Let us contemplate the nature of the wise one, as revealed by the sacred verses. There are those who perceive this world and declare it does not exist; one without desires acts, yet sees without truly seeing. If someone has glimpsed the supreme Brahman, he may think, “I am Brahman.” But the one who is free from thought, who sees no second, what is left for him to think? When agitation arises in the Self, some strive to restrain it. Yet the noble one, who is undisturbed and has nothing to accomplish, simply abides, doing nothing. The wise, though appearing contrary to the world and living among its people, perceives neither absorption nor distraction, nor any loss of himself. Content and free from both existence and non-existence, the wise one, without desire, does nothing at all, though in the eyes of the world, he appears to act. Whether engaged in action or withdrawn, he is never confused; whatever arises to be done, he does it, remaining at ease. Without desire, without support, free and unbound, he moves as he wills, tossed by the winds of conditioning and acts like a dry leaf. For one free from worldly involvement, there is neither joy nor sorrow anywhere; he rules with a cool mind, always as if bodiless. Nowhere does the wise, whose mind is cooler than cool and who delights in the Self, feel any desire to abandon or sense of loss. For the steadfast one whose mind is naturally empty, whatever is done happens spontaneously; like an ordinary person, he neither feels pride nor humiliation. He who thinks, “This action is done by the body, not by me who am pure by nature,” even while acting, does not act. Even if he speaks or acts like others, the liberated one, happy and prosperous, shines forth while moving through the world. The wise, thoroughly rested from inquiry and having attained repose, does not imagine, is not born, does not hear, does not see. Neither distraction nor concentration, nor even the desire for liberation, remains; having determined all as imagined, the great-souled one abides as Brahman alone. Wherever there is ego within, one acts; but for the wise free of ego, nothing is done, nothing remains undone. The mind of the liberated one, free from agitation and satisfaction, devoid of agency and movement, without hope and doubt, shines forth. If the mind does not engage in contemplation or activity, it is simply without cause; yet it contemplates and acts as if without motive. Hearing the truth as it is, the dull-witted becomes confused; or, if not confused, he contracts, though someone not confused may appear as if confused. Single-pointedness or restraint is practiced intensely by the dull; the wise see no duty, remaining in their own state like one asleep. Through effort or lack of effort, the dull does not attain peace; the wise becomes peaceful merely by certainty of the truth. Those devoted to practice do not know the Self, which is pure, awakened, dear, full, free of multiplicity, and free from affliction. The deluded, absorbed in practice, does not attain liberation by action; the blessed one is liberated and unmoved merely by knowledge. The deluded does not attain Brahman because he wishes to become it; the wise, even without wishing, partakes of the nature of the supreme Brahman. The deluded, restless and grasping without foundation, nourish worldly existence; the wise have cut the root of this source of misfortune. The deluded does not find peace because he wishes to pacify; the wise, having determined the truth, always has a peaceful mind. Where is the vision of the Self for one who clings to what is seen? The wise do not see that; they see the imperishable Self. Where is restraint for the confused, who acts with compulsion? For the wise, who delight in themselves, there is always effortless freedom. Someone is the experiencer of states, but not the cause of those states; someone is the experiencer of neither—thus, he remains undisturbed. Those of distorted understanding contemplate the pure, nondual Self, but do not know it due to delusion, remaining unsatisfied all their lives. The mind of one seeking liberation does not exist without support; but the mind of the liberated, free from desire, is always without support. Seeing the islands of sense objects, frightened and seeking refuge, they quickly enter the embrace for the attainment of single-pointed restraint. But when the desireless Lord is seen, the elephants of sense objects fall silent; they flee, unable to serve, even when coaxed with artificial enticements. The fearless one, whose mind is balanced, does not engage in the pursuit of liberation; seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, he abides as he pleases. By merely hearing the truth, the pure-minded, undisturbed, sees neither proper nor improper conduct, nor even indifference. Whenever it comes to act, he acts straightforwardly; whether the action is auspicious or inauspicious, his conduct is like that of a child. By freedom he attains happiness, by freedom he gains the highest; by freedom he reaches fulfillment, by freedom the supreme state. When one considers oneself neither agent nor enjoyer, then all mental modifications become exhausted. Even unrestrained and spontaneous, the state of the wise shines; but the peace of the confused, whose mind is attached, is artificial. They revel in great enjoyments, enter mountain caves; the wise, free from imagination, unbound, with liberated understanding. Seeing and honoring a learned one, deity, sacred place, woman, king, or beloved, the wise has no lingering impression in the heart. Thus, the wise one, liberated and content, moves through the world untouched, abiding always in the supreme state, free from all bondage and longing.