Parched with hunger, his throat dry, Nidāgha emerged from the forest, carrying sacred sticks and kuśa grass, the emblems of his devotion. Approaching the solitary figure before him, he asked respectfully, “O twice-born, why are you sitting here alone?” The other replied, “I wish to speak in the beautiful city; that is why I remain here.” Curious and honoring the wisdom he perceived, Nidāgha pressed further, “Tell me, best of Brāhmaṇas, for I consider you knowledgeable. This king is mounted, and those others are all around him. Yet you, by the Veda, identify both the king and the elephant without distinction, separately. I wish to know: who here is the elephant, and who is the lord of men? Surely, O Brāhmaṇa, everyone knows the connection between the rider and the ridden. What is said to be below as the division of beings, and what above?” The venerable one replied, “Listen, I will tell you what you have asked. For your understanding, I have shown you an illustration, O Brāhmaṇa. So now, you declare: which one are you, and which one am I?” Suddenly, realization dawned on Nidāgha. He bowed and said, “O venerable one, you are not merely a teacher to me—you are Ṛbhu himself. Just as to the teacher, so I consider you, O Guru, who has come to me.” Indeed, out of deep affection for his disciple, Ṛbhu had come to Nidāgha, to impart the highest wisdom. He spoke of that which is the very essence of reality—the complete non-duality. Through this instruction, Nidāgha too became devoted to the truth of non-duality. Thus, the excellent Brāhmaṇa revealed the knowledge of liberation, the realization of Brahman within the body. “O King,” it is said, “know the Self to be all-pervading knowledge. Though the Self is one, due to deluded vision it appears as many, distinct and separate. That Self am I, that Self are you, and that Self is all this; the illusion of difference arises from ignorance.” And Nidāgha, endowed with remembrance of past births, attained liberation in that very life. This pure knowledge of Brahman, thus imparted, grants liberation not only to Brāhmaṇas, but also to Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and even to those who merely listen. “This is the pure knowledge of Brahman,” he concluded. “What else should I say?” Yet, as if unsatisfied, he turned to his brother Sanandana and spoke, “Still, the Self is not pleased, though hearing the stories of Hari again and again.” Having attained great perfection, he remained indifferent both within and without. “How did the son of Vyāsa, though a child, come to possess such knowledge?” he wondered aloud. “O greatly fortunate one, you know the meaning of the scriptures—please recount it to me. O sage, by hearing which, a man becomes a knower of the truth of Brahman—tell me that. The sages practiced righteousness; he who has studied is great among us. Tell me that act, for I am eager to hear. By knowing which, a man becomes skilled in all the Vedas and their branches. The wise know the science of meter and the six limbs of debate. These four Vedas alone are declared for the determination of dharma. He who has studied them prevails; not otherwise, even with crores of texts. You are greatly learned among us in these branches, O bestower of honor.” Sanandana replied, “I will tell you in brief the essence of these, with certainty. Hear from me what the knowers of the Vedas have said about the Vedas. At the end of the ritual, the science of tones must especially be applied.” Thus, through dialogue and realization, the subtle truths of non-duality and the path to liberation were revealed, rooted in the wisdom of the Vedas and the guidance of enlightened teachers.