As the seeker gazes upon the vast islands of sense objects, fear arises and drives them to seek refuge. They hurry into the embrace of single-pointed restraint, striving to steady the mind. Yet, when the desireless Lord is perceived, the mighty elephants of sense objects fall silent; they flee, unable to serve even when lured by artificial enticements. The one who is fearless and whose mind is balanced does not pursue liberation. Engaged in seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and eating, this person abides as they please, untouched by the compulsions of worldly striving. When the pure-minded hear the truth, their mind remains undisturbed; they see neither proper nor improper conduct, nor even indifference. Whenever action arises, the wise act straightforwardly, unconcerned whether the deed is auspicious or inauspicious; their conduct is innocent, like that of a child. Through freedom, happiness is attained; through freedom, the highest is gained; through freedom, fulfillment is reached, and through freedom, the supreme state is realized. When one no longer regards oneself as the agent or enjoyer, all mental modifications are exhausted. Even when unrestrained and spontaneous, the state of the wise shines brightly; but the peace of those whose minds are attached is merely artificial. The wise revel in great enjoyments, and sometimes enter mountain caves. Free from imagination, unbound, and with liberated understanding, they move through life. When they encounter a learned one, a deity, a sacred place, a woman, a king, or a beloved, they honor them, but no lingering impression remains in the heart. Mocked and scorned by servants, sons, wives, grandsons, or relatives, the yogi laughs, undisturbed in the least. Though content, he is not content; though afflicted, he does not grieve. Only those like him can know the wondrousness of his state. Obligation alone constitutes worldly existence; but the wise do not perceive it, for they are of empty form, formless, changeless, and free from affliction. Even without acting, the confused mind is restless everywhere due to agitation; but the skillful, acting, remains undisturbed. The one whose mind is at peace sits happily, sleeps happily, comes and goes happily, speaks happily, eats happily—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 often seen in the foolish; but when 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 the one established in himself, that very mind is free from any such vision, whether thoughts are present or absent. The sage who acts without desire in all undertakings, like a child, remains untouched by action even while performing it, for he is pure. Blessed is the knower of the Self, who is equal in all situations—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating—with a mind free from craving. For the steadfast one who is always without distinctions, like the sky, where is the world, where is illusion, where is attainment, and where is practice? Victorious is the renouncer of possessions, whose nature is full and spontaneous, whose absorption is uncontrived and unbroken. What more needs to be said? The great one who knows the truth, desiring neither enjoyment nor liberation, is always indifferent everywhere. Having abandoned the dualistic world, which arises only as names from the great principle downward, what duty remains for one of pure awareness? For the one convinced that all this, up to the mind’s wanderings, is only illusion and nothing truly exists, pure, ungraspable radiance settles by its own nature. For the one whose nature is pure radiance and who does not see objects as real, where is rule, where is renunciation, where is abandonment, or even tranquility? For the one who shines in infinite forms and does not see nature as real, where is bondage, where is liberation, where is joy, and where is sorrow? In the world of mind, limited by intellect, only illusion appears; but the wise, free from possessiveness, ego, and desire, shine. For the sage who sees the Self as imperishable and free from suffering, where is knowledge, where is the universe, where is the body, or the notions ‘I’ and ‘mine’? If a dull-minded person abandons actions like restraint, he immediately indulges in fantasies and idle talk. The dull one, even after hearing the truth, does not give up his delusion; though outwardly undivided, he inwardly craves sense objects. One whose actions have fallen away through knowledge, though appearing to act in the eyes of the world, does not truly engage in action, nor does he have any occasion to speak of action. Where is darkness, where is light, where is rejection, or anything at all, for the unchanging, steadfast one who is always free from fear? Where is courage, where is discernment, or even fearlessness, for the yogi whose nature is inexpressible and without any inherent nature? There is no heaven, nor hell, nor even liberation while living; what more needs to be said? From the perspective of yoga, there is nothing at all. He does not seek gain, nor grieve over lack; the mind of the steadfast one is cool and filled only with nectar. The desireless one does not praise the peaceful, nor blame the wicked; content in pleasure and pain alike, he sees nothing to be done. The steadfast one does not hate the world, nor does he seek to see himself; free from delight and resentment, he is neither dead nor alive. Without attachment to children or spouse, without desire for sense objects, unconcerned even for his own body, the wise one shines, free of hope.