Upon seeing his father, Brahmā—the great Lord and master of all creation—he bowed low in reverence. Accompanied by Gāyatrī, he then attained supreme knowledge. With this wisdom, Viśvakarman, the four-faced creator, brought forth all beings, both those that move and those that do not. This nectar of knowledge, which Brahmā had received from the Supreme Lord Himself, was likewise bestowed upon me by the power of my austerities, granted directly from Brahmā’s own mouth. You ask, “What is that knowledge which you have obtained—true and truly auspicious—by which, realizing the highest goal, one attains happiness?” It is the knowledge of the soul, of its bonds, and of the Lord—knowledge I received in ancient times. Upon this supreme foundation, anyone seeking happiness should firmly stand. For suffering, born of ignorance, can be dispelled only by knowledge. Knowledge is discernment of reality, and reality itself is said to be of two kinds. There are three principles: the sentient, the insentient, and the controller of both. These are known, in order, as the soul, the bond, and the Lord. The wise describe them as the imperishable, the perishable, and that which is beyond both. The imperishable is the soul; the perishable is the bond; and beyond both stands the Lord. You ask, “What is this imperishable that is spoken of, and what is called the perishable? And what is the highest beyond these two?” Prakṛti, or primordial nature, is the perishable; the soul is the imperishable. Beyond them is another—the Supreme Lord—who impels both. Then you inquire further: “What is this prakṛti? Who is the soul? How are they related, and who is this impelling Lord?” Māyā is designated as prakṛti; the soul is enveloped by māyā, and their connection arises from primordial action. Śiva is the impelling Lord. You wonder, “What is this māyā? What is its nature, and how does it envelop? What is its root and origin? And what is Śivatva, the nature of Śiva?” Māyā is the power of Maheśvara, the Great Lord. One enveloped by māyā remains a being of consciousness, yet mala—innate impurity—veils that consciousness. Innate purity is called Śivatva, the true nature of Śiva. “How,” you ask, “does māyā cover the all-pervading one, and for what purpose? How does this covering occur, and by what means is it removed?” Even though the soul is all-pervading, concealment occurs. For the all-pervading one, karma alone—arising from kalā and the rest—serves as the cause for experience, and this ceases only when impurity is destroyed. You seek to know, “What are kalā and the rest? What is karma, its beginning and end, its fruit and support?” Kalā, knowledge, attachment, time, and order—these are the kalā and the rest. The experiencer is called the person. Karma, consisting of merit and demerit, gives rise to pleasure and pain. It is said to have no beginning, ends only when impurity is exhausted, and is rooted in ignorance. Experience exists for the destruction of karma. The unmanifest is called the field of experience. The body, with its external and internal organs, is the means by which experience is gained. Impurity is destroyed by the special grace that arises through the excellence of inner states. When the impurity of the self is destroyed, that person becomes equal to Śiva. You ask, “What is the karma of the five principles beginning with kalā, and how is it distinguished? Who is called the experiencer, and who is the person by whom the self is designated? What is the nature of the unmanifest, and in what form is it experienced? What is its refuge, and what is called the body?” Knowledge reveals direction and action. Time initiates attachment and also delimits; order regulates. The unmanifest is the cause, possessing the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—and is the source and dissolution of all. It is called the primary substance and nature by those who contemplate these principles. From kalā arises that which is manifest, characterized by the unmanifest, and consisting of pleasure, pain, and delusion; it is experienced in threefold ways by those endowed with qualities. Sattva, rajas, and tamas are the three qualities that arise from nature, existing within it in subtle form, like oil within sesame seeds. Happiness and its cause are generally sāttvika; their opposite is rājasa, while inertia and delusion are tāmasa. Upward movement is sāttvika, downward is tāmasa, and movement in between is rājasika. The five subtle elements, the five gross elements, the five organs of knowledge, and the five organs of action are all enumerated. The four—primary substance, intellect, ego, and mind—comprise, in summary, the unmanifest and its modifications. When in the state of cause, it is called unmanifest; when in the state of effect, it is manifest, like a pot or a body. Just as a pot is not entirely different from the clay from which it is made, so too the body and other manifest things are not entirely distinct from the unmanifest. Therefore, the unmanifest alone is the single cause; instruments and the body are its support, and what is to be experienced by it—nothing else. What real existence could there be, separate from intellect, senses, and body, for that which is called ‘self’? Yet, indeed, there is certainly some distinction of the self from intellect, senses, and body—for the all-pervading one; but the reason for this is exceedingly subtle and difficult to grasp. The wise do not accept the identity of self with intellect, senses, or body, because memory, knowledge, and other faculties are uncertain and last only as long as bodily awareness endures. Therefore, that which is the inner witness of all remembered and experienced things, and the field of all knowables, is called the ‘Inner Controller’ in the Vedas and Vedānta.