All that we call life, O Raghava, is but the exuberant play of mental delusion, a fleeting flash much like the quick shimmer of water in motion. Before Shiva, from the primordial cause, consciousness arises, gently inclining toward cognition, just as a subtle ripple stirs upon the vast ocean’s surface. From this subtle stirring, the cycle of living beings emerges, reaching the wave of mind; in the boundless ocean of Brahman, the water of consciousness gives rise to the bubble of creation. This manifestation is as effortless as the gentle yawn of a lion in a state of perfect clarity and balance—so too does consciousness reflect within Brahman, appearing as cognition itself. Consciousness is known as 'cit,' cognition as 'cetyam.' The living being is the mind shaped by volitions; intellect is another form of cognition, ego is called 'ahaṅkāra,' and illusion is named 'māyā,' among other terms. First, the mind creates the subtle elements, and thus produces this world—a world that is unreal, yet appears real, much like the mirage city of the Gandharvas. Just as a person with impaired vision sees pearls or stars in empty space, and as confusion reigns in a dream, so too does the mind wander in its own cycles. The pure Self, ever content and tranquil, abides in equanimity; though not truly perceiving, it seems to perceive the mind’s illusion, just as one is fooled by a dream. The waking state is known as worldly existence; the sense of 'I' is the dream; the mind is like deep sleep; and pure consciousness alone is called the fourth state. When one abides for a long time in the utterly pure consciousness that is beyond even this fourth state, that person, established there, knows no sorrow. From that pure consciousness, all arises and into that alone all dissolves; it is there that this world unfolds, just as a string of pearls appears in a vision. Just as space, by not obstructing, allows a tree to grow, so too, though not acting, consciousness is the doer and the cause of the world’s existence. Just as iron, by its proximity, enables a reflection in a mirror, so too does consciousness become the means for perceiving objects. Like a seed that, through sprout and leaves, yields fruit, pure consciousness, through objects, mind, and living beings, gives rise to the mind. And just as a seed, after giving rise to fruit, returns to being a seed, so too, when consciousness, its objects, and the mind are abandoned, one abides in one’s own natural state. Though there is a difference between ignorance and knowledge, like that between the seed within a tree and the seed itself, yet between the mind of the world and the mind of Brahman, there is no such distinction. Still, when knowledge dawns, the undivided nature of the Self is revealed, just as a lamp reveals the beauty of a form—so does the light of pure consciousness shine forth. Whatever is buried in the earth becomes space; in the same way, whichever ignorance is examined becomes the supreme. Just as the arrangement of pure crystals appears manifold due to the perception of their own facets, so does the world seem manifold within the expanse of Brahman. Brahman is all; the world is one undivided mass, existing like a seed that contains within itself fruit, leaves, creepers, bushes, and even the seats upon which they rest. Ah, how wondrous is this world! It appears unreal, yet seems real—so vast, so clear, so distinct, so subtle! In Brahman, the very essence of appearance is a realm of subtle elements, shining forth like a cluster of inevitable particles, as it is heard in the teachings. O Lord, tell me, how does one turn away from this illusion, how is the self established, and how does natural attainment arise? Its form is utterly impossible to define, not other than its own nature; though never truly experienced, it appears before one as if directly perceived. Just as in a child's heart, words like 'hullas,' 'sabhullo,' 'ghullāṅgha' arise clearly, so too does the living being arise in the supreme Brahman. This being abides as the unreal, pure, and measurable, yet appears as if real; though seemingly separate, it is not apart from Brahman, whose very nature is expansion. Just as the living being, whose life is imagination, swiftly becomes Brahman, so too does the living being quickly become mind, whose nature is thinking and knowing. The mind, which is but the act of thinking about subtle elements, quickly perceives its own nature; this aggregate, like a puff of wind, flashes forth within space. It experiences emptiness, like a particle of necessity; its essence is awareness, and, marked by time, it is established in the self. The living being perceives the meaning of words such as 'Who am I?' and the awareness of limbs; this awareness perceives the true meaning of objects and words. Then, with such awareness, he perceives taste, sound, and meaning, experiencing them for a moment in the realm named after the tongue of feeling. From such awareness, the living being becomes inclined toward the meaning of sound, and illumination arises in the region named after the future eye. Then, with the same awareness, he perceives the function of the nose; wherever he is established, the state of sight and so forth remains there. In this way, the embodied soul, like the chance meeting of a crow and a palm fruit, gradually perceives the distinctive arrangement arising within himself. He recognizes, through hearing, the partial presence of sound in this arrangement, whether it is real or unreal, existent or non-existent. He recognizes the partial presence of touch through the meaning of skin and sound, and perceives taste through the form of the tongue’s object. He perceives form through the shape of the eye’s object, and smell through the nature of the nose. Thus, this state composed of such qualities is capable of manifestation; he perceives that opening in the body called the future sense organ. In this way, O Raghava, for the primal living being and for the present one as well, the apparent self—the transmigrating principle—arises only in the body. The supreme existence, which is truly indescribable, seems to take on the role of transmigration. Yet, though it appears to go, it does not truly go at all—such is the power of self-imagination.