He personally tolerates offenses unto Himself, but His cool heart awakens the blazing fire of anger at those who offend His surrendered devotees, like an underwater volcano. He does not bother about offenses committed at Him and remains as if unconscious [of those offenses], like the earth. The author will describe Him—na smaraty apakārāṇāṁ śatam apy ātmavattayā: “He does not consider even hundreds of offenses committed at Him because of His fixed mind and determination.” (Rāmāyaṇa 2.1.11)

That Kuvera is charitable is clear from hundreds of statements such as tyāge ca dhanado yathā, “In charity, He is like [Kuvera], the giver of wealth.” Nowhere [in the scriptures] is Kuvera described as being greedy for his wealth. The interpretation of this verse [held by some] that Lord Rāmacandra is as rich as Kuvera contradicts the sequence of texts here. Being rich is not a good quality. If being rich had been a good quality, then He would have been described as being greedy.

Like the demigod Dharma, He is always truthful in speech.

Śrī Vālmīki had inquired about the nature of the Supreme Brahman—the cause of the universe, the omniscient, omnipotent, indwelling Supersoul—described in the Upaniṣads as possessing all auspicious attributes. In order to elucidate the Vedas, he had wanted to know if this Supreme Brahman is Lord Viṣṇu or any of the other worshipable deities such as Lord Brahmā, Lord Rudra and so on. Śrī Nārada taught that since these features are impossible to be found in anyone other than Lord Viṣṇu, He is indeed the Supreme Absolute Truth. It is to be understood that words like svayambhū and śiva, like the words sat “the Eternal Being” and brahman “the Great Being” (found in the Upaniṣads while referring to the Absolute Truth) culminate in reference to or describe partial aspects of Lord Viṣṇu.¹ This concludes the essential teaching of the Upaniṣads—collectively known as the Vedānta.

But if the Rāmāyaṇa is an elucidation of the Veda, in addition to elucidating the nature of the Absolute Truth, it should also elucidate the nature of the ultimate goal of life and the means to attain the ultimate goal of life. One might wonder, “Then, why hasn’t the Rāmāyaṇa elucidated on these subjects?”

The answer to this question is as follows: Śrī Vālmīki’s inquiry was all-encompassing. And Śrīla Nārada Muni had indicated the prescribed means to attain the ultimate goal of life while describing Lord Rāma as prajānāṁ ca hite rataḥ, “absorbed in the welfare of the living creatures.” He had also indicated the ultimate goal of life while describing Him as sadaika-priya-darśanaḥ, “always and exclusively pleasing to see.”

The eligibility to attain the ultimate goal of life is to accept the prescribed means and reject all other pursuits and activities. This will become very explicit later in the Rāmāyaṇa.

Since the teachings of the Upaniṣads have already been elucidated so far, what is the need for the rest of this book? The rest of the book is required in order to explicitly describe those auspicious qualities of the Supreme Being by describing His pastimes. The teachings of the Veda on prescribed duties of the varṇāśrama system—both the common duties and the specific duties—have been elucidated by a description of behavior of great personalities in the Rāmāyaṇa.

Śrīla Nārada Muni has so far outlined the pastimes of the Lord described in the Bāla-kāṇḍa or Canto 1 describing the Lord’s boyhood: He is born in the dynasty of Ikṣvāku indicates His advent. He is greatly powerful indicates His having slain Tāṭakā and her sons. He is skilled in Dhanurveda indicates that He had acquired all divine weapons from Viśvāmitra. He is prosperous (Śrīmān) indicates His obtaining Sītā-devī, the goddess of fortune.

Next, Śrī Nārada Muni introduces the events that will be delineated in the Ayodhyā-kāṇḍa or Canto 2 describing the events that transpired at Ayodhyā.