Rama responds to Valmiki's questions by recounting his life and reflections on the world. He describes growing up in his father's palace and traveling to learn customs. Through discrimination, he discarded thoughts of sensual pleasures, seeing that worldly objects provide no stability and attach us through imagination. Rama became disgusted with the world, questioning its nature, progress, and how to alleviate misery. He feels heavy burdens but cannot show tears, waiting to understand positive and negative states. Rama sees prosperity as a seducing cheat that impairs qualities and spreads miseries.