When the mind is shaped and illumined by the unconditioned Self, the Self becomes enveloped by that very mind, much like a silkworm is enclosed within its own cocoon. From this mind, countless powers and forms emerge, each assuming different bodies and identities through the notion of separateness; they arise by the millions, spreading forth their diversity. Those that abide in and are born from this Self, yet retain their distinct forms, are like waves rising from the ocean—always rooted in their source, yet appearing separate. Others, though also originating from the same essence, remain apart like rays streaming from the moon. All of this unfolds within the vast and vibrant ocean of the supreme Self, whose waves are consciousness itself, and whose very substance is pure awareness. Within this ocean, some waves shimmer with the brilliance and qualities of Hari, Brahma, and Rudra, arising spontaneously from their own inherent nature. Other waves, associated with Yama, Mahendra, the Sun, Fire, and Kubera, surge and subside, driven by restless desires—they create, destroy, and endure. Still others, linked to the Kinnaras, Gandharvas, Vidyadharas, and various gods, are fierce and whirling, rising and falling in the play of existence. Some waves possess a measure of stability, like those born from the lotus—such as Brahma and other beings—while others arise and are destroyed quickly, like the gods, humans, and the myriad rest. There are those who appear as worms, insects, moths, cattle, jackals, and similar creatures—momentary droplets flickering among the ocean’s waves. Others, such as deer, vultures, and monkeys, manifest in the mountain groves, as if dwelling along the shorelines shaped by the ocean’s reach. Among all these forms, some beings have very long lives, while others live but briefly; some, due to their own limited notions, possess insignificant bodies arising from insignificance. In the tumult of the dream-like world, some are steady and established, while others, shaken by their own imaginations, doubt the reality and stability of existence itself. Some, afflicted by small and narrow thoughts, are subdued by misery; thinking themselves thin, unhappy, and deluded, they become firmly established in their suffering. Others have attained the state of immovable beings, some have reached divinity, some have become human, and others have fallen into the condition of demons. Some remain in the world for countless aeons, while others, pure in nature, proceed to the Supreme Person. All have arisen from the ocean of Brahman as waves of consciousness, ever-shifting, and are known as those intent on contemplation. Yet, O Brahman, through false imagination and mental constructs, beings stain themselves with the conviction, “We are not Brahman,” and thus they descend downward into delusion. Even those who contemplate the existence of something apart from Brahman, though immersed in the very ocean of Brahman, become lost in the terrifying realms of worldly life. These pure Brahman-consciousnesses, untainted in many ways, are the very seeds of action; or, one may say, action itself is this consciousness. By the inner process of imagination alone, the seed-fist of actions gives rise to the dense thicket of karma and becomes firmly established. In this vast world, rows of embodied beings stand, move, weep, and laugh. From Brahma down to a blade of grass, they exult, restrain, wither, and rejoice, just as the wind moves with its many currents. Some are exceedingly pure, like Hari and Hara; some are only slightly deluded, as with serpents, humans, and celestial beings. Others are deeply deluded, like trees and grasses; and some, bewildered by ignorance, attain the state of worms and insects. Some, like blades of grass, are carried far from the great ocean of Brahman, not yet reaching their proper state, as with serpents and men. Some, having merely glimpsed the shore, are overcome with weariness; both the born and unborn are ultimately claimed by the aged claws of Death. Others, reaching the very essence of Brahman, cross over to the other shore, free from sorrow, along with Hari, Brahma, Hara, and others. Some, with only slight delusion, remain in the ocean of Brahman itself, relying on it, untouched by the flood of unseen passions and diseases. Some are waves of births yet to be experienced, others are waves of births already passed; and some beings, established in the radiance of darkness, remain barren and unfulfilled. Some rise upward from lower states, others descend; some ascend ever higher, while others fall ever further. All this activity, full of joys and sorrows, arises from remembrance of the supreme state; and when realization of the supreme state dawns, this activity perishes—just as the pain of poison vanishes when the name of the healing bird is recalled. In the midst of all this, those who have conquered the delusion of mind and see the heights and depths of the world wander here as liberated beings—yakshas, gandharvas, and kinnaras. Others, dull as logs or walls, have entered a state of immobility; their delusion is not yet exhausted, and there is nothing more to say about them. For those beings who are awakening to self-realization, the scriptures circulating in the world have been composed by minds suitably inclined toward truth. But for those whose intentions have truly awakened and whose wrongdoings are exhausted, the intellect becomes pure and engaged in the inquiry of scripture. Delusion of the mind is dissolved by thorough investigation of true scripture, just as the darkness of night vanishes when the sun rises in the sky. A mind that is not dissolved exists only for the sake of delusion, not for realization; it covers like mist and wanders like a ghost. For all beings here, it is the mind alone that is the vessel of pleasure and pain—not the body made of flesh. This aggregate of flesh and bones that is seen in the material world is but a projection of the mind; the body is not ultimately real. O sage, whatever your son did with his mind and body, that he has quickly received; in this, we are not at fault. Whatever actions anyone in the world performs, impelled by their own tendencies, that alone they obtain; there is no agency of another in this.