1. Previously, the listeners had asked, "If the visible is false, then why is it still seen?" Now, I will tell the answer to this. Please listen attentively.
2. For the Jnani what is seen is not presumed to be real simply because it is seen. It is the dull-minded foolish and ignorant beings who consider what is seen to be real.
3. If what is seen with the eyes is considered to be real, then thousands of spiritual texts, and the teachings of great saints and sages must be considered false.
4. If only what I see with my own eyes is considered to be true, everything said here and other places is considered to be mistaken or foolish, and one gets filled with doubts. One should not be filled with such doubts.
5. The deer sees a mirage and runs after it thinking it to be real. Who can convince the deer that the water seen there is not real?
6. In a dream it is seen that one has found a large sum of money and has made many transactions with many people. How can what happened in the dream be considered as true?
7. If a skillful artist creates a painting with many wonderful colors, there arises a great love inside one for the images upon seeing it. However, what is actually there is only colored mud.
8. In the low light of nighttime, one may see images of many women, elephants and horses and the mind gets fascinated by them. However when seen in the daylight, they are seen to only be hides that have been hung out.
9. There may be statues that are made to look very realistic and felt to be very beautiful, but they are only made from wood and stone.
10. On many temples there are statues of women with beautiful bodies that appear to be looking at you with expressive eyes. Seeing these statues one feels enchanted by their beauty, but the only thing there is cement (made from lime, sand, and jute).
11. In a theatrical play about the ten incarnations of God, the properly dressed male actors play the roles of beautiful women using their eyes artistically. However, they are really always only men.
12. The entire creation is very colorful but it is unreal. The activity of many visible forms is seen and felt to be true, however you should understand that this is ignorance.
13. The false appears to be real, but this must be inquired into. If something appears in front of one's eyes when their vision is affected, how can that be considered real?
14. If one looks up, it appears that the sky is facing downwards all around us. If we look at the reflection of the sky in a pool of water, it looks like the sky is facing upwards and the stars are shining inside the water, but all of this is not true.
15. A king may have sculptors make statues that look exactly like people, and the statues might even be mistaken for those people, but they are all not real.
16. Whatever is seen is reflected in the pupils of the eyes, and it appears that the image is there in the eyes, but there is not really anything there in the eyes. How can that be considered real?
17. There are many reflections of surrounding images that appear in bubbles as they arise. In a fraction of a second they burst, and the images disappear and are seen to be false.
18. If one holds many mirrors in one's hands, just as many images of his face will appear as there are mirrors, but those are all unreal. In the beginning and at the end, there is only one face being reflected.
19. If something is seen floating down a river, it appears that there is second thing that is underneath it which is being seen reflected upside down in the water. Or similarly, when a loud sound is made, the sound of an echo is suddenly produced.
20. On the shore of a lake or some body of water there are many animals, birds, human beings, monkeys, trees and other objects that can be seen, and they appear to be both on the land and in the water.
21. If a weapon is moved around very fast, it appears that two weapons are being seen, or similarly if the strings of an instrument are played, their vibration makes them appear as two strings.
22. If there is a gathering in a hall with large mirrors, it appears to double the size of the room, or if many lamps are lit, they cast many shadows of a single object.
23. Like this, there are many ways in which something appears to be real, but how can one say that because of its appearance it is truly real, and believe it?
24. One should know that Illusion (Maya) is a like a magic trick. It appears to be real but it should not be considered to be true.
25. If the false is felt to be true and someone says, "Why should there be any examination of what is felt to be true?," you should know that this is said out of ignorance.
26. The magic tricks of human magicians are felt to be real by many people, but in the end they are seen with certainty to be false.
27. Similarly, in mythology, the magic spell of a demon was felt to be real by Lord Rama, who was deceived into following after a deer.
28. It's said that some demons can change their bodily forms, or that one demon can become many, such as in the story of where many demons were born from drops of blood.
29. There is the legend of how demons adopted various forms, and then in crafty ways entered the place called Dwarka, and were killed by Lord Krishna.
30. It is told of how the crafty demon Ravana made a fake head of Lord Rama and created a beautiful false monastery by his magic.
31. There are stories of demons with such crafty ways in magic that they could not even be controlled by the gods, and in the end, Shakti, the primal power eventually destroyed them.
32. Like this there are many stories about the tricks of demons that could not even be understood by the gods. Their art of deception is incomprehensible.
33. Human beings perform what is called trickery or misdirection, the demons perform magic, and what God does, which is strange in many ways, is called Illusion.
34. This Illusion appears as if it is real, but upon investigation into it, it disappears. Even though it is known to be false, its appearance continues to be seen.
35. If we say that it is true, it still gets destroyed. If we say that it is false, it is still seen. Whichever way it is told, the mind disbelieves both things.
36. One should understand that Illusion is not real. One should think deeply about the unreality of Illusion and understand that all appearances are like a dream.
37. Please listen. If Illusion is felt by you to be real, know that this is a mistake.
38. The illusion of what is visible is due to ignorance. The body is a part of this illusion, so there is lack of discrimination with regard to it.
39. The visible is seen with the eyes and the mind fixates on that illusion as being true. In this way, the subtle body becomes filled with ignorance.
40. It is ignorance that sees ignorance and then believes that the things that are seen are true. The body is an accumulation of ignorance.
41. To think that "I am the body" is the sign of body-identification, and as a result of this concept the visible world seems to have become real.
42. There is one concept that the body is real, and another concept that you are certain that the visible is true. Together, these two notions create a huge amount of doubt.
43. If you hold strongly to body-identification and try to make an earnest effort to see Brahman, the belief in the visible appearances are an obstruction on the path of Absolute Reality.
44. When having a strong conviction that visible appearances are real, you will quickly see what a big mistake has been made.
45. Now, let this be enough of this talk. Brahman cannot be attained with the notion of an individual "I" intact. The belief in the visible world is the sign of body-identification.
46. The body made up of bones has an eye which is made of flesh, and it wants to see Brahman with that eye. Such a person as that is not knowledgeable, but a mere blind fool.
47. All that is seen with the eyes and appears to the mind gets destroyed over a period of time. The Supreme Reality, Parabrahman, is beyond what is visible.
48. Parabrahman is that which is Eternal. Illusion is temporary. This is a conclusive declaration that is stated in many scriptures.
49. The explanation of the signs of body-identification and how one has come into the wrong conception of who one is will be told next.
50. One should understand "Who am I?" Giving up the false sense of "I" (ego) one should be "Oneness" alone. Then, naturally contentment will be acquired within oneself.