When the previous moment had passed, Rama turned with reverence to the great sage—the son of the lotus-seated Brahma, radiant with wisdom and power. Rama spoke humbly, “O revered one, knower of all dharmas, it is solely through you that this path has been revealed to me; I have gained your noble teaching by your grace. Whatever you command, I accept as truth; I have spent the night, free from sleep, reflecting deeply on your words and their meaning. “O Lord, yesterday your radiant speech shone forth, dispelling the darkness of existence, just as the sun illumines the earth. Your words, virtuous and wondrous, have been gathered into my heart—like a collection of precious gems drawn from the ocean. Who, seeking success, would not bear your instruction upon their head, for it is beneficial, pleasing, virtuous, and a source of bliss? “By your grace, the veil of worldly delusion that once covered us is dissolving, and we are serene, like the clear days at the end of the rainy season. Your instruction is virtuous—sweet at the beginning, increasing good fortune in the middle, and yielding the highest fruit in the end. May your ever-blossoming words—pure, unfading, delightful, and gladdening the heart—always bestow upon us their splendid fruit. O master of all eternal scriptures, great lake of ever-flowing virtue, steadfast in manifold vows—let your favor, free from all sin, be extended to me.” Hearing these words, the sage replied with gentle affection, “Listen attentively, O beautiful one, to this excellent and delightful teaching on tranquility, which is both beneficial and rooted in the highest doctrine. This ancient illusion of worldly existence is sustained by people dominated by rajas and tamas, just as a pavilion is held up by sturdy pillars. Yet this matured illusion is easily cast off by heroic ones established in sattva—like you, endowed with virtues—just as a snake sheds its old skin. “The wise, those of sattvic nature or a blend of rajas and sattva, carefully examine the world—its past, its future, and its highest truth. Through association with scriptures, the good, and noble company, and by being free from sin, the discerning intellect arises, shining like a lamp in darkness. By self-inquiry alone, one must examine oneself with one’s own mind; until the knowable is truly realized, it remains unknown. “Among the wise, the prudent, the steadfast, and those of noble lineage, you, O delight of your family, are foremost among those born of rajas and sattva. See for yourself, O wise one, the origins of worldly existence: discern what is true and what is untrue—be devoted to truth. That which does not exist in the beginning and at the end—how can that be considered real? That which is eternal at both the beginning and the end, O Rama, alone is true, nothing else. “If someone’s mind becomes attached to an object that is unreal at its beginning and end, how can discernment arise in that deluded, ignorant being? Here, the mind alone is born, and the mind alone grows; but through the vision of true understanding, the mind itself is dissolved. I have known this, O Brahman: in these three worlds, the mind alone is the transmigrator, the vessel of old age and death. “Tell me with certainty the means for crossing over this ocean of existence. The inner darkness of the Raghavas is destroyed by your sun-like light. First, O Raghava, by scripture, by supreme dispassion, and by association with the good, the mind is led toward purity. When the mind, strengthened by nobility, attains dispassion, one should follow those who are true teachers of knowledge. Then, by what is taught by them, practicing meditation, worship, and the like, one gradually attains that state which is supremely pure. “By pure inquiry, the self perceives itself with its own awareness, just as the cool moon sees its own reflection within by its own radiance. As long as the mind does not rest in the forest of inquiry, people are tossed about in the vast ocean of existence like blades of grass in the waves. But when the nature of things is understood through inquiry, the intellect brings everything under its control, like gentle water subdues sand. “Consider: this is gold, this is ash—when the distinction is clearly known, there is no confusion for one who knows the self, just as a goldsmith is not deluded. When it is long realized that this self is imperishable and devoid of longing, for whom here does delusion arise, and where is its opportunity? One is bewildered about the value of a gem whose essence is unknown; but when its essence and value are known, where could confusion remain? “O people, the unknown self leads to suffering; but the known self leads to infinity, happiness, and tranquility. Having separated your true self from this body, which mixes and obscures it, become established in your own nature without delay. There is not even the slightest connection between the pure Self and the body, just as mud and the lotus stalk do not touch the gold within them, though people think they do. The Self and the body are separate, like water and a lotus leaf; I raise my arms and cry out, yet no one listens to me. “As long as the mind, governed by inertia, remains withdrawn like a tortoise in its pit, the dull body indulges in pleasures, forgetting inquiry into the Self. Until then, the darkness of worldly existence cannot be dispelled even by the moon, fire, or twelve suns—not even slightly. But when the mind awakens and examines its own state, the inner darkness flees, just as night vanishes at sunrise. “Therefore, always awaken the mind, which lies in the bed of enjoyment, to supreme understanding. For awakening destroys worldly existence, which brings extreme suffering.