The universal womb, the source of all things, continually shapes and transforms its own nature. Within it, everything that is to be brought forth is prepared and matured. Over this entire universe, one Supreme presides, assigning to all things their qualities and natures. This profound truth, hidden in the secret teachings of the Upaniṣads, is recognized by Brahmā himself as the very source of his being. The gods and seers who realized this mystery in ages past became immortal, merging their identities with that Supreme Reality. He who is adorned with all qualities is the doer of actions, the experiencer of their results, and the enjoyer of their fruits. Manifesting in countless forms, he moves through the universe, guided by his own deeds, and is the Lord of all that lives. He is threefold in qualities and in paths, encompassing all diversity within himself. Though he is subtle, of the size of a thumb, he shines with a radiance like the sun. Endowed with will and individuality, his presence is discerned through the intellect and his own unique quality. Subtler than the subtlest, he is seen as the very tip of a hair. The living being, in truth, is even more subtle—imagine dividing the tip of a hair into a hundred parts, and then again into a hundred; such is its minuteness. Yet, despite this, it holds within itself the potential for infinity. This being is beyond all distinctions of female, male, or neuter; as he assumes each body, so does he become associated with it, taking on its characteristics. Through will, contact, sight, and delusion, through the intake of food, water, and rain, the embodied self is born, grows, and in due time, assumes new forms in various places, all according to its actions. By its own qualities, and by the qualities of action and self, the embodied soul chooses both gross and subtle forms. Yet, another exists as the cause of their union—one who brings together the soul and its forms. To know the beginningless and endless God, the creator of the worlds, who wears many forms and envelops the entire universe as its sole Lord, is to be freed from all bondage. Those who realize the God who is known through pure being, who is nestless, the creator of being and non-being, the auspicious one, the maker of all parts—such knowers abandon the body, freed from all ties. Some wise thinkers speak of inherent nature as the cause, others of time, while many remain bewildered. But truly, it is the greatness of the divine by which this world and the wheel of Brahman revolve. He, by whom all this is ever enveloped, is the knower, the master of time, endowed with qualities and omniscient. By him, all actions are directed and unfold, and it is he who should be contemplated in earth, water, fire, air, and space. Having performed all actions, and then withdrawing again, one attains union with the essence of truth—whether by one, two, three, or eight means, by time, or by subtle qualities of the self. He who initiates actions endowed with qualities and assigns all states—when these actions cease, the results are destroyed. With the exhaustion of action, one attains the true essence, and not another. He is the origin, the cause of union and its reason, transcending past, present, and future, though himself timeless. This all-formed source of existence, the worthy deity, should be worshipped first, established in one’s own mind. He is beyond all forms—beyond tree, time, and shape. From him, this world undergoes transformation. Knowing the lord of fortune, who brings righteousness and removes evil, who is immortal and the inner abode of all, one finds him established within. We know that Supreme, the greatest of lords, the highest among divinities, the master of masters, who is beyond all. He is the divine, the lord of the world, and truly worthy of worship. He has neither work nor instruments of work, nor is there anyone equal or superior to him. His supreme power is manifold, and knowledge, strength, and action are inherent to him. He has no master or ruler in the world, nor any distinguishing mark. He is the cause, the lord of all instruments and their masters, and has no creator or overlord above him. Like a spider weaving its web, by his own nature, the one divine covers himself with threads born of the primordial. May that Brahman sustain us. The one divine is hidden in all beings, pervading everything as the inner self. He is the overseer of all action, the indweller in all, the witness, the consciousness, the solitary, and devoid of qualities. He is the one sovereign among the many who are inactive, the one seed from whom many forms arise. Those wise ones who see him established within themselves attain eternal happiness; others do not. He is eternal among the eternal, conscious among the conscious, the one who fulfills the desires of the many. This cause is to be known through Sāṃkhya and Yoga; knowing the divine, one is freed from all bonds. There, the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars, nor do lightning flashes illuminate, much less fire. By his radiance alone all shines; by his light, all is illuminated. He is the one swan amid this world, the fire established in water. Knowing him alone, one goes beyond death—there is no other path to liberation. He is the creator of all, the knower of all, self-born, the master of time, endowed with qualities, omniscient, the lord of primordial matter and the knower of the field, the lord of qualities, and the cause of bondage, liberation, and existence. He, composed of that essence, immortal, established in sovereignty, the knower, all-pervading, and the protector of this world, rules this universe eternally. There is no other cause for sovereignty. He who first created Brahmā and imparted the Vedas to him—to that divine, the revealer of self-knowledge and wisdom, I, desiring liberation, seek refuge. He is without parts, without action, peaceful, faultless, stainless—the supreme bridge to immortality, like fire when its fuel is consumed. When human beings can wrap space as if it were leather, then, without knowing the divine, the end of suffering will come. Through the power of austerity and by the grace of God, Śvetāśvatara, the wise sage, spoke rightly to those who had transcended the stages of life, revealing the highest purity, cherished by the assembly of seers. This supreme secret was declared in the Vedānta in ancient times. It should not be given to one who is not tranquil, nor to one who is not a son or a worthy disciple. For one whose devotion to God is supreme, and who honors the teacher as God, to such a great soul these truths shine forth, truly shine forth.