Chapter Six — Relationship as the Source of Love

Because Agastya is a true vessel for sacred emotion, Hanuman promises to reveal the rare, nectar-like essence hidden within all the scriptures. (8, completed)

Śṛṇu tvaṃ bhakti-sambandhaṃ tad-bhedāṃś ca Ghaṭodbhava,
Samprītir jāyate yasmāt Rāme sukhadā sadā. (9)

O pot-born sage, hear of the devotional relationship and its different forms, for through it arises the love of Rama that bestows eternal happiness.

Yāvac chrī-Rāma-sambandhe dṛḍhā prītir na jāyate,
Tāvad bhramati saṃsāre dustare bahu-duḥkha-bhāk. (10)

Until firm love is born through one’s relationship with Sri Rama, the soul continues to wander through the nearly impassable world of becoming and suffers many sorrows.

Jñānaṃ yogas tapo dānam iṣṭāpūrtaṃ vrataṃ tathā,
Vairāgyaṃ niṣphalaṃ caiva bhakti-sambandha-varjitam. (11)

Knowledge, yoga, austerity, charity, sacrificial and charitable works, vows, and even renunciation remain fruitless when severed from a devotional relationship with Rama.