As the power within rises forcefully upward, it perceives itself as having ascended, thinking, “I am risen.” In this way, it continually shapes its own identity, forming countless notions about itself according to its thoughts. When this power beholds the reflection of the sun, it contemplates, “I am radiant,” yet if it is struck by a mass of dust, it imagines, “I am impure.” Adorned with a network of jewel-like rays, it shines with brilliant splendor; but when pierced by frost, it feels, “I am cold.” Sometimes, when wildfire is reflected on the riverbank, this power’s form seems to blaze. It trembles in fear, thinking, “Alas, I am burned,” quivering like a fish caught in a net. Reflected on the shore, among mountains, birds, and trees, it shines and feels, “I am great, endowed with effort and energy.” When its body is pure, shining, arisen, destroyed, or restless, it believes, “I am scattered in pieces,” and cries out in distress, like a wounded woman. Yet, just as waves are never truly different from the ocean—being of the same water, without any separate existence—so too, these forms and states do not stand apart from their source. The qualities of shortness or length do not truly belong to the waves; they are neither separate entities in the ocean nor entirely absent. Waves are shaped and dissolved by their own inherent nature and the play of thought: destroyed and not destroyed, arising again, born and unborn, once more broken. Through mutual interaction, the waves appear as many, but in truth, they are of one essence—composed of the same water, free from any disease or imperfection. In the same way, within this vast, pure, stainless expanse—this single form of Brahman, pure consciousness and boundless—all the various powers, though appearing as distinct, are not truly separate. They abide in that all-powerful, beginningless and endless reality, moving in diverse and wondrous ways. Indeed, the diversity of powers is only the appearance of diversity within Brahman’s own being; Brahman expanded within Brahman is like the endless play of waves in water. Because of the appearance of many forms, which create countless differences, fixed destiny, with its own definite shape, presides over all objects. Inertness assumes inertness; consciousness arises as pure awareness; and the power in the form of latent impressions abides in its own true nature. O sinless one, it is Brahman alone by which this vast manifestation unfolds, appearing full through its various forms and movements, just as the ocean appears full with its waves. Brahman does not assume diversity by itself, nor does it sport in various forms; the Self alone exists in the Self, by the Self, just as water remains in the ocean. Just as the diverse waves are not separate from water, so too all these manifestations are not separate from the Lord of all. As stalk, flower, creeper, leaf, fruit, and bud exist within a single seed, so too all powers abide in Brahman. Just as there is manifold agency and various powers within a person, so too in the all-knowing Self there is always all power. As manifold colors appear in the harsh sunlight, so too manifold powers—consisting of existence and non-existence—appear in the Lord of gods. This manifold form arises from the unchanging Shiva, just as the play of lightning comes from a single color in the rain-bearing cloud. From the non-dull arises dullness, caused only by the notion of dullness; just as a thread comes from the spider, or as deep sleep arises in a person. The mindless Shiva, by his own will, extends the power of consciousness for his own bondage, just as the silkworm spins its cocoon. By his own will, O Brahman, the Self, having conceived his own form, attains liberation from samsara, just as an elephant frees itself from its bonds. Whatever the Self constantly contemplates, having contemplated it himself, he is quickly filled with that very power, even if he is great. The power thus contemplated leads the Self to selfhood in an instant, just as a great mist covers even the infinite sky. Whatever power arises, the unborn one quickly becomes identified with it; and whatever state it attains, the tree becomes of that very nature. For the Lord, there is no liberation as liberation, nor bondage as bondage for the Self. In this world, the origin of the notions of bondage and liberation is unknown. For him, there is neither bondage nor liberation, yet he appears as identified with them. Alas, the world is always seized by unreality, being made of illusion. When the mind is shaped by the unconditioned Self, then the Self is enveloped by it, just as a cocoon encloses the silkworm. The powers of the mind, which assume various forms and bodies through the notion of otherness, emerge from it by the millions. Those abiding in that, born from that, and of distinct forms, are like waves from the ocean; those abiding in that, born from that, and remaining separate, are like rays from the moon. In this vast, vibrant ocean of the supreme Self, filled with the waves of consciousness and the pure essence of awareness, some waves, endowed with the brilliance of Hari, Brahma, and Rudra, arise and shimmer, manifesting from their own inherent nature. Others, associated with Yama, Mahendra, the Sun, Fire, and Kubera, are restless waves that destroy, create, and remain, driven by fickle desires. Some, linked to Kinnaras, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, and gods, are fierce, whirling waves that rise and fall. Some have a somewhat stable form, like those born from the lotus (Brahma) and others; some arise and are destroyed, like gods, humans, and the rest. Some, such as worms, insects, moths, cattle, jackals, and the like, appear in that great ocean, flickering like droplets among its waves. Others, such as restless-faced deer, vultures, and monkeys, manifest in the mountain groves, as if on the shores bent by the waves. Thus, all forms and powers arise, shine, and dissolve within the one vast, pure ocean of the Self, never truly separate, always one in their essence.