Among all the beings on earth, there exists a great diversity. Some lineages remain deeply entrenched in delusion, others have awakened to knowledge, and many stumble somewhere between these extremes. Yet, amidst these classes, it is the human lineages who are awakening that are truly fit to receive instruction. The world is full of afflictions and suffering, tormented by aversion and fear. Among these countless pains, I shall now speak of one affliction that is shaped by both rajas and sattva. Consider that which is immortal—Brahman: all-pervading, free from affliction, appearing as pure consciousness. It is called the Infinite, beginningless, and untouched by delusion. From its stillness, a portion, through the presence of movement, takes on density—just as a whirlpool forms in the vast ocean due to motion. But who can truly speak of a part of the infinite essence of the Self? How could there be any modification or sequence in That which is boundless? Statements such as “this is born from that, and that from this” are made only for the sake of discourse and scriptural convention, O Rama—not in the ultimate sense. Ideas of modification, composite structure, sequence, and so on may seem to arise, but they do not truly exist in the Supreme. Apart from That, all else is mere imagination; it neither exists nor will exist. Thus, words like “sequence” are used only for conventional purposes. Whatever conception, object, word, or group of attributes exists here—because it arises from That and is pervaded by That—it is considered to be That alone. That which arises from it is itself, just as fire emerges from fire; the notions of “produced” and “producer” are merely imagined distinctions. This idea that “this has arisen from that”—this maintenance of the world—comes from the predominance of the power of activity. In truth, the produced is nothing but the producer. The confusion of words and meanings—“this is different, that is different”—exists only in speech. In reality, there is no separation, for the divine is undivided. By the very power of that mind alone, the sense of individuality arises; through firm conviction in that, the desired object is attained. When one speaks of a single flame as having a second as its origin, it is merely a peculiarity of expression; in such statements, there is no actual truth. Statements such as “produced” and “producer” do not apply to the Supreme. For that which is one and infinite, how, in what way, could it be produced? This is the nature of speech: statements are just statements, and are only appropriate when referring to distinctions such as number or opposition. Just as a network of waves appears in the ocean, so too what is perceived in the Supreme as forms of words and meanings—wise ones know that to be Brahman alone. Brahman is consciousness; Brahman is also the mind; Brahman is knowledge and what is called non-being; Brahman is the object, the word, the direction, and the elements. “This is one, that is another, this is a part”—such distinctions between the self and the other are merely imagined in error. What truth can there be in such statements? When a flame arises from fire, the idea that it is a separate flame is a fanciful notion of the mind, born of its restlessness; in reality, such a distinction does not hold. The assertion of distinction is itself untrue, yet it is imagined to be real due to the impairment of perception by delusion—just as the error of seeing two moons arises. From Brahman, which is all, everywhere, infinite, nothing else arises; whatever is said to be, is only That. Without the reality of Brahman, nothing at all is possible here; indeed, all this is Brahman—this alone is the highest truth. Thus, O wise one, this will be your conclusion. Here I shall present the essence of the doctrine in a concise statement. Here, only those states beginning with ignorance exist; other sequences do not. You will know all this fully when ignorance is destroyed. When the unreal is dissolved, the real shines forth as it truly is, just as when the darkness of night is dispelled, the world appears as it is. All this that is spread out by mistaken perception, O Rama, will, upon the calming of your mind and the arising of pure vision, be seen as it truly is by your unwavering, truthful insight—of this there is no doubt. Your wondrous and profound words, shining with cool, pure brilliance like the waters of the Milky Ocean, surround me on all sides. For a moment I fall into darkness, and for a moment I come into light—like a day subdued by the cool clouds of the rainy season. How has limitation arisen in the infinite, immeasurable, all-pervading, radiant, and ever-undiminished essence? All my statements express the meaning of things as they truly are; they are not powerless, distorted, or self-contradictory. When the vision of knowledge is clear and awakening steadily arises, you will rightly know, in your own peace, this perspective of mine—enough. This composition of words, meanings, and sentences is, for a moment, a delusion for you, intended for instruction, for understanding the meaning of the scriptures. When you come to know That which is true and utterly pure, then you will indeed understand the distinction between the word and its meaning, between what is spoken and what it signifies. This manifold play of speech, which creates divisions, is devised for those who are to be instructed; but it does not truly exist for the wise, only for the ignorant. All calculation, desire, and effort are entirely absent in the Self; Brahman is free from attachment and duality—this alone is the reality in which the world abides. This must be explained again and again, in many ways and with various expressions, and at length, O sinless one, when the time comes for the final teaching. Without the manifold of speech, this incomparable darkness of ignorance cannot be broken; it is not possible for one to make effort to enlighten another without it. Indeed, O Rama, it is by the very highest form of ignorance—which stirs the desire for self-destruction—that knowledge is attained: knowledge which removes all faults.