Listen, O Rama, to the wisdom concerning the mind and its mysterious workings. Just as a single person, through diverse actions like bathing, giving, receiving, and eating, takes on various roles and functions, so too does the mind display a multitude of activities, appearing in many forms and names. Because of this variety, agency is attributed to the mind under different titles—sometimes as the tendencies of the living being, sometimes as the actions themselves, and sometimes by their particular designations. Indeed, this entire world of experience is but the play of the mind. Without the mind, even though one’s eyes may see, they do not truly perceive this world. It is the mind that, upon hearing, touching, seeing, smelling, or tasting what is auspicious or inauspicious, feels inner joy or sorrow. The mind is the cause of all objects, just as light is the cause for forms to be seen. If one’s mind is bound, then he is bound; if his mind is free, then he is liberated. Understand that the mind called “dull” is best suited for the dull, and that the mind is dull for one whose consciousness itself is dull. This mind that has arisen is neither fully conscious nor completely inert; yet from it, this world—full of pleasures and pains—has emerged. When the mind becomes of a single form, all of saṃsāra, the cycle of worldly confusion, dissolves. It is turbidity and confusion in the mind that cause the world to appear as it does. Yet, the mind, which is not inert, is not the cause of saṃsāra; nor is the inert, like a stone, the cause of saṃsāra. The mind is the cause of objects, just as forms are revealed by light. Apart from consciousness, what meaning does this world have for the unconscious? Therefore, O Rāghava, in this world, nothing is truly conscious or inert in itself; the entirety of all beings ultimately dissolves away. Through various states and activities, the mind assumes many designations; becoming one, it attains diversity, much like time unfolds through the changing seasons. If, for those said to be without mind, ego and the actions of the senses still disturb the body, then let there be other entities, such as the jīva. But the distinctions in the mind, as posited by different philosophical schools, are sometimes asserted by some and denied by others. O Rama, these powers do not oppose or surpass one another, for all powers exist in the divine, which is all-pervading. Whenever even the slightest trace of inert power arises within pure awareness, then diversity appears. Just as a thread emerges from a spider, the inert emerges from the conscious; in the same way, from the ever-awakened, supreme Brahman, nature itself arises. Because of the force of ignorance, many notions have come into being; thus, terms like “mind” and its modifications are understood differently by various disputants. When this impure awareness first arises, it is called by many names: individual soul, mind, intellect, and ego. In the world, it is known by these various designations, and there is no dispute about this. O Brahman, all this display is said to be the mind alone, for the scriptures teach that the mind itself is action. It is only by the mind, firmly established in its own nature, that this radiant covering of the body is assumed, just as the fierce heat of the sun creates a shining veil. In this world, it is the mind alone that takes on various forms—sometimes appearing as a human, sometimes manifesting as a celestial being, at times as a demon, at times as a yaksha, sometimes as a gandharva, and sometimes as a kinnarā. With various forms as forests, mountains, cities, and towns, it is the mind alone that expands itself into manifold shapes. Thus, the mass of bodies is like grass, wood, or dust; by reflecting on this, what more is there to investigate? For us, only the mind is to be examined. Therefore, I consider that all this world, filled with endless variety, is the play of the mind; apart from that, only the supreme Self remains. The Self transcends all conditions, pervades all, and supports all; by its grace, the mind runs and leaps in the world. Thus, the mind is the agent of action and the cause in bodies; it is born and dies, for such qualities do not belong to the Self. By such inquiry, the mind will come to dissolution; and with the mere dissolution of the mind, the supreme good will arise. When what is called the mind is exhausted, and action is no longer agitated by harmful impulses, the being is said to be liberated and does not take birth again. You have spoken of three kinds of births among men, O venerable one; their primary cause is the mind, which is of the nature of both existence and non-existence. How has that mind, which is called pure consciousness and is devoid of impurity, arisen, expanded, and become the creator of the manifold world? Indeed, there are three kinds of space, which are extended and distinct: the space of mind, the space of consciousness, and the elemental space. These are common to all and are established everywhere; through the power of pure consciousness, they attain the unity of existence. That which is both within and without, the knower, the revealer of being, pervading all beings—this is called the space of consciousness. That which is beneficial to all beings, the creator, consisting of the divisions of time and thought, by which all this is spread forth—this is called the space of mind. That which has an unbroken form extending through the ten directions, which is the essence of the elements, and is the support of wind, water, and so on—this is the elemental space. The spaces of mind and elemental space both arise under the influence of the space of consciousness; for consciousness is the cause of all effects, just as the day is the cause of all activities. The mind that is uncertain, thinking “I am inert, I am not inert,” is impure; know that this very mind is what gives rise to space and the other elements. The conception of the threefold space is imagined only for the sake of instruction to those whose inner self is not awakened; it is not intended for those who are awakened. Thus, O Rama, the teaching reveals the subtle truth: the manifold world and its distinctions are the play of the mind, arising from pure consciousness, and dissolving back into the supreme Self.