As Indra and Virocana departed from Prajapati’s presence, Prajapati watched them go and reflected, “They leave without truly knowing the self. Whichever of the gods or demons embraces this teaching without understanding, they will be defeated.” Virocana, content and at peace, returned to the demons and shared what he had learned: “Here, the self is to be honored and served. By honoring and serving the self, one attains both worlds—this one and the next.” Thus, even today, it is said of those who give without faith, who do not sacrifice, “He is indeed demonic.” For this was the doctrine Virocana taught: the demons adorn the bodies of their departed with food, clothing, and ornaments, believing that by this they will conquer the next world. Meanwhile, Indra, not satisfied and not having attained the true knowledge of the gods, perceived a danger in this teaching. He pondered, “Just as when this body is adorned, one is adorned; when dressed, one is dressed; when purified, one is purified—so, too, when the body is blind, one is blind; when weary, one is weary; when injured, one is injured. With the destruction of this body, the person perishes. I see no lasting enjoyment here.” With this realization, Indra returned to Prajapati, carrying fuel in his hands as a sign of humility and readiness to learn. Prajapati welcomed him, “Maghavan, you return with a peaceful heart after living as a student with Virocana. What do you seek?” Indra replied, repeating his concern: “Just as when the body is adorned, so is the person; but when the body is destroyed, he perishes. I see no true enjoyment here.” Prajapati responded, “So it is, Maghavan. But I shall explain this further to you. Remain for another thirty-two years.” Indra stayed, serving as a student for thirty-two more years. When the time had passed, Prajapati spoke again. He taught, “He who moves about gloriously in dreams—this is the self; this is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman.” Indra, peaceful, departed once more, but still had not attained the gods. He saw another danger: “Even if the body is blind, he is not blind; if weary, he is not weary; he is not affected by the body’s faults. He is not slain by the death of the body, nor overcome by its weariness; it is only as if he is covered, as if he knows what is unpleasant, as if he weeps. Yet, I see no true enjoyment here.” Again, Indra returned to Prajapati, carrying fuel in hand. Prajapati asked, “Maghavan, what do you seek?” Indra replied, “Even if the body is blind, he is not blind; if weary, he is not weary; he is not affected by the faults of the body. He is not slain by the death of the body, nor overcome by its weariness; only as if he is covered, as if he knows what is unpleasant, as if he weeps. I see no enjoyment here.” Prajapati said, “So it is, Maghavan. But I shall explain this further to you. Remain for another thirty-two years.” Indra stayed another thirty-two years. When those years had passed, Prajapati spoke anew. He taught, “When one is wholly tranquil, not knowing dream—this is the self; this is the immortal, the fearless, this is Brahman.” Indra departed, but still had not attained the gods. He saw yet another danger: “In this state, he does not know himself as ‘I am this’; nor do these beings perish for him. I do not see any enjoyment here.” Indra returned again, carrying fuel, and Prajapati welcomed him: “Maghavan, what do you seek?” Indra replied, “In this state, he does not know himself as ‘I am this’; nor do these beings perish for him. I see no enjoyment here.” Prajapati said, “So it is, Maghavan. But I shall explain this further to you, not elsewhere than this. Remain for another five years.” Indra stayed another five years, bringing his total time as a student with Prajapati to one hundred years. At last, Prajapati spoke to him. “Maghavan, this mortal body is seized by death. It is the seat of the immortal, bodiless self. One who is embodied is subject to pleasure and pain; for one who is embodied, there is no escape from pleasure and pain. But for one who is bodiless, pleasure and pain do not touch him. The wind is bodiless, the cloud, lightning, and thunder are bodiless. Just as these, arising from space, reach the highest light and appear in their own form, so also does this serene one, arising from the body, reach the highest light and appear in his own form. He is the supreme person. There he moves about, eating, playing, rejoicing with women, with chariots, or with relatives, not remembering the body into which he was born. Just as a horse yoked to a chariot is driven, so is this vital breath yoked to the body. When the eye is merged into space, the person connected with the eye is for seeing. He who knows ‘I smell this’—that self is for smelling, and the nose is for smelling. He who knows ‘I speak this’—that self is for speaking, and speech is for speaking. He who knows ‘I hear this’—that self is for hearing, and the ear is for hearing. He who knows ‘I think this’—that self is for thinking, and the mind is his divine eye. By this divine eye, with the mind, he sees those desires and delights in them which are in the world of Brahman. The gods worship this self. Therefore, all worlds and all desires belong to them. He who knows this self, following it, attains all worlds and all desires. Thus Prajapati spoke. From darkness, I take refuge in the variegated; from the variegated, I take refuge in darkness. Shaking off sin as a horse shakes off its hair, as the moon escapes from the mouth of Rahu, having cast off the body, the doer becomes established in his true self and attains the world of Brahman—thus he attains. Space is the expanse of name and form. That which is between them is Brahman, that is the immortal, that is the self of Prajapati. I take refuge in the assembly and house of Prajapati. I become renowned among Brahmins, renowned among kings, renowned among people. I have attained the highest renown among the renowned. Let this renown not depart from me, let this moon not depart from me. This is what Brahma taught to Prajapati, Prajapati to Manu, and Manu to his descendants. Having studied the Veda in the house of a teacher, according to proper procedure, having completed all duties to the teacher, one should settle in a pure place with one’s family, continue self-study, act righteously, establish all the senses in oneself, and not harm any beings except at sacred places. Living thus for the span of one’s life, one attains the world of Brahman and does not return, does not return.