In the ancient teachings, it is said that if someone were to ask, “In this city of Brahman, within this small lotus-like dwelling, and inside that tiny space—what is there that should be sought, what indeed should be known?”—one should answer with reverence and clarity. That space within the heart, though it appears small, is as vast as the infinite expanse outside. Within it reside the heavens and the earth, fire and air, the sun and the moon, lightning and all the stars; everything that exists here, and even that which does not—all is contained within this mysterious space of the heart. Should another question arise: “If all this—every being and every desire—is contained within the city of Brahman, what happens when old age or destruction comes to it? What remains then?” The response is profound: “That which is within does not age with the body, nor is it slain by death. This is the true city of Brahman, where all desires dwell. This self is untouched by evil, ageless, deathless, free from sorrow, hunger, and thirst. Its desires and intentions are ever true. Just as people here attain the fruits of their actions, so too, in that realm, according to their deepest longing, they reach whatever end, land, or field they desire.” Just as the worlds achieved through action or merit eventually fade, so too those worlds are impermanent. But for those who depart this world having truly known the self and the truth of desire, there is freedom to move as they wish in all worlds. For those who leave without this knowledge, such freedom is not found. If one desires the world of ancestors, by mere intention, the ancestors appear and he is fulfilled. If he desires the world of mothers, or brothers, or sisters, or friends, by his wish alone these arise and he is exalted. Should he long for the world of perfumes and garlands, or of food and drink, or of song and music, or of women—by his very intention these worlds arise for him, and he is fulfilled. Whatever end or wish he longs for, that is what he attains, and so he is exalted. Yet, these true desires are often veiled by the untrue; the false covers the real. One who departs without knowing these desires does not attain them, for here the true is hidden. It is like people who, unaware of a buried treasure, walk over it again and again and never find it. So too, beings go daily to the world of Brahman but do not see it, turned away by the covering of untruth. Know that this is the self within the heart, which is truly called “heart” because it dwells there. Whoever knows this, day by day, attains the heavenly world. This serene self, rising from the body, reaches the highest light and appears in its own form—this is the self, the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman. Its name is “Truth.” The word “satyam”—truth—is made of three syllables: “sat” (the immortal), “ti” (the mortal), and “yam” (that which unites both). Through this union, those who know reach the heavenly world each day. This self is the bridge, the support of all worlds, preventing their merging. Nothing—neither day nor night, nor old age, nor death, nor sorrow, nor good or evil deeds—can cross this bridge; all evils turn back from it. This is the world of Brahman, pure and free from evil. Once this bridge is crossed, even blindness, injury, or affliction do not touch one; only light remains, for the world of Brahman is ever manifest. Those who seek this world of Brahman through brahmacharya—chastity and self-restraint—truly reach it. For such seekers, in all worlds, there is freedom to move as they wish. If people say, “It is sacrifice,” or “It is offering,” or “It is sattrāyaṇa,” or “It is silence,” or “It is anāśakāyana,” or “It is miti,”—all these are, in truth, forms of celibacy. By celibacy alone, one attains the self and protection for the self, contemplates the self, and reaches immortality. In the world of Brahman, there are two lakes, Ara and Nya, and a third beyond heaven, Airam, along with the Asvattha tree, the Soma pressing ground, and the golden boundary. Those who reach these through celibacy alone truly dwell in the world of Brahman, free to move according to their desire. The channels of the heart rest in the subtle body, colored reddish, white, blue, yellow, and red, reflecting the sun’s hues. Just as a great road connects two villages, so do the sun’s rays link this world and the next. From the sun, these rays pour into the heart’s channels, and from the channels, they pour back into the sun. When one is completely serene, dreams vanish and the self merges into those channels, untouched by evil, radiant with light. At life’s end, when one is weak and loved ones gather and ask, “Do you know me?”—he knows until he departs the body. Upon departing, he ascends by these rays, carried by the sacred sound “Om.” As swift as thought, he reaches the sun, which is the gateway to the worlds: open for the wise, closed for the unwise. It is said: “A hundred and one are the channels of the heart; one rises to the crown. Ascending through it, one attains immortality; the rest serve for departure.” Thus, the self—free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, without hunger or thirst, whose desires and intentions are true—is the one to be sought and understood. Whoever realizes this self attains all worlds and all desires, as Prajāpati declared. Both the gods and the demons heard this teaching and resolved to seek that self, by knowing which all worlds and desires are attained. Indra, chief of the gods, and Virocana, chief of the demons, approached Prajāpati as humble students, each carrying fuel for the sacred fire. They practiced celibacy for thirty-two years. Then Prajāpati asked them what they sought. They replied, “That self which is free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, without hunger or thirst, whose desires and intentions are true—we seek this, as you have spoken.” Prajāpati told them, “That person seen in the eye, that is the self. This is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman.” They asked, “Is that which we see in water or in a mirror the same?” He replied, “It is the same in all; it is discerned everywhere.” They looked at themselves in a vessel of water and said, “If we do not know the self, tell us.” Prajāpati asked what they saw. They replied, “We see our full selves, from hair to nails, as a reflection.” Prajāpati instructed them to adorn themselves, dress finely, and decorate themselves, then look again. They did so, and saw their reflections adorned as they were. Prajāpati said, “This is the self. This is immortal, fearless, this is Brahman.” Content with this answer, they departed in peace.