There is a sage whose realization is profound. Though he moves and acts in the world, he knows deeply, “This action belongs to the body—not to me, for I am pure by nature.” With this understanding, even as his hands perform tasks, he remains untouched by action itself. He speaks and behaves like others, yet his liberation radiates from him—he is happy and prosperous, shining forth as he journeys through life. Having completed his inquiry and found true repose, the wise one no longer imagines or projects. He is not born anew, nor does he hear or see in the ordinary way. Distraction and concentration, even the longing for liberation, have faded away. Recognizing all as mere imagination, the great-souled sage abides as Brahman alone. Wherever ego persists, action follows. But for the wise, free of ego, nothing is truly done, nor left undone. His mind is calm—without agitation or satisfaction, devoid of agency or movement, without hope or doubt. It shines forth, serene and luminous. Even when the mind does not contemplate or act, it is simply without cause. Yet, paradoxically, it contemplates and acts as if without motive. When the dull-witted hear the truth, confusion arises; or, if not confused, they contract inwardly, while someone not confused may appear as if confused to others. Single-pointedness and restraint are practiced intensely by the dull. The wise, seeing no duty, remain in their own state, like one asleep—effortlessly at rest. The dull do not attain peace through effort or its absence, but the wise become peaceful simply by certainty in the truth. Those devoted to practice do not know the Self, which is pure, awakened, dear, full, free from multiplicity and affliction. The deluded, absorbed in practice, do not attain liberation by action; the blessed one is liberated and unmoved merely by knowledge. The deluded do not attain Brahman because they wish to become it; the wise, even without wishing, partake of the nature of the supreme Brahman. Restless and grasping without foundation, the deluded nourish worldly existence, while the wise have cut the root of this source of misfortune. The deluded do not find peace because they wish to pacify; the wise, having determined the truth, always have a peaceful mind. For one who clings to what is seen, there is no vision of the Self. The wise do not see the fleeting; they see only the imperishable Self. What restraint is there for the confused, who act compulsively? For the wise, who delight in themselves, there is always effortless freedom. Some experience various states, but are not the cause of those states; others experience neither, remaining undisturbed. Those with distorted understanding contemplate the pure, nondual Self, but do not know it due to delusion, remaining unsatisfied throughout their lives. The mind of one seeking liberation exists only with some support, but the mind of the liberated—free from desire—is always without support. Seeing the islands of sense objects and frightened, seekers quickly seek refuge in single-pointed restraint. But when the desireless Lord is seen, the elephants of sense objects fall silent and flee, unable to serve, even when coaxed with artificial enticements. The fearless one, whose mind is balanced, does not pursue 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 action arises, he acts straightforwardly; whether the action is auspicious or not, his conduct is like that of a child—simple and innocent. 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, all mental modifications are exhausted. Even unrestrained and spontaneous, the state of the wise shines; but the peace of the confused, whose mind is attached, is artificial. Some revel in great enjoyments, others enter mountain caves; the wise, free from imagination and unbound, have liberated understanding. Seeing and honoring a learned one, deity, sacred place, woman, king, or beloved, the wise have no lingering impression in the heart. Mocked and scorned by servants, sons, wives, grandsons, and relatives, the yogi laughs, undisturbed in the least. Though content, he is not content; though afflicted, he does not grieve. Only those like him know his wondrous state. Obligation alone is worldly existence; the wise do not see it, being of empty form, formless, changeless, and free from affliction. Even without acting, agitation causes the confused mind to be restless everywhere; but acting, the skillful remain undisturbed. He sits happily, sleeps happily, comes and goes happily; he speaks happily, eats happily—the one whose mind is at peace, even while engaged in action. Untouched by suffering, unlike ordinary people engaged in the world, he shines unmoved like a great lake, free from all distress. For the deluded, even withdrawal becomes a form of activity; for the wise, even activity bears the fruit of withdrawal. Detachment from possessions is usually seen in the foolish; but for one whose hope in the body has fallen away, where is attachment and where is detachment? The mind of the deluded is always attached to imagining or not imagining; but for one established in himself, that very mind is free from any such vision, whether thoughts are present or absent. Finally, the sage who acts without desire in all undertakings, like a child, remains untouched by action, even while performing it—for he is pure.