After speaking to Bharadvāja, the great creator, Brahmā, arrived at my hermitage together with the sage. I hastened to honor the divine guest with water for his feet and other offerings. That great soul, ever devoted to the welfare of all beings, addressed me with kindness. He said, “O noble sage, as you narrate the nature of Rāma, do not abandon your effort until this blameless task is complete. By knowing this, the world will swiftly cross over the peril of saṃsāra, just as one crosses the ocean quickly by means of a boat. It is for the sake of imparting this very matter that I have come. Compose this scripture for the welfare of the world,” declared the Unborn One. Then, from my blessed hermitage, Brahmā vanished in an instant—rising up like a wave from the water. Filled with wonder at his departure, I turned with a clear mind to Bharadvāja and questioned him again. “Bharadvāja, tell me quickly what Brahmā spoke,” I asked. Bharadvāja replied, “This is what the Lord said: ‘Compose the Rāmāyaṇa so that it becomes a swift boat across the ocean of worldly existence, for the welfare of all beings.’” I then asked, “O venerable one, tell me also: how did Rāma, though engaged in worldly affairs, and the high-minded Bharata, act in this difficult world? And how did Śatrughna, Lakṣmaṇa, the illustrious Sītā, and those great-minded sons of ministers who followed Rāma—how did they attain freedom from suffering? Tell me this clearly, so that I too may cross over, along with the people.” When Bharadvāja respectfully said, “So be it,” I set about carrying out the command of the Lord and began to speak. “Listen, dear Bharadvāja, I will tell you as you have asked. By hearing this, you will surely dispel all delusion. Therefore, act wisely, just as the lotus-eyed Rāma acted, with a mind unattached to all things, and thus remained happy. Likewise, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, the high-minded Śatrughna, Kausalya, Sumitra, Sītā, and Dasharatha—all attained steadfastness and non-opposition, and reached the highest knowledge. So too Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva, and the eight other ministers: Ghrishti, Vikukshi, Bhama, Satyavardhana, Vibhīṣaṇa, Sushena, Hanuman, and Indrajit. These twenty-eight, whose minds are free from attachment, are great souls—liberated while living, following whatever comes to them. If, my son, you live as they did—giving, taking, dwelling, and remembering without attachment—then you are truly free from distress. One who, with noble nature, crosses the boundless ocean of worldly existence and attains supreme discipline does not fall into sorrow or dejection, remains free from affliction, and stands ever content.” Bharadvāja then requested, “O Brahman, describe to me step by step the state of the liberated while living, as it was established in Raghava from the beginning, so that I may always be happy. For this world-delusion that has arisen, colorless like space, I consider it better to forget entirely, rather than to remember it again. Without the knowledge of the absolute non-existence of the perceived, that is never truly experienced; therefore, let someone, at some time, seek out that knowledge. If that knowledge is indeed possible here, then this scripture is set forth for that purpose. If you listen to it, you will attain the truth—otherwise, not. This world-delusion, though appearing to be seen, is truly not there, as is experienced; O sinless one, by this inquiry, it disappears like color in space. When, through the knowledge that the perceived does not exist, the mind’s attachment to the perceived is cleansed, then supreme nirvana-bliss arises. Otherwise, for those who wander in the pits of scriptures here, there is no natural knowledge nor liberation, even in countless ages. The highest liberation is said to be the abandonment of latent tendencies; O Brahman, this is the pure path, the revealer of knowledge. When latent tendencies are exhausted, the mind quickly dissolves; when the stream of cold ceases, O Brahman, so does the snowflake. This body, a cage of elements, is sustained by latent impressions, just as a bundle of threads is held together by the thread running within. Latent impressions are said to be of two kinds: pure and impure. The impure is the cause of birth; the pure brings about the end of birth. The impure latent impression, according to the wise, is dense with ignorance and strong with ego, and is said to be the cause of rebirth. The pure impression, having abandoned the seed of rebirth, remains like a seed that has been roasted; it endures until the end of the body and is called ‘pure’ because the knower and the known are realized. In embodied beings who are liberated while living, there exists a pure impression that does not cause rebirth, like the turning of a wheel in the body. Those whose impressions are pure and no longer the source of further birth and suffering, who have realized the knower and the known, are called ‘liberated while living,’ the truly wise. I shall now explain to you the state of liberation while living, as attained by the great-minded Rāma, for the cessation of old age and death. O Bharadvāja, great in wisdom, listen as I recount this auspicious path of Rāma; by this you will come to know everything in every way. Rāma, whose eyes are like lotuses, having left the house of learning, spent his days at home, engaged in playful activities, free from any fear. Then, as time passed, while the king ruled the earth, the people—free from sorrow and established in stability—lived without distress.