In the vast emptiness of total dissolution, when all forms and names have faded, only That which truly is remains. In this state, there is neither support nor the supported, no object to be seen nor any seer to perceive. The universe itself disappears; there is no Brahma, the creator, nor any cosmic egg, nor the world or the earth. All abides in perfect, undisturbed stillness. Within this stillness, Brahman alone moves—pure, clear, and self-contained. It is self within self, acting only by its own nature, much like water swirling within itself simply because of its fluid essence. This movement appears unreal, yet is experienced as if real in this world; but ultimately, the unreal perishes, just as death comes in a dream and the dream fades away. Alternatively, because its nature is existence itself, this is truly real—free from all affliction, undivided, without beginning or end, with knowledge alone as its vast expanse. Just as space, the supreme and primal lord of beings, always moves by its own nature, equal in its emptiness, so too does Brahman. He possesses a subtle body, not a material one, so when earth and the rest are not born, existence in its material sense is absent. Thus, everything seen—the world, the ego, and all else—is nothing at all. Since it is unborn, it does not truly exist; what truly exists is only the supreme. That supreme space is what lives and is conscious within all beings, just as water stirs within the unmoving womb of the ocean. The inner activity of consciousness appears as if it knows, yet never abandons its sky-like nature, just as it seems visible within the mountain of dream and imagination. The body of the great cosmic self is devoid of earth and other elements; it is merely a subtle vehicle composed solely of pure consciousness and space. It is like an imperishable mountain of dream, resembling a stable city of dream. Its form is that of an army assembled by the mind, established by the creative activity of consciousness. It is comparable to a mass of pillars and their offspring, not dug into the ground; in the space of Brahman, the self stands undug, like a statue atop its own pillar. The first creator, known as the self-born, is renowned for being without prior causes, for there were no previous effects of his own actions. At the end of the great dissolutions, the first ancestors are released; therefore, what previous karma could exist for them? The wall-like self must be relinquished, for it is both visible and invisible; and there is neither the seen, nor the seer, nor the creator—everything is indeed That. He is the reflection of all objects; from him arises the stream of living beings, just as a series of lamps is lit from a single lamp. Imagination alone, arising from imagination, is devoid of earth and the other elements; yet, like one who possesses earth and the rest, it appears as if manifest, just as from one dream another dream arises. From this very reflection, living beings emerge; and when auxiliary causes are absent, they are indeed That alone. In the absence of auxiliary causes, effect and cause become one; therefore, there is no other source for the illusion of creation. Brahman alone is the original, whose form is the cosmic person; from this cosmic person arises creation. Thus, the space of living beings is that alone, since earth and the rest are unreal. Is the multitude of living beings limited, or is it infinite? Or is there an infinite self, the aggregate of all beings, unmoving like a mountain? Like streams from a raincloud, droplets from the ocean, or sparks from heated iron, why do living beings emerge? Therefore, O venerable one, tell me the true nature of this web of living beings; I have mostly understood, but please make it clear. There is only one living being; how could there be a multitude? To claim otherwise is like saying the horn of a rabbit has arisen and departed. There is no individual soul, nor are there multitudes of souls, O Raghava. Nor is there any single entity, like a mountain, that is a mass of souls. All notions associated with the term 'jīva' are merely constructions; let your conviction be unwavering that none of these truly exist. Pure consciousness alone, immaculate Brahman, exists everywhere here; and by virtue of its all-powerfulness, it manifests whatever aspect it chooses. Just as a vine unfolds in sequence, so too does consciousness—manifest or unmanifest—swiftly perceive itself in that form. The terms 'jīva', 'intellect', 'activity', 'movement', 'mind', 'duality', and 'unity'—all these direct their own existence toward experience. Thus, with awareness, it becomes Brahman itself; with ignorance, it passes into destruction by observation, but it does not become aware. Just as darkness vanishes when seen by a lamp, yet its essence is not known, so too is the nature of ignorance. Thus, the individual soul is Brahman alone—undivided, uninterrupted, all-powerful, without beginning or end, bearing the form of the essence of supreme consciousness. Because of its all-pervasiveness, no notion of division exists in it; whatever conception does arise is only That, experienced as such. So it is, O Brahman, that by the wish of the one living being, all the beings of the world do not truly exist separately, due to the unity of the great Self. That great Self, which is Brahman, is of the nature of all powers; it abides here as it wills, undivided and uninterrupted. Whatever this great Self desires comes to be for it swiftly; but if the desire ceases beforehand, then duality arises from that. Thereafter, among the powers divided into duality, their own activities are projected; thus, by this process, action takes place. By that primordial divine power, the regulation that is established—without that, no other arises; only the primary will prevails. Of that power called the individual soul, whatever desire bears fruit, it is only by the observance of the regulation of the primary power, and not otherwise. If the regulation of the primary power is not firmly established, then, due to the presence or absence of power, the intended result does not occur anywhere. Thus, in this story, the supreme reality alone abides, manifesting all, yet untouched by all, as pure consciousness—one without a second.