The ātmā is not subject to creation and destruction. It is different from the gross and subtle bodies since it is self-luminous. Like the ether, it is the support for everything. It is without change, without end, and beyond comparison. Saṁsāra like the lamp should be destroyed but the ātmā, like light, should not be destroyed. “Where does the ātmā appear in this saṁsāra?” The ātmā is not involved in creation and destruction like bodies. Ātmā is different from the gross and subtle bodies of the jīva since it is self-luminous, self-revealing. Thus the basis of the body which is made of matter is without change (dhruvaḥ). It has no end (ananta) and nothing can compare to it (upamaḥ). The hidden meaning is as follows. What is superior to cause and effect is the final cause, Paramātmā (instead of ātmā or Brahman). Like the ether it is the basis of everything.