When all desires are abandoned, the mind moves sweetly and finds happiness everywhere, remaining steady and tranquil, much like the orb of the moon shining calmly in the night sky. Even without initiating anything new, and when all curiosity has ceased, one does not become intoxicated or disturbed within oneself—just as nectar does not intoxicate the moon. Such a one neither engages in illusions nor chases after desires; having let go of childish fickleness, he shines forth in fullness and maturity. 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. Yet, one who disregards the meanings of scripture and is scorned by the wise—even if he falls into great misfortune—should never seek equality with the ignorant. For there is no disease, no poison, nor any calamity on earth that brings as much suffering as the folly that dwells within one’s own body. To those whose minds are somewhat refined, this scripture should be heard, for there is no other teaching that so thoroughly removes ignorance. This teaching is pleasant to hear, adorned with stories and examples, and harmonizes in every way with the meanings of all scriptural statements. Calamities that are hard to cross, and even trivial wrong actions, all 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. Upon encountering this illumination, which is filled with the means to liberation, a person does not again fall into blindness or the darkness of delusion. The lotus of human life, darkened by craving, remains contracted until the pure radiance of the sun of discernment arises. For the sake of release from the suffering of worldly existence, together with companions like myself, one should know the true nature of the self, based on the authority of the teacher and scripture. The liberated, while living, move about here just as Hari, Hara, and other great sages do; so, Raghava, you too should live in this way. Here, sufferings are endless, while happiness is as fleeting as a moment; therefore, one should not fix their gaze on pleasures, which are bound to suffering. That state which is endless and effortless is to be attained for the essence of perfection; it must be pursued with effort by one who understands. Those who are supreme among men are the vessels of human purpose, whose minds, free from affliction, are anchored in the unsurpassed state. Those who are satisfied only with pleasures such as eating, enjoyment, and sovereignty, whose minds are corrupt—know them to be blind and like hollow drums. Those devoted to the enjoyment of pleasures, who are cunning, malicious, intent on wicked deeds, and who appear as friends while harboring enmity—these deluded ones, whose minds are sluggish with ignorance, go from one hardship to another, from one sorrow to the next, from one fear to another, and from one hell to another. O Rama, for those eager for each other’s destruction, there is never any true good; their states of happiness and sorrow are as fleeting as flashes of lightning. Know those great souls who are detached, who dwell in solitude, and who are like you, O Rama, to be worthy of reverence; they alone partake in both enjoyment and liberation. By relying on supreme discernment and the practice of dispassion, one should cross over this dreadful river of worldly existence and its dangers. One who knows should not be heedless in this world of the illusion of samsara, which brings about the stupefaction and confusion of poison, but should remain discerning. He who, having encountered this samsara, remains indifferent is like one who sleeps in the midst of a house ablaze or lies down in the path of a rushing flood. There is indeed, without doubt, that state which, once attained, there is no return from, and having reached which, there is no cause for sorrow; it is attainable by the wise. If, upon examination, it is not present, then what fault could there be for you? If it is present, then you will cross over the ocean of existence. When a person swiftly turns to the inquiry into the means of liberation, then he is said to be one who attains liberation. Unfailing, unshaken composure, free from confusion, does not exist in the three worlds except through the state of aloneness. In attaining that supreme attainment, there is no use for hardship; neither friends, nor wealth, nor relatives are of help. Neither movement of hands and feet, nor traveling to other places, nor excessive austerity, nor resorting to holy sites is required. That state is attained solely by conquering the mind, through action directed to a single aim—the one true purpose of human life. It is achieved only by discernment, by firm resolve through inquiry; when a person abandons the nets of sorrow, he attains it. Seated comfortably and reflecting on it by oneself, one attains that state, and, having reached it, is not to be grieved nor born again. The noble ones know that as the ultimate boundary of all the essence of happiness; they call that supreme, incomparable flow the true elixir. Because all states in heaven and among humans are perishable, there is truly no happiness in either—just as there is no water in a mirage. Therefore, mastery over the mind should be contemplated, which is attained through tranquility and contentment; from the enjoyment of endless peace, true bliss is obtained. Whether living, moving, wandering, or falling—be it a demon, a celestial, a god, or a human—upon attaining that supreme happiness born of the pacification of the mind, one gains the fruit of the highest discernment, like the blossom of the flower of tranquility fully opened. Even one engaged in worldly affairs, not seeking out a multitude of actions, is neither abandoned nor desired, like the sun stationed in the sky.