देव— दीन-उद्धरण रघुवर्य करुणाभवन शमन-संताप पापौघहारी। विमल विज्ञान-विग्रह, अनुग्रहरूप, भूपवर, विबुध, नर्मद, खरारी॥ १॥ संसार-कांतार अति घोर, गंभीर, घन, गहन तरुकर्मसंकुल, मुरारी। वासना वल्लि खर-कंटकाकुल विपुल, निबिड़ विटपाटवी कठिन भारी॥ २॥ विविध चितवृत्ति-खग निकर श्येनोलूक, काक वक गृध आमिष-अहारी। अखिल खल, निपुण छल, छिद्र निरखत सदा, जीवजनपथिकमन-खेदकारी॥ ३॥ क्रोध करिमत्त, मृगराज, कंदर्प, मद-दर्प वृक-भालु अति उग्रकर्मा। महिष मत्सर क्रूर, लोभ शूकररूप, फेरु छल, दंभ मार्जारधर्मा॥ ४॥ कपट मर्कट विकट, व्याघ्र पाखण्डमुख, दुखद मृगब्रात, उत्पातकर्ता। हृदय अवलोकि यह शोक शरणागतं, पाहि मां पाहि भो विश्वभर्त्ता॥ ५॥ प्रबल अहँकार दुरघट महीधर, महामोह गिरि-गुहा निबिड़ांधकारं। चित्त वेताल, मनुजाद मन, प्रेतगन रोग, भोगौघ वृश्चिक-विकारं॥ ६॥ विषय-सुख-लालसा दंश-मशकादि, खल झिल्लि रूपादि सब सर्प, स्वामी। तत्र आक्षिप्त तव विषम माया नाथ, अंध मैं मंद, व्यालादगामी॥ ७॥ घोर अवगाह भव आपगा पापजलपूर, दुष्प्रेक्ष्य, दुस्तर, अपारा। मकर षड्वर्ग, गो नक्र चक्राकुला, कूल शुभ-अशुभ, दुख तीव्र धारा॥ ८॥ सकल संघट पोच शोचवश सर्वदा दासतुलसी विषम गहनग्रस्तं। तराहि रघुवंशभूषण कृपा कर, कठिन काल विकराल-कलित्रास-त्रस्तं॥ ९॥
Lord—Best of Raghu’s line, uplifter of the lowly, abode of compassion, quieter of anguish and remover of floods of sin; stainless embodiment of realized knowledge, grace itself, finest king, wise Lord, giver of delight, enemy of Khara. (1) The wilderness of worldly existence is exceedingly dreadful, deep, dense and impenetrable, crowded with trees that are deeds, O enemy of Mura. Its vast, thick forest is tangled with creepers of latent desire and filled with harsh thorns, arduous and oppressive. (2) Its flocks of birds are the mind’s many movements—hawks and owls, crows, cranes and flesh-eating vultures. All are wicked, skilled in deceit, forever watching for an opening and wearying the mind of the living traveler on the path. (3) Anger is a rutting elephant, desire a lion; intoxication and pride are wolves and bears of exceedingly savage action. Envy is a cruel buffalo, greed takes the form of a boar, deception is a jackal, and hypocrisy has the nature of a cat. (4) Fraud is a monstrous monkey, while false religion is a tiger-faced, pain-giving herd of beasts that creates havoc. See this grief within my heart: I have come for refuge. Protect me, protect me, O sustainer of the universe! (5) Powerful ego is an impassable mountain, and great delusion the dense darkness in its mountain-cave. The faculty of thought is a goblin, the mind a man-eater, diseases a host of ghosts, and swarms of pleasures the perturbations of scorpions. (6) Longing for sensory pleasure is a host of stinging gnats and mosquitoes, and the wicked chirring insects—forms and the other sense-objects—are all snakes. Cast into your terrible Maya there, O Lord, I am blind and dull, moving among those serpents. (7) The river of becoming is dreadfully deep, swollen with the water of sin, fearful to behold, impassable and shoreless. Its sea-monsters are the sixfold foes, its senses are crocodiles, it seethes with whirlpools; good and evil are its banks and sorrow its violent current. (8) Always overcome by every vile collision and by grief, servant Tulsi is caught in this terrible wilderness. Ornament of Raghu’s line, show mercy and carry me across—terrified by cruel Time, by dreadful Kali and the terrors of the age. (9)