The king, filled with reverence, spoke to the sage before him: “O revered one, your words are saturated with the highest truth. As I listen, I find my mind wandering, unsettled by the depth of what you have revealed.” He continued, “This discernment and knowledge you have imparted about all beings, O sage, is truly the supreme principle of nature. I realize now: I do not carry the palanquin, nor does the palanquin rest upon me. The body that bears it is distinct from who I truly am.” He reflected further: “The activity of all beings arises from the impulse of action, through the operation of qualities. Indeed, these qualities act; what have they to do with me, as you have taught? When this knowledge of ultimate truth entered my ears, my mind became restless, longing for the highest reality.” “Earlier, O fortunate one,” the king said, “I had set out to question the great sage Kapila. Tell me, O sage, what is the highest good here? Your words have again sent my mind running toward the ultimate truth, just as before. I know that the sage Kapila, O twice-born, is a portion of Lord Viṣṇu—the cause of the world’s delusion—who has descended to earth. Surely, that very Lord has appeared here for our welfare, as is spoken of. Therefore, I bow before you; grant me the highest good, O sage. You are an ocean whose waves are all knowledge.” The brāhmaṇa replied: “O king, do you seek the highest good, or do you seek ultimate truth? All goods that are not the ultimate truth also exist, O king. By worshipping the gods, one desires wealth, prosperity, sons, and a kingdom—that is his good. Action whose essence is sacrifice is good; its fruits are characterized by attainment. The chief good lies in the fruit, even if it is not intended. Yet, the self should always be meditated upon by those united with yoga, and likewise the supreme. Union with Him is the highest good—the good of the Supreme Self.” “Although many things here seem superior, in truth, none are the ultimate reality. Now listen to me about that. If wealth is given up for the sake of righteousness, that is not the highest reality; and if it is spent, it is only for the attainment of desire. If a son were considered the highest reality, O lord of men, then he would belong to another; for the father is the highest reality for the son, and vice versa. Thus, in this world of moving and unmoving beings, there is no ultimate reality, for what is called the highest reality is always the effect of causes.” “If attainment of kingdom and such things is said to be the highest reality here, then these become the highest reality—and yet, at the same time, they do not. You consider the sacrificial act, accomplished through the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, to be the highest reality; hear from me what is truly the case even there. Whatever work is accomplished with clay as its material cause is known as an earthen object because it arises from its cause. In the same way, the rite performed with perishable substances—such as sacrificial sticks, ghee, and kusa grass—will itself be perishable. The wise accept that the imperishable alone is the highest reality; but that which is perishable, being produced from perishable substances, is certainly not so.” “You consider that action which bears fruit as the highest reality, because it is a means to liberation; but the highest reality is not a means. Meditation upon the self is called the pursuit of the highest reality; but for those who create distinctions, the highest reality is not divided. The union of the supreme self and the individual self is considered the highest reality; but anything else, being a different substance, is false, for it does not attain the nature of that substance.” “Therefore, O king, all these things are indeed excellent, without doubt; but now, in brief, listen to me about the highest reality. The one self is all-pervading, equal, pure, without qualities, beyond nature, free from birth and growth, all-pervading, and undecaying. He is composed of supreme knowledge, called by the wise by various names and categories; he is neither possessed of yoga nor joined to anything, nor will he ever be. Although present in one’s own and others’ bodies, that consciousness which is one in essence is the highest reality; for those who perceive duality, it is not so.” “Just as the differences in the notes of a flute arise from the holes, yet the air pervades without distinction, so it is with the supreme self. The apparent differences in the one true nature arise from coverings of action and birth; when distinctions such as gods and others are removed, he remains, without any covering.” At this point, Parāśara spoke: “When these words were spoken, the sage, reflecting again, addressed the king, who was deep in thought, and began to relate the story that had been previously mentioned. Listen, O best of kings, to what was done long ago by the illustrious Ṛbhu of the Yadu lineage, who awakened the great-souled Nidāgha.” “There was a son of Brahmā, the supreme lord, named Ṛbhu, who was naturally endowed with knowledge of the true reality. In former times, Nidāgha, the son of Pulastya, became his disciple; and Ṛbhu, with supreme joy, imparted to him all knowledge, holding nothing back. But, having attained knowledge, Nidāgha did not realize its essence. So Ṛbhu began to reflect upon Nidāgha.” “On the bank of the Devikā river stood a city named Vīranagara, prosperous and exceedingly delightful, established by Pulastya. In that city, at the edge of a beautiful grove, Nidāgha, the knower of yoga and disciple of Ṛbhu, once resided. When a thousand divine years had passed in that city, Ṛbhu came to see his disciple Nidāgha.