Passage 1
आत्रेय उवाच— त्वय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिरैहिकामुष्मिकादिभिः। स्वरूपज्ञैर्ब्रह्मविद्भिः कथं स्थेयं वदस्व तत्॥१॥
Ātreya said: Tell me how knowers of one's true nature and knowers of Brahman should live after offering mind and understanding to you and turning from concerns of this world and the next.
Passage 2
किं कर्तव्यं किमध्येयं सगुणं निर्गुणं च वा। किं वक्तव्यं किमुन्नेयं किं प्राप्यं राम सत्यते॥२॥
What should be done and what should be studied—the Lord with qualities or the qualityless? What should be spoken, what should be inferred, and what is to be attained? Rāma, tell me truly.
Passage 3
तदेतत् कृपया नाथ ममाख्याहि सतां गते॥३॥
Lord and refuge of the virtuous, graciously explain all this to me.
Passage 4
श्रीराम उवाच— आत्रेय शृणु वक्ष्यामि भक्तानां प्रीतिभागिनाम्। मय्यर्पिताखिलानां च या चर्या तां विशेषतः॥४॥
Śrī Rāma said: Listen, Ātreya. I shall explain in detail the discipline of loving devotees who have offered everything to me.
Passage 5
संक्षेपतस्ते पूर्वोक्तामनुभावस्वरूपिणीम्। भक्तिर्नाम परो भावश्चर्या तस्यानुभावका॥५॥
I have already described its essential nature briefly. Devotion is the supreme inner feeling, while the devotee's discipline is the outward expression of that feeling.
Passage 6
सा तेषां स्थितिरत्युग्रा ह्यसिधारापथानुगा। स्ववर्ग्यान्नं तु भुञ्जीत समर्प्य श्रीराममपि॥६॥
Their way of life is intensely exacting, like following the edge of a sword. One should eat food appropriate to one's community only after offering it to Śrī Rāma.
Passage 7
समर्पणं त्रिविधं प्राहुर्मम मूर्तौ समक्षकम्। परोक्षं मानसं प्रोक्तं तृतीयं वैष्णवाग्रतः॥७॥
Offering is said to be threefold: directly before my image, indirectly through a mental offering, and thirdly in the presence of a Vaiṣṇava.
Passage 8
भुञ्जीत तस्यावशिष्टं प्राणस्य स्थापनं मितम्। नामानि च गृणीतैवं प्रेम्णा मम दिवानिशम्॥८॥
One should eat the remainder in moderation, only enough to sustain life, and lovingly recite my names day and night.
Passage 9
नृत्यगायनवादित्रैस्तोषयेन्मां विशेषतः। मत्प्रसादोपलब्धं च धारयेदम्बरादिकम्॥९॥
One should especially delight me through dance, song, and instrumental music, and wear clothing and other things received as my grace.
Passage 10
तुलसीदलमालां च धारयेत्कण्ठदेशतः। काले शुष्कतमां शाखां तुलस्याः सितमेचकाम्॥१०॥
One should wear a garland of Tulasī leaves around the neck. At the proper time one should take a thoroughly dried Tulasī branch, whether pale or dark—
Passage 11
गृहीत्वा मणिसंदोहं सच्छिद्रं रचयेन्नरः। तेन निर्मितां महामालां धारयेदुपवीतवत्॥११॥
—fashion it into a collection of pierced beads, and wear the great garland made from them like a sacred thread.
Passage 12
शिखायां वैष्णवो भाले कण्ठे बाह्वोश्च हस्तयोः। सर्वतो धारयेन्मालास्तुलसीकाष्ठसम्भवाः॥१२॥
A Vaiṣṇava should wear garlands made from Tulasī wood everywhere—at the topknot, forehead, neck, upper arms, and wrists.
Passage 13
धनुर्बाणं परं श्रेष्ठं मन्नामानि च धारयेत्। चक्रात्तु कोटिगुणं प्रोक्तं मन्नामानि च वै क्रमात्॥१३॥
One should bear my supremely excellent bow and arrow and also my names. My names, in their proper order, are declared ten million times greater than the discus-mark.
Passage 14
धनुर्बाणौ परात्परौ मन्नामानि च वा पुनः। आयुधैः सकलैर्बाह्वोर्मन्नाम परिवेष्टयेत्॥१४॥
The bow and arrow are supremely transcendent, as are my names. One should encircle both arms with all the weapon-marks and with my names.
Passage 15
बाणं च वेधयेत्सर्वैरायुधैर्वक्षसः स्थले। भालेन धारयेन्नाम मन्नामानि च भूरिशः॥१५॥
One should impress the arrow together with all the weapon-marks upon the chest and bear my name upon the forehead, displaying my names abundantly.
Passage 16
सर्वत्र धारयेद्बाणं शरीरे तत्परात्परम्। काश्मीरेण समायुक्तं श्वेतचन्दनमुत्तमम्॥१६॥
One should bear the transcendent arrow-mark throughout the body, using excellent white sandal paste mixed with saffron.
Passage 17
यावकेन समायुक्तं पुण्ड्रयेदूर्ध्वतः सुधीः। त्रिपुण्ड्रं नैव कुर्वीत विशेषेण विवर्जयेत्॥१७॥
The wise devotee should apply an upright sectarian mark blended with red pigment. One should never make the three horizontal lines and should especially avoid them.
Passage 18
अङ्गवस्त्रमपि स्नाने न तिर्यग्धारयेद्बुधः। यत्प्रमोदवने रम्ये रत्नाद्रौ भूमिषु॥१८॥
Even while bathing, the wise person should not wear the body-cloth crosswise. As for that which lies upon the ground of the jeweled mountain in beautiful Pramodavana—
Passage 19
पीतपाण्डुरकं रम्यं रजस्तद्धारयेत्तनौ। वशीकुर्यात्स मां भक्त्या यो वहेत्तद्धनं रजः॥१९॥
—one should bear upon the body that lovely yellow-white dust. Whoever lovingly carries that precious dust brings me under the power of devotion.
Passage 20
पवित्रं सहजानन्दाश्रीचारुचरणाङ्कितम्। सहजप्रेमदं सर्वकामदं शशिमङ्गलम्। ममापि सा प्रियाधूलिस्तद्बिन्दुं मूर्ध्नि धारयेत्॥२०॥ It is holy, impressed by the beautiful and glorious feet of Sahajānandā; it grants innate love, fulfills every desire, and is cooling and auspicious like the moon. That dust is dear even to me, so one should bear a speck of it upon the head. **इति श्रीमदादिरामायणे ब्रह्मभुशुण्डसंवादे उत्तरखण्डे श्रीरामात्रेयसंवादे आत्रेयबोधितश्रीरामगीतायां भक्तचर्याकथनं नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः॥१२॥
** Thus ends Chapter Twelve, named “The Description of the Devotee's Discipline,” of the Śrī Rāma Gītā taught in response to Ātreya, within the dialogue of Śrī Rāma and the sage of Atri's line in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the glorious Ādi Rāmāyaṇa, in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍa.