Rāma’s activity is like a thought that moves

The dialogue between Vasiṣṭha and Rāma is not merely narrative framework — it is doctrine. Rāma acts, asks, doubts, seeks. Vasiṣṭha responds, corrects, illuminates. But both are within the same field of consciousness. Rāma’s activity — his seeking, his suffering, his disillusionment — is saṅkalpa: a volition, a thought unfolding. It is not less real for being thought; it is less substantial than it appears.