Part 2 of 2

21
अष्टावक्र उवाच –
आचक्ष्व शृणु वा तात नानाशास्त्राण्यनेकशः।
तथापि न तव स्वास्थ्यं सर्वविस्मरणाद् ऋते॥ 16.1॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca-
ācakṣva śṛṇu vā tāta nānāśāstrāṇyanekaśaḥ;
tathāpi na tava svāsthyaṃ sarvavismaraṇādṛte.

Ashtavakra says: My child, you may have heard from many scholars or read many scriptures, yet you will not be established in Self unless you forget every single thing.

22
इदं कृतमिदं नेति द्वंद्वैर्मुक्तं यदा मनः।
धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु निरपेक्षं तदा भवेत्॥16.5॥

idaṃ kṛtamidaṃ neti dvandvairmuktaṃ yadā manaḥ;
dharmārthakāmamokṣeṣu nirapekṣaṃ tadā bhavet.

Ashtavakra: When mind is free from pairs of opposites such as ‘this is done’ and ‘this is not done’, it is free from the desire of religious merit, worldly prosperity, sensuality and liberation.

23
न निन्दति न च स्तौति न हृष्यति न कुप्यति।
न ददाति न गृण्हाति मुक्तः सर्वत्र नीरसः॥ 17.13॥

na nindati na ca stauti na hṛṣyati na kupyati;
na dadāti na gṛhṇāti muktaḥ sarvatra nīrasaḥ.

Ashtavakra: He, the liberated ones neither blames nor praises, he neither gives nor takes. He is indifferent to all objects and is free in every way.

24
निर्ममो निरहंकारो न किंचिदिति निश्चितः।
अन्तर्गलितसर्वाशः कुर्वन्नपि करोति न॥17.19॥

nirmamo nirahaṃkāro na kiñciditi niścitaḥ;
antargalitasarvāśaḥ kurvannapi na lipyate.

Ashtavakra: A man of knowledge, who is free from attachment, free of ego, with all desires extinguished within, and who has conviction about non-existence of the visible world, does not act even though he may (seem) to be acting.

25
न दूरं न च संकोचाल् लब्धमेवात्मनः पदं।
निर्विकल्पं निरायासं निर्विकारं निरंजनम्॥18.5॥

na dūraṃ na ca saṃkocāllabdhamevātmanaḥ padam;
nirvikalpaṃ nirāyāsaṃ nirvikāraṃ nirañjanam.

Ashtavakra: The realm of one’s own self is verily not far away; even so, it cannot be attained due to addition of limitations to its nature. It is absolute, effortless, immutable and taint less.

26
कृत्यं किमपि नैवास्ति न कापि हृदि रंजना।
यथा जीवनमेवेह जीवन्मुक्तस्य योगिनः॥18.13॥

kṛtyaṃ kimapi naivāsti na kā’pi hṛdi rañjanā;
yathā jīvanameveha jīvanmuktasya yoginaḥ.

Ashtavakra: For the yogi who is liberated while alive there is no duty, nothing is needed to be done; there is no attachment in his heart. Things last just for a lifetime.

27
येन दृष्टं परं ब्रह्म सोऽहं ब्रह्मेति चिन्तयेत्।
किं चिन्तयति निश्चिन्तो यो न पश्यति॥18.16॥
yena dṛṣṭaṃ paraṃ brahma so’haṃ brahmeti cintayet;
kiṃ cintayati niścinto dvitīyaṃ yo na paśyati.

Ashtavakra: He by whom the Supreme Brahma is seen meditates ‘I am Brahma’. What would he think who has transcended all thoughts and sees no second.

28
निर्वासनो निरालंबः स्वच्छन्दो मुक्तबन्धनः।
क्षिप्तः संस्कारवातेन चेष्टते शुष्कपर्णवत्॥18.21॥

nirvāsano nirālambaḥ svacchando muktabandhanaḥ;
kṣiptaḥ saṃskāravātena ceṣṭate śuṣkaparṇavat.

Ashtavakra: He who is desire-free, self-reliant, independent and free of bonds moves by the wind of samskara (prarabdha) like a dead leaf.

29
कृतं देहेन कर्मेदं न मया शुद्धरूपिणा।
इति चिन्तानुरोधी यः कुर्वन्नपि करोति न॥ 18.25॥

kṛtaṃ dehena karmedaṃ na mayā śuddharūpiṇā;
iti cintānurodhī yaḥ kurvannapi karoti na.

Ashtavakra: The pure person, who thinks, ‘this action is done by the body but not by me’, does not act even though (seem) to be acting.

30
यस्यान्तः स्यादहंकारो न करोति करोति सः।
निरहंकारधीरेण न किंचिदकृतं कृतम्॥18.29॥

yasyāntaḥ syādahaṃkāro na karoti karoti saḥ;
nirahaṃkāradhīreṇa na kiñcidakṛtaṃ kṛtam.

Ashtavakra: He, who has ego inside, acts even when not acting; wise person who has no ego is action free even while acting.

31
अकर्तृत्वमभोक्तृत्वं स्वात्मनो मन्यते यदा।
तदा क्षीणा भवन्त्येव समस्ताश्चित्तवृत्तयः॥18.51॥

akartṛtvamabhoktṛtvaṃ svātmano manyate yadā;
tadā kṣīṇā bhavantyeva samastāścittavṛttayaḥ.

Ashtavakra: When one sees oneself as neither the doer nor the enjoy-er of the consequences, then all the modifications of the mind are destroyed.

32
बुद्धिपर्यन्तसंसारे मायामात्रं विवर्तते।
निर्ममो निरहंकारो निष्कामः शोभते बुधः॥18.73॥

buddhiparyantasaṃsāre māyāmātraṃ vivartate;
nirmamo nirahaṃkāro niṣkāmaḥ śobhate budhaḥ.

Ashtavakra: Illusion (maya) prevails in the world until Self-realization. Man of wisdom lives without attachment in the glory of freedom from the feeling of ‘i-ness’ and ‘mine-ness’.

33
न स्वर्गो नैव नरको जीवन्मुक्तिर्न चैव हि।
बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन योगदृष्ट्या न किंचन॥18.80॥

na svargo naiva narako jīvanmuktirna caiva hi;
bahunātra kimuktena yogadṛṣṭyā na kiñcana.

Ashtavakra: There is neither heaven nor hell nor even liberation during life. In short nothing exists in yogic consciousness.

34
ज्ञः सचिन्तोऽपि निश्चिन्तः सेन्द्रियोऽपि निरिन्द्रियः।
सुबुद्धिरपि निर्बुद्धिः साहंकारोऽनहङ्कृतिः॥ 18.95॥

jñaḥ sacinto’pi niścintaḥ sendriyo’pi nirindriyaḥ |
sabuddhirapi nirbuddhiḥ sāhaṃkāro’nahaṃkṛtiḥ || 18.95 |||

Ashtavakra: The man of knowledge is thoughtless even while thinking, devoid of sense organs even though possessed of them, without intelligence even though endowed with it and without ego of responsibility even though possessed of it.

35
न सुखी न च वा दुःखी न विरक्तो न संगवान्।
न मुमुक्षुर्न वा मुक्ता न किंचिन्न्न च किंचन॥18.96॥

na sukhī na ca vā duḥkhī na virakto na saṅgavān;
na mumukṣurna vā mukto na kiñcinna ca kiñcana.

Ashtavakra: He is neither happy nor unhappy, neither attached nor detached. He is neither liberated nor a an aspirant of liberation. He is none of these, none of these.

36
मुक्तो यथास्थितिस्वस्थः कृतकर्तव्यनिर्वृतः।
समः सर्वत्र वैतृष्ण्यान्न स्मरत्यकृतं कृतम्॥18.98॥
mukto yathāsthitisvasthaḥ kṛtakartavyanirvṛtaḥ;
samaḥ sarvatra vaitṛṣṇyānna smaratyakṛtaṃ kṛtam.

Ashtavakra: The liberated one, who is ever abiding in the Self, who is free from the idea of duty and action, who is same everywhere and who is free from desires , does not reflect on what he has done or not done.

37
क्व धर्मः क्व च वा कामः क्व चार्थः क्व विवेकिता।
क्व द्वैतं क्व च वाऽद्वैतं स्वमहिम्नि स्थितस्य मे॥19.2॥

kva dharmaḥ kva ca vā kāmaḥ kva cārthaḥ kva vivekatā;
kva dvaitaṃ kva ca vā’dvaitaṃ svamahimni sthitasya me.

Janaka: For me who abide in the Self and in my own glory,there are no righteousness and duty, no objective or discretion, no duality or non-duality.

38
क्व माया क्व च संसारः क्व प्रीतिर्विरतिः क्व वा।
क्व जीवः क्व च तद्ब्रह्म सर्वदा विमलस्य मे॥20.11॥

kva māyā kva ca saṃsāraḥ kva prītirviratiḥ kva vā;
kva jīvaḥ kva ca tadbrahma sarvadā vimalasya me.

Janaka: Where is maya and where is world, where is attachment or detachment, where is jiva and where is Brahman for me who is ever pure.

39
क्व प्रवृत्तिर्निर्वृत्तिर्वा क्व मुक्तिः क्व च बन्धनं।
कूटस्थनिर्विभागस्य स्वस्थस्य मम सर्वदा॥20.12॥

kva pravṛttirnivṛttirvā kva muktiḥ kva ca bandhanam;
kūṭasthanirvibhāgasya svasthasya mama sarvadā.

Janaka: For me who is ever immutable and indivisible and established in the Self, there is no activity, no inactivity, no liberation, no bondage.

40
क्व चास्ति क्व च वा नास्ति क्वास्ति चैकं क्व च द्वयं।
बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन किंचिन्नोत्तिष्ठते मम॥20.14॥

kva cāsti kva ca vā nāsti kvāsti caikaṃ kva ca dvayam;
bahunā’tra kimuktena kiñcinnottiṣṭhate mama.

Janaka: For me,what is existence or non-existence, what is duality or non-duality? What is there more to say? Nothing emanates from me.

Concluded