Time, in all its vastness and subtlety across the three creations, is but the wondrous play of the Lord through the power of yoga. Sometimes, this expanse of time is experienced as a single day and night; at other times, it shrinks to just a month. For some, it stretches into many years, while for others, it is so brief as to be almost nonexistent; for yet another, it may last but a fleeting moment. Therefore, O venerable one, I beseech you—out of your compassion, explain this to me properly. For, just as water does not remain on a clod of earth, so too does this knowledge not bring rest once it is heard; the heart yearns to understand more deeply. O sinless sage, however and whenever something is perceived, in that very way and at that very time, it is truly experienced. Even immortality, when constantly perceived as poison, becomes poison itself, while an enemy, through the awareness of friendship, is transformed into a friend. As each object is conceived, so it takes its own form; and through long practice, that alone comes under the sway of destiny. This consciousness, being of a single essence, manifests precisely as it is imagined. Thus, whatever is conceived there, quickly becomes reality, for its very nature is the sole cause. If, in a single moment, one perceives a multitude of aeons, then in that very moment, those aeons come into being—of this, there can be no doubt. Likewise, if a kalpa—an age—perceives itself as a mere moment, then that kalpa swiftly becomes just a moment, for consciousness takes the form it assumes. For the one who suffers, a night drags on like an aeon; for the happy, that same night passes as a mere instant. In dreams, a moment may seem to stretch into an aeon, and an aeon may pass as a moment. In just this way, I have experienced being born after death, becoming young, remaining in a certain state, and even traveling a hundred yojanas—all within the span of a single dream. King Harishchandra lived through twelve years in a single night, and Lavana enjoyed a lifespan of a hundred years, all within one night. A moment for the lord of creatures is the lifetime of Manu; Manu’s lifetime is but a single day of Brahma, and Brahma’s entire lifetime is said to be a single day for Vishnu. Yet, for one whose mind has dissolved in deep meditation, there are no days or nights, no objects, no world—not even a self remains for the yogi. What is sweet can become bitter when thought of with bitterness, and what is bitter may turn sweet when regarded with sweetness. An enemy becomes a friend when viewed with the mind of friendship, and a friend becomes an enemy when seen with hostility. O mighty-armed one, the world is truly as it is perceived. Those things which are not yet practiced—like the recitation and study of scriptures—through repeated awareness, surely become assimilated. For travelers troubled by confusion, the boat moves onward by the power of awareness; but for those who are confused and lack awareness, it does not move at all. Emptiness becomes filled through awareness, as it does for those who see dreams; by awareness, even the colors yellow or white are experienced as tastes. A festival, like a calamity, brings distress to those who are deeply deluded. For one whose elemental balance is disturbed, conduct is seen in the wall as it is in space. A false demon can steal even the life-breath of the bewildered; yet, by awareness, a dream-woman gives pleasure as if she were real. Whatever is repeatedly practiced attains stability in the same way; yet, it is unreal, like the sky, and exists only in the sky of consciousness. Know, then, the movement of the world to be like the shadow-play of a hundred-hooved horse spread out in the sky—merely a vibration of the mind, not a real thing. The vision of the demon of false knowledge is without form; it is merely a bodily limitation, obstructive and full of cracks. This radiant appearance, this vision seen in dream by consciousness, is entirely new, arising for the one who is asleep, just as it appears for a waking man. Just as a wooden pillar, though uncarved, stands unmoving, so does the great pillar of ultimate reality—creation—stand unmoved. As a man, surrounded by mighty warriors, is disturbed in a dream, so is the creation of Brahman, for the awakened one, like deep sleep. Just as sap, present in grass, bushes, and creepers, remains hidden in the earth at winter’s end and is established in spring, so too is creation established in the supreme state. Just as liquidity remains latent within gold, not manifesting outwardly, so creation remains in the supreme, the space-like Self, shining forth in the subtlest of the subtle. Just as the arrangement of limbs is not different from the body itself, so too is the world not different from the formless, space-like Self, the space-like Brahman. As a single man in a dream fights with another, so too is this world—having the nature of both existence and non-existence—belonging to the space-like Self, pervading all of space. At the beginning and end of great cycles, this form, whose nature is consciousness, arises; later, through mutual causation, it is known as unreal, not truly existent. If, in this liberated Brahman, another Brahman were to arise from memory, then that memory, being of the nature of cognition, would appear as creation, though it is only pure cognition. How, then, did the lineage of Viduratha appear equally to all the chief ministers of ancient times? All the principal cognitions follow the chief mind, just as common gusts of wind follow a great storm. Through mutual experience, those cognitions take on a similar form among the rulers, subjects, and ministers of a kingdom. Thus, those who know the reality in Viduratha’s city say, “This is our king, born from such a lineage,” or something similar. In the nature of consciousness, there is no need to seek a cause, just as the radiance of a great jewel arises naturally from its own nature. Even the customs of the lineage and the kingship of this land are but the radiance of insight, shining forth from the jewel of Viduratha’s knowledge. As many beings as there are, in whatever creation, at whatever time, all attain mutual recognition due to the all-pervading nature of consciousness.