Hearing the account of these wondrous events, King Padma was filled with awe and gratitude. To mark the auspiciousness of the moment, he performed a sacred ritual bath, using waters specially brought from the four great oceans. Afterwards, the priests and ministers, following the ancient ways, anointed King Padma as the gods once anointed Indra when he regained his lost glory. Lila herself, together with the king—both now liberated while living and endowed with great wisdom—rejoiced as they remembered the adventures of their past, delighting in their shared experiences as lovers delight in one another. Through the combined grace of the goddess Sarasvati and his own dedicated effort, King Padma attained the highest good, both in this world and beyond. Awakened to the highest knowledge through subtle understanding and established in the play of nonduality, King Padma ruled his realm blamelessly for eight thousand years. He lived liberated even while embodied—his mind conquered, the illusions of the senses overcome, remaining unattached, silent, and moving only with the effortless flow of life. His majesty was such that, just as the moon is a drop drawn from the ocean of beauty, so too was the sun like a spark rising from the fire of his glory. Thus, both King Padma and Lila were liberated while living; after ruling for eight thousand years, they attained final, disembodied liberation, their awareness perfected. At this point, the sage said, “O Rama, this story of Lila has been told to you to remove faults in perception. O sinless one, abandon the dense reality you attribute to the world. The existence of appearances is inherently peaceful; trying to suppress them is of no use. Cleansing what exists is painful, and for what does not exist, there is no need for cleansing at all. Through knowledge, which is as subtle and infinite as space, the object of knowledge—also of the nature of space—is seen as one. Thus, the true knower abides like the limitless sky. What appears as the world, devoid of earth and the other elements, is only the self-luminous radiance of consciousness. Nothing is truly accomplished by what is unaccomplished, and there is no duality in reality. However consciousness strives, so too do external appearances arise; released into the stream of creative awareness, they remain latent until effort activates them. This world is a manifestation within the space of consciousness itself; in the pure self, within the sky of awareness, everything exists, even down to the smallest atom. So, what reality, what latent impression, what condition, what destiny, what embodiment, or what inevitability can truly be spoken of in this realm of deluded confusion? All remains as it is seen—whole and undivided. It is only māyā within the infinite, yet truly, there is no māyā at all. Indeed, O revered one,” Rama replied, “you have revealed the supreme vision to me—like the moon cooling the wildfire of confusion in the realm of appearances. After a long time, I have come to know this indestructible knowledge: whatever this is, however it is, in whatever way and whenever it is. I feel myself growing calm, O best of twice-born; I seem to become free from distinctions. This wondrous narration, this explanation, is found in the vision of the scriptures. Yet, O Lord, I have a doubt—please explain it, you who know all. I am not yet satisfied; your nectar-like words, flowing into my ears, only increase my thirst for understanding. Time, in the threefold creation, is indeed the Lord’s play through yoga. Sometimes it appears as just a single day and night, sometimes as a month. Sometimes it stretches for many years; for some, it is exceedingly brief, for others, extremely long, and for yet another, it lasts only a moment. Therefore, O venerable one, kindly explain this to me out of compassion. For once heard, these teachings do not bring rest—just as water does not stay on a clod of earth. O sinless one, whatever, whenever, and however something is perceived, in that very way, at that very time, it is experienced. Even immortality becomes poison if one is constantly aware of poison; an enemy becomes a friend through the awareness of friendship. As each thing is conceived, so it appears; through long practice, that alone comes under the sway of destiny. This consciousness, being of one essence, manifests as it is imagined; thus, there, it quickly becomes so, due to the sole cause of its own nature. If, in a moment, one perceives a multitude of aeons, then in that very moment, those aeons come to be—of this there is no doubt. If a kalpa perceives itself as a moment, then that kalpa quickly becomes a moment, for consciousness truly takes the form it assumes. For one who is suffering, a single night feels like an aeon, while for the happy, that same night is but a moment. In a dream, a moment may seem an aeon, and an aeon may pass as a moment. In the same way, I have experienced being born after death, being young, remaining in a certain state, and traveling a hundred yojanas—all within a dream. Harishchandra experienced twelve years in a single night; Lavana enjoyed a lifespan of a hundred years within one night. A moment for the lord of creatures is the lifetime of Manu; Manu’s lifetime is the day of Brahma, and Brahma’s lifetime is said to be a single day for Vishnu. For one whose mind has dissolved in meditation, there are no days or nights, no objects, no world—truly, not even a self for the yogi. What is sweet may become bitter when thought of with bitterness; even what is bitter may turn sweet when regarded with sweetness. An enemy becomes a friend when regarded with the mind of friendship, and a friend becomes an enemy when regarded with hostility. O mighty-armed one, the world is as it is perceived. Those objects which are not practiced—such as recitation and study of scriptures—through repeated awareness, surely become assimilated. For travelers troubled by confusion, the boat moves by awareness; but for those troubled by confusion without awareness, it does not move. Emptiness becomes filled through awareness, as in those who see dreams; by awareness, yellow or white is experienced as tasted. A festival, like a calamity, brings distress to those deeply deluded; conduct is seen in the wall as in space, for one whose elements are disturbed. Thus, the story of Lila and the teachings that follow reveal the subtle play of consciousness, perception, and reality, guiding the earnest seeker toward the highest wisdom.