12. Vasishtha replied:—In the beginning this world was not in existence, nor inexistence either; because there was the eternal Intellect, which engrossed all infinity in itself, and the whole vacuity of space with its essence. 13. This vacuity of it (the subjective chit), is known as the objective _chetya_ or thought; and the intellect without forsaking its form, becomes _chetana_ or the power of intellection (or the mind) itself. 14. Know this intellection as the _jíva_ or living soul, which being condensed (with feelings &c.) becomes the gross mind; but none of these essences or forms of existence, have any form whatever. 15. The vacuity of the intellect, remains as the pure vacuum in itself forever; and all this which appears as otherwise, is no other and nothing without the self-same soul. 16. The very soul assumes to it its egoism (or personality), and thinking itself as the mind, becomes sullied with its endless desires, in its vacuous form. (The pure soul is changed to the impure spirit or volitive mind). 17. Then this intellectual principle, thinks itself as the air, by its own volition; and by this false supposition of itself, it becomes of an aerial form in the open air. 18. Then it thinks of its future gross form, and immediately finds itself transformed to an aerial body, by its volition or _sankalpa_. (The will being master to the thought). 19. Though the soul, spirit and mind, are vacuous in their natures; yet they can assume aerial forms to themselves by their will, as the mind sees its imaginary cities; and so doth the Lord take upon Him any form it pleases. 20. And as the knowledge of our minds, is purely of an aerial nature, so the intelligence of the all-intelligent Lord is likewise of an intellectual kind; and he takes and forsakes any form as he supposes and pleases for himself. 21. As we advance to the knowledge of recondite truth, so we come to lose the perception of size and extension; and to know this extended world as a mere nullity, though it appears as a positive entity. 22. By knowledge of the real truth, we get rid of our desires, as it is by our knowledge of the unity and the absence of our egoism or personality, that we obtain our liberation. (_i.e._ The knowledge of our nothingness). 23. Such is He—the supreme One, and is Brahma the entity of the world. And know Virát, O Ráma, to be the body of Brahma, and the form of the visible world. (Brahma, Brahmá and Virát, are the triple hypostasis of the One and same God). 24. The desires or will, is of the form of empty vacuum, and the erroneous conceptions which rise in it; the same give birth to the world, which is thence called the mundane egg. 25. Know all this is _non esse_, and the forms you see, are but formation of your fancy; in reality there is nothing _in esse_; and tuism and egoism are no entities at any time.