Hear now the sacred words as a continuous story: The Blessed Lord spoke, revealing His own true nature: “I am the very foundation of Brahman—the immortal, the imperishable, the eternal dharma, and the essence of absolute happiness. Let Me tell you of the ancient, imperishable aśvattha tree. Its roots grow above, its branches spread below, and its leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who truly knows this tree is a knower of the Veda. Its branches stretch both upward and downward, nourished by the three guṇas, and the sense objects are its tender shoots. Its roots, spreading downward, bind the world of men through actions. Yet, this tree’s true form is not perceived here—its end, its beginning, nor its true foundation. But when one severs this deeply rooted aśvattha with the strong axe of detachment, that person should then seek the path by which none return. Taking refuge in that original Person, from whom all ancient activity has flowed, the seeker, free from pride and delusion, having conquered attachment, ever dwelling in the Self, with desires gone, and liberated from the pairs of pleasure and pain, reaches that imperishable state. That supreme abode is not illumined by sun, moon, or fire. Having reached it, none return. That, indeed, is My supreme abode. A portion of My own eternal Self, becoming a living being in this world of life, draws to itself the senses and the mind, which abide in nature. When the Lord takes on a body, and when He departs from it, He carries these—senses and mind—just as the wind carries scents from their sources. Presiding over the ear, eye, touch, tongue, and nose, as well as the mind, He experiences the objects of the senses. The deluded do not perceive Him as He departs, stays, or enjoys, endowed with the guṇas. But those with the eye of knowledge see Him. Striving yogis perceive Him dwelling within themselves, but those of unrefined mind and lacking understanding, though striving, do not see Him. Know that the radiance which, residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, and that which is in the moon and in fire—this radiance is Mine. Entering the earth, I sustain all beings by My energy; becoming the nourishing moon, I foster all plants with their essence. As the digestive fire, I reside in the bodies of living beings; united with the incoming and outgoing breaths, I digest the four kinds of food. I am seated in the heart of all; from Me arise memory, knowledge, and their removal. I alone am to be known through all the Vedas; I am the author of Vedānta and the knower of the Vedas. In this world, there are two kinds of beings: the perishable and the imperishable. All creatures are perishable; the unchanging is called imperishable. Yet there is another—the Supreme Person, the Highest Self—who, entering the three worlds, sustains them as the imperishable Lord. Because I transcend both the perishable and the imperishable, I am proclaimed in the world and in the Vedas as the Supreme Person. Whoever, free from delusion, knows Me thus as the Supreme Person, knows all and worships Me with all his being. Thus, this most secret teaching has been declared by Me. Understanding this, a person becomes wise and accomplished in all duties. The Blessed Lord then described the qualities of the divine nature: fearlessness, purity of mind, steadfastness in knowledge and yoga, generosity, self-control, sacrifice, study of the scriptures, austerity, and straightforwardness; nonviolence, truthfulness, absence of anger, renunciation, tranquility, aversion to fault-finding, compassion for beings, absence of greed, gentleness, modesty, and lack of fickleness; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, purity, absence of malice, and lack of excessive pride. These are the qualities of one born to a divine nature. But hypocrisy, arrogance, self-conceit, anger, harshness, and ignorance—these are the qualities of one born to a demonic nature. The divine qualities lead to liberation, while the demonic lead to bondage. Do not grieve, for you are born with divine qualities. In this world, there are two kinds of beings: the divine and the demonic. The divine has been described; now hear of the demonic. The demonic do not know the way of action or renunciation; in them, neither purity, nor proper conduct, nor truth is found. They say the world is without truth, without foundation, without a Lord; it arises from mutual union alone, and nothing else, its cause being desire. Clinging to this view, ruined in self and of little understanding, these fierce doers of cruel deeds arise for the destruction of the world. Relying on insatiable desire, filled with hypocrisy, pride, and arrogance, deluded, holding false views, they act with impure vows. Taking refuge in immeasurable anxieties that end only with death, devoted to the enjoyment of desires, they are convinced that this is all there is. Bound by hundreds of cords of hope, given over to desire and anger, they strive to accumulate wealth by unjust means for the sake of enjoyment. They think: ‘Today I have gained this; I will obtain that wish; this is mine, and this wealth will be mine again. That enemy has been slain by me, and others I will kill as well; I am the Lord, I am the enjoyer, I am accomplished, strong, and happy. I am wealthy and high-born; who else is equal to me? I will sacrifice, give, and rejoice.’ Thus deluded by ignorance, distracted by many conflicting thoughts, enveloped in the net of delusion, attached to the enjoyment of desires, they fall into impure hell. Self-glorifying, stubborn, filled with pride and intoxication of wealth, they perform sacrifices in name only, with hypocrisy, contrary to prescribed rules. Taking refuge in ego, strength, arrogance, desire, and anger, hating Me in their own and others’ bodies, they are envious. Those hateful, cruel, lowest among men, I constantly cast into evil births in demonic wombs within the cycle of existence.