Indra spoke to the king with calm assurance, saying, “O King, for me, this whole world is filled with affection; punishments do not trouble me at all. And for her as well, O King, all of this world is truly made of mind; thus, the pain of punishment does not disturb us. We are called ‘mind’, for indeed, mind is said to be the true person; this visible body is but a projection. Even if a multitude of punishments were suddenly inflicted all at once, they could not unsettle a steady mind in the least. “What force is there, O great King, and of what nature, and whose power, that could break a mind that is firmly resolved? Whether this body falls, rises, or is scattered, the mind fixed on its aim remains unchanged. The mind, long absorbed in its cherished object and steadfast, is not broken by any influences that dwell in the body. Whatever the mind intensely contemplates, O King, it perceives as unmoving, regardless of what the body does. No action, whether involving boons or curses, can shake a mind endowed with great force. “The mind of one who is deeply attached to a desired object cannot be moved—just as animals cannot move a great mountain. O Rama, this dark-eyed one is established in the treasury of my mind, like the goddess Bhagavati in her lofty heavenly abode. I do not give myself to sorrow, even if I lose my beloved, just as a mountain is untouched by the heat of summer when embraced by clouds. Wherever and however I go, O King, I experience nothing apart from my desired attachment. “This mind—called by such names as Ahalya’s beloved and Indra of the mind—becomes attached only through association, not by its own nature. The mind of one steadfast and single-minded is not shaken even by the force of great boons or curses, just as Mount Meru stands unmoved. The body may change due to boons or curses, but not the mind of the resolute, O King, which has arisen with the desire to conquer. “These fragments of the body are not the cause of the mind; rather, the mind is the cause in these bodies, just as water pervades all groves and clusters of reeds. Know, O great-souled one, that the primary body here is the mind; by it, the multitude of bodies is imagined in this world. Wherever the primary body abides, there alone does it bear fruit for that person, not elsewhere. Know, O fortunate one, that the mind is the main sprout of a person; from it, bodies arise like shoots from a tree. When the sprout is destroyed, the shoots cannot arise again, but the sprout does not perish when the leaves are gone. “When the body perishes, the mind swiftly creates many new bodies, just as in a dream a new forest appears. But when the mind is destroyed, the body does nothing at all; therefore, preserve the jewel of the mind. O King, in every direction I see only my beloved, the doe-eyed one; my mind is ever delighted by you, dear woman. I do not see, even for a moment or a long time, any sorrow arising from your pleasures. When Indra had spoken thus, the lotus-eyed king turned to the sage Bharata, who sat nearby, and addressed him: “Venerable one, you who know all dharma, do you see the great audacity shown openly by this wicked man who has taken my wife? O great sage, give him a curse befitting his sin; for the punishment of the unpunishable, the destruction that comes from killing—this alone is proper.” Thus addressed by the lion among kings, the noble sage Bharata quickly considered the sin of that wicked man as it truly was, and pronounced this curse: “With this evil-doer, corrupted by betrayal of her husband, you of impure mind—go to destruction together.” Because of this curse, both of them, minds bound by attachment, fell to earth like two leaves shaken from a tree. Afterwards, bound to misfortune, they were born as deer; then, still attached, both were born again as birds. Today, O Lord, in this creation, they have been born as a brahmin couple, both deeply devoted to ascetic practice, bound together by mutual intention and supreme virtue. Indeed, O Lord, Bharata’s curse affected only their bodies, not the restraint of their minds. From that time until now, due to bodily inclinations, wherever they are born, those two always become husband and wife. Observing the pure and natural affection, infused with the essence of love between them, even the trees, touched by that nectar of affection, are stirred with gestures of romance. Therefore, O venerable sage, I say this as it arises in my mind: the mind is ungraspable, impenetrable, and not subdued even by powerful curses. The destruction of the lunar race or the order of creation is not appropriate, O Brahman; such an act does not befit the great-souled. What in this world, or among all the worlds, could bring misery to you, O Lord, or to the Lord of lords, who is of great soul? For the mind is the creator of worlds; the mind is said to be the person. What is done by the mind is truly done in the world, not what is done by the body. That which is determined by the mind cannot be destroyed in a being by means of substances, medicines, or punishments, just as the reflection in a jewel cannot be removed. Therefore, let these beings remain here, amidst the radiant commotion of creation; you, having created beings here, abide in the space of intelligence, O endless one. The space of mind, the space of consciousness, and the third, physical space—these three are indeed infinite, all revealed by the light of the space of consciousness. O creator, make one, two, or many creations as you wish; abide in your own will—what is gained for you by the Indras?