Listen, O Rama, to the ancient teaching about the nature of Brahman, as once revealed in a profound dispute between Death and Yama, the king of Dharma. He who is born from space becomes pure space itself, untouched by any cooperating causes. For such a one, there is not the slightest connection with previous actions—just as the son of a barren woman or one who has never been formed has no past to bind him. Truly, he is unborn, self-existent, and uncreated, with no prior actions, like a great tree suspended in the sky, with no roots or history. His mind is not bound by any previous actions, for none exist; even as of today, he has not accumulated any new actions. He is the very essence of the space-casket, having the form of clear space, always established in samadhi, and devoid of any action whatsoever. He has neither past actions nor present deeds; thus, in this matter, he is merely pure consciousness-space. The movement of life that we observe as action in him is only seen by us; he himself has no notion of action. His body is visible to us, but he does not know it at all, just as the sky is not aware of the figure of a statue carved within a pillar. Just as a statue remains uncarved within the pillar, so this supreme Self, having become its own self, abides within, O twice-born one. As liquidity is in water, emptiness in space, and movement in wind, so is this one established in the supreme state. He has no present actions accumulated, nor any past ones; he has not come under the sway of worldly existence. When something arises without cooperating causes, it is experienced as not different from its own cause. This twice-born one is self-existent, whose essence is the pure space-like sheath; he is not a doer in the past nor now—how, then, can he be affected? When he, by intellect, imagines what is called death, then, devoid of intellect, he himself dies at that very moment. Whoever is firmly convinced, "I am composed of earth and the like," quickly becomes identified with the element of earth, and such a one can indeed be grasped. But this one, whose form is not of earth and who is pure consciousness, cannot be grasped—just as the sky cannot be seized with a sturdy rope. O venerable one, you ask: how does the void come into being, and how is it said to exist? Do earth and the other elements exist or not, or in what manner do they exist or not exist? That has never been born at any time, nor does it ever cease to exist; it is only pure consciousness, shining alone, and so it remains. At the time of the great dissolution, nothing at all remains; only the tranquil, undecaying, infinite Self of Brahman exists. Know that as pure consciousness, free from objects of cognition, it is the subtlest of the subtle; and just as the sky appears like a mountain when seen from near, so too is that subtlety. Because its very nature is pure consciousness, when the idea "I am the body" arises in the mind, it appears to take on a form—just as a chance conjunction seems meaningful, like a crow alighting on a palm tree. This very Brahman, at the beginning of creation, within the womb of space, shines forth by itself, becoming self-existent, and appears undecaying and immortal. He has neither body nor actions, neither agency nor latent tendencies; he is pure consciousness-space, pervaded by the mass of awareness. There is not even a trace of previous webs of latent impressions in him; he is simply of the nature of space, just as radiance is of the nature of weight. He is perceived only through pure sensation; when even pure sensation subsides, such as this is not seen. Therefore, just as consciousness-space is, so are its apprehensions; how, then, could earth and the rest arise here, and in what manner? In the attempt to seize this, O Death, do not strive; for space can never be grasped by anyone at any time. Brahman alone has been described, O Brahman, to me by my great-grandfather; self-born, unborn, one in essence, consciousness-self—this is my conviction. Thus, O Rama, I have told you about Brahman; Death once disputed with Yama over this matter in ancient times. In a certain Manvantara, when Death, devourer of all, was seizing beings, he gained strength and began his own undertaking in the realm of the lotus-born. Thus, being instructed by Dharma-raja Yama, whatever is continually practiced, delight arises only in that. How indeed does Brahma, whose form is supreme space, become embodied? He is only mind, without intention, and has no form of earth or other elements. He who is the wonder of consciousness-space, who experiences the essence of space, is indeed consciousness-space itself; for him there is neither cause nor effect. Just as the person of imagination appears with a form shining in space, so too the self-born shines, devoid of earth and other elements. In the supreme Self, which is pure, there is neither the seen nor the seer; yet, being of the nature of consciousness itself, it appears as the self-born. This mind is indeed only imagination; it is called Brahman. The person of imagination-space has no earth or other elements. Just as a doll placed at the tip of a painter’s brush appears bodiless, so too does Brahma shine, a coloring upon the space of consciousness. Consciousness-space alone, infinite, without beginning or middle, shines as Brahman by the power of its own mind, as the self-born; though it appears to have form here, in reality it has no body, like the son of a barren woman. In this way, O sage, the mind is pure, without earth and the other elements, like space; this is truly called Brahman, free from earth and the other elements. Then why is the so-called memory of previous existence not the cause here? Tell me: as it is for me, is it the same for others and for all beings? Thus, the nature of Brahman is revealed: pure, unborn, self-existent, untouched by actions, elements, or the web of worldly existence. The supreme Self shines forth, infinite and subtle, beyond grasp, beyond form, and forever established in the space of consciousness.