न शक्यः स सुरैर्द्रष्टुं नासुरैर्न च पन्नगैः। यस्य प्रसादं कुरुते स वै तं द्रष्टुमर्हति॥ नहि यज्ञफलैस्तात न तपोभिस्तु संचितैः। शक्यते भगवान्द्रष्टु न दानेन न चेज्यया॥ तद्भक्तैस्तद्गतप्राणैस्तचित्तैस्तत्परायणैः। शक्यते भगवान्द्रष्टुं ज्ञाननिर्दग्धकिल्बिषैः॥ अथवा पृच्छ्य रक्षेन्द्र यदि तं द्रष्टुमिच्छसि। कथयिष्यामि ते सर्वं श्रूयतां यदि रोचते॥ कृते युगे व्यतीते वै मुखे त्रेतायुगस्य तु। हितार्थं देवमानां भविता नृपविग्रहः॥ इक्ष्वाकूणां च यो राजा भाव्यो दशरथो भुवि। तस्य सुनुर्महातेजा रामो नाम भविष्यति॥ महातेजा महाबुद्धिर्महाबलपराक्रमः। महाबाहुर्महासत्त्वः क्षमया पृथिवीसमः॥ आदित्य इव दुष्प्रेक्ष्यः समरे शत्रुभिस्तदा। भविता हि तदा रामो नरो नारायणः प्रभुः॥ पितुर्नियोगात्स विभुर्दण्डके विविध वने। विचरिष्यति धर्मात्मा भ्रात्रा सह महामनाः॥ तस्य पत्नी महाभागा लक्ष्मी सीतेति विश्रुता। दुहिता जनकस्यैषा उत्थिता वसुधातलात्॥ रूपेणाप्रतिमा लोके सर्वलक्षणलक्षिता। छायेवानुगता रामं निशाकरमिव प्रभा॥
na śakyaḥ sa surairdraṣṭuṃ nāsurairna ca pannagaiḥ| yasya prasādaṃ kurute sa vai taṃ draṣṭumarhati|| nahi yajñaphalaistāta na tapobhistu saṃcitaiḥ| śakyate bhagavāndraṣṭu na dānena na cejyayā|| tadbhaktaistadgataprāṇaistacittaistatparāyaṇaiḥ| śakyate bhagavāndraṣṭuṃ jñānanirdagdhakilbiṣaiḥ|| athavā pṛcchya rakṣendra yadi taṃ draṣṭumicchasi| kathayiṣyāmi te sarvaṃ śrūyatāṃ yadi rocate|| kṛte yuge vyatīte vai mukhe tretāyugasya tu| hitārthaṃ devamānāṃ bhavitā nṛpavigrahaḥ|| ikṣvākūṇāṃ ca yo rājā bhāvyo daśaratho bhuvi| tasya sunurmahātejā rāmo nāma bhaviṣyati|| mahātejā mahābuddhirmahābalaparākramaḥ| mahābāhurmahāsattvaḥ kṣamayā pṛthivīsamaḥ|| āditya iva duṣprekṣyaḥ samare śatrubhistadā| bhavitā hi tadā rāmo naro nārāyaṇaḥ prabhuḥ|| piturniyogātsa vibhurdaṇḍake vividha vane| vicariṣyati dharmātmā bhrātrā saha mahāmanāḥ|| tasya patnī mahābhāgā lakṣmī sīteti viśrutā| duhitā janakasyaiṣā utthitā vasudhātalāt|| rūpeṇāpratimā loke sarvalakṣaṇalakṣitā| chāyevānugatā rāmaṃ niśākaramiva prabhā||
English Meaning
The celestials, Asuras or Nagas-none is capable of casting his looks upon him. He alone can see him with whom he is pleased, O my son; neither by the fruits of sacrifices, asceticism, selfcontrol, gifts, sacrifices, nor by anything else can one behold the Illustrious Deity. Those alone can see Him, who have devoted themselves, their life and being, to him and who, by virtue of discriminative knowledge, have got their sins burnt. if you are willing to behold him hear, if you do like, I shall describe everything at length. At the end of the golden age and the beginning of Tretā Yuga the deity Nārāyaṇa shall assume a human form for the benefit of men and celestials. A son by the name of Rāma shall be born to Dasaratha, of the Ikşvaku race who shall govern earth. Rāma shall be highly effulgent, highly powerful and in patience like to earth-and the enemies in the encounter shall not be able to eye him as they cannot the sun. In this wise the lord Nārāyaṇa shall appear in a human form. At the behest of his sire, the pious and the high-minded Rāma shall sojourn in the forest of Dandaka in the company of his brother. His spouse the gracious Lakşmi, shall be celebrated under the appellation of Sītā. She will be born as the daughter of Janaka, the king of Mithilā and will come out of earth. In beauty she shall be matchless on earth and be gifted with auspicious marks and shall be matchless on earth and be gifted with auspicious marks and shall always follow Rāma like a shadow as the rays follow the moon.
— M.N. Dutt (1891–94, public domain)