The wise Brahmin, addressing the king, spoke with deep feeling: “O king, tell me, which great burden among all these have I not borne? By your actions, the weight of all this has only increased for me.” Hearing these words, the king quickly descended to the earth and, with humility, grasped the Brahmin’s feet. He asked earnestly, “Tell me, who are you, standing here in the guise of a servant? Reveal everything to me, O wise one, for I am eager to hear your words.” The Brahmin replied, “The reason for coming and acting everywhere is for the sake of utility. A being desires to obtain a body and other attributes to experience the results of virtue and vice. Since virtue and vice arise from this, the cause is questioned: from where do they come? The transmigration from one body to another happens for the purpose of enjoyment. It cannot be fully spoken or heard, yet the desire to know persists.” He continued, “The phrase ‘I am’ does not bring fault when applied to oneself, O twice-born. But knowledge of the self in what is not the self, or using words as defined by scripture, is not proper. By this, I am the cause of all speech production. Still, to say ‘I am speech’ or ‘I am the speaker’ is not appropriate. So, where should I, the king, assign this designation ‘I am’? This body is not ‘I’, nor are others; even so, people desire to speak thus. Then, who are you and who am I? Such speech is fruitless.” He added, “This world of yours, O king, is not real, so it is said. Where is the designation ‘tree’ for it, or the designation ‘wood’, O king? And in the wood, no one calls you the one who has entered the palanquin. Let the palanquin that gives joy be sought by you, O best of kings. Where was the umbrella born? This reasoning applies to you and to me alike. These worldly designations are to be understood in bodies, which are causes of action. The differences in bodily forms, O king, are the sources of actions. Likewise, another, O king, is thus; that is not true, it is made of imagination. That object, O king, which arises from transformation and so on—what is that?” The Brahmin pressed further, “Who are you—the husband of the wife, the father of the son? I ask you, O king. Is it your foot and so on? This is not so—what is yours, O king? O King, become skilled in pondering deeply: ‘Who am I?’ How, O ruler, can one accomplish what must be done by one who acts separately?” Moved by these words, the king humbly bowed and spoke to the Brahmin: “Upon hearing this, my thoughts seem to wander as if lost. O Brahmin, you have revealed that supreme principle of nature. It is by some other body than mine that this palanquin is borne. You have said that these qualities act, but whose are they—mine? My mind becomes agitated, having reached the pursuit of ultimate truth. I am ready to ask, but in this matter there is still some doubt about the highest good. Therefore, my mind runs toward you for the sake of the highest truth.” The king then declared, “A portion of Viṣṇu has come for the purpose of enchanting the world. Having attained direct perception, this is what you declare.