Those who earnestly seek to know the truth, using both reasoning and the wisdom of the scriptures, strive to realize the utter absence of any object that can be known. Such ones are firmly established in the practice of Brahman. The wise understand this practice of awareness as the clear recognition that the visible world was neither produced at the dawn of creation, nor does it ever truly exist; both this world and the sense of ‘I’ are but mere notions. From the knowledge of the non-existence of the visible, and from the gradual fading of attachment, aversion, and similar tendencies, there arises a unique delight—this is the true practice of Brahman. As attachment and aversion are thinned by the insight into the non-existence of the visible, this is known as true austerity in the world. But if one continues to see reality in the visible, such error is the root of suffering. When the impossibility of the perceived world is fully grasped, knowledge of what is knowable arises; and by abiding in this knowledge, liberation is attained—this is a practice of great significance. Just as the heavy frost of a long autumn night melts away under the gentle, steady rains, so too does the long night of worldly existence, thick with the sleep of delusion, gradually dissolve under the constant showers of discerning awareness. When the sage had finished speaking these words, the day drew to its close and the sun set. The assembly, having offered their salutations in reverence, quietly departed to bathe as the last rays of sunlight faded into the deepening dusk. That night, within the inner chambers of the palace where the noble lady rested, all attendants lay asleep. The doors, bolts, and windows were firmly secured, and the air was rich with the fragrance of abundant flowers. Seated beside a couch adorned with unfading garlands, in a place illuminated by the radiant faces of women flawless as the full moon, the two companions entered the space of meditation. There, they stood motionless, like figures carved from jewel-encrusted pillars or as if painted upon a decorated wall. As tranquility arose, they let go of all worries and restraint, blossoming like lotus buds at dusk, opening and releasing their fragrance into the night. They became utterly tranquil and pure, unmoving as an autumn mountain, untouched by wind and graced only by clouds after rain. In deep absorption, immersed in non-dual samadhi, they relinquished even the awareness of the sky, just as the wish-fulfilling vine in spring surrenders its sap. No longer did the mistaken notion, ‘I am the world,’ arise at the outset of perception. Both had realized their own nature as absolute non-being. For them, this phantom of perception was utterly gone—just as the horn of a hare is unreal, so too was the world for them. That which does not exist at the beginning is likewise absent in the present; what appears is truly unmanifest. Thus, the world is like water in a mirage. Their nature became solely peaceful; the two women seemed to have moved far beyond all objects—moon, sun, and planets—becoming as vast and free as the sky itself. With the very body of knowledge, the goddess of understanding crossed over; the human one, by her own body, swiftly according to knowledge and ignorance. Within the palace, ascending a space no larger than a hand, they became forms of pure consciousness-space, like those who move freely in the sky. O playful one, delight of play, with charming eyes—by the very nature of mental awareness, it seemed as if you had reached the distant sky. Standing there, with a single-pointed thought, you leapt into the vast expanse, covering immeasurable distances—millions of yojanas—farther and farther. Even in these sky-formed bodies, the very nature of perceiving objects brought them together; by seeing each other’s forms, they became close companions, devoted in affection. From a distant place, they leapt further still. As they slowly ascended to ever higher realms, hand joined with hand, the two moved onward and beheld the sky. It appeared as a single, boundless ocean—deep, pure within, gentle, and offering the pleasure of a soft, delicate breeze. Immersed in these waters of emptiness, they found it exceedingly delightful, serene, entirely pure and profound, clear as a noble soul. In regions where pure waters rested atop peaks, in the abodes of full moon-like clarity, they found rest, their hopes fulfilled. In the gentle breeze, fragrant with garlands worn by siddhas and gandharvas, and sweet with the scent that arose from the moon’s orb, they delighted together. At the end of the intense heat, they bathed in a lake filled with red lotuses and slow-moving waters, as if under a veil of clouds. Across the earth’s gardens, mountain peaks, and countless lotus stalks, the two wandered in every direction, like bees flitting from pond to pond. With their minds dwelling on streams, they enjoyed the cool shelter of waterfalls and the domes of clouds stirred by the wind. Resting from their journey, those sweet companions gazed upon the vast, tranquil sky—empty and immense. They beheld, never seen before, the deep recesses within each other, filled yet unemptied, even by hundreds of worlds. Above, above, above—layer upon layer—were strange veils of elements, clouds, and celestial palaces, each covering the next. All around, the sky was filled with the peaks of Meru and other mountains, glowing with the light of lotus gems, resembling the interior of a cosmic flame. The Himalayas shone with pearl-crested summits, their golden plateaus gleaming and illuminating the golden land. The brilliance of great emeralds colored the grassy plains with a verdant hue, while darkness arose from the fading vision of the observer, born of the absence of truth. Adorned with clusters of pārijāta creepers and celestial palaces, its surface of beryl seemed to blossom with the flowers of awakening. Swiftly traversed by the movement of the mind and the powers of great siddhas, the expanse was filled with the music and songs of divine women in their aerial mansions. Rarely crossed by the hosts of beings who roam the three worlds, this sky teemed with clans of gods and demons, each moving unseen by the others. Thus, in the gentle embrace of wisdom and delight, they journeyed together, exploring the boundless, luminous realms beyond the reach of ordinary perception.