I bow to Rama, who is worshipped by the enemy of desire, Who destroys the fear of worldly existence, Who is the lion to the mad elephant of Time, The lord of yogis, attainable through knowledge, An ocean of virtues, unconquered, beyond attributes, unchanging, Transcending illusion, lord of the gods, Devoted to the destruction of the wicked, The one supreme deity of all the hosts of Brahma, Pure as the root of the lotus, Lotus-eyed, divine, the very form of the lord of the earth.

I bow to Shiva, whose form is more beautiful than the moon and the conch, Clad in a tiger skin, Adorned with the fierce ornaments of serpents, Beloved of Ganga and the moon, Lord of Kashi, destroyer of the sins of the age of Kali, A wish-fulfilling tree of blessings, Worthy of praise, lord of Girija, An ocean of virtues, destroyer of desire, Shankara.

That Shambhu who grants to the virtuous Even the rarest liberation, Who punishes the wicked— May that Shankara bring me peace.

A blink, a moment, an atom, an age, a hundred years, or a kalpa— If your mind does not worship Rama, Time, with his terrible bow, will claim you all the same.

Hearing the words of the ocean, Rama called his ministers and spoke:

"Why delay any longer? Build the bridge, let the army cross!"

Jambavan, folding his hands, spoke to the scion of the Sun:

"Lord, by your name alone, men may cross the ocean of existence As easily as this little sea. Hearing this, Hanuman replied: 'By the power of your glory, O Lord, Even the blazing fire of doom could dry up this ocean's waters.'"

Then, from the tears of the enemy's women, The ocean was filled again and became salty once more.

Hearing Hanuman's bold words, The monkeys rejoiced, gazing at Rama's form.

Jambavan spoke to the two brothers, And told Nala and Nila the whole story.

"Remembering Rama's glory in your hearts, Build the bridge—there is no other effort needed."

Then he called the hosts of monkeys once more:

"Listen, all of you, to my request.

Hold Rama's lotus feet in your hearts, And let one monkey or bear perform a wondrous feat.

Run, mighty hosts of monkeys, Bring trees and mountains in great heaps!"

Hearing this, the monkeys and bears set out with a roar, Shouting, "Victory to the mighty Rama!"

The mightiest mountains and towering trees, the monkeys lift and carry with ease. They bring them to Nala and Neela, who arrange them to build the bridge.

The monkeys bring vast rocks, offering them up, And Nala and Neela take them as if they were mere balls to play with. Beholding the bridge’s wondrous construction, The ocean of compassion, Rama, smiles and speaks:

“This land is supremely lovely and pure, Its glory beyond all telling or measure. Here, I shall establish a shrine to Shambhu, For in my heart, this is