In the midst of a profound dialogue, the sage reveals to Rakshasi the subtle mysteries of consciousness and the world. He begins by drawing a comparison: just as a grain and a morsel of food are indistinguishable in the fleeting span of a blink, so too, neither the curved nor the straight—no matter their shape—can be considered the true atom of consciousness, for consciousness is unique, possessing its own form. He continues, describing the self as vast as the sky, seated in apparent indifference, untouched by anything. Though it seems to play the roles of both enjoyer and doer, it remains unaffected, and from it, even entire worlds are created. The existence of the world itself arises from this pure, atomic consciousness. Yet, in that supreme atom, the states of being an enjoyer or a doer do not truly reside. He explains that nothing in the world is ever truly done by anyone, nor does anything ever dissolve; the primal essence cannot be divided. All that appears, he says, is contained within a space-like expanse, presenting itself as a single flavor, known as the world-process, yet ultimately nameless. This atomic consciousness, for the sake of appearance, brings forth a marvelous awareness from within itself and displays it outwardly. What appears both outside and inside exists only as a word, not as substance—this is merely for the instruction of beings, since the three worlds are, in truth, of the nature of consciousness. The sage then illustrates how the seer, moving toward the seen, perceives himself, just as the eye, when directed at objects, seems to become established as real or unreal. Yet, the seer never truly becomes the seen, for the seer is insubstantial and unreal; nothing exists in the self, so nothing can manifest before it. He clarifies that the perceiving faculty is itself the eye, and its tendency is its own form. By adopting manifold appearances as the seen, it arises as the perceiver. Without the perceiver, there is never any existence of the perceived—just as there is no son without a father, or duality without unity. It is only the perceiver who becomes the perceived; there is no perceived without the perceiver—just as enjoyment cannot exist without an enjoyer. Indeed, the seer has the power to create the seen, just as pure gold can be fashioned into a bracelet. But the seen, inert as it is, cannot create the seer—just as a bracelet or an illusion cannot produce gold. The creation of the seen arises from consciousness, and is truly unreal; the illusion of the bracelet is caused by ignorance, with gold as its sole basis. Just as in the appearance of a bracelet, there is no bracelet-nature in gold—only gold truly exists—so too, in the presence of the seen, the form of the seer alone shines forth. When the seer stands as the seen, it seems to abandon its own seerhood—just as, when the bracelet is perceived, gold appears to lose its goldness. Within a single appearance, there is no real existence of seer and seen. When the notion of a man is manifest, the notion of an animal does not arise. While perceiving the seen, one does not perceive oneself as the seer; for when the seer assumes the form of the seen, its existence seems both to be and not to be. When the seen dissolves in knowledge, only the existence of the seer shines forth—just as, when the bracelet is not recognized, only gold remains as gold. When the seen is unreal, there is no seer; when the seer does not exist, the seen is not there. Without the two, there is neither unity nor even non-unity between them. Having understood all this, the one whose nature is pure consciousness abides in a state of repose, beyond the reach of words. The self, the act of seeing, and the seen are all illuminated as if by a lamp; all this is accomplished by that ultimate atom of pure consciousness. The three—knower, known, and means of knowledge—are deposited in the intellect; like the form of a bracelet in gold, they appear as if real, but are not truly so. Just as there is not the slightest water apart from a wave, so too, nothing at all exists apart from this essential atom of its own nature. Because all experience is of the nature of the all-experiencer, and all forms of experience are truly one, when the experience of unity is established, all is recognized as one. By its own will, separateness appears, like waves on the great ocean; according to the nature of that will, the manifestation of objects arises as a single appearance. The supreme self is utterly unconditioned by direction, time, and so on; being the self of all, it is all, and by its own nature, it is the universal experiencer. This is existent due to the nature of consciousness, and nonexistent due to lack of awareness; in the true form of the great Self, there is neither duality nor unity. If there were a second, then unity would belong to the one; the mutual establishment of duality and unity is like sunlight and its shadow. Where there is no second, how can unity belong to the one? When unity is not established, duality itself does not exist. When this is so, whatever remains is empty, belonging to this state; therefore, nothing distinct from its own nature exists, like fluid from water. The world, vast in its manifold beginnings and tranquil in its sameness, abides within Brahman as a tree within its seed. Thus, even duality is not separate from the essence, like the hardness in gold; in the awareness of sameness, duality is both existent and composed of nonexistence. Just as liquidity belongs to water, vibration to air, and emptiness to space, so duality is not separate from the Lord. The perception of duality and nonduality is for sorrow and destruction; the subtle non-perception of both—those who know this are the highest. Measure, measurer, and the measured—these states of seer, seeing, and seen—this is the world, and all this abides within the subtle particle of consciousness. This universe is but an atom, ever sustained within this subtle, Mount Meru-like particle, just as movement is held within the wind, within its own being—how else could it be? Truly, this is a vast illusion—or perhaps the illusionist is supreme; for within the subtle particle itself exists the entire succession of the three worlds. Thus, this ever remains as an impossible illusion; the world exists only as a measure within the subtle particle of pure consciousness.