With a mind purified by wisdom, the great-souled yogis—noble-hearted and liberated while still living—move freely through this world. They dwell here as long as they wish, steadfast in their freedom, and when their time comes, they calmly abandon the body and attain the state of pure being. Even when confronted by the profound question, “Who am I, and whose is this world?” the wise diligently engage in self-inquiry, reflecting deeply and employing discernment to dispel confusion. O Raghava, it is through discernment alone that one truly understands the tangled doubts of action—whether deeds are fruitful or fruitless. Without discernment, clarity cannot be found. Just as a lamp reveals the earth at night, discernment illuminates the conclusions of the Vedas and Vedanta, and the reasons behind their teachings. Even in darkness, a radiant and unwavering eye, bright with discernment, perceives what is hidden, just as a lamp never fails to reveal its surroundings. The person who is blind to discrimination is pitiable, like one blind from birth, lacking understanding. But the self endowed with discernment, blessed with divine sight, prevails over all things. This discernment, filled with the Supreme Self and being the sole means to great bliss, is a wonder to be cherished—never to be abandoned, not even for a moment. A person adorned with discernment is esteemed among the great, just as a fully ripened mango delights all. Those whose minds lack the beauty of discernment, even if they rise in knowledge, repeatedly fall into pits of suffering. No one cries out in pain as much as the ignorant—neither the sick nor those afflicted by countless misfortunes—for ignorance, bereft of discernment, destroys the self. Better to be a worm in the mud, to dwell among thorns in a pit, or to live in a dark cave, than to exist without discernment. Unreflectiveness is the dwelling place of all misfortune, rejected by the virtuous and the utmost limit of perpetual distress; it should be abandoned. A noble soul must always be engaged in reflection, for those who fall into the pit of existence, reflection is the support. By firmly holding oneself with one’s own self through reflection, one can lead the restless mind—like a deer—across the ocean of delusion known as saṃsāra. The inquiry, “Who am I? How has this fault called saṃsāra arisen?”—when conducted with reason—is true reflection. For those lacking reflection, whose minds are hard as stone, only endless suffering is produced—filled with darkness and the tumult of delusion. O Rāghava, for those whose vision is fixed on the arising and ceasing of things, nothing true is known except through reflection. Through reflection, truth is known; from truth, repose in the Self arises; and when the mind is at peace, all suffering comes to an end. Indeed, the actions of the best become fruitful and manifest in the world. May your own reflection, clear-sighted and well-considered, bring you to peace and shine forth. Contentment is truly the highest good; contentment is called happiness. One who is content, O destroyer of foes, attains supreme rest. For those whose minds have long rested in the happiness of contentment and prosperity, even the sovereignty of the virtuous appears as worthless as dry grass. O Rama, a mind endowed with contentment remains undisturbed amidst the turmoil of worldly affairs and is never afflicted by adversity. Those who have attained supreme satisfaction by drinking the nectar of contentment find all worldly enjoyments incomparable and insignificant. Even the waves of nectar do not satisfy as much as the sweet taste of contentment, which destroys all faults. One who abandons unfulfilled desires, remains equal in what is attained, and is free from inner distress and agitation—such a person is called content. As long as contentment does not reach the mind from within, calamities arise again and again, like creepers sprouting from fertile soil. A mind cooled by contentment, seen through pure and clear understanding, blossoms greatly like a lotus under the rays of the sun. When the mind is unsettled by expectation and lacks contentment, knowledge does not reflect there, just as a faded face is not mirrored in a dull mirror. The lotus of a person does not wither in the dense night of ignorance, for whom the sun of contentment rises perpetually. Even one who possesses nothing enjoys the happiness of sovereignty, if his mind is content, free from distress and disease. He does not desire what is not obtained, and partakes of what comes as it comes; such a gentle and well-conducted person is called content. On the face of the great one who is fully satisfied and whose mind is pure, prosperity shines, just as it does on the pure ocean of milk. Relying completely on fullness, abiding in one’s own self by one’s own self, with effort and strength, one should everywhere abandon craving. For one whose heart is filled with the nectar of contentment, coolness arises naturally within; for the one free from want, steadfastness comes, enduring like the moon’s coolness. Great riches, having become servants, attend upon the one whose mind is nourished by contentment, just as attendants serve a king. When a person abides in the pure, contented Self within himself, all afflictions quickly subside, just as dust settles swiftly in the rainy season. A person endowed with pure conduct, always free from blemish and tranquil, shines in fullness like the spotless moon. Beholding the beautiful face of equanimity in such a person, people attain satisfaction in a way that wealth and possessions cannot provide. O descendant of Raghu, even the great sages and celestial beings bow to that pure one who is adorned here with the virtue of equanimity and a noble mind.