Om. With reverence, let us begin by invoking the blessings of the divine: May we, O gods, hear only what is auspicious with our ears; may our eyes behold only what is good, O venerable ones. May we, endowed with strength and vigor, live out our allotted years in praise and joy, sustained by the grace of the gods. Om, peace, peace, peace. Om—this sacred syllable—is indeed all that exists. Everything that was, everything that is, and everything that will be, is truly Om. Even that which lies beyond the three divisions of time is Om as well. All of this, verily, is Brahman. And this very Self within us is Brahman. This Self, mysterious and profound, has four distinct quarters. The first quarter is the state of waking, where consciousness turns outward. In this state, the Self, called Vaiśvānara, possesses seven limbs and nineteen mouths, and delights in the enjoyment of gross, external objects. The second quarter is the state of dreaming. Here, consciousness turns inward, and the Self, known as Taijasa, still has seven limbs and nineteen mouths, but now enjoys subtle objects within. Next comes the third quarter, the state of deep sleep. In this state, all desires are absent, and dreams are not seen. The sleeper is unified, a mass of pure consciousness, immersed in bliss and the enjoyment of bliss, with the mind serving as the gateway. This is Prājña. This Prājña is the Lord of all, the knower of everything, the inner controller, the very source from which all beings arise and into which they eventually dissolve. Yet, there is a fourth. This is not the state of inward consciousness, nor outward consciousness, nor both. It is not a mass of knowing, nor is it mere consciousness or unconsciousness. It is unseen, ungraspable, beyond name and thought, and impossible to describe. It is the essence found only in the realization of the Self, the cessation of all phenomena, ever-peaceful, auspicious, and nondual. This is known as the fourth, the true Self, the reality to be realized. This very Self is Om, the syllable with its three parts—A, U, and M. The quarters of the Self correspond to these parts. The waking state, Vaiśvānara, is represented by the sound “A,” the first part, for it is the beginning and source. Whoever truly knows this attains all desires and becomes foremost. The dream state, Taijasa, is represented by “U,” the second part, for it stands in between and excels. Whoever realizes this advances in the path of knowledge and becomes equal; in his lineage, none will be ignorant of Brahman. The deep sleep state, Prājña, is signified by “M,” the third part, for it is the measure and the ground of absorption. Whoever understands this becomes the measure of all and absorbs all into himself. The fourth is beyond measure, beyond all dealings, the cessation of phenomena, auspicious, and nondual. Thus, Om is verily the Self. Whoever realizes this truth enters the Self by the Self.