In the beginning, what is known as the mind arises, inclining itself toward conceptualization. This subtle force, which is called by many names—ego, mind, individual soul, thought, illusion, or nature—takes on these forms according to its tendencies. The mind, whose very essence is to conceptualize, imagines the elements as its own form; by this act of imagination, it enters into the state it conceives, and from this very conceptualization, it eventually dissolves. Taking the shape of the five subtle elements, the mind becomes like a tiny particle of light—just as a faint star glimmers in the boundless, unborn sky. Through the power of imagination, the mind assumes this luminous state, and from its own vibration, it grows like a seed sprouting into new life. This particle of radiance, known as the 'cosmic egg,' comes into being through mere imagination, and within it, Brahma appears, just as water forms a bubble. By the force of imagination, some swiftly take on bodily form and other such manifestations; yet these forms, born of delusion, are not their true nature—like illusory treasures conjured by the desires of celestial beings. Some attain the state of the immobile, some the mobile; some, by their own will, take on forms like sky, air, or water, each according to their kind. At the dawn of creation, the primordial body arises from the resolve of the living being, gradually reaching the station of Brahma, who then creates the world. This self-born one, whose essence is imagination, instantly perceives whatever he imagines as already arisen, by the force of his own nature. From the nature of consciousness arises his own Brahmahood, the root cause of all; and within the cycle of transmigration, karma is fashioned and established as the cause. Mind, like foam from water, arises from the nature of consciousness, and is then bound by actions, just as a drum is held together by its cords. Imagination is the seed of action, and the living being is of its very nature; action, in due course, produces a sequence that eventually leads to non-action after it has arisen. The seed, first enveloped by its own sprout, retains its seed-nature; later, through the illusion of leaves, shoots, and fruits, it assumes diversity. Other living beings in the sky similarly take on such forms; when the world arises earlier, they attain states based on the elements. Through their own actions, which become the causes for birth and death, these beings move upward or downward; action is the vibration of consciousness. This vibration itself becomes action, and is destiny, mind, and the source of all auspicious and inauspicious results. Thus, worlds and universes arise, and beings emerge swiftly, like flowers blossoming from a tree. For this reason, the mind first arises in this way; it is by nature a field of thought and enjoyment, and attains a state corresponding to its tendencies. Because of its oscillation between increase and decrease—between being and non-being—this creation is observed; it appears both real and unreal, like a magical city seen according to the wishes of a celestial musician. In truth, there is no real distinction; duality and unity are but imagined. The concepts of Brahman, the individual soul, mind, illusion, agent, action, and the world are all mere appearances. With the playful movement of the boundless waters of consciousness, the Self alone expands as the single ocean of awareness. Unreality arises from instability, while reality appears from one’s own perception. Just as in a dream, so too in the mind, the world is of the nature of both existence and non-existence. This is neither truly existent nor non-existent; it is born from the confusion of the waking mind, arising like an illusion from a mixture of herbs. A long dream, having gained duration, is called ‘worldly existence’ by the power of the mind. Through mistaken perception, belief in a fixed object is vain, like a man mistaking a stump for a person. Because the Self is not perceived, the mind grieves, imagining itself as the mind; like a child frightened by a phantom, it suffers from its own imagined terrors. Because of its tendency toward objects, the mind arises from the transcendent essence of the unnameable true nature; from mind comes the notion of living. From the notion of living arises the sense of ‘I’; from the sense of ‘I’ comes mind; from mind arise the senses and so forth, and from that, the delusion of body and other things. From delusion about the body, heaven and hell, liberation and bondage arise; like seed and sprout, the beginning and growth of actions related to the body become established. Just as there is no duality between the essence of consciousness and the Self, so too there is no difference between the living being and the mind; and likewise, there is no difference between body and action. Action itself is the body, and indeed the body is the mind; that alone is the sense of ‘I’, and thus the living being. This living being, shaped by the Lord, is the self; all of this arises from Shiva, the one foundation. Thus, O Rama, the supreme reality is one, though it appears as many; it seems to become manifold, just as a hundred lamps are lit from a single flame. If one sees the self as it truly is—devoid of separate reality—and examines it with the mind, then, free from the sense of ‘I’, one does not grieve. For the one whose mind is tranquil, the world becomes tranquil as well, just as for one whose feet are wrapped, the earth itself seems covered in leather. Just as there is nothing in a banana plant except its leaves, so too, apart from illusion, nothing else exists in the worlds. The mind dances in delusion, giving rise to childhood, youth, old age, death, heaven, and hell. In the play of diverse bubbles within the undivided self, the mind’s capacity in the cycle of existence is like the potency of wine. Just as one sees double in the moon due to a defect in the eye, so too, when consciousness is touched by the power of awareness, it appears as duality in the supreme self. Just as a drunken man, under the influence of wine, sees trees spinning, so too, when consciousness is disturbed, it perceives the world as manifold. As a child, in playful confusion, sees the world spinning like a potter’s wheel, so too, because of consciousness, the world appears as an object of perception. When consciousness perceives duality, there arises the illusion of difference and unity; when it does not perceive duality, then both difference and unity cease. Whatever is perceived is not other than consciousness; and when nothing is perceived as separate, the activity of consciousness comes to rest.