13. It is only from your want of sufficient intelligence, and hearing of or prejudice in the word non-ego; that you are led to the belief of a duality, in the undualistic unity of the Deity.
14. Never does any body nor anything here, think of itself of anything whatever; there is none and naught whatsoever, that can think unless it is the same with the Divine Ego.
15. The apparent threefold world, ever appears in this manner; as one with and inseparable from God that dwells alike and evenly in all, which composes one uniform whole, without admixture of any diversity or duality (all which blend together in harmony in one universal unity).
16. Know O Ráma, that is nothing like a rock or tree, is produced in empty vacuity; so these seeming solid worlds, can never be produced in the vacuous spirit of Brahma (but are all mere phantoms of what they appear to be) know this, and go on freely in your own way.
17. Precepts to men of little intelligence and doubtful minds, fail to persuade them to the knowledge of truth; and so long as they can not comprehend the unity, they are ever apt to believe in the multiplicity of objects.
18. Neither precepts nor sástras, can lead the ignorant to the knowledge of truth, unless they can get rid of their prejudice of diversity, which the creator Brahmá, has spread over the minds of men.
19. Ráma rejoined:—I understand sir, what you say (regarding the ego as the agent); but I beseech you to explain it by some illustration, for my clear knowledge of it.
20. What does the supreme Brahma do, by his assuming the title of ego or thinking agent to himself; you know all this (by your vast knowledge), though it is not quite satisfactory to your audience.
21. Vasishtha replied:—The supreme One that was quite indistinct before (as the undistinguishable chaos); becomes after his assumption of the title ego to himself, divided and distinguished into the distinct essences of vacuum, space and its directions and time with all its divisions. (The ego itself is diversified into these various forms).
22. The ego then assuming its personality, finds many such distinctions appearing before itself; which are quite imperceptible in its state of impersonality. (The personal soul only, is conscious of these).