The gracious Rama, the delight of his servants, dispelled all my deep-rooted delusion. As I reflected on his former glory, my heart was flooded with you.

Beholding the Lord’s loving kindness to his votaries, my heart began to throb with a profound devotion. With streaming eyes and quivering frame and hands folded in prayer, I made my earnest petition.

When he heard my loving words and saw his servant’s wretched plight, Rama’s lord made me this gracious speech, profound and tender:

“Kababhushundi, ask of me a boon, for know that I am highly pleased with you; be it the eight perfections such as Anima (the power of assuming a from as small as an atom), or fabulous wealth (such as that possessed by Kubera, the god riches), or final liberation, the fountain of all bliss;

or knowledge and discernment, dispassion and mystic wisdom, or those numerous virtues which sages scarcely attain in the world. Today I will grant you all these; doubt not, but ask whatever your soul desires.”

On hearing the Lord’s words, I was overwhelmed with love and began to reason thus within myself: “The Lord, it is true, has promised me all kinds of blessings, but has said nothing about the gift of faith in himself.

Without faith all virtues and blessings are as insipid as any quantity of condiments without salt. Of what avail is any blessing unaccompanied by devotion?” having thus pondered, O king of birds, I replied: