When the deep sleep of ignorance has truly faded and all notions have dropped away, one whose mind is awakened, O Rama, beholds the dream of worldly existence—yet does not truly see it, perceiving its illusory nature. This cycle of worldly existence, born from one’s own nature, persists within all living beings, remaining until the state of liberation is attained. What is conceived by one’s own nature is ever-present within everyone, while the body itself is transient and fleeting, like a whirlpool that forms and dissolves in water. Just as a sprout emerges from a seed, a leaf from the sprout, a flower from the leaf, and from the flower’s bud, fruit appears—so too does the body arise. The body, imagined within the mind, manifests outwardly and appears clearly before us. Whatever form arises in the mind, that very thing quickly takes shape in the world, just as clay shaped by the potter becomes a pot. This world, O Raghava, is nothing but a manifestation of the mind’s imagination, unreal as the water seen shimmering in a mirage. By virtue of this appearance, the body is seen before us—just as a child, confused by fear, imagines a goblin standing ahead. In the beginning, during the primal creation, the very first appearance of a body arose in the mind of the all-pervading Brahmā, who abides within the lotus-womb. By the force of his own intention alone, this endless creation has come forth, like the wonder conjured by a mighty magician. The individual soul, upon reaching the state of mind, attains the station of the Creator; just as Brahmā did, so does all creation arise—let me explain this to you in detail, O mighty-armed one, so you may understand the process by which a body is assumed and thus comprehend the state of worldly existence. The essence of the self, unlimited by space, time, or any such constraint, playfully assumes a body marked by space and time, by its own power. This, called the individual soul, absorbed in subtle impressions, becomes the restless mind, inclined toward both conceptualizing and non-conceptualizing. First, the power of the mind, through its imagining, instantly brings forth the pure notion of space, with the essence of sound as its seed. As this notion condenses, the mind gradually conceives the vibration of solidity, then the vibration of air, which has the essence of touch as its seed. When space and air, perceived as sound and touch, come together in the mind, fire is produced from their friction. The mind, having attained density, instantly brings forth luminosity—pure and clear light—which then increases in radiance. Endowed with such qualities and the perception of taste, the mind instantly grasps the coolness of water, and thus the awareness of water arises. Then, with these qualities, the mind instantly conceives the substantial form with scent, by which earth is manifested. Thereafter, this, enveloped by the subtle elements, sheds its subtlety; one perceives in space a form like a spark of fire, shining forth. Endowed with ego, intellect, and the individual soul, this is called the “eightfold subtle body,” the bee at the lotus-heart of the elements. Within that subtle body, by intense force, the mind brings forth a radiant body; as it matures, it becomes gross, just as a destined fruit ripens. Shining in the pure sky like molten gold flowing from a crucible, that radiance assumes its own form by its inherent nature. In its own abode, the mind—composed of a mass of radiance—assumes a firm and expansive imagination, arising naturally. Above, it forms a head-like seat; below, a base like feet; on both sides, the arrangement of hands; and in the middle, the nature of a belly. There appears a child with manifest limbs, resembling a cluster of pure flames, who stands there, taking a body according to the will of the mind. Thus, by the force of its own tendencies, the mind of the sage, having imagined limbs, brings about the growth of its own body, just as the season brings forth its natural effects. In time, this form becomes distinct, attaining a spotless shape endowed with intelligence, purity, strength, enthusiasm, discernment, and mastery. He is that blessed Lord Brahmā, ruler of all worlds, shining like molten gold, arisen from the supreme expanse. Abiding in that supreme expanse, possessed of the highest form, he creates his own dwelling by the play of his own mind, remaining established in himself. At times, this abode is pure space alone, supreme and free from any distinction; at times, it is pure water, without beginning, middle, or end. Sometimes, it is adorned with the radiance of the flames at the end of an age; at other times, it is a lovely forest, or the closed bud of a lotus at the navel. This sovereign, by his own will, effortlessly creates countless different seats, of various forms, for each and every birth. Among these, when he first descends from the state of Brahman, then, due to knowledge, his own body is considered to be well-formed. When the sleep of the womb departs, he sees a radiant body, endowed with the flow of prāṇa and apāna, constructed solely from substances. This body is covered with the tips of hairs, furnished with thirty-two teeth, supported by three pillars, possessed of fifteen deities, and marked below by the soles of the feet. It is divided into five parts, has nine gates, limbs smooth and smeared with unguents, equipped with twenty fingers, and marked by twenty nails. There are two arms, two breasts, two eyes—or sometimes many shoulders and arms; it is the nest for the bird of mind, the cave for the serpent of desire. It is the dwelling of the demoness of thirst, the cave of the lion called the soul, the stable of the elephant of pride, and adorned by the lotus-face. Thus, O Rama, arises the wondrous and manifold body, born of imagination, mind, and the play of consciousness, shining forth in the world.