When a single virtue in a person matures and their inner strength awakens, all faults are swiftly swept away, provided the mind is clear. As virtue grows, it fosters yet more virtues, each one working to uproot faults; but when faults are allowed to increase, they give rise to more faults, which then work to destroy virtue. The mind is like a vast forest, through which flows the swift river of tendencies. This river has great banks—one of good, the other of evil—and it carries all living beings along its current. By one’s own effort, the direction of this river can be chosen: wherever you guide it, there it will flow. Therefore, act according to your intention. Through persistent effort, gradually turn this river of the mind toward the auspicious bank. By doing so, you establish a great and noble stream of disposition within yourself, and nothing will hinder your progress. O Raghava, you have attained discernment and are truly fit to hear the teachings of wisdom—just as a king is fit to receive the doctrines of statecraft. Your mind is pure, free from impurity, vast in the knowledge of consciousness, untouched by dullness, and ready for yoga, shining like the autumn moon in the clear sky. You possess an unbroken wealth of virtues. Listen now to these words, which dispel the delusion of the mind. For one whose tree of merit bends low with the weight of its fruits, the effort to hear these teachings arises for the liberation of the soul. Noble, pure, and supremely enlightening words are vessels of prosperity, but only the worthy receive them, not the base. This scripture is called the means to liberation and is esteemed as its very essence. Thirty-two thousand verses are known to grant nirvana. Just as light spreads from a lamp that burns steadily without ceasing, so too does liberation arise from this teaching—even without desire for reward. Whether known by oneself or heard from another, it brings happiness by pacifying confusion; when spoken by the wise, its effect is as immediate and sweet as the flow of nectar. Just as the illusion of a snake in a rope disappears when the truth is seen, so too, by understanding this teaching, one who suffers in the world attains peace. This scripture is arranged in six sections, each composed of statements grounded in reason, with apt illustrations and meaningful sayings. The first section is called ‘Dispassion’; it is like watering a tree in the desert, increasing the quality of dispassion. When the thousand verses of this section are deeply reflected upon, pure illumination arises—just as a jewel shines when polished. Next comes the section called ‘The Conduct of the Seeker of Liberation’, beautiful with a thousand verses filled with meaningful sayings. Here, the nature of those who seek liberation among men is described, so that one may discern who is truly fit for liberation. Then follows the section on ‘Origination’, filled with illustrative stories and consisting of five thousand verses, which teach the understanding of knowledge. In this section, the glory of the world as seer and seen, as ‘I’ and ‘you’, is described—appearing as though it has not arisen, yet as though it has. Upon hearing this, one comes to understand the entire world within oneself, in all its detail, together with ‘I’ and ‘you’, along with the worlds, space, and mountains. This world is seen as free from the grasp of bodily form, without fissures or mountains, devoid of the elements—earth and so on—like a city conjured by imagination. It spreads out like something perceived in a dream, like a kingdom of the mind, resembling a city of the Gandharvas—an experience empty of substance. It appears as the illusion of two moons, or the mirage-water of a desert; like a mountain swayed by a boat or the wind, it lacks any true attainment of reality. It is like a ghost of mental confusion, radiant though without seed; resembling the brilliance of a story’s meaning, like a string of pearls in the sky. Just as gold takes the form of an ornament, water becomes a wave, or the sky appears blue—so too, this world arises as something ultimately unreal. It is like a wall without color, delightful to perceive; an image in a dream or in the sky, inactive yet shining for a long time. Just as a painted fire seems like fire but is not, so too the word ‘world’ refers to form and sound, though its nature is not real. It arises like a cluster of lotus garlands made of waves, like a heap of dust from the grinding of a wheel, or like a mass of impurity appearing suddenly. Like a summer forest stripped of leaves, fallen and lost, devoid of flavor; like the dance of death eager for its end; like the laughter of a stone woman, hollow and empty. It is like a solitary dance in a house of darkness, the gestures of a madman; the mist of ignorance calmed, the sky of knowledge clear as autumn. As if carved upon a pillar or painted on a decorated wall, as if shaped from mud, the insentient appears as if sentient. The fourth section, concerning stability, is then presented; it contains three thousand verses filled with explanations and stories. Here, the world—having assumed the form of ‘I’-ness—comes into existence, and its development as seer and seen is described. This delusion of the world, shining throughout all directions, has thus grown and is explained here in detail. Next comes the section on quiescence, consisting of five thousand verses, pure and beautiful among the lineages of sages. In this section, the delusion that “this world, I, you, and he” have arisen is explained, and its cessation is described in these verses. When this section on tranquility is heard, the cycle of worldly existence subsides; it becomes clear, with the dissolution of delusion, that only a trace of perception remains. What remains is but a hundredth part, taking the form of a pacified illusion; it abides in the mind of another’s imagination, like the splendor of a city that does not truly exist.