For those who have turned away from the pursuit of sensual pleasures, the attainment of heaven becomes not difficult; the path opens before them with ease. There are forest-dwellers who, devoted to righteousness, practice austerities in sacred places—at the sources of rivers, deep in the forests, and in groves where their fellow seekers gather. Amidst deer, boar, buffalo, tiger, and elephant, they dwell, upholding their vows. These ascetics rest only after gathering firewood, sacred grass, and flowers for their rituals. They endure the hardships of cold, heat, and wind, their bodies marked by discipline—flesh dried, blood, skin, and bone worn thin—yet their spirit remains unwavering. Through sheer resolve, they bear their bodies onward, sustained by the strength of their inner being. Such a person, like fire, burns away faults and overcomes even those worlds that are hardest to reach. With minds unattached, they regard clods of earth, stones, and gold with equal vision, remaining indifferent to the pursuit of pleasure, wealth, or duty. Friend, foe, or stranger—they see all alike. Toward all beings—whether unmoving plants, creatures born from eggs, wombs, or moisture—they cause no harm in word, thought, or deed. Homeless, they wander mountain slopes, riverbanks, the roots of trees, and shrines; sometimes they enter towns or villages. In their hearts there is no anger, pride, greed, delusion, misery, deceit, slander, arrogance, or violence. No creature, anywhere, feels fear from them. The Brahmin, sustaining himself with offerings obtained through alms, proceeds to the world of the ancestors by means of the sacrificial fire. Like a flame that has exhausted its fuel, the tranquil twice-born one attains the realm of Brahma. At this point, a question arises: “I wish to know of this, you ought to tell me. That highest world is said to be meritorious, secure, and desirable. What is it like?” In that world, humans are free from greed and delusion and remain undisturbed. Death comes only at its proper time; diseases do not touch them. No one is slain there, and there is no amazement or attachment regarding possessions. There, the fruits of one’s actions are directly perceived. Some are surrounded by every pleasure, adorned with golden ornaments; others sustain themselves through great effort. Some are happy, some unhappy; some poor, others wealthy. Yet, greed arising from wealth deludes the unwise, just as easily as blades of grass might sway in the wind. Deceitful acts, theft, slander, and envy—whoever engages in these sees their austerity diminished. Here, many kinds of anxieties arise concerning righteous and unrighteous actions. By good deeds, one attains good; by bad, the opposite. Those purified by sacrifices and austerities reach the world of Brahma. Those who perform meritorious deeds are born in that higher realm. Others, whose lifespan is exhausted, perish on the earth; they revolve here alone and do not ascend to the higher worlds. The wise, however, know the path to all realms; the one who truly knows righteousness and unrighteousness in this world is wise indeed. “Tell me, O possessor of austerity, what pertains to the self and how it is,” the seeker asks. “I shall explain to you, dear one, that which brings the highest happiness,” comes the reply. “By knowing this, a person attains joy and happiness in this world. Earth, air, space, water, and fire as the fifth—these are the great elements from which all beings are created, and into which they again dissolve. Just as a tortoise extends and withdraws its limbs, so too do the five great elements serve as the source and end of all beings. Sound, the ear, and the three channels arise from space. Form, the eye, and the threefold digestive fire belong to fire. Smell, the nose, and the body—these three are the qualities of earth. The senses and the mind, O descendant of Bharata, are known as his.” Thus, the wisdom flows from teacher to disciple, illuminating the path to happiness and the nature of the self.