Listen, O wise ones, to the teaching that unfolds like a river of truth, illuminating the nature of desire and suffering, and the path to liberation. Desire, it is said, is never satisfied by the enjoyment of objects. Just as clarified butter poured upon a fire only causes the flames to rise higher, so too does indulgence in pleasures feed the hunger of longing, making it grow ever more. Reflect well, and you will see that true satisfaction is never found in union with objects, nor in their acquisition, preservation, or expenditure. The mind, ever restless, finds no lasting peace in these pursuits. Upon deeper reflection, suffering is present in every realm: in the worlds of demons, rakshasas, yakshas, gandharvas, and even the lunar sphere, O best of twice-born. Likewise, in the domains of Prajapati, Brahma, the natural world, and among humans, suffering arises from decay, excess, and other sources. All fortunes, being impure, are to be abandoned, as is wealth; therefore, both the eightfold enjoyment and the sixteenfold state should be given up. O virtuous ones, suffering manifests in twenty-four forms, and again, O sinless ones, in thirty-two and forty varieties as well. In the same way, there are forty-eight, fifty-six, and sixty-four kinds of suffering discerned by those who see clearly. Consider the types—earthly, aqueous, fiery, airy, ethereal, and mental—in their respective order. Likewise, there are egoic, intellectual, and natural forms. Indeed, for yogis and knowers of Brahman, there is no doubt: all these are suffering. Even for the leaders of divine hosts, suffering is present, though it may be secondary; at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end, in all worlds, suffering persists always. Present sufferings, and those yet to come, arise in places corrupted by faults, and there are many kinds of suffering. Those who are ignorant, yet think themselves wise, do not reflect on past sufferings; food is not called happiness, but is merely for the removal of hunger and disease. Just as medicine for other ailments is not taken for pleasure, so too, cold, heat, wind, rain, and the like, at their respective times, affect embodied beings. There is no doubt that all this is suffering; the unlearned do not perceive it—even in heaven, O best of sages, impurity and decay bring pain. Afflicted by various diseases, by passion, hatred, fear, and other disturbances, beings are like a tree whose roots have been cut, destined to fall to the ground. In the same way, when the tree of merit is exhausted, the dwellers of heaven fall to earth—those whose foundation is desire for suffering, whose wealth is the enjoyment of suffering. For those who fall from here, suffering is harsh, even for the gods from heaven; in hell, suffering is certain, due to the experience of hellish states. O best of sages, suffering arises for those of the castes from failure to perform prescribed duties. Just as a deer, terrified by the fear of death and deprived of its home, cannot sleep, so too, a great ascetic devoted to meditation, fearful of worldly existence, finds no rest. Among insects, birds, wild animals, cattle, elephants, and horses, suffering is clearly seen; therefore, the highest happiness is for one who renounces. In the same way, suffering exists even for celestial beings, for those who preside over aeons, for those attached to their stations, and for the Manus and others, O virtuous ones. Among gods and demons, due to mutual rivalry, there is only suffering; so too among kings, among the rākṣasas, and in all three worlds. The four stages of life exist for the sake of effort, truly, for the castes; but neither by the stages, nor by the gods, nor by sacrifices, nor by Sāṅkhya, nor by vows, nor by severe austerities of various kinds, nor by various gifts, do they attain the Self in this way; only the wise attain it by themselves. Therefore, with all effort, one should observe the vow of Pāśupata; the wise should always sleep on ashes, steadfast in the Pāśupata vow. Endowed with knowledge of the five principles, absorbed in the essence of Śiva, the wise one attains liberation, cutting through the bonds of ritual action by the method of yoga. Possessed of union with the five principles, the wise one reaches the end of suffering; that which is to be known by the supreme knowledge is not known by the lower knowledge. There are indeed two knowledges to be known: the higher and the lower. Among these, O best of twice-born, the lower is the Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvaveda, the Veda accomplishing all purposes, instruction, ritual, grammar, etymology, and also metre, and astrology—this is the lower knowledge. The higher is established as imperishable: that which cannot be seen, cannot be grasped, has no lineage, and is without characteristics. It is without eyes, without ears, without hands or feet; it is unborn and unmanifest, O best of twice-born, and it is soundless. It is without touch, without form, devoid of taste and smell; it is imperishable, without foundation, eternal, all-pervading, and sovereign. It is great, vast, unborn, and composed of consciousness, O twice-born; without breath, without mind, without moisture or redness. It is immeasurable, not gross, not long, not excessive, not short, without limit, blissful, and unchanging. It is unobstructed, non-dual, infinite, beyond perception, uncovered, of single essence, the supreme knowledge, and nothing else. Though spoken of as higher and lower, in truth there is no such distinction here; I alone am all this universe, and all the world is indeed in me. From me it arises, in me it abides, and into me it dissolves; nothing else is seen apart from me, by mind, speech, or action. Let one perceive everything in the Self, both the real and the unreal, with a concentrated mind; perceiving all in the Self, one does not direct the mind outward. With the gaze fixed downward, measuring twelve finger-breadths above the navel, one should know the heart as the great abode of the universe. In the middle of this heart is a lotus situated, arising from the root of virtue, with a splendid stalk of knowledge. Thus, O seekers, is the teaching on the nature of suffering, the futility of desire, the distinction between lower and higher knowledge, and the path to union with the supreme Self.