When one abides unmoving, having attained oneness with pure consciousness, whether in action or at rest, such a state is called true peace. In this profound tranquility, subtle consciousness remains capable of perceiving objects, while dense consciousness loses all perception—much like a person who is lightly intoxicated may be restless, but one deeply intoxicated is utterly still. For those firmly established in the supreme unity with pure consciousness, this state can only be described with words like selflessness and emptiness. It is the confusion of consciousness itself that gives rise to the sense of being both the perceiver and the perceived, leading to notions such as “I am born, I live, I perish, I wander in the world.” Beyond its own nature, consciousness has no separate existence, just as air cannot move without vibration; so, truly, what is perceived by what? If perception is impossible, then whatever seems to be perceived by consciousness is merely an illusion—like mistaking a rope for a snake. The wise recognize this as the delusion born from ignorance. In this disease called worldly existence, which can only be cured by pure awareness, why exert yourself in the restless agitation of the mind? If you abandon everything and remain free from all tendencies, liberation dawns instantly—this is certain. Just as the illusion of a snake in a rope vanishes without the rope moving, so too does worldly existence dissolve through the transformation brought by pure awareness. Wherever desire arises, if one stands firm and abandons it, liberation is surely attained—what difficulty can there be in this? Great souls even relinquish their very life-breath as easily as straw; when desire is given up, there is no sense of loss in renouncing anything else. Wherever desire arises, let it be abandoned with an ungrasping mind; act through the organs of action, accepting or rejecting what comes, and remain established in your true nature. The unborn nature of the Supreme Self is as plain as the bilva fruit in your palm or a mountain before your eyes. The Self alone shines as the world, like the ocean at the end of an age—stirred by waves yet immeasurable. Known, it grants liberation; unknown, it binds the mind for ages. A question arises: this living being, unsuited to the mind—who is he in relation to the Supreme Self? How did he arise, and who is he? Brahman, the Lord of all, is always adorned with all powers; whichever power it manifests, that is what is perceived. The All-Self knows the consciousness of awareness, called 'jīva,' the maker of intention. Consciousness, first imagining duality as its own nature and cause, later assumes manifold causality—birth, death, and existence. With things thus, what is called 'destiny,' 'action,' or 'cause'? Here, only pure consciousness exists, with the nature of vibration and non-vibration; like wind in the sky, vibration brings delight, otherwise it is peaceful. When consciousness takes the form of mind, the wise call it vibration; when it does not form an object, it is known as non-vibration. From vibration, consciousness appears as creation; without vibration, it is the eternal Brahman. Causes, actions, and individuality are names for the vibration of consciousness. This vibration, which is the nature of experience, is the seed of transmigration—known as cause, action, and the individuality of beings. When the body arises from the appearance of duality in consciousness, the vibration, through intentions, experiences manifold objects. Having attained various causes, the vibration is eventually liberated—some after a thousand births, some after one. By its own nature, consciousness, having entered duality, gradually assumes the causes of bondage—heaven, liberation, or hell. Just as gold may become an ornament, yet remains the same as wood or clay in essence, so diversity does not truly abide in the body; in inert matter, it is merely a modification. The mind perceives this delusion as real, though it is unborn and unreal—just as, after birth, one thinks “I exist,” and after death, “I am gone,” so is the fall into the end of delusion. The mind perceives the unreal forms of “I” and “mine,” lacking true vision, and remains bound by hope. Just as the king of Mathura was disturbed by the presence of a dog-eater, so the mind is agitated, and thus the world appears to manifest. All of this is merely the exuberant expansion of mental delusion; what is called “living” flashes forth like the movement of water. Before Shiva, from the primordial cause, consciousness inclined toward cognition arises—gentle like the ripple of water from the ocean. From this pulsation, the cycle of living beings emerges, reaching the wave of mind; in the ocean of Brahman, the water of consciousness produces the bubble of creation. Just as the gentle yawn of a lion in a clear, calm, balanced state, so is the reflection of consciousness in Brahman, appearing as cognition itself. Consciousness is called 'cit,' cognition is 'cetyam,' the living being is the mind formed by volitions; intellect is cognition, ego is 'ahaṅkāra,' and illusion is 'māyā,' among other names. First, the mind creates the subtle elements and produces this world, which is unreal yet appears real—like a city of the Gandharvas. Just as one with impaired vision sees pearls or stars in empty space, or confusion arises in a dream, so is the cycle of the mind’s wandering. The pure Self, ever content and tranquil, abides in equanimity—not perceiving, yet seeming to perceive this illusion of mind, like the confusion of a dream. The waking state is called worldly existence; the sense of “I” is known as dream; the mind is like deep sleep; pure consciousness alone is the fourth state. When one abides for a long time in the utterly pure state of consciousness, beyond even the fourth, that person, established there, grieves no more.