Can fame spread without austere penance? Can there be any taste in the world without the element of water? Can virtue be acquired without waiting upon the water? Can virtue be acquired without waiting upon the wise, my lord, any more than form can exist without the element of fire?

Can the mind be at rest without experiencing the joy inherent in one’s own self? Can there be any sensation of touch without the element of air, and any perfection without trust? In like manner the dread of rebirth can never cease without worship of Hari.

Without trust there can be no devotion, and without devotion Rama’s heart melts not; without the grace of Rama no creature can dream of peace.

Pondering thus, O Garuda of resolute mind, abandon all cavilling and scepticism, and worship the all-beautiful Rama, the hero of the house of Raghu, the fountain of mercy, the delight of all.

Thus, O lord and king of birds, have I sung according to my ability the greatness of the Lord’s glory; nor have I anywhere had recourse to any inventive skill, for I have seen it all with my own eyes.

Raghunatha’s greatness, his name, his beauty and the song of his perfections, are all boundless and infinite, for Raghunatha himself is infinite. Sages hymn Hari’s virtues, each according to his wits; but neither the Vedas nor Shesha (the serpent god) nor the blessed Shiva can reach their end.

All winged creatures, from yourself to a mosquito, take their flight across the sky but never reach its limit. Even so, my friend, can anyone over gauge the extent of Rama’s greatness, unfathomable as it is?