The king, with great humility, bowed before the wise Brahmin and spoke earnestly. “O revered one, upon hearing your profound words, my thoughts seem to wander, as if lost in a vast expanse. You have revealed to me that supreme principle of nature, and now I wonder: it is not by my own body that this palanquin is borne. You have said that these qualities act, but I am left questioning—are they truly mine? My mind grows agitated as I pursue the ultimate truth, and though I am eager to ask further, a lingering doubt remains about the highest good. Therefore, my mind turns to you, seeking the highest truth. “A portion of Viṣṇu, you say, has come into this world to enchant it. Having attained direct perception, you declare such truths. O sage, you who are filled with the waves of all knowledge, please speak further.” The Brahmin replied, “O King, all the highest goods and ultimate truths are attained by a person according to their desires. One may wish for sons and a kingdom; for such a person, that is considered the highest good. Sacrifice, ritual, and similar acts that yield the fruit of heaven are also regarded as the highest good. Yet, the self is always to be meditated upon, O King, by those united with yoga and even by others. In this way, there are hundreds and thousands of various highest goods. “But if wealth is considered the highest purpose, then dharma itself is abandoned. And if the so-called highest purpose is believed to exist only in the next world, O lord of men, it belongs to another, not to oneself. Thus, there is no ultimate purpose in this world among all beings, moving and unmoving. “If the attainment of a kingdom and similar achievements is declared here as the highest purpose, then you may consider the sacrificial acts performed through the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāman Vedas. Yet, whatever is accomplished as an act—using clay as the material cause, or perishable substances like fuel, ghee, and kuśa grass—these are all impermanent. “The wise, however, accept the imperishable as the highest purpose. That alone is the action yielding no fruit, and I consider it the highest aim. Meditation upon the self, O King, is what is truly called the highest purpose. The union of the highest and the self is regarded as the ultimate goal. Therefore, O King, these alone are the best of all, without exception—there is no doubt. “He is one, all-pervading, equal, pure, without qualities, and beyond nature. He is known through true knowledge by the good, transcending all names, classes, and distinctions. In his own and in others’ bodies, though he exists, he is truly one essence. Differences, such as those called by names like flute and foot, arise only from distinctions. Oneness and difference of form come about through external actions. “Now, O King, listen to what was once sung by the sage Ṛbhu. There was a son named Ṛbhu, born to Brahmā, the supreme creator. In ancient times, Nidāgha, the son of Pulastya, became his disciple. Having attained knowledge of the truth, Nidāgha had no inclination toward non-duality. O hero, on the bank of the Devikā river, there was a city named Nāgara. That city, O best of the Bharatas, was surrounded by delightful gardens. And when a thousand divine years had passed, that city of his—” Thus, the wise Brahmin continued, guiding the king ever closer to the heart of the highest truth.