1. "Before creation Brahman was existing. At that time creation did not exist. Now we can see creation. Is it true, or is it false?
2. You are a great sage who knows everything. Please clear my doubt." In this way, the listener pleaded with the speaker.
3. The benevolent speaker who is the knower of everything began to talk, and said, "Now, listen to the answer to your question. Remain alert as I explain."
4. In the Bhagavad Gita it is stated that "The Eternal exists in every living being." According to this statement, creation is true.
5. However, according to the statement, "Whatever is seen, gets destroyed," creation is false. Who can decide what is true and what is false?
6. If we say it is true, it gets destroyed. If we say it is false, it is still seen. Now, I shall tell you how it is.
7. In the world there are many varieties of people. Some are ignorant and some are knowledgeable, so it is difficult for one to get satisfactory answers.
8. The opinion of the ignorant is that creation is permanent, and the gods, religion, pilgrimages, and religious vows are all true.
9. The Jnani says that idol worship is for fools. The foolish are ready to bet on the reality of their idols, but where will those idols be after the entirety of creation is dissolved?
10. An ignorant person asks, "Why then should one perform rituals and do chanting, and why sing the praises of the Sadguru and go to various pilgrimage places?"
11. It is advised by Lord Shiva himself to worship the Sadguru. His explanation of the worship of the Sadguru is given in the Guru Gita.
12. How is one to worship the Guru? First, one must recognize him. Then, one should gain contentment for oneself by using discrimination as advised by the Guru.
13. The Guru Gita states, "When one meditates on the Sadguru, how can the illusory creation remain?"
14. The Jnani speaks like this. When the Sadguru is recognized, one gets the firm conviction that all of creation is unreal.
15. The listener in the audience does not agree with this at all. He begins to argue saying, "How can you say that what Lord Krishna has said is ignorance?"
16. The statement of the Bhagavad Gita says, "I am the Eternal in living beings." How can you say that this is ignorance.
17. The listener felt sadness in his mind as he expressed his doubt in this way. The answer to this question should be listened to carefully by the alert listeners.
18. You do not understand what Lord Krishna has said in the Gita, therefore you unnecessarily feel worried.
19. Lord Krishna said, "My grandeur is like the great ficus tree." Yet, a tree breaks when it is cut down.
20. My True Form cannot be broken with tools, it cannot be burned with fire, and it cannot be dissolved in water.
21. Meanwhile, the ficus tree can be broken with tools, can be burned with fire, and can be dissolved in water, as it is destructible.
22. The ficus tree breaks, burns, and dissolves. If the Lord is like this, how can there be oneness? The meaning of this can only be understood through the teachings of the Sadguru.
23. Lord Krishna says, "I am the mind among the sense organs." If he says that God is the mind, then why should one control the waves of the restless mind?
24. Lord Krishna said this in order to show steps on the path of spiritual practice, just as one would teach the alphabet. Similar to placing one stone after another.
25. The seeming contradictions in the meanings of his statements are like this. God is the knower of all. Any arguments based on body-identification (thinking oneself to be the body) are of no use.
26. In the Vedas, Upanishads, and other ancient scriptures there are differences in many of the statements. Only with the teachings of the Sadguru can these differences be resolved.
27. Can anyone resolve the differences in the Vedas and other scriptures? No one except the sages can give the correct understanding.
28. The primary proposition or assertion, and the final doctrine are indicated with the use of pointers in the ancient scriptures. However, the definite conviction of the meaning can only be understood through the words of the sages.
29. Diverse and contrary opinions are given as answers to arguments. Each one proclaims to be better than another. The various arguments in the scriptures and Vedas are too numerous to tell.
30. Therefore, one should give up arguments, and instead be engaged in spiritual dialogues which aid in gaining the "Bliss of Brahman" as one's own Self-experience.
31. From one concept an endless number of creations appear and pass away. How can the descriptions of these creations be true?
32. God is created out of imagination, and from that one develops a strong feeling towards that God. If anything happens to that imagined God, the devotee is miserable with sorrow.
33. If an image of God is made of stone and one day it gets broken, the devotee is filled with sadness and sorrow and falls down crying and lamenting.
34. Anything can happen to an image of God. It may get lost somewhere in the house, or stolen and taken away, or be broken by ill-behaved people.
35. An image of God may get corrupted, or thrown in water, or taken away and crushed under someone's feet.
36. Or, for example, how would one able to recognize the greatness of a pilgrimage place which has been completely destroyed by mischievous people? One cannot understand what has happened to the great purity that was once there.
37. Some images of God may be made out of gold by a goldsmith or out of metal from a mold, and some may be sculpted out of stone.
38. On the banks of the rivers Narmada and Gandaki there are stones numbering in the millions that are considered to be images of God.
39. In sacred places like Chakratirti, there are countless stones with natural circular corrugations in them that are considered to be images of God. With so many images of God the mind does not get a definite conviction that there is only one God.
40. There are many temples where various things like arrows, rice grains, copper coins and flint stones are worshipped, and the people don't know if these Gods are true or false.
41. One day a person worships a God made of silk thread, and then, when that gets broken, the next day he begins to worship a God formed out of clay.
42. All say, "Our God is the true God, He favors us when we are having difficulties, and fulfills our yearnings and wishes all the time."
43. Then after something happens to their image of God, they say, "Now the state of his purity has gone. Whatever happens is our destiny to happen. Now, it is not possible for our God to change our destiny."
44. What fools! One should see that these are only metal, stones, mud, and wood. How can this be God? All of this type of thinking is only delusion.
45. Like this, fruits are acquired according to one's imagination. The sign of the one true God is altogether different.
46. Everything in creation is Illusion. Creation is false. The Vedas and ancient scriptures declare this hundreds of thousands of times.
47. The sages and saints with the highest experience also say that their experience is the same as these declarations. God is beyond the five elements and all of creation is false.
48. Before the appearance of creation, during its existence, and after its destruction, the one eternal God alone exists, at the beginning and the end.
49. This is the definitive conclusion of all. There is no doubt about it. Connection with cause and effect, and negation through nullification all appear in imagination.
50. Out of imagination it is said that there are eight types of creations, or worlds. Listen carefully to the narration of these eight worlds.
51. One is the world of imagination, the second is the world of words, and third is the visible world known to all.
52. The fourth is a world that is painted, the fifth is the dream world, the sixth is the world of celestial beings, and the seventh is the world that is hallucinated due to high fever.
53. The eighth world is the world created from hypnosis. Understand these to be the eight worlds. Which among them can be considered to be superior? Which can be considered to be true?
54. The entire creation is destructible. This is understood by the saints and sages who say that worship of "God with Attributes" (saguna) should definitely be done with firm resolve.
55. One arrives at the certainty of the attributeless (nirguna) only with the help of the one with attributes (saguna). This happens by the power of thinking about Essence and the non-essential in the company of saints.
56. Now, let this talk be enough. One can definitely understand what has been said in the company of the saints. Otherwise, one's thoughts only become restless and full of doubts.
57. At this point, the disciple raised an objection. He said, "I have understood that creation is false, but if all of this does not exist, why is it still seen?
58. What is visible is clearly seen with the eyes and therefore it is felt to be real. Oh Master, tell me, what can one do about this?"
59. A proper reply is given to this in the next sub-chapter. The listeners are asked to listen attentively to the explanation that comes next.
60. Knowing that the entire creation is unreal, one should still respect the one with attributes. Only those who have experienced this sweetness will understand.