Thus, instructed by the great Lord of Dharma, Yama, it was understood that whatever is continually practiced by the mind, delight is found only in that. This is the nature of experience. Yet, a profound question arises: how does Brahma, whose very form is the supreme expanse of space, become embodied at all? For Brahma is only mind—pure, without intention, and not formed of earth or any other element. He is the marvel of consciousness-space, experiencing the very essence of that infinite expanse, and is himself nothing but consciousness-space. For him, there is neither cause nor effect. Just as a person imagined in the mind appears to shine with form in space, so too does the self-born Brahma shine forth, though he is utterly devoid of earth or other elements. In the supreme Self, which is pure and untainted, there is neither the seen nor the seer; yet, being the very nature of consciousness, it appears as the self-born. This mind, in truth, is only imagination, and it is called Brahman. The person who exists in this imagination-space has no physical substance—no earth or other elements. Consider, for example, a painted doll placed at the tip of an artist’s brush. It appears to have form, but is truly bodiless. In the same way, Brahma shines as a coloring upon the canvas of consciousness-space. This consciousness-space alone, infinite and without beginning or middle, shines as Brahman by the power of its own mind, manifesting as the self-born. Though it seems to have form here, it is in reality formless, like the impossible son of a barren woman. O sage, in this way the mind is pure, untouched by earth or any other element, like space itself. This alone is truly called Brahman—free from all material substance. A question arises: if this is so, why is there no memory of previous existence for Brahma? Does this hold for me, for others, and for all beings? For one who has had a previous body, and whose present body is accompanied by past actions, memory arises—this is what causes the cycle of birth and death to continue. But for Brahman, who has no prior actions at all, how could there be any memory of a previous existence? From where, and in what manner, could it arise? Therefore, Brahma appears to be without any cause, or his only cause is his own mind. Being self-caused, with no other essence, the self-born is established in himself. His body is only subtle—mental—and not physical. O Rāma, the physical body does not pertain to the unborn. There is only one subtle, mental body; the other is physical. Among all beings, Brahman has only this one subtle body—what else could there be? All beings who are subject to causes have two bodies, but the unborn, being without cause, has only the subtle, mental body. Among all classes of beings, there is one supreme unborn cause; the unborn has no cause, and therefore possesses only a single body. Truly, there is no physical body for the first progenitor. He appears only with a subtle body, whose essence is space. His body is made solely of mind, not of earth or the other elements. The first progenitor, with a form of space, brings forth all creatures. These beings, too, are of the nature of liberation, without any other causes. Whatever arises from whatever, that alone is experienced by all. The very first is pure liberation, the supreme awareness, and that alone is mind. It remains as mind and does not become earth or anything else. For all beings with minds, engaged in worldly affairs, that first reflection—the body of mind—arises from itself. From that prior reflection, which is not different from its own nature, this creation spreads 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. Consider the city seen in a dream, and the enjoyment with a dream-woman—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 body. Yet, like the lord of beings with a body, he stands in the form of a person, self-born. Because his nature is consciousness and will, he arises and then subsides; but, being self-dependent, he neither truly arises nor subsides. Brahma is free from will, with a form devoid of earth and 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. This one, whose essence is space, appears like a mountain formed by your own will. By the firm and exclusive forgetfulness of the ethereal state, through the knowledge of the physical world, it appears falsely—like a ghost. Yet, this forgetfulness of the ethereal state does not arise in the great consciousness that is awakened at the very beginning of effort, because of its pure awareness. Therefore, in that state, the ghostly condition of physicality does not arise; being unreal, like a mirage, it is false and gives rise to the delusion of dullness. When Brahman is only mind, not composed of earth or other elements, then the universe is only mind; whatever arises from it is indeed that alone. There are no auxiliary causes for the unborn; likewise, for what is born, those causes do not truly exist, except perhaps in a few cases. The diversity of effects arises from causes; thus, nothing exists here apart from this. As the cause is pure, so the effect is established here. In this, the relation of cause and effect does not truly apply at all. Just as the supreme Brahman is, so too is the threefold world. The world is projected by Brahman, as if through the power of mind—just as fluidity is projected from pure water, not from anything else. Everything is projected by the mind; all this is unreal and spread out, like a city imagined in thought, or like the city of the Gandharvas. There is no physicality here, just as there is no snake in a rope. How, then, could awakened ones like Brahma and others remain in such an illusion? Only the subtle body exists, not for one whose mind is awakened. So, what discussion is there here about the physical body, and how could it truly arise?