The young Rama asks the sage about samadhi. Thereafter, he raises a question about the seven states of mind – how they are attained and what the attributes are at each state of mind. The explanation leads to the state of complete ineffable Bliss in which the Universal Consciousness alone is experienced.
Question 273
The young Rama asks the sage, if everything is established in Brahman – and there is only Brahman – what then of the teachings about the admissible and the inadmissible contained in the scriptures? An excursus of the different forms of human beings and their goals of life are related.
Question 271-272
The young Rama asks about experience when modifications and ideations disappear. What of religions? He learns that all sects or religions are just ideational; in reality, there are no distinctions of sects and religions in Atma. The entire ideation is an imaginary creation of individual consciousness.
Question 269-270
Rama asks about how lightning arises and disappears; how then does consciousness arise? What is the cause of the potency of ideation? A short lecture follows… … realizing Atma brings the end of ideation and illusion.
Question 267-268: The States of Consciousness
The young Rama sits at the feet of the Sage, Vasishtha. He asks about the three states, gross, subtle and deep sleep. The Sage replies about the state beyond deep sleep that brings ineffable bliss. The young Rama should act, and be the witness of actions and know the universe is but the glamour of Atma.
Question 266: Bondage and Liberation
The young Rama asks Sage Vasishtha about bondage and liberation. He learns there are three aspects or forms of a person. There is pure consciousness, ignorance of Atma and the gross form.
Question 265: The Cycles of Life
The young Rama asks about births of different kinds. He learns that creation from the primeval Paramatma is of four kinds : (i) some are born due to karma, (ii) some are born without karma, (iii) some are yet to be born in the future, and (iv) some are presently in the process of birth. Thereafter, the destination of the individual souls born is due either their ideations (the cycle of birth-death-and-birth again) or that of those who merge in Atma and are not born again.
Q 263 … the Stage called Life
The young Rama asks what is wisdom, and what the qualities of the wise person must be? He learns that the mind of a wise person is naturally free from material attractions. One has to walk across the stage called life free of material attractions and ideations.
Question 261: On Loss of Ego ~ King Ishvaku and Swayambhu Manu
The young Rama asks what are the attributes of a person who has eliminated his or her ego. Sage Vasishtha replies with the story of King Ishvaku and Swayambhu Manu, and narrates the discourse that followed.
Question 258-260: How can Ego be got rid of?
The young Rama is curious about the nature of reality and cognition. Ideations that arise are illusory in fact and the question arises about ego, illusion and the goal of life. We have to ask ourselves, How can ego be got rid of?