प्रशस्यमानौ सर्वत्र कदाचित्तत्र गायकौ॥ रथ्यासु राजमार्गेषु ददर्श भरताग्रजः। स्ववेश्म चानीय ततो भ्रातरौ स कुशीलवौ॥ पूजयामास पूजाहौं रामः शत्रुनिवर्हणः। आसीनः काञ्चने दिव्ये स च सिंहासने प्रभुः॥ उपोपविष्टैः सचिवैर्धातृभिश्च समन्वितः। दृष्ट्वा तु रूपसम्पन्नौ विनीतौ भ्रातरावुभौ ॥ उवाच लक्ष्मणं रामः शत्रुघ्नं भरतं तथा। श्रूयतामेतदाख्यानमनयोर्देववर्चसोः॥ विचित्रार्थपदं सम्यग्गायकौ समचोदयत्।
praśasyamānau sarvatra kadācittatra gāyakau|| rathyāsu rājamārgeṣu dadarśa bharatāgrajaḥ| svaveśma cānīya tato bhrātarau sa kuśīlavau|| pūjayāmāsa pūjāhauṃ rāmaḥ śatrunivarhaṇaḥ| āsīnaḥ kāñcane divye sa ca siṃhāsane prabhuḥ|| upopaviṣṭaiḥ sacivairdhātṛbhiśca samanvitaḥ| dṛṣṭvā tu rūpasampannau vinītau bhrātarāvubhau || uvāca lakṣmaṇaṃ rāmaḥ śatrughnaṃ bharataṃ tathā| śrūyatāmetadākhyānamanayordevavarcasoḥ|| vicitrārthapadaṃ samyaggāyakau samacodayat|
English Meaning
And admired everywhere, on one occasion those singers were seen by Bharata's elder brother, in a street of Ayodhyā, sparsely scattered with stalls. And having had the brothers Kusi and Lava brought under his roof, that destroyer of enemies, Rāma, accorded those ones worthy of honour, a respectful reception. And having seated himself on a throne of excellent gold, in the midst of his brothers and counsellors, that lord, Rāma, beholding both the brothers, handsome and of modest demeanour, spoke to Laksmana, Bharata and Satrughna, saying, Do you listen to the story, fraught with excellent sense and composed in excellent measure, as sung by these ones endowed with the divine afflatus. And then he ordered the singers to begin.
— M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)