Therefore, it is not merely by knowledge, discernment, virtue, or even the granting of a boon that one attains the supreme world; simply possessing a virtuous body is not enough. Just as a dry leaf, when it falls upon a burning coal, is immediately consumed, so too, even a divine body perishes as soon as it is acquired. This is the true extent of what good fortune can offer: as one remembers, “I am that consciousness,” so is one’s state shaped and determined. Consider the man who mistakes a rope for a snake—how could he act as a snake would? In oneself, what does not truly exist cannot give rise to any activity. The experience of “this is dead” is itself an illusion, a falsehood that arises only from the habits and conditioning previously cultivated. Within the web of the world that one perceives for oneself, the delusion of transmigration—of birth and rebirth—easily arises. But in the worlds imagined by others, such habitual notions of creation and dissolution do not take hold. The cycles of transmigration that are experienced inwardly are far removed from the external web of beings; they are unseen and unknown, just as the disk of the moon remains invisible to those who do not look upon it. Therefore, only those who know the true knowable, or who have taken refuge in the supreme dharma, attain the subtle, luminous ātivāhika body; others do not. The state of the body made of elements is itself an illusion, its nature rooted in delusion. How can others find stability, just as shadows cannot stand firm in sunlight? Līlā, who knows the knowable but has not taken refuge in the supreme dharma, has only reached the city imagined by her husband’s mind. Thus, she has departed, O Ambika, and behold—her husband has begun to relinquish his life-force. What, then, is left to be done here? How does destiny come to be among the existences and non-existences of beings? Why, then, is non-destiny spoken of in matters such as death and birth? How does one’s natural disposition arise? How does existence enter into objects? How does heat reside in fire, or stability abide in earth? How does coldness exist in snow and similar things? What is the existence found in time, in space, and so forth? How do being and non-being arise and cease, and how are gross and subtle things perceived? How is it that great height, as seen in grass, bushes, and sprouts, does not come to a thing even when the cause for its height remains and the object itself is not destroyed? At the time of the great dissolution, when all creation and its foundation have subsided, only the infinite, peaceful, space-like existence remains—the true Brahman. That Brahman, in the form of pure consciousness, imagines itself as a particle of light, thinking, “I am this,” just as in dreams one experiences awareness or the sensation of flying in the sky. This particle of light perceives within itself a sense of grossness, and thus, though the universe is unreal, it appears to be real. Within this, Brahman knows itself as Brahman, declaring, “I am this.” Then it creates a kingdom of thought; in truth, this world is nothing but its own sky-like self. In that first creation, whatever forms of awareness were described as existing—however and wherever they may be—those forms remain even now, unmoving. Whatever form consciousness assumes, in that very way it appears as another self. Since consciousness itself is unrestrained, nothing here is fixed or bound. And the notion of “nothing at all” cannot be applied to the very nature of consciousness; for, having abandoned all forms, how could it possibly continue to exist? At the beginning of creation, consciousness itself, within itself, takes on various forms; even now, by its own nature, it remains as cold, fire, and so forth. Therefore, for one who exists, it is not possible to abandon one’s own being; as long as there is consciousness, this order does not perish. Whatever is formed, wherever—whether space-like or earth-like—from the beginning of creation until now, it cannot move away from its own nature. Whatever consciousness is manifested in whatever way, unless there is an opposing force, it does not depart from that state; by the habit of experience, it remains as it is. At the beginning of the world, what is not produced, yet is experienced as “this,” is the formation of consciousness-space, like the pleasure of a woman in a dream. It is established that this appearance is unreal, though it seems real; thus, the awareness of its own nature is so, and so are the experiences of all beings. The stream of consciousness that was established at the beginning of creation is still observed to remain, even when influenced by another force. The awareness that has taken on the nature of space becomes the consciousness of the sky; the awareness that has become time is the consciousness of the ether as time. The awareness that has assumed the nature of water becomes the consciousness of water established in the ether; similarly, in dreams, a person perceives water within himself. It shines forth with its own awareness of wind, remaining as it is; this cleverness of consciousness imagines what is unreal. The states of being space, wind, earth, water, and fire are all unreal; consciousness itself knows this inwardly, just as it does in dreams, imaginations, and meditations. Now, listen to what is taught for the cessation of all actions here, concerning the sequence of experiencing the results of karma after death, which is truly beneficial. The fixed order at the beginning of creation may be onefold, twofold, threefold, or fourfold; now hear about the order regarding the vitality of beings, in relation to nourishment and so forth. The increase or decrease of human lifespan is caused by the purity or impurity of place, time, action, substance, and one’s own deeds. When a person’s prescribed duty declines, the lifespan here also diminishes; when it increases, so does life; and when it is steady, life remains steady. A child meets death through actions that bring about death in childhood; a youth through actions that cause death in youth; an elder through actions that bring death in old age. Whoever performs their own duty as prescribed by scripture becomes a recipient of prosperity and lifespan according to those scriptures. Thus, according to one’s actions, a living being reaches the final state from here—becoming speechless, with vision fading, and experiencing pain at the vital points—completing the journey shaped by karma and consciousness.