Though he still moves about in a body, such a one is as if disembodied, untouched by the endless current of transmigration even as he dwells within it. His very being is pure consciousness, steady and unmoving, like the silent interior of a solid rock. His awareness, brilliant as the sun shining upon the world, appears outwardly as if shrouded in the darkness of a cave. Though his true form is radiant illumination, to others he seems blinded, as if he has lost all sight. His play in the world is gentle and restrained, for the fever of desire within him has been utterly exhausted. The goblin of ego has been vanquished; though he moves in a body, he abides as if bodiless. The glory of his presence, subtle and profound, resides in the tiniest pore at the tip of his hair, just as a bee might dwell within a blossom atop the mighty Meru mountain. Within the secret space of his consciousness, in every atom, countless worlds of creation are held and witnessed. O wise one, even if the heart is expanded by the sacred waters that spring from the lotuses of Hari and Hara, it cannot compare to the vastness of one who is truly liberated. For in what is unreal, there is no real expansion at all. In this pure awareness alone, supreme knowledge arises, just as a good fruit inevitably springs from a well-sown seed. Even if a scripture is composed by a mere human, it should be accepted if it is founded upon sound reasoning; conversely, even the utterance of a sage is to be set aside by one devoted to truth if it lacks logic. Any statement rooted in reason is to be embraced, even if spoken by a child; but that which lacks reason, even if pronounced by the lotus-born Brahma himself, should be cast away like dry straw. Who can instruct the one who is attached, who insists on drinking from a bitter well simply because it belonged to his father, all the while rejecting the pure Ganges flowing before him? Just as light inevitably appears when a lamp is lit, so too, in the clarity of pure awareness, one’s own discernment will surely arise. Whether through hearing wise words or through one’s own reflection, gradually, by inquiry, impressions are established in the intellect. First, there arises within a strong command of refined speech, pure and lofty, strung together like pearls and adorning the assembly like a precious ornament. Then, supreme dispassion blossoms, endowed with greatness, by which even mighty kings, formidable as serpents, are drawn into friendship. A person who knows both past and future becomes wise in all matters, like one who carries a lamp in the darkness and clearly sees all things. Defects such as greed and delusion gradually fade away, just as the mists of autumn recede with the advancing season. The intellect depends entirely on the practice of discernment; no action bears fruit without the repeated exercise of its own nature. The mind attains clarity, like a great autumn lake, and supreme tranquility, like the ocean when its waves are still. All inner darkness is dispelled, like a thunderbolt shattering a mass of clouds, as discernment blazes forth, illuminating the distinctions among all things. Views of misery, poverty, and suffering are seen as mere appearances; they do not pierce the core, just as blunted arrows cannot wound the vital parts. The terrifying fears of worldly existence do not shake the heart of the wise, even when such fears stand before him, just as a great stone remains unmoved by the fluttering of birds. Questions such as, “How do birth and action arise? What is fate and what is manhood?”—all such doubts are dispelled as darkness is by the dawn. In every way, in all things, attachment ceases when the light of wisdom arises, just as the night ends with the coming of day. Depth like the ocean, steadfastness like Mount Meru, and inner coolness like the moon—these qualities arise in the earnest inquirer. That state of living liberation gradually matures in him, and, entering the yogi whose doubts are entirely pacified, it becomes firmly established. His intellect, cool to all objects, pure, and bestowing supreme illumination, attains the highest light, like the full radiance of the entire moon. In the sky of the heart, where the sun of discernment shines, pure with the light of tranquility, the seeds of misfortune do not arise. Desires subside, become pure, gentle, and humble, and, unmoving and inert, they vanish like clusters of autumn clouds. Whatever stern act leads to the abandonment of coarse behavior is like the coming of day that disperses the miserable faces of ghouls. Afflictions do not plunder a mind firmly rooted in virtue and yoked to the harness of courage, just as winds cannot strip a wondrous creeper from its support. A creature does not fall into the chasm of attachment to sense objects; for who, knowing the path, would ever chase after the abyss? The wise delight in actions that do not contradict the conduct of true scriptures and virtuous people, just as a noble lady enjoys the inner chambers as they come. Among the countless atoms in the multitudes of worlds, the mind free from creative projection perceives, within each one, the various creations. A person whose inner faculty is purified by understanding the means to liberation is neither distressed nor ever elated by the flood of enjoyments. He observes, in each and every atom, the rise and fall of creations, unobstructed, like waves in water. He neither hates actions that arise nor desires those that cease; though awakened, he is like a tree, indifferent to what must be done. The ordinary person in the world is seen to act according to the circumstances that arise, remaining undefeated in heart whether he attains the desired or the undesired. Having understood this entire scripture, having read or examined it, one must directly experience its truth; it is not merely something spoken, like a boon or a curse. This scripture is indeed easy to understand, adorned with various embellishments, poetic, rich in flavor, beautiful, and explained through examples. One who knows the meaning of the words and their sense understands this for himself; but whoever does not know it should hear it from a learned teacher.