With the serene moon of tranquility shining overhead, the lion-faced thunderbolt of virtue standing guard, and the autumnal cloud of knowledge clearing the sky, I have resolved to abandon my ego. No longer do I identify myself as Rama, nor do I harbor desires or cling to objects; instead, I wish to remain peaceful within my own self, just as a sage does. Reflecting on my past, I see that whatever pleasures I have enjoyed, whatever actions I have performed, and whatever I have acquired under the sway of ego, all of it is truly unreal. Reality, I now understand, is found only in the absence of ego. If the thought “I am” persists, O Brahman, then in adversity I feel sorrow, and in prosperity I feel happiness; thus, true wealth lies in freedom from ego. Having abandoned ego, O sage, with a peaceful mind, I remain free from agitation, even amidst the flood of enjoyments resting on such fragile foundations. O Brahman, as long as the cloud of ego expands, so long does the cluster of thirst for objects blossom. But when the dense ego becomes peaceful, the vine of craving, deprived of its support, vanishes swiftly—like the flame of a lamp extinguished. Within the great mountain of ego, the mind roars like a wild, intoxicated elephant, crashing thunderously, just as clouds resound with thunder. Here, in the vast cave of the body, the lion of dense ego roars mightily, pervading the entire world. Strung together with the threads of craving, extending through countless births, a necklace of pearls is fashioned and worn at the throat by the fierce hook of ego. Sons, wives, and families are spread out like a web, lacking any true mantra, all woven by this difficult enemy called ego. When the notion “I am” is completely wiped away, then all wicked afflictions are truly eradicated by that very act. When the ocean of “I am” becomes calm and perfectly tranquil, the mist of confusion that clouds the mind gradually disappears. Now, having freed myself from ego, yet languishing here in ignorance and sorrow, O sage, I beseech you: please tell me whatever is appropriate. I do not seek refuge in that impermanent, inner abode of all misfortunes, which is unbound and not endowed with the highest virtue. O great one, earnestly instruct me, for I remain in the utterly painful state of ego-identity. The mind, worn out by faults, though engaged in noble deeds and honored by the virtuous, is as restless and unsteady as a feather blown by the wind. Greatly agitated, it runs here and there in vain, becoming ever more distant and dejected, like a villager lost in a foreign town. It attains nothing anywhere, even when great wealth is acquired; it never finds fulfillment within, like a basket that cannot be filled with water. The mind is always empty, ensnared by the net of desires; it does not attain even a little satisfaction, like a deer separated from its herd. Possessing a nature as fleeting as waves and worn away by afflictions, the mind does not attain contentment, even for a moment, having abandoned peace. Agitated by thoughts, it rushes in all directions, like the waters of the ocean churned by the blow of Mount Mandara. I am unable to restrain the great ocean of delusion in the mind, filled with waves, whirlpools, and crocodiles of illusion. Desiring the tender shoots of enjoyment, not considering the fall into a pit, O Brahman, the mind-deer runs far away. Never does my mind, with its restless activity, abandon that state of being plucked and scattered, like the ocean’s ceaseless agitation. The mind, with its restless movements, stirred by countless thoughts, binds its resolve in many places, like a lion confined in a cage. Mounted on the chariot of delusion, the mind steals away the body’s fleeting happiness, just as a swan extracts milk from water. Hidden in the small bed of endless imagination, the movements of the mind do not awaken, O chief of sages; thus, I am afflicted and disturbed. With thirst tightly knotted and gathered within, O Brahman, I am bound by the mind, like a bird caught in a net. By the constant smoke of anger and the cavity of anxiety’s flames, O sage, I am burned by the mind, as dry grass is burned by fire. Led by cruel craving, I have become dull, O Brahman; like a corpse devoured by a jackal, I am consumed by the mind. O Brahman, with a mind unsteady and inert, tossed about by waves, I have been carried away like a riverside tree by the current. I have been cast far away by my mind, empty and restless, like a blade of grass swept off by a fierce wind. Though always intent on crossing the ocean of worldly existence, I have been blocked by my impure mind, like a flood held back by a dam. As something descending into the netherworld is bound from behind by another going downward, so too have I been encircled by my mind, like a log in a well bound by a rope. By my own mind, which is falsely magnified and sharp with endless reasoning, I have been seized like a child by a goblin. O Brahman, it is hotter than fire, more difficult to overcome than a mountain, harder than a diamond, and fiercely uncontrollable. The mind falls upon objects of action like a bird upon bait, and in a moment withdraws, like a child from a toy. O Father, the mind, by nature dull yet restless, moving in wide and swirling patterns like a sea full of serpents, carries me far away. O noble one, even drinking up the great oceans, even leaping over Mount Sumeru, even eating fire—these are easier than mastering the mind. The mind is the cause of all things; when it exists, the three worlds exist. When it is dissolved, the world is dissolved. Therefore, it must be carefully treated.