In the sacred space of the heart, when pure knowledge dawns and wholesome conduct is set aside, a profound rest arises simply through the dissolution of the mind. Consciousness, ever meditative in the heart’s expanse, turns the wheel of pure awareness. When one destroys the mind without fear, sorrows cease to trouble the soul. If one discovers delight even in what is undelightful, the very limbs of the mind are severed—this is the conviction of the wise. The mind is nothing but the notions of “I” and “mine”; by merely refraining from such thoughts, it dissolves, just as a donor gives away possessions without attachment. Like a broken cloud vanishing in the clear autumn sky, the mind, freed from impressions, disappears into the supreme, undifferentiated reality. Where weapons, fire, and wind may bring fear, in that which is self-dependent, gentle, and clear, there is no fear—especially in the absence of thought-constructs. From childhood, the mind is filled with notions of “this is good, this is not,” unbroken and persistent. Like a noble parent guiding a child, the mind should be joined to what is good. Those who conquer the five-headed lion of the senses—the beast that expands the forest of transmigration—are the true victors who attain liberation. Terrifying calamities, bringing confusion, arise from the formation of thoughts, just as mirages appear in the desert. Let the winds of the end of the age blow, let oceans merge, let twelve suns burn fiercely; none of these can harm one whose mind is free from thoughts. From the seed of the mind sprout fruits of good and evil; these are the thickets of worldly existence, the shoots of the seven worlds. All attainments are accomplished solely by absence of thought; one should remain steadfast in the sovereignty of thoughtlessness, devoted to its support. As the mind gradually diminishes, it grants supreme bliss, just as a dying ember gives warmth to one who seeks the end of embers. Even if the mind aims at the highest abode of Brahman, it is still distinctly perceived within the smallest particle, divided and manifest. Through the power of thought alone, great misfortune is created; through the quiescence of thought, the desired goal is easily attained. Conquer the mind by the power of contentment alone, and achieve victory through the ever-arising, unpursued satisfaction. May that unborn state remain—that which is left when the mind is purified by supreme equanimity, by the wisdom of the knower of the Self, and by the pacification and limitation of inner egoity. Whatever object, in whatever manner, and by whatever means the mind intensely desires, it perceives as it wishes. This intense momentum of the mind arises and ceases; it is causeless by nature, like a chain of bubbles in gentle water. Just as coldness is the nature of snow and blackness the nature of soot, restlessness is the very form of the mind, which is singular and exceedingly intense. How can the forceful motion of this exceedingly restless mind, whose only cause is its own momentum, be restrained by strength, O Brahman? Nowhere is a mind without restlessness ever seen; restlessness is the nature of the mind, just as heat is the nature of fire. This very restless power, established in consciousness, is the mental energy—the essence of the world’s display. Just as the existence of air is known only through its movement or touch, so too the existence of consciousness is perceived only through restless vibration. That which is free from restlessness is called the dead mind; and that alone is asceticism, the liberation celebrated in the scriptures. By the mere dissolution of the mind, suffering ceases; by the mere arising of the mind, the highest suffering is obtained. The demon of the mind, when it rises up, loudly produces suffering; for the sake of endless enjoyment and happiness, one must strive diligently to subdue it. Its fickleness is called ignorance, also known as tendency; destroy it through discernment. By dissolving ignorance, which is tendency, and by attaining inner peace of mind—when these are dissolved through renunciation—the highest good is attained. That which is between existence and non-existence, between consciousness and inertness—that, O Rama, is the mind, oscillating between the two. When the mind is absorbed in dullness and, by identifying with dullness, is seized by it, then, through the force of firm habit, the mind attains inertness. Through constant inquiry and discrimination, the mind, by identifying with the aspect of consciousness, attains the state of pure consciousness, becoming steady through the force of firm practice. By human effort and diligent practice, wherever the mind is made to rest, it becomes colored by repeated practice. Therefore, relying on your own effort, seize the mind with your awareness; taking refuge in the state free from sorrow, be steadfast and without fear. If the mind, shattered by thoughts of worldly existence, is not itself lifted up by the mind, O Rama, then it can only be forcibly raised—there is no other means. Only the mind is capable of firmly restraining itself; who else could subdue a king, O Raghava, except another king? For those seized by the crocodile of craving and tossed about by the whirlpools in the ocean of worldly existence, their own mind alone is the boat that can take them far. By the mind alone, cutting the noose of the mind—the supreme bondage—if one does not free oneself, then there is no other who can liberate him. Whatever tendencies arise under the name “mind,” each colored by its own impressions, the wise should abandon them; then ignorance is destroyed. Having abandoned the desire for enjoyment, also abandon the tendency toward suffering; then, letting go of both existence and non-existence, be happy in the state beyond concepts. The cessation of imagining is itself the end of imagination; this alone is called the dissolution of the mind and the destruction of ignorance.