Rama, you ask: How has limitation arisen within that which is infinite, immeasurable, all-pervading, radiant, and ever undiminished? Hear my words, for all that I speak expresses the true nature of things. My statements are not powerless, nor are they distorted or self-contradictory. When your vision of knowledge becomes clear and awakening steadily dawns, you will, in your own peace, come to know this perspective of mine—then, nothing more will be needed. For now, this composition of words, meanings, and sentences serves, for a moment, as a necessary delusion—crafted for your instruction, to aid your understanding of the scriptures. When you come to know that which is truly real and utterly pure, you will discern the difference between the word and its meaning, between what is spoken and what it signifies. All this manifold play of speech, which seems to create divisions, is devised only for those who need to be instructed; it does not truly exist for the wise—only for the ignorant. In truth, calculation, desire, and effort are completely absent in the Self. Brahman is ever free from attachment and duality—this alone is the reality in which the world abides. This teaching must be explained again and again, in many ways, with varied expressions, and at length, O sinless one, when the time comes for the final instruction. Without this manifold of speech, the incomparable darkness of ignorance cannot be dispelled; it is not possible to enlighten another without it. Indeed, Rama, it is through the highest form of ignorance—one which stirs even the desire for self-destruction—that knowledge arises, and this knowledge removes all faults. Just as one weapon is subdued by another, impurity is washed away by impurity, poison is neutralized by poison, and an enemy is defeated by an enemy, so too is this elemental illusion destroyed by itself. This illusion brings joy by its own destruction; its true nature cannot be perceived, for as soon as it is observed, it vanishes. It thoroughly conceals discernment and brings forth worlds, yet it is never truly recognized—behold, what a great wonder this is! Unseen, it stirs; when observed, it disappears. This illusion, whose nature is never truly understood, dances about ceaselessly. How marvelous is this illusion, binding beings to worldly existence! Though utterly unreal, it appears most real and even ensnares the wise. Projecting division upon that which is utterly undivided, the one who knows this worldly illusion is the supreme person. By firmly contemplating, “This truly does not exist,” and by gaining knowledge, when you attain what is to be known, you will understand the essence of this illusion. But until you awaken, let your conviction, inspired by my words, be unwavering and resolute: “Ignorance does not exist.” Whatever appears as this great reflection in the mind—if one is inwardly certain that it is unreal, that person attains liberation. And whatever appears as this, manifesting only through the mind—if one is inwardly certain that it is real, that it is Brahman, that person too attains liberation. That third mode of perception, which is both moving and unmoving, is but a fixation of imagination; it is the snare that binds the entire world of beings, like birds caught in a net. He who, with a detached mind, sees this world as uncertain—both real and unreal, like a delusion in a dream—does not sink into suffering. For one whose self-conceptions arise within these various imagined forms, for whom true and false are confused, only ignorance exists. Defects such as change do not exist at all in the great Self, the supreme Self, just as dust cannot remain in pure water. This imagination, which colors the world with words and meanings, arises only for the sake of worldly dealings and is not separate from the Self. Without this practical engagement, the views of the scriptures do not attain stability—just as threads do not hold together without the fabric. The Self is not found while wandering the path of ignorance; it is attained only through self-knowledge, which is obtained from understanding the meaning of the scriptures. O Rama, the far shore of the river of ignorance is not reached except by attaining the Self, for that is the imperishable, unchanging state. This ignorance, which causes delusion, has arisen from somewhere; surely, it has taken hold, covering the true state and remaining established. Do not concern yourself, O Rama, with the question of where this has arisen from; rather, let your inquiry be: “How shall I destroy it?” When this ignorance sets and diminishes, O Raghava, you will know—fully and without division—whence it came, what it was, and how it was lost. In truth, it does not exist at all; it only appears when not examined. Who can know the form of a delusion that is unreal, and from where? This ignorance has arisen and grown strong, taking on form only for the sake of causing harm; by forcefully destroying it, you will then truly understand. Even those who are brave and wise in the three worlds are not truly so if they are rendered helpless by ignorance. Therefore, in this hospital of disease, make every effort at treatment, so that ignorance will not again subject you to the pain of birth. Uproot ignorance completely—the single companion of all misfortunes, the blossom of the tree of unknowing, the mother of the caravan of calamities. Forcefully cast aside this distorted vision, which brings fear, poison, unbearable suffering, and calamity, and which fills the heart with the dense darkness of delusion; then, reach the far shore of the ocean of existence. Listen, Raghava, to the remedy for the disease of ignorance, which is widespread and difficult to cure, and which is destroyed merely by seeing through the false and angry mind. Rama, hear now of that sattvic nature, which I am prepared to describe for the sake of examining the power of the mind. That which is immortal—Brahman, all-pervading, free from affliction, the reflection of consciousness, called the Infinite, beginningless, and devoid of confusion—that alone truly exists.