Listen, O Rama, to the ancient wisdom concerning Brahman, the Self-born, as passed down through the generations of sages. In its true nature, Brahman is pure consciousness, untouched and unformed. Yet, when the notion “I am the body” arises in the mind, this pure awareness seems to assume a form, much like when a crow alights on a palm tree and we mistakenly see a meaningful connection in a mere coincidence. At the dawn of creation, this very Brahman—self-luminous and self-existent—shone forth within the womb of space. It appeared undecaying and immortal, manifesting without origin or end. Brahman has no body, no actions, no sense of agency, nor any latent tendencies. It is pure consciousness-space, saturated with the fullness of awareness. There is not even the faintest trace of past impressions or karmic webs in Brahman; its essence is as subtle and ungraspable as space itself, just as radiance is inherently without weight. Brahman is perceived only through the subtlest of sensations. When even these pure sensations subside, it is no longer seen, for it transcends all perception. Thus, as is consciousness-space, so are its apprehensions—there is no ground for the arising of earth or the other elements within it. How then could the tangible world of earth and the rest emerge from such a reality, and in what manner? Therefore, O Death, do not strive to grasp this essence, for space itself can never be seized by anyone at any time. My great-grandfather once described to me this very Brahman: self-born, unborn, one in essence, whose very self is consciousness. This is my firm conviction. So, O Rama, I have told you about Brahman. Long ago, Death and Yama, the Lord of Dharma, once debated this very matter. In a certain age, when Death, the devourer of all, was seizing beings and gaining strength, he began his own undertaking in the realm of the lotus-born. It was then that Yama instructed him: whatever is practiced continually, delight arises only in that. But how does Brahma, whose form is supreme space, become embodied? He is mind alone, without intention, and has no form composed of earth or any other element. He is the very wonder of consciousness-space, experiencing only the essence of space, and for him there is neither cause nor effect. Just as a figure imagined in the mind appears to have form and shine forth in space, so too does the self-born Brahma shine, yet is devoid of earth and other elements. In the supreme Self, which is utterly pure, there is neither the seen nor the seer; yet, being of the nature of consciousness, it appears as the self-born. This mind is indeed only imagination and is called Brahman. The imagined person in the space of consciousness has no material elements. Just as a doll placed at the tip of a painter’s brush appears bodiless, so too does Brahma shine forth—a coloring upon the space of consciousness. Consciousness-space alone, infinite and without beginning or middle, shines as Brahman by its own mental power, appearing as the self-born. Though it seems to take on form here, in truth it has no body, like the son of a barren woman. Thus, O sage, the mind is pure, not made of earth or the other elements; it is like space, and is truly called Brahman, free from all material substance. But then, you may wonder, why does the so-called memory of previous existence not arise here? Is it the same for others and for all beings? For those who have had previous bodies and whose present bodies are accompanied by past actions, memory arises—this is the cause for the continuation of transmigration. But for Brahman, which has no prior actions, how could the memory of a previous existence arise, and from where? Therefore, Brahman 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; the physical body does not pertain to the unborn. There is only one subtle body—the mental body; the other, the physical, does not belong to Brahman. Of all classes of beings, Brahman has only this one subtle body—what else could there be? All beings who are causes have two bodies, but for the unborn, which has no cause, there is only the subtle body. Among all beings, there is one unborn, supreme cause. The unborn has no cause, and so possesses only a single body. There is truly no physical body for the first progenitor; he appears only with a subtle body, whose essence is space. His body is made of mind alone, not composed of earth or 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. The first is pure liberation, the supreme awareness, and that alone is mind. It remains only as mind and does not become earth or anything else. For all beings with minds, engaged in worldly dealings, that first reflection—the body of mind—arises from itself. From that prior reflection, which is not different from its own nature, this creation has spread forth, just as the movement of wind is seen. From this form of pure intelligence, which holds only the form of intelligence, this creation shines forth, established as a true experience. Here, the city seen in a dream and the enjoyment with a dream-woman serve as examples: though unreal, by the wealth of experience, they shine with the light of true perception. Brahma appears as not made of earth or other elements, with a form like space, without a physical body; yet, like the lord of embodied beings, he stands in the form of a person, self-born. Because his nature is of consciousness and will, he arises and subsides; but since his nature is self-dependent, he neither truly arises nor subsides. Brahma is free from will, with a form devoid of earth and the other elements; his essence is pure consciousness alone, the cause of the existence of the three worlds. This will moves about as its own nature, just as a name arises from itself; the one whose essence is space appears, like a mountain of your own will. By the firm and exclusive forgetfulness of the ethereal state, through the knowledge of the physical world, this reality appears falsely, like a ghost. Thus, O Rama, the mystery of Brahman, the self-born, is revealed: ever pure, ever subtle, the source and substratum of all that appears.