Listen now to a profound teaching on the nature of the Supreme and the workings of the vital forces and senses, as revealed in the scriptures. The Supreme Self, unlike embodied beings, is untouched by the limitations and conditions that arise from association with the body. Just as light, by its very nature, remains pure and unaffected even as it illuminates all things, so too the Supreme is ever free from the taints of action, permission, or prohibition. The wise remember and uphold this truth. All notions of permission and prohibition, of duty and restraint, arise only due to the connection with the body—just as light appears to take the form of the objects it shines upon, yet remains ever itself. Where there is no continuous connection, there can be no intermingling; what seems to be a mingling is but an appearance, not a reality. This is so because the results of unseen deeds (adrishta) are not bound by any fixed rule. The same understanding applies in cases involving intention and similar matters. If one objects, saying, “But there is a difference of location,” the reply is that this is not so, for all is included within the Self. The vital forces too are to be understood in this way. The primary sense of their action cannot be taken literally, for the scriptures have already declared otherwise. Indeed, speech itself is preceded by the vital force, and the path of the vital forces is described as sevenfold. However, the hands and other limbs, as long as the body remains, do not function in this way. The vital forces are subtle and minute, yet they are superior, not produced by mere air, for the scriptures teach them separately. They are to be understood like the eye and other senses, for the scriptures speak of their coexistence and mutual support. Since the vital forces are not organs in the ordinary sense, there is no fault in this teaching; the scriptures confirm this. The vital force is said to have five functions, similar to the mind, and it is exceedingly subtle. Its support is in light and similar elements, as stated in the texts, just as with prāṇa. The vital force is eternal. The senses are so named because the scriptures designate them as such, except for the highest, the Supreme. There is a scriptural statement of difference and of distinctness among these faculties. The assignment of names and forms is the work of the one who makes the threefold division, as the scriptures teach. Flesh and similar substances are earthly, as the texts declare, and so it is with the other elements. Because of these distinctions, this view is correct. Now, when there is understanding of the inner Self, the seeker advances, embraced by the Supreme, through questioning and determination. This is so because the Self is of a threefold nature and is predominant. It is also connected with the movement of the vital breath. If someone argues from scriptural references to fire and the like that these are literal, it is not so; such references are figurative. If it is objected that these things are not heard at first, this is not so, for they are reasonable and consistent with the teaching. Even if it is again argued that they are not heard, the reply is that their meaning is understood in the case of those who perform sacrifices and similar acts. Or, one may take these references figuratively, for they pertain to the non-self, as the scriptures show. When the allotted span of life is complete, one who has residual karma, as seen in scripture and tradition, proceeds according to those actions. If an objection is raised regarding the mention of the feet in this context, it is not so, for the reference is meant only as an indication, as Kārṣṇājini has said. If it is suggested that such teachings are purposeless, it is not so, for they are indeed necessary. This is so only with regard to good and evil deeds, declares Bādari. Moreover, it is also heard in scripture concerning those who perform undesirable acts and the like. Finally, in the judgment of the soul’s journey, ascent and descent are experienced by others, as seen in those who have departed from this world and gone to the next. Thus, the scriptures reveal the subtle truths of the Self, the senses, the vital forces, and the journey beyond.