O Rama, consider this: the sun and all the celestial bodies, the earth and all that rests upon her, the flowing years and the fleeting moments, the vast epochs and the briefest instants, birth and death themselves—all these are but aspects of the great unfolding. When an epoch draws to its close, there is tumult—the grand dissolution of an age. That is the mighty end, after which creation begins anew, as being and non-being follow one another in endless sequence. Innumerable epochs have come and gone; countless universes have arisen and faded away. Hosts of Brahmas and Indras have presided over these worlds, and the powers of Vishnu and others have played their roles in this cosmic drama. Some of these worlds and beings have matured and fulfilled their purpose; others arise again, forming intricate networks of abodes, dividing space, time, and the arts in manifold ways. Yet, through all of this, the great consciousness—supreme, infinite, and unbounded—remains ever as it was: peaceful, abiding in its own nature. All these myriad forms are like rays emanating from thousands of atoms, all belonging to that great consciousness. They exist inherently within it, neither truly coming nor going. Whatever wonder arises within consciousness, that alone shines forth as creation—a play of form without any true substance. Nothing here truly arises or perishes. They neither come nor go, but remain, unmoving, like the lines within a great rock. All creation arises spontaneously within the pure Self, just as portions of space appear within the vast sky—formless within the formless. Just as water has its liquidity, as eternal movement has its vibrations, or as the ocean has its eddies, so too do qualities—or their possessors—arise within this consciousness. In truth, all this is but a mass of pure consciousness, established as such—beginning and ending with the rising and setting of worlds, yet infinite, peaceful, and all-pervading. To suppose that, in the absence of supporting causes, the world is void, or that a self-born creator suddenly appears—such thoughts are but the babbling of a madman. The one whose mind is free from all stains of worldly activity, who has cast off every bed of doubt, who has long dispelled the deep sleep of delusion, and whose world is adorned with the awakening from the fear of becoming—such a one is truly awakened. O descendant of Raghu, at the beginning of each creation and dissolution, it is memory itself that becomes the first progenitor, the original creator. From that will, which is of the nature of memory, this world arises; thus, the city of imagination shines forth, established by that former creator. Yet, O Rama, even though it appears so, the existence of that former creator does not truly persist, just as a great tree does not remain in the sky. Tell me, O Brahman, can any prior memory exist at the beginning of creation? How could previous memory survive, when it is destroyed by the great delusion of dissolution? Before the great dissolution, the wise ones—Brahma and others of old—indeed attained liberation; they certainly reached the state of Brahman. Who, then, is there to recall previous memories? Since the one who remembers is liberated, memory has become rootless. In the absence of a rememberer, how, by whom, and in what way could memory arise? In the great cycle, all become partakers in liberation alone. The memory that arises, whether of things experienced or unexperienced, arises in the space of consciousness itself—this is what is called the glory of the world. For when the seen is absent, only the radiance of consciousness remains. It shines as the pure radiance of awareness, illuminating without beginning or end; this is what is established as 'this world' and as 'the self-born.' That innate radiance of Brahman, perfected from beginningless time, is the subtle body, the cosmic form—the very shape of the universe. In the atom, this universe shines forth, along with the three worlds, endowed with space, time, action, substance, and the sequence of day and night. In the same way, within each atom, its interior appears similarly, shining forth with a radiant form, just as a mountain range is enveloped. There too, the same form is seen, thus extending into each atom; what is seen appears as a mass, O dear one, but this is not truly real. There is no end to the vision of the real or the unreal anywhere; but, O sinless one, this distinction arises only with respect to the awakened and the unawakened. For the awakened, this is only Brahman—peaceful and unchanging; but for the unawakened, it appears as a dualistic, shining world filled with realms. Just as this radiant world appears, expanding from the cosmic egg, so too countless millions of others shine forth, one within another, in each atom. As within a pillar is a doll, and within her limbs are further dolls, and within those limbs yet more dolls—so too are the worlds within worlds. They are neither separate nor countable, just as the atoms in a mountain; so too are the atomic worlds within the vast mountain of Brahman. The tiny atoms may be counted in the rays of the sun, but the atomic worlds within the sun of consciousness are countless, with neither beginning nor end. Just as atoms move within sunlight, water, and dust, so too do the atoms of the three worlds move within the space of consciousness. Just as this elemental space is nothing but the experience of emptiness, so too is this space of consciousness nothing but the experience of creation. If creation is understood as merely the word 'creation,' the mind is led downward; but when it is understood as the meaning of the word 'Brahman,' it truly brings about the highest good. The ruler, whose essence is knowledge, is the very seed of the universe—the original Brahman, which is only its own space of consciousness. Know that whatever arises from that is nothing but the awareness of inner consciousness. Through study of scripture, association with the wise, and repeated practice, one who is discerning and has mastered the senses comes to realize the utter non-existence of this mass of perceived objects. All this has been explained to you, O best of those with form, regarding the true nature of forms—how the series of waves in the ocean of worldly existence arise and subside. What more need be said? The mind is the sprout of the tree of action; when it is cut, the branches of the world are cut, and the tree of action is destroyed. O Rama, all this exists because of the mind; when it is treated at its root, the entire network of birth-based existence is healed.