Chapter 15 — Ashtavakra Gita

Aṣṭāvakra said: A person of pure and mature understanding attains fulfillment through instruction, however it may be given. But another, though remaining a seeker throughout his entire life, continues to be confused about that very Truth.

Liberation is dispassion toward sense-objects. Bondage is delight and attachment to them. This alone is the essence of Knowledge. Now, act as you wish.

This realization of the Truth transforms an eloquent, learned, and highly active person into one who appears silent, simple, and inactive. Therefore, it is often avoided by those who still hunger for worldly attainments and experiences.

You are not the body, nor does the body belong to you. You are neither the experiencer nor the doer. You are of the nature of Consciousness, the eternal Witness, free from dependence and expectation. Abide in happiness.

Attachment and aversion are qualities of the mind. The mind itself does not truly belong to you. You are beyond all mental distinctions, of the nature of pure Awareness, and free from all modification. Abide in happiness.

Realize the Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self. Free from egoism and the sense of possession, abide in happiness.

In that Reality where this entire universe appears, like waves upon the ocean, That indeed are you—of this there is no doubt. O embodiment of Consciousness, be free from all agitation and sorrow.

Dear child, have faith, have faith. Do not fall into delusion. Know this: You are the blessed Ātman, whose very nature is Knowledge, and who is beyond Prakṛti.

The body, enveloped by the Guṇas, remains for a time, comes into being, and passes away. The Ātman neither comes nor goes. Why, then, do you grieve over it?

Let the body remain until the end of an age, or let it perish this very day. What increase can there be for you, and what loss, when your nature is pure Consciousness alone?

In you, the infinite ocean, the wave of the universe arises by its very nature, and may likewise subside and disappear. Yet for you there is neither increase nor any loss.

Dear child, you are of the nature of pure Consciousness alone. This universe is not separate from you. Therefore, for whom, how, and where can there arise any notion of something to be rejected or something to be accepted?

In you—the one, imperishable, peaceful, and stainless space of Consciousness (Cidākāśa)— whence can there be birth? Whence can there be action? And whence can there be egoism?

Whatever you perceive, in all of it, you alone appear as the one Reality. Just as bracelets, armlets, and anklets do not appear as something separate from gold, so too nothing is separate from you.

Abandon all distinctions such as, "This am I," and "This am I not." Knowing with certainty that all is the Self, become free from mental constructions and abide in happiness.

Through your own ignorance, the universe appears. In the ultimate sense, you alone exist. Apart from you, there is no one who is bound by Saṃsāra, and no one who is liberated from it.

One who is firmly convinced that this universe is merely an appearance born of delusion, and that, in truth, it is nothing at all, becomes free from Vāsanās (latent tendencies and desires). Abiding as pure Awareness alone, he rests in peace, as though nothing whatsoever remains to be attained.

You alone are the one ocean of Being— existing in the past, present, and future. For you there is neither bondage nor liberation. There is nothing that must be done, and nothing left undone. Abide in happiness.

O embodiment of Consciousness, do not agitate the mind with notions, imaginings, and mental alternatives. Become still and peaceful. Abide in happiness, established in your own Self, the very embodiment of Bliss.

Give up meditation everywhere. Do not hold on to anything in the heart or mind. You are the Ātman, ever free. What will you gain by further reflection and deliberation?

Chapter 15 — Tattvam