He who has realized the truth bears no burden of present actions, nor is he tainted by the residue of past deeds; he stands untouched by the cycles of worldly existence. When something seems to arise without any cooperating causes, it is discovered to be none other than its own essence—there is no real separation between cause and effect. This twice-born one is self-existent, his very being a pure, space-like sheath. He is not a doer, neither in the past nor in the present; how then, one may ask, could he ever be affected by the workings of the world? If, by the movement of his intellect, he imagines what is called death, then, as intellect falls away, he himself passes in that very instant. Those who are firmly convinced, “I am composed of earth and the like,” quickly become identified with earth itself, and such a one can indeed be grasped and bound. But he whose form is not of earth, who is pure consciousness by nature, cannot be grasped at all—just as the vast sky cannot be seized, even with the strongest rope. O venerable one, how does this void come into being, and how is it said to exist? Do earth and the other elements truly exist, or do they not? In what manner do they exist or not exist? That which is real has never been born, nor does it ever cease to be. 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 abides. Know this as pure consciousness, free from all objects of cognition—the subtlest of the subtle. Just as the sky may seem like a mountain when seen from near, so too is that subtlety, appearing as form only by proximity. Because its very nature is pure consciousness, when the notion “I am the body” arises in the mind, it seems to take on form—much like a chance conjunction, as when a crow alights on a palm tree and we mistakenly see meaning in the event. This very Brahman, at the beginning of creation, within the womb of space, shines forth by itself, self-existent, undecaying, and immortal. He has neither body nor actions, neither agency nor latent tendencies; he is pure consciousness-space, pervaded by a mass of awareness. There is not even a trace of previous habits or impressions in him; he is simply of the nature of space, as radiance is of the nature of weight. He is perceived only through pure sensation; when even this subsides, such as he is no longer seen. Therefore, just as consciousness-space is, so are its apprehensions. How, then, could earth and the other elements 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 to me, O Brahman, by my great-grandfather: self-born, unborn, one in essence, the very consciousness-self—this is my firm conviction. Thus, O Rama, I have spoken to you of Brahman. In ancient times, Death once disputed with Yama over this very matter. 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. But 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 is the wonder of consciousness-space, experiencing the essence of space itself; for him, there is neither cause nor effect. Just as a person of imagination appears with 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 take 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, one may wonder, is the so-called memory of previous existence not a cause here? Tell me: as it is for me, is it the same for others and for all beings? One who has a previous body, and whose present body is accompanied by past actions, for him memory arises; this is the cause for the continuation of transmigration. But when there is no prior action at all for Brahman, how can the memory of a previous existence arise for it, and from where and in what manner? Therefore, it appears to be without cause, or its only cause is its own mind. Being self-caused, with no other essence, the self-born is established in itself. The body of the self-born is only subtle—mental; but, O Rama, the physical body does not pertain to the unborn. There is only one subtle (mental) body; the other is physical. Of all classes of beings, Brahman has only one—what else could there be? All beings who are causes have two bodies; but for the unborn, since there is no cause, there is only the subtle (mental) body. Among all classes of beings, there is one unborn supreme cause; the unborn has no cause, therefore it alone possesses a single body. There is truly no physical body for the first progenitor; he appears as having a subtle body, whose essence is space. His body is made only of mind, not composed of earth and the other elements; the first progenitor, with a form of space, extends forth the creatures. And these beings are of the nature of liberation, without any other causes; whatever arises from whatever, that alone is experienced by all.