Vasishtha replied:—Hear me prince, and I will clearly expound to you the doctrine, which will root out your doubts all at once.
2. All these entities in the world, are inexistent nullities for ever; though they appear as realities in our consciousness.
3. Whatever appears in any manner in our consciousness, (either as existing or non-existent, or as so and so); the same is thought as real as it seems to be, without our consideration of its true nature of a reality or otherwise.
4. Such is the nature of this consciousness, that it is thought to be one and same with the bodiless soul, by every one who knows what it is (by his acquaintance with the science of psychology).
5. It is this knowledge (or the idea) of a thing in the mind, either in waking or dreaming, that they call to be its body; hence it is this erroneous consciousness of anything, that is believed as its body, and there is nothing else beside this that they call a solid body.
6. The world shines (or shows itself) before us, like the sights seen in a dream; and the privation of all causes towards the production of the (material) world, prove it to be not otherwise than the phantom of a dream.
7. Thus this pure and immaculate knowledge of the universe, is termed the very Brahma himself (because God is said to be infinite knowledge only. सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं व्रह्म). The very same shines as the world, which is not otherwise than that.
8. Thus doth the world remain quite pure and unchanged, from ever before and forever more; and so it is thought and said to be, by the Vedas and all good and great sástras, as also by the joint assent of all thinking men, in all ages and countries.
9. They are the most ignorant fools, and resemble the croaking frogs dwelling in the recess of dark caves and pits; who deny the sole existence of the beings which is impressed in the consciousness of all beings, which is full and perfect every where, and is acknowledged by all great souls.
10. There are many at present, who are deluded by their notions of the appearances of things, and the evidence of their senses, and have fallen into the error of understanding the gross body, as the cause of consciousness and inward impressions (i.e. they maintain the objectivity of their knowledge as derived from without, and deny the subjective consciousness derived from within).