At the conclusion of the Vaiśvadeva rite, Nidāgha came into view, and Ṛbhu stood waiting for him. Nidāgha, seeing the sage, welcomed him warmly, offering water for his feet and leading him into his own home with great respect. Once inside, Nidāgha washed Ṛbhu’s feet and hands, seated him comfortably, and, as befits the best of the twice-born, addressed him with reverence: “Please, partake of food.” But Ṛbhu replied, “O excellent Brāhmaṇa, tell me what food is to be eaten in your house, for I do not always take pleasure in every kind of food.” Nidāgha answered, “Within my home there is cooked rice, barley, cakes, and other foods. O best of Brāhmaṇas, you may eat whatever pleases you, as you wish.” Yet Ṛbhu said, “All these are foods made from rice. Give me some finer fare—semolina, milk-rice, and the like, as well as curdled milk with sugar.” Nidāgha then called to his wife: “O wife, whatever excellent ingredients for food are in the house, prepare a meal with those for this honored guest.” Thus instructed, the lady prepared a splendid meal for Ṛbhu, honoring her husband’s words. When the great sage had eaten the fine food to his satisfaction, Nidāgha stood before him, humble and attentive, and asked, “Has the highest satisfaction arisen for you? Are you truly content? Has your mind been pleased by the meal, O Brāhmaṇa? Where is your residence, and where do you intend to go? Please tell me from where you have come.” Ṛbhu replied, “O Brāhmaṇa, satisfaction from eating food comes to one who is hungry. But I did not feel hunger, so I did not experience satisfaction. Why do you ask me this? Hunger arises when the element of earth is consumed by fire; and when the waters in the body are depleted, thirst arises in people. Hunger and thirst are bodily conditions, O twice-born, but they do not pertain to me. Since hunger does not arise for me, I am always satisfied. “The contentment of the mind and the satisfaction of desires are qualities of the mind; ask about these, for a person is not bound by anything else. As for your questions—‘Where is your dwelling? Where will you go? From where have you come?’—listen to my answer. The person is all-pervading and spreads everywhere like space; so how can questions such as ‘from where, to where, where will you go?’ have any true meaning? “I am neither a goer nor one who comes, nor am I confined to any one place. You are not another, nor are you yourself; nor am I another, nor am I myself. You have asked about ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’; now hear my response. When one eats food, is it tasteless or delicious? What is delicious becomes tasteless when it is no longer desired. What is tasteless becomes delicious, and from the delicious, people turn away. At the beginning, middle, and end, what is it that makes food appealing? “Just as a house made of clay, when coated with clay, becomes firm, so too this body is made of earthly atoms. Barley, wheat, pulses, clarified butter, oil, milk, curd, jaggery, fruits, and the like—all these are composed of the same earthly atoms. Knowing this, consider the distinction between what is delicious and what is not; let the mind remain balanced, for equanimity is the means to liberation.” Hearing these words, which conveyed the highest truth, Nidāgha bowed to the great sage and spoke: “Be gracious, and tell me for my benefit why you have come. My delusion has vanished upon hearing your words, O Brāhmaṇa.” Ṛbhu then revealed himself: “I am Ṛbhu, your teacher, come here to bestow knowledge upon you, O Brāhmaṇa. Now I will depart, for the highest truth has been declared to you. Know this: all this world is one, not divided; it is the true nature of the Supreme Self, known as Vāsudeva.” Having spoken thus, Nidāgha bowed deeply and worshipped Ṛbhu with great devotion, and Ṛbhu departed as he wished. A thousand years passed. Ṛbhu returned once more to that city, intent on imparting knowledge to Nidāgha. Outside the city, the sage saw Nidāgha, who was surrounded by a great retinue as he entered the city of the king. Ṛbhu noticed Nidāgha standing at a distance, avoiding the crowd, his throat parched, coming from the forest carrying sacrificial grass and sticks. Seeing Nidāgha, Ṛbhu approached him and greeted him: “Why are you standing here alone, O twice-born?” Nidāgha replied, “O Brāhmaṇa, there is a great crowd here, O lord of men. Wishing to avoid it, I am standing here outside the beautiful city.” Ṛbhu then asked, “Who here is the king, and who are the other people? Tell me, best of twice-born, for I consider you knowledgeable.” Nidāgha answered, “He who is mounted on the great elephant, whose head rises like a mountain peak, is the king; the rest are others.” Ṛbhu said, “These two, the king and the elephant, are both equally visible to me; but you, without distinction, do not mark them as separate. Therefore, O illustrious one, tell me the distinction between these two; I wish to know who here is the elephant and who is the king.” Nidāgha replied, “O Brāhmaṇa, the one below is the elephant; the one above is the king.” Ṛbhu responded, “I know this, O Brāhmaṇa, just as you do; but why do you speak in such a way, and what else is being indicated?” Thus addressed, Nidāgha quickly mounted up and said to Ṛbhu, “Listen, I will explain what you have asked me.