Based on Chapter 26, what is the true nature of the Self, and how does it contrast with the physical world?

As detailed in Chapter 26, the true nature of the Self is described as self-luminous and eternal. In stark contrast, the physical world, from the Creator Brahma down to a blade of grass, is presented as imagined and illusory, a 'play and a marvel of Maya.' The text explains that all objects of the universe are, in reality, unmanifest and woven into the soul. They only appear to be manifest and separate due to ignorance. This visible world is considered to have no independent place outside the Self and ultimately dissolves when true knowledge dawns, revealing the eternal and self-luminous reality.