When the radiant sage spoke of the intricate net of the world, I, absorbed in contemplation, pondered his words for a long time. Then I addressed him, “O great sage, what you have said is truly fitting. Indeed, the sky is vast, the mind is vast, and the space of consciousness is equally expansive.” “Therefore,” I continued, “as I desire, I engage in the act of creation again and again. Swiftly, I imagine countless hosts of beings, O sun-like one. Now, O blessed one, let it be you who becomes the first Manu in this world. Create the world as you wish, inspired by my prompting.” Hearing my words, the radiant Prabhākara, foremost among those who shine, accepted my request. In his luminous power, he made himself twofold. With one form, he became the sun as before, traversing the path of the sky and unfolding the succession of days within creation. With his second form, assuming my very nature in an instant, he brought forth the entire creation, manifesting it just as I desired. Whatever arises in his mind, that alone appears clearly; its stability and fruition also become manifest. Ordinary Brahmins, through the sheer power of imagination, have indeed attained the state of Brahman, just as the lunar Brahmins did—behold the potency of the mind! In the same way as those lunar beings attained Brahmanhood by the mind, so too have we, by the very nature of consciousness and mind, realized Brahmanhood. The mind is, by its nature, pure imagination. Whatever it imagines appears as the form of the body and so forth; there is no perceiver of the body apart from this. The mind is a wonder of the Self, marveling at itself; whatever arises, arises within its own Self, just like a mirage. That which appears as mind is called the ‘vehicle of the elements’; it is also referred to as the dense mass known as the body, which moves about. This is the mind, bearing the name ‘jīva’, residing in each subtle form. Know that this wondrous body is pacified, and the jīva, step by step, is supreme. Here, neither I nor anything else truly exists; only this mind remains. The consciousness of Vasiṣṭha and Indra has emerged as existence from nonexistence. Just as Indra’s mind is Brahmā, so too am I established here; all this is created by me alone, and I alone appear as the essence of resolve. This is a certain play of the mind, established as ‘I am Brahmā’; know that body and all else are but the nature of emptiness. By contemplating that pure consciousness is of the nature of the supreme Self alone, the mind becomes a jīva and, taking on the form of the body, vainly perceives it. All this appears, like Indra’s world, as the form of consciousness; brought forth through unawareness, it is a long dream arising from one’s own power. Just as one might see two moons by illusion or be confused by the forms of the elements, so too does the mind become established as consciousness, as in the case of Indra’s lotus-born. I am neither existence nor non-existence, neither being nor non-being; by perception, a form appears, but it is ultimately unreal, for it contradicts itself. Know the mind as both inert and non-inert, vast in form and made of thought; it is non-inert because of its nature as Brahman, and inert when it becomes the object of perception. The reality of experience is based upon what is perceived; in its absence, it dissolves. Just as the quality of a bracelet resides in gold, so too does everything rest in Brahman. Because Brahman is all, everything is either inert or consciousness itself; from myself to a stone, there is neither pure inertness nor pure consciousness. Because wood and the like lack consciousness, perception of them cannot arise; perception is born only from a relationship with something similar. Understand that all perception is of what is inert or conscious; perception arises from relation, and relation exists only between things of the same essence. The true meaning of words like inert, conscious, or peaceful does not exist in that which cannot be described, just as leaves and vines do not exist in a great desert. Whatever conceptualization arises in consciousness is called ‘mind’; the conscious aspect here is non-inert, while the inert aspect is its objectification. Here, the conscious portion is the element of awareness, while the inert is the object perceived; thus, the individual soul, seeing the illusion of the world, becomes restless. This very nature of consciousness, pure in itself, is made dual; therefore, all this world is nothing but consciousness, appearing as duality by acquiring a portion. Consciousness, seeing itself as something other, takes on the form of the perceived; though indivisible, it appears as if possessing a single part, wandering as if afflicted by delusion. Yet in truth, there is no delusion, nor even a fragment of delusion—this is the certainty here. Consciousness remains established in itself, like a vast, full ocean. Because of its all-pervasiveness, inertness may appear within consciousness, and this is known as the mind; here, the portion of consciousness is awareness, and inertness arises from the sense of ‘I’. In the supreme reality, even the slightest trace of ‘I-ness’ and the like does not exist; just as waves are distinct from water, so too is that the expanse of consciousness. Know that what is seen as the sense of ‘I’ and the perceived object has arisen; just as in mirages, so too, it may exist here, or perhaps not. Know the state of ‘I-ness’ as merely the self, free from affliction; the wise recognize that ‘I-ness’ and such are only a kind of coldness, just as snow. Consciousness itself appears as inertness in dream, resembling death; yet, being the Self of all and performing all powers, it never truly becomes like that state. The mind unfolds in every form as the substance of objects; this body of mind, manifold in nature, is pure and clear like space. One who always abandons identification with the body and such, recognizing their nature as mere reflections, should clearly discern the essence of mind as mind itself. When the copper of mind is purified and attains the gold of ultimate reality, then uncontrived bliss arises—what use are the fragments of bodily experience?