न मे वर्षाणि वै विधे। नाहं पर्यनुयोगार्हस्तव वान्यस्य कस्यचित्॥८॥
Creator, my years cannot be measured by the standard of your own years. I am not subject to interrogation by you or by anyone else.
Passage 9
इति वक्तव्यमसकृद् ब्रह्मणे मूढबुद्धये। उक्त्वा च पुनरागच्छ मन्त्रः कार्यस्त्वया सह॥९॥
Tell this repeatedly to Brahmā, whose understanding has become confused, and then return. I must hold counsel with you.
Passage 10
तथेत्युक्त्वा विभुं भक्त्या प्रणम्य च मुहुर्मुहुः। ब्रह्मलोके समागत्य साष्टाङ्गं च प्रणम्य तम्। उवाच तत्समस्तं यत् प्रभुराह रघूद्वहः॥१०॥
Saying, “So be it,” Time repeatedly bowed with devotion to the almighty Lord. Arriving in Brahmā's world, he prostrated fully before Brahmā and reported everything the scion of Raghu had said.
Passage 11
ब्रह्मोवाच— एवमेव स वै नाथः कालमायागुणेश्वरः। स्वच्छन्दलीलः स्वच्छन्दः सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहः॥११॥
Brahmā said: Such indeed is that Lord—ruler of Time, māyā, and the guṇas; freely sporting, absolutely free, and the embodiment of being, consciousness, and bliss.
Passage 12
श्रीमान् सहजशोभाढ्यो गुणी च गुणनायकः। कस्तं निरोद्धुं प्रभवेद्भगवन्तं सनातनम्॥१२॥
He is glorious, endowed with innate beauty, possessed of every excellence, and master of all qualities. Who could have the power to restrain that eternal Lord?
Passage 13
स्वयं लक्ष्मीपतिर्वीरः स्वयं सर्वशुभाकरः। यथा तस्य प्रभोरिच्छा तथा कार्यं करोतु च। वयं सर्वे वशे तस्य न तस्येशश्च कश्चन॥१३॥
He himself is the heroic Lord of Lakṣmī and the source of every auspiciousness. Let him act exactly as he desires. We are all subject to him; no one is his master.
Passage 14
काल उवाच— मया प्रदर्शितं घोरं स्वरूपं कालमेधसे। साधारणं नरं ज्ञात्वा पुरुषं पुरुषोत्तमम्॥१४॥
Time said: Mistaking the supreme Person for an ordinary man, I displayed my own terrifying form before him, the all-knowing master of Time. Source note: The tightly printed final word of the first line appears as कालमेधसे. The translation follows the immediate narrative sense without silently replacing the edition's reading.
Passage 15
तस्य रूपं च परमं मत्तोऽप्यतिभयानकम्। घोरघोरतरं दृष्ट्वा पलायनपरोऽभवम्॥१५॥
But his supreme form was far more terrifying even than mine. Seeing that form, more dreadful than the most dreadful, I could do nothing but flee.
Passage 16
भयेन प्रस्खलत्पादः प्रस्खलन्मूर्धजावलिः। पदे पदे कम्पमानो नाहं धैर्यधरोऽभवम्॥१६॥
My feet stumbled with fear and the mass of hair upon my head shook loose. Trembling at every step, I could not retain my courage.
Passage 17
ततः सौम्यं वपुः कृत्वा गतोऽहं प्रभुसंनिधौ। गृहीत्वा तस्य पादौ तु तूष्णीमास भयानतः॥१७॥
Then I assumed a gentle form and went into the Lord's presence. Grasping his feet, I remained silent, overcome by fear.
Passage 18
ततोऽतिकृपया पूर्णः प्रभुर्मां स ददर्श ह। कृपया मां स विज्ञाप्यं त्वदुक्तं च न्यवेदयम्॥१८॥
Then the Lord, filled with exceeding compassion, looked upon me. Through his grace I found leave to speak and submitted the message you had given.
Passage 19
तच्छ्रुत्वा भगवान् राम इदमूचे कृपानिधिः। न मे लीला परिच्छेद्या ब्रह्मणा च त्वयापि च॥१९॥
Hearing it, the blessed Rāma, treasury of compassion, said: “My play cannot be bounded either by Brahmā or by you.”
Passage 20
ब्रह्मोवाच— महानविनयो जातो यद् रामस्य विभीषिकाम्। कर्तुं प्रदर्शयामास स्वस्वरूपं भवान् प्रभोः॥२०॥
Brahmā said: A grave discourtesy occurred when you displayed your own form in order to frighten Lord Rāma.
Passage 21
तेनैव निर्मितस्त्वं वै अहं चान्ये तथा सुराः। कस्तं भीषयितुं शक्तो रामदेवं जनार्दनम्॥२१॥
You, I, and all the other gods were created by him alone. Who could have the power to frighten divine Rāma, Janārdana?
Passage 22
यस्य घोरतरं रूपं दृष्ट्वा सदयः पलायते। भवान् भवस्य सर्वस्य भीषणो भूरिविक्रमः॥२२॥
You, whose vast might terrifies all becoming, fled after seeing his still more terrible form. Source note: The scan prints सदयः in the first line; the sentence's governing point is unambiguous in context—Time fled when confronted with Rāma's more terrible manifestation.
Passage 23
यस्य घोरं वपुर्दृष्ट्वा राक्षसा ब्रह्मराक्षसाः। कूष्माण्डभूतवेताला धावन्ति हरितो दश॥२३॥
At the sight of your dreadful body, rākṣasas, brahma-rākṣasas, kūṣmāṇḍas, spirits, and vetālas run toward the ten directions.
Passage 24
यस्य घोरं वपुर्दृष्ट्वा विघ्नौघाश्च विनायकाः। दुर्दर्शना घोररूपा धावन्ति कृतभीतयः॥२४॥
At the sight of your dreadful body, hosts of obstacle-making Vināyakas—hideous and terrifying in form—run away in fear.
Passage 25
तं भीषयितुमीशानं प्रवृत्तो यदि वै भवान्। तदापराधः संजातः प्रभावविनयात्मकः॥२५॥
If you truly set out to frighten that sovereign Lord, then an offense arose from presumptuous disrespect before his majesty.
Passage 26
तस्यापराधस्य शमं विधातुं प्रभोः समीपं तु पुनः प्रयाहि। शीघ्रप्रसादो भगवान् राघवेन्द्रोऽचिरात् प्रसन्नो भविता न संशयः॥२६॥
Go again into the Lord's presence to make amends for that offense. The blessed lord of the Raghus is swift to show grace; before long he will be pleased—of this there is no doubt.
Passage 27
इत्युक्त्वा भगवान् ब्रह्मा कालं सदयो व्यसर्जयत्। स च नत्वा विधिं पश्चाद् रामसंनिधिमागमत्॥२७॥ Having spoken thus, the blessed Brahmā compassionately dismissed Time. Bowing to the Creator, Time then returned to Rāma's presence. **इति श्रीमदादिरामायणे ब्रह्मभुशुण्डसंवादे उत्तरखण्डे कालदमनोपाख्याने चतुर्थोऽध्यायः॥४॥
** Thus ends Chapter Four in the episode of the subduing of Time, in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the glorious Ādi Rāmāyaṇa, in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍa.