Within the infinite expanse of Brahman, the atomic worlds are neither distinctly separate nor can they be counted, much like the countless atoms that make up a vast mountain. Even if one could attempt to count the tiny particles dancing in the rays of the sun, the atomic worlds within the sun of consciousness remain truly innumerable, without beginning or end. Just as atoms move freely within sunlight, water, or dust, so too do the subtle atoms of the three worlds move within the boundless space of consciousness. This elemental space, in truth, is nothing but the experience of emptiness; in the same way, the space of consciousness is nothing but the experience of creation itself. If one regards creation merely as the word ‘creation,’ the mind is led downward into limitation. But when creation is understood as the very meaning of ‘Brahman,’ it brings about the highest good. The true ruler, whose essence is pure knowledge, is the seed of the universe—the original Brahman—which is none other than its own space of consciousness. From this, whatever arises is nothing but the awareness of inner consciousness. Through the study of scripture, the company of the wise, and repeated practice, a discerning person who has mastered the senses comes to realize the utter non-existence of this mass of perceived objects. All this has been explained, O best of those with form, regarding the true nature of forms—how the 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 the mind is cut, the branches of the world are cut, and the entire tree of action is destroyed. O Rāma, all this exists because of the mind; when the mind is treated at its root, the entire network of birth and worldly existence is healed. It is this mind, troubled by even a trace of impurity, that arises in the world; apart from the mind, where indeed can the body be seen? There is no other cause for the world’s appearance except the utter impossibility of its true arising; the demon of the mind is pacified, even after hundreds of aeons, by this realization. In treating the mind’s affliction, the supreme and best medicine is the realization of the utter impossibility of the world’s appearance. The mind alone takes up delusion, the mind alone dies and is born; by the grace of someone, it is bound and again liberated. In this way, the entire world shines forth in the mind, stirred by thought, just as in vast empty space, the illusory city of the Gandharvas appears. This whole world shines forth and exists in the mind, just as fragrance abides in a cluster of flowers—present there, but not separate from it. As oil is within the sesame seed, as a quality is in its possessor, or as a property is in its substrate, so too is this world established in the mind. As a multitude of waves is in water, as the illusion of two moons is in the moon, or as a mirage is in the heat, so too is the world in the mind. Just as rays are in the sun, as light is in fire, and as heat is in the shining orb, so too is this world in the mind. As coolness is in the moon, as emptiness is in space, and as restlessness is in the wind, so too is this world in the mind. The mind is the world, and the world is the mind; the two are always inseparable. When the mind is disturbed, the world is disturbed; but when the world is disturbed, the mind is not necessarily affected. Just as this vast manifestation arises clearly in the mind, O sinless one, so too can it be explained with a clear analogy. The worlds of the gods, seers, and even the forms of the departed are all established firmly in the mind; so too is this world established in the mind. Just as the king of salt, bewildered by magical illusion, attained the state of an outcaste, so too is this world established in the mind. Just as Bhargava, for a long time, due to the desire for heavenly enjoyments, attained lordship over enjoyments, so too is this world established in the mind. O Lord, how did the son of Bhrigu, because of his desire for heavenly pleasures, come to possess lordship over enjoyments and become bound in worldly existence? Listen, O Rāma, to the ancient story of the conversation between Bhrigu and Kālaya, which took place on the slope of Mount Mandara, thick with tamāla trees. Long ago, on the flower-laden slope of Mount Mandara, the venerable sage Bhrigu performed severe austerities. His radiant son, the wise and youthful Śukra, whose brilliance rivaled the full moon, attended upon him there, as light attends the sun. Bhrigu remained absorbed in samādhi in that excellent forest, unmoving at all times, like a stone resting on the forest floor. Śukra, as a boy, played at ease on beds of flowers, on shining white lotuses, and on swings hung from coral trees. Not yet having attained the highest state, Śukra moved between knowledge and ignorance, like Triśaṅku suspended in mid-air. Once, while his father was absorbed in nirvikalpa samādhi, Śukra found himself alone and undisturbed, like a king who has conquered his enemies. There, he beheld an apsaras passing by through the sky, as Janārdana might behold Lakṣmī, stirred from the midst of the milk ocean. She was adorned with a garland of mandāra flowers, her hair gently stirred by a soft breeze, her movement accompanied by the tinkling of anklets, and the air around her was fragrant. She was like a creeper at the foot of the tree of beauty, her eyes rolling with intoxication, and the place was made nectar-like by the radiance of her moon-like body. Seeing that lovely woman, Śukra’s mind became lively and restless, as when one beholds the clear, full moon reflected in the waters of the ocean. Struck in his heart by a hundred arrows of love, he restrained his mind and thoughts, and with all other activities dissolved, he became as if made entirely of the celestial maiden. In that moment, he thought, “This woman is indeed in the sky, in the abode of the thousand-eyed one; I have now reached heaven, adorned with delightful celestial maidens. These are your gods, beautiful with soft mandāra flowers in their hair, their bodies shining with the play of flowing molten gold.