The Lord who stands beyond the highest is truly the supreme God, his greatness surpassing all, existing beyond even what is called supreme. He is the great Lord, Maheśvara, whose part is ever transcendent. For every individual transgression, there is a prescribed expiation, each to be performed in due order. If one is pure, he should undertake the Sāṃtapana penance, accompanied by the discipline of breath control. After completing this, he must return to the ashram and diligently practice the life of a mendicant, never allowing negligence to enter his conduct. Yet, such acts of transgression must not be repeated, for attachment to them is truly dreadful. A mendicant who seeks righteousness must first confess any falsehood and then perform the prescribed acts of atonement. For falsehood is declared to be another form of violence, one that destroys self-knowledge. To take another’s wealth is to take his very life. If, after such acts, remorse arises in the heart, one should undertake the Cāndrāyaṇa vow, or again, return to mendicant practice with renewed diligence. One may also perform the Kṛcchrātikṛcchra or Cāndrāyaṇa penances, or both, to purify oneself. During the day, one should fast for three nights and perform a hundred exercises of breath control. If the transgression involves the direct consumption of salt, the Prājāpatya purification is prescribed. Therefore, knowing Maheśvara, one should devote oneself to his meditation. He is the supreme Brahman, present even in the interval of night—Maheśvara, the one to be known. He alone is imperishable, non-dual, the supreme presence within the sun. In the principle called the union of the self, the great God is thus remembered. Whoever seeks out that very self attains the supreme state. Those who fail to see that God labor in vain, for their efforts yield nothing. Yet that God, the great Lord, is untouched by these faults, for he knows them not. Those who, engaged in the yoga of knowledge, are peaceful and wholly devoted to the great Lord, walk the ancient path. This knowledge was once declared by the Lord, the grandsire, to the sages. The knowledge proclaimed by the self-born, grounded in the dharma of ascetics, is truly auspicious. Those who, with focused mind, always practice it, do so for the welfare of all beings and the removal of faults. When a person incurs fault, expiation is the means of purification. Whatever peaceful and learned Brahmins declare should be practiced. That alone is the highest dharma, even if determined by a single person. What those who desire dharma declare should be known as the true means to dharma. Among men, seven are enumerated as accomplished in Vedic study, and twenty-one are said to prescribe expiation. These are considered great sinners, and whoever lives with them—sharing their vehicle, bed, or seat—becomes fallen. If one knowingly eats with them, one falls immediately; by studying with them, one falls within a year. For the sake of self-purification, one should beg alms, bearing a skull as a banner, condemning oneself and ever remembering that Brahmin. One should always eat food without smoke, gradually, as if eating what has been cooked on embers. Or, with steadfastness, one may subsist on roots and fruits gathered from the forest. Thus, the path is shown: to know the supreme Lord, to seek expiation for faults, to follow the words of the wise, and to live in purity and devotion—this is the way to attain the highest state.