O Rama, listen attentively as I unfold the teaching that dispels confusion and reveals the nature of reality. The division you perceive in the world arises only from lack of understanding; when true knowledge dawns, all sense of duality vanishes. In that awakening, the mind’s restless constructions subside, leaving only profound silence. When your inquiry reaches its culmination and you attain understanding, you will recognize the supreme reality—one, indivisible, without beginning or end, unbroken by any division. Those who remain unawakened continue to make mental distinctions, expanding their own imaginations and fabricating differences. But this teaching is imparted for instruction: when knowledge arises, duality dissolves. Without the interplay of word and meaning, duality cannot be established. Indeed, duality itself is impossible, whether in silence or in speech; this truth alone is sufficient. O descendant of Raghu, anchor your intellect in the meaning of the great sayings, disregarding differences in words, and listen closely to what I now share. The mind, arising from nowhere, conjures the illusion of the world, much like the city of the Gandharvas—appearing real but merely a projection. This manifestation called the world is nothing but the mind’s own creation. Just as the mind projects this illusion, I will explain with an example how creation is perceived. By hearing this, O Rama, you will become convinced that all of this is mere delusion, and you will cast away attachment from afar. The three worlds themselves are nothing but creations of thought and imagination. Abandoning all, with a peaceful mind, you will rest in your own Self alone. If you attend carefully to the meaning of my words, you will strive to treat the disease of the mind, applying the ointment of discernment with effort. When this is realized, it is only the mind that appears as the form of the world; the body and such do not truly exist, just as oil is absent in sand. Indeed, it is only the mind that is called saṃsāra, tainted by the afflictions of passion and suffering. When freed from these, that same mind is said to be liberation. The mind is to be mastered, protected, examined, and treated nobly; it must be nourished, engaged in activity, guided, and upheld with care. Thus, the mind contains within itself the varied forms of the three worlds; like a peacock’s egg, it unfolds in due time. That portion of the mind which is consciousness is the seed of all things; its inert aspect is the world itself, a limb of illusion. In the primal creation, this earth and all else are truly nonexistent—formless and unborn, like seeing a dream that is not truly seen. Through extended awareness, creation and its details are known; through inert awareness, mountains and such are perceived; the subtle is recognized by subtle awareness. The body is void, not real. The mind, as the Self pervading all, is filled with its own cognitions—serene, pure, and gentle, like water illuminated by sunlight. The immature mind, ignorant, sees the lord of the world as false; but with understanding, it perceives its own true, flawless form. Now listen, and I will explain how the Self comes to be seen as the source of duality and confusion between unity and diversity, through the sequence of stories to be told. Whatever is spoken with apt similes that touch the heart, and with sweet, charming words, spreads throughout the heart, pervading it like oil in water, without doubt. But what is spoken without simile, with unpleasant words—obscure, agitated, hurried, and poorly expressed—does not enter the listener’s heart, but perishes, like clarified butter poured into ashes. Whatever stories and tales exist in the world, whatever knowledge is declared or explained, O noble one, through the telling of examples and analogies, all this quickly illuminates the world, just as the moon’s white rays do. Long ago, Brahma himself spoke to me about the nature of creation. As you have asked, O sinless one, I will now recount what I learned. Once, I questioned the blessed lotus-born Brahma, asking, “O Brahman, how do these groups of creations arise?” He explained: The mind alone manifests in this way, appearing as if real, like the restless and expansive patterns of water in a lake, swirling in varied forms. At the dawn of day, when one awakens and desires to create the world, listen to what happened in a previous cycle. Once, at the end of the day, having withdrawn all creation, I remained alone, focused and tranquil, leading the night by myself. At the end of the night, awakening and performing the prescribed twilight rites, I directed my vision toward the vast sky to observe the beings. As I gazed, I saw the sky neither filled with darkness nor with light, but utterly expansive, empty, and without any limit. Resolving, “I shall imagine this creation,” I began to observe the sky with a mind that was pure and subtle. Then, with my mind spread out in that vast expanse, I saw there great creations, each existing separately, enduring without interruption. Unseen by each other, they were accompanied by Brahma, Vishnu, and Indra, together with gods, asuras, gandharvas, kinnaras, serpents, and humans. There were Meru, Mandara, Kailasa, Mahendra, Malaya, and other mountains, along with continents, islands, rivers, and regions—ten in number—shining brightly. In those, resembling reflections, were the ten lotus-born ones, dwelling upon lotus stalks, mounted on swan-chariots, each established in their place. In those ten, each existing separately, arose rows of beings, blazing with flames, long and radiant, illuminating the worlds with their brilliance. Great rivers flow there, oceans resound, the hot rays shine forth, and winds surge in the sky. In the heavens, the gods play; on earth, humans play; and in the netherworlds, the asuras and serpents dwell happily. All the seasons, adorned with auspicious qualities, are woven into the wheel of time; as their appointed time arrives, they beautify the earth with fruits in abundance. The established ways of auspicious and inauspicious conduct mature toward the horizons, bringing everywhere the fruits of hell and heaven as they come. Thus, O Rama, by understanding the nature of the mind and creation, you will see all as mere projection, and rest in the peace of your own Self.