श्रीराम उवाच । य एष देवः कथितो यस्मिन् ज्ञाते विमुच्यते । वद क्वाऽसौ स्थितो ब्रह्मन् कथमेनमहं लभे ॥ १ ॥
śrīrāma uvāca | ya ēṣa dēvaḥ kathitō yasmin jñātē vimucyatē | vada kvā’sau sthitō brahman kathamēnamahaṁ labhē || 1 ||
Translation
Rāma said: This God you have spoken of, by knowing whom one is freed: tell me, brahman, where does he dwell, and how am I to reach him?
Word by word
- ya
- (yaḥ) who
- ēṣa
- this
- dēvaḥ
- God
- kathitō
- (kathitaḥ) you have spoken of
- yasmin
- whom
- jñātē
- by knowing
- vimucyatē
- one is freed
- vada
- tell
- kva
- where
- asau
- he
- sthitō
- (sthitaḥ) does dwell
- brahman
- brahman
- katham
- how
- ēnam
- him
- ahaṁ
- I
- labhē
- am to reach
Meaning
The last sarga said that knowledge alone reaches the God of gods. Rāma, practical as ever, asks the two things a seeker asks: where is he, and how do I get there? The commentary heads the sarga: it describes the true nature of the God already spoken of, the cause of Hiraṇyagarbha and the other gods, free of every limiting adjunct. The other commentary has Rāma ask in what setting he shows himself unveiled.