When the mind is clouded by dense dullness, O Rama, those who are unreflective find their awareness frozen and immobile, much like water that solidifies into ice from the cold, or like a stone—unyielding and inert. But you, Raghava, are graced with noble qualities and a deep understanding of the scriptures. Your inner being is awakened, radiant like a lotus blossoming at sunrise. You are truly worthy, wise one, to receive and comprehend this vision of knowledge. Your attentive mind is like a creature wholly absorbed in the melodious sound of a lute. Through the practice of dispassion, self-discipline, and the wealth of an even-minded and noble heart, one attains that undying state, O Rama, where destruction has no place. In the beginning, for liberation from the bonds of worldly existence, one must cultivate discernment. This is done through study of the scriptures, association with the virtuous, and the pursuit of excellent austerity and self-restraint. With diligent effort, one should uproot folly—the root of the poisonous tree of worldly suffering, the source of calamities, and the darkening ointment that blinds the inner vision with delusion. Understand this, Rama: the supreme destruction of folly is achieved when one regards scripture, even if the mind is only slightly refined. When the serpent-pit of vain hopes and ignorance writhes within the heart, the mind contracts and shrinks, just as leather does when placed in fire. But for the wise, the perception of reality becomes clear and unobstructed, like beholding the flawless, full moon in a cloudless sky. The one whose mind is adorned with delightful discernment, who skillfully contemplates both the past and the future, is truly called a person of wisdom. You, Rama, with your pure and expanded mind, cool and radiant from noble reflection, shine forth with a virtuous and spotless heart—just as the sky is illumined by the moon. O Raghava, you are indeed worthy of respect. Your mind is fulfilled, you know how to inquire, and you understand what is spoken; thus, I am eager to continue this discourse. Establish within yourself a mind free from agitation and dullness—inclined toward pure tranquility—and remain steady as you listen to this knowledge. All the virtues of a sincere questioner are present in you, and the virtues of a worthy speaker reside in me, just as the splendor of gems is found in the ocean. You have attained dispassion, born of discernment and detachment, O sage, just as the moonstone attains coolness from the rays of the moon. Since childhood, you have practiced noble qualities—pure and enduring—like the unbroken, pristine stalks of the lotus. Therefore, listen as I narrate this story; you alone are truly fit to receive it. For just as the water-lily cannot fully blossom in purity without the moon, so too is this tale incomplete without you. Whatever undertakings there are, and whatever perceptions may arise, all of them come to rest upon the realization of the supreme state. If the mind of the seeker does not find repose in true knowledge, who in this world could possibly bear the burden of endless anxieties? When the supreme is attained, all movements of thought dissolve, just as rocks on a mountain are swept away by the flood of the sun at the end of an age. O Rama, the unbearable disease of worldly existence, poisoned by delusion, is pacified by the purifying mantra of yoga, just as Garuda’s touch is the antidote to poison. Just as Hari, Hara, Brahma, and the other great ones remain free from curiosity and disturbance, so too do those who have realized their inner light abide in the world with awakened understanding. When delusion is exhausted, the dense cloud of ignorance disperses, the truth is recognized, and the self is realized—whether through wise reasoning or by seeing the reality of existence and non-existence in those whose forms have faded—then this wandering in the world becomes a delight and a play. When the essence of mind is clear and radiant in the heart, when all perceptions and creations appear as a unified experience, and when the workings of the inner instrument come to rest in tranquility—then, with truth seen by wisdom, this worldly wandering is sheer delight and play. The body is like a chariot, its firmness the structure; the movement of the senses like the motion of horses; the subtle vibration is from the wind. But I am not any of these. I am unmeasured, infinite, and without distinction. Whether I appear to roam the world as the embodied one, or abide as the supreme, with pure understanding and vision of truth, this wandering in the world is but a play. Those who rely on this vision, whose souls are strong and intellects clear, move about untroubled and renewed, like great ones freshly arisen. They do not grieve, nor do they beg or desire what is good or bad. They act in the world, yet do nothing at all. Established in their own nature, they help others become established in themselves, and go about free from notions of acceptance or rejection, abiding in the Self. They come and yet do not come; they go to the forest and yet do not go. Even when not acting, they act; even when not speaking, they speak. Whatever undertakings and perceptions arise, those seen as to be accepted or rejected are dissolved upon attaining the supreme state. When all desires are abandoned, the mind, moving sweetly and steadily, attains happiness everywhere, remaining like the calm and full moon. Even without creating or beginning anything, even when all curiosity has ceased, one does not become intoxicated with oneself, just as nectar does not intoxicate the moon. Such a one does not perform illusions, nor does he chase after desires; having abandoned childish fickleness, he shines forth in fullness. Where, through constant practice, the unity of one’s own experience, the true scripture, and the teacher’s words is realized—there the self is continually beheld. One who disregards the meanings of scripture and is scorned by the wise—even if he falls into great misfortune—should not seek equality with the ignorant. There is no disease, no poison, nor any calamity on earth that brings as much suffering to people as the folly that dwells within their own bodies. For those whose minds are even slightly refined, this scripture is to be heard; there is no other teaching that so thoroughly removes ignorance. This teaching is pleasant to hear, adorned with stories and examples, and in every way harmonious with the meanings of all scriptural statements. All calamities, whether great or small, and all trivial wrong actions arise from ignorance, just as thorns grow from the khadira tree. It is better, O Rama, to wander with a begging bowl in the streets of outcastes than to live a life ruined by ignorance.