Bharadvāja, eager to know the fate of Śatrughna, Lakṣmaṇa, the illustrious Sītā, and the noble sons of Rāma’s ministers who followed him, asked: “How did they attain freedom from suffering? Please tell me clearly, so that I too may cross over, along with all people.” When Bharadvāja made this respectful request, the narrator replied, “So be it,” and prepared to fulfill the command of the Lord, beginning to speak. “Listen, dear Bharadvāja, as you have asked, I will tell you. By hearing this, you will surely dispel all delusion. Therefore, act wisely, just as the lotus-eyed Rāma did—with a mind unattached to all things—and thus remain happy. “In the same way, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and the high-minded Śatrughna, as well as Kausalya, Sumitra, Sītā, and also Dasharatha, all attained steadfastness and non-opposition, reaching the highest knowledge. So too did Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva, and the eight other ministers: Ghrishti, Vikukshi, Bhama, Satyavardhana, Vibhīṣaṇa, Sushena, Hanuman, and Indrajit. “These twenty-eight, whose minds are free from attachment, are regarded as great souls—liberated while living—accepting whatever comes to them. If you live as they did—giving, taking, dwelling, and remembering without attachment—then you too are truly free from distress. “One who, with noble nature, crosses the boundless ocean of worldly existence and attains supreme discipline does not fall into sorrow or dejection, remains free from affliction, and stands ever content.” Bharadvāja then asked, “O Brahman, describe to me step by step the state of the liberated while living, as it was established in Raghava from the beginning, so that I may always be happy. For this world-delusion that has arisen—colorless like space—I consider it better to forget entirely, rather than to remember it again. Without the knowledge of the absolute non-existence of the perceived, that is never truly experienced; therefore, let someone, at some time, seek out that knowledge. If that knowledge is possible here, then this scripture is set forth for that purpose; if you listen to it, you will attain the truth—otherwise, not. “This world-delusion, though appearing to be seen, is truly not there, as is experienced; O sinless one, by this inquiry, it disappears like color in space. When, through the knowledge that the perceived does not exist, the mind’s attachment to the perceived is cleansed, then supreme nirvana-bliss arises. Otherwise, for those who wander in the pits of scriptures here, there is no natural knowledge, nor liberation, even in countless ages. “The highest liberation is said to be the abandonment of latent tendencies; O Brahman, this is the pure path, the revealer of knowledge. When latent tendencies are exhausted, the mind quickly dissolves; when the stream of cold ceases, O Brahman, so does the snowflake. This body, a cage of elements, is sustained by latent impressions, just as a bundle of threads is held together by the thread running within. “Latent impressions are of two kinds: pure and impure; the impure is the cause of birth, the pure brings about the end of birth. The impure latent impression, according to the wise, is dense with ignorance and strong with ego, and is said to be the cause of rebirth. The pure impression, having abandoned the seed of rebirth, remains like a seed that has been roasted; it endures until the end of the body and is called ‘pure’ because the knower and the known are realized. In embodied beings who are liberated while living, there exists a pure impression that does not cause rebirth, like the turning of a wheel in the body. Those whose impressions are pure and no longer the source of further birth and suffering, who have realized the knower and the known, are called ‘liberated while living,’ the truly wise. “I shall now explain to you the state of liberation while living, as attained by the great-minded Rāma, for the cessation of old age and death. O Bharadvāja, great in wisdom, listen as I recount this auspicious path of Rāma; by this you will come to know everything in every way. “Rāma, whose eyes are like lotuses, having left the house of learning, spent his days at home, engaged in playful activities, free from any fear. As time passed, while the king ruled the earth, the people, free from sorrow and established in stability, lived without distress. “At that time, Rāma, endowed with virtues, developed a strong longing in his mind to see the holy places and the rows of sages’ hermitages. Having reflected thus, Raghava approached and took hold of his father’s feet, as a swan would grasp the fresh filaments of a lotus, and said, ‘Father, my mind is greatly eager to see the holy places, the abodes of the gods, the forests, and the sacred shrines. Therefore, you ought to fulfill this previous request of mine; father, there is no one in the world who, having asked you, has been disappointed.’ “Thus entreated, the king, after consulting with Vasiṣṭha, considered and then granted permission to Rāma, who was the first to make the request. On an auspicious day under a favorable star, Raghava, adorned with auspicious ornaments, having received blessings from the Brahmins, set out together with his two brothers. He was accompanied by learned Brahmins sent by Vasiṣṭha, well-versed in the scriptures, and by a few affectionate, distinguished princes. “Blessed by his mothers, adorned with their embraces and good wishes, he departed from that house, intent on undertaking a pilgrimage. Leaving his city, with its citizens raising the sound of musical instruments, he was gazed upon by the women of the city, their eyes like swarms of bees. His path was showered with rice grains by village women, their lotus-like hands extended, his being scattered like a snowy mountain with snowflakes.