A gentle thought arises in the mind: “I did this before.” In that fleeting moment, the mind is visited by both truth and untruth, mingling as if in the haze of a dream. When suffering weighs upon us, time stretches endlessly; in happiness, it feels light and swift. Such was the experience of Hariśchandra, for whom a single night was said to last twelve years. Whatever conviction—true or false—appears within, it shines forth, much like the form of a bracelet manifesting from gold, or a wave rising in the ocean. Yet, there is no blinking of the eyes, no measure of time, no nearness or distance; all these seeming distinctions arise only in the reflection of consciousness. Just as there is no real difference between light and darkness, near and far, moment and age, or between two sheaths of consciousness, so too, there is no true division at all. What is directly perceived is so because of the senses; what is not directly perceived lies beyond them. Yet, only the seer truly exists, for the seen arises only by being seen. As long as one is aware of the bracelet, there is no awareness of the gold; and as long as perception dwells on the seen, the art itself is not recognized. When the bracelet-form is dissolved in perception, only gold remains, spread out and pure; likewise, when all forms are cleared away, only awakened Brahman remains. It is called real because it is all; unreal because it is hard to grasp; conscious because it is consciousness itself; insentient where cognition cannot reach. In this very Self, whose nature is pure wonder of consciousness, in which the world appears as a reflection, how can there be measurement of the world—like wind or trees—in the play of consciousness and its objects? Just as the appearance of water in a mirage is not true water, so too this world, which seems a single, solid reality, is but the shining forth of consciousness, nondual in nature. That which is fashioned by rays subtler than sunlight, untouched by affliction, may exist or not exist—what discernment can there be of a wall or anything else in that? Just as gold seems to shine in the sky because of the dust of illusion, so too does this world appear. When consciousness and its objects are not distinguished, whence could the world arise? As the experience of a wall in a city imagined in a dream or fantasy is neither real nor unreal, so too, this world is a long-standing delusion. Thus, those whose minds are purified by repeated contemplation of such reasoning come to see things as they truly are, passing beyond the seeming wall-space. There is no difference between the space within a wall and space itself, except by firm conviction; whatever distinction is established—from Brahma down to a living being—remains merely so. In the space of pure appearance, the notions of bed, wall, and emptiness manifest due to condensation, just as rays of light seem to form solid beams. The apparent separateness of appearances arises from their own wondrous power; for supreme appearance is all-pervading, like the seed within the essence of a tree. Just as the seed contains the tree within, and though the forms are many, the vision is one, so too the countless worlds rest in Brahman, peaceful as the space within a vessel. As the tree within the seed abides in undivided space, so the worlds within Brahman remain unmoved in the space-like stillness. Peaceful, whole, unborn, one, without beginning or middle—here, no aspect or calculation exists at all; utterly tranquil, beyond duality, extraordinary, manifold, pure, appearing as mere semblance, fully blossomed—abide in this. At this point, the minister’s words of ultimate truth are acknowledged as purifying, and the lotus-eyed king is invited to speak. He explains: from the perception of the atom arises wind, and wind is seen through delusion; thus, nothing remains of wind or anything else—only pure consciousness. From the perception of sound arises sound, and sound is seen through delusion; thus, the notion of sound and its meaning has gone far away. That atom is everything and nothing; “I am that, and not that, and only that; the cause here is simply the radiance of the all-powerful Self.” The Self is attained through hundreds of efforts, yet when found, nothing is gained; what is found is simply this, called the supreme nothing. So long as the root-cutting awakening has not arisen, the cycle of transmigration continues to unfold for a long time through the many springs of birth. As this subtle entity, appearing as its own form, seems to move about, its true nature is absorbed by the mind itself, just as water is absorbed by heat, while remaining unchanged. By this consciousness, having expelled outwardly all things—Mount Meru, the three worlds, even blades of grass—it perceives within itself only the essence of illusion. Whatever exists within the atom of consciousness is seen outside; for the passionate, the example is the experience of embracing a desired object in imagination. Just as, at the beginning of creation, consciousness endowed with all powers swiftly perceives everything by its own will, so too does it surpass all imagination. Whatever appears within the mind of one whose disposition is noble, that he seems to see; the example here is the mind of a child. Even in the subtlest atom, by this pure consciousness, the entire universe is thoroughly pervaded in the most minute way. This atom does not perish, even across hundreds of leagues, for it is all-pervading, without beginning or end, and is known only as the form of awareness. Just as a child is manipulated by a cunning trickster through gestures, glances, and movements of the eyebrows and eyes, so too, by the pure light of consciousness, the entire world with its mountains and grasses is ceaselessly made to dance, always displaying its play of appearances. Because of its all-pervading nature, just as a subtle fragrance permeates a garment, so does consciousness exist within and without, enveloping even Mount Meru and beyond. Because it is not limited by direction, time, or anything else, though greater than Meru, it is also the subtlest, finer than a hundredth part of a hair’s tip. For that ultimate atom, whose nature is pure awareness and space, any comparison is inadequate—just as one cannot compare Mount Meru and a mustard seed. The minuteness of illusion is due to its magical nature, while the Supreme Self is beyond illusion; just as a bracelet is not equal to gold itself, so there can be no equivalence here. Thus, through these teachings, the wondrous play and unity of consciousness is revealed, and seekers are invited to abide in the peace and fullness of Brahman, beyond all distinctions and imagination.