रामायणफलश्रुतिः

This, then, is the whole of the tale, together with its sequel, honoured by Brahmā: the chief of poems, known as the Rāmāyaṇa, composed by Vālmīki. Viṣṇu was established in heaven as he had been before, he by whom this whole threefold world, with all that moves and does not move, is pervaded. And the gods, with the gandharvas, the siddhas and the supreme seers, listen ever after in heaven with delight to the poem, the Rāmāyaṇa. "Together with its sequel" makes it plain that the Uttara Kāṇḍa too is part of the Rāmāyaṇa: the tale is complete only with it. "This, then, is the whole" marks the limit: beyond this there is no more of Rāma's story, only the fruit of hearing it. This sarga carries no new event; it is the promise of merit and the praise of the whole poem. Viṣṇu's return to his own place briefly restates what happened in the previous sarga, and so the story comes full circle. That even the gods listen to the Rāmāyaṇa in heaven shows that the poem's greatness reaches through all three worlds, not for men alone but for the gods too. "The chief of poems" points to the Rāmāyaṇa as the first poem, the source of all poetry.

This tale gives long life and good fortune and destroys sin. The Rāmāyaṇa is equal to the Veda, and a wise man should have it recited at the rites for the ancestors. By reading it the sonless gain a son and the poor gain wealth; whoever recites even a quarter of a verse of it is freed from all sins. Even a man who sins day after day is freed from sin if he recites a single verse. The reciter should be given clothing, a cow and gold, for when the reciter is satisfied all the gods are satisfied. A man who recites this life-giving tale, the Rāmāyaṇa, is honoured in this world with sons and grandsons, and after death as well. And one who recites the Rāmāyaṇa with a collected mind, at the hour when the cattle are let out, at noon, in the afternoon or at evening, never comes to grief. The fruits follow in order: long life, good fortune, destruction of sin, a son, wealth, and honour in this world and the next. "Even a quarter-verse", "even a single verse" give the assurance that even a little reading bears fruit. Honouring the reciter is also dharma, for the giver of knowledge deserves worship. "Equal to the Veda" gives the Rāmāyaṇa the standing of Veda as well as of first poem, and that is why it is to be recited even at the ancestral rites. Four times of day are named, so that no hour is unfit for reading it. "Never comes to grief" is a simple promise but a deep one: the mind of one who remembers Rāma's deeds daily does not sink into despair, and the fruit reaches both this world and the next.

The lovely city of Ayodhyā too, after lying empty for many years, will be inhabited again when it gains a king named Ṛṣabha. The son of Pracetas, Vālmīki, composed this life-giving tale, with what was yet to come and with its sequel, and Brahmā too approved it. By hearing a single sarga a man gains the merit of a thousand horse-sacrifices and ten thousand Vājapeya sacrifices. One who has heard the Rāmāyaṇa has, as it were, visited in this world Prayāga and the other holy places, the Gaṅgā and the other rivers, Naimiṣa and the other forests, Kurukṣetra and the other sacred fields. He who gives a load of gold at Kurukṣetra when the sun is eclipsed, and he who hears the Rāmāyaṇa in this world, are equal. One who listens with true faith to the story of Rāghava is freed from all sin and goes to the world of Viṣṇu. This is the first poem, the work of a seer, composed long ago by Vālmīki. The prophecy about Ayodhyā is both sad and hopeful: in the previous sarga the city was left empty, but in time a king named Ṛṣabha will people it again. "With what was yet to come and with its sequel" means that Vālmīki put even the future, and the Uttara Kāṇḍa, into his poem. The fruit of pilgrimage, great gifts and sacrifices is won by hearing alone, which shows how easy the path of devotion is. A gift of gold at Kurukṣetra during an eclipse is counted in the scriptures as the highest merit, and even that is equalled by hearing the Rāmāyaṇa. A thousand horse-sacrifices and ten thousand Vājapeyas are hard even for kings, but hearing a single sarga is within everyone's reach.

Whoever always listens to it with devotion attains a form like Viṣṇu's, and his sons and wife, his wealth and his descendants all increase. Knowing this to be true, those of restrained mind should listen to it, for the peerless Rāmāyaṇa is the very form of the Gāyatrī. Whoever reads or hears the story of Rāghava every day with devotion becomes free of stain and gains long life. One who desires his highest good should think of Rāghava always, and have this tale recited to brahmins day by day. Whoever reads the whole story of the lord of the Raghus goes, when his life is spent, to the world of Viṣṇu, there is no doubt of it; and his father, his grandfather and great-grandfather, and their father and his father too, all go to Viṣṇu, there is no doubt of it. "The very form of the Gāyatrī" reflects the traditional view that the twenty-four thousand verses of the Rāmāyaṇa are linked with the twenty-four syllables of the Gāyatrī. The fruit of reading the whole is the salvation even of one's ancestors, five generations of them reaching the world of Viṣṇu. "When his life is spent" is a gentle name for death. "Those of restrained mind" names who is fit to listen: only the self-controlled gain the full fruit. "There is no doubt of it", said twice, shows how firm the promise is, and the repeated "their father and his father" counts back up the line of descent: the listener's merit lifts even his forebears.

The story of Rāghava always grants the four aims of life, dharma, wealth, desire and liberation; therefore it should always be listened to with effort, as the highest thing. Whoever listens with devotion to the Rāmāyaṇa, even a quarter-verse or a single word of it, goes to the abode of Brahmā and is honoured by Brahmā for ever. Such is this ancient tale. May good fortune be yours! Recite it without fear, and may the might of Viṣṇu increase. The last verse is a blessing: let listeners and reciters spread the story without hesitation. "Even a single word" brings the promise to its height: a single word heard with devotion wins the world of Brahmā. "May the might of Viṣṇu increase" also appears in the closing praise at the end of the Yuddha Kāṇḍa, so the endings of the two kāṇḍas are joined by the same auspicious words. And so the whole of Vālmīki's Rāmāyaṇa ends in blessing.