Knowing that both misfortune and fortune arrive according to their own time and fate, the wise person, content and steady in their senses, neither desires nor grieves. Understanding that happiness and sorrow, birth and death, are all governed by fate, one who acts only as needed, without effort or attachment, remains untouched by the consequences of action. Recognizing that suffering arises solely from thought, such a person, free from mental distress, finds happiness, peace, and an absence of longing everywhere. Realizing, “I am not the body, nor is the body mine; I am pure consciousness,” one attains a state of isolation, as if liberated, forgetting all concern for what has been done or left undone. Knowing, “I alone am,” from Brahma down to the smallest blade of grass, the undivided, pure, and peaceful one is free from concern for attainment or loss. Seeing that “this world is not wondrous, nor is anything,” the desireless, awareness-filled soul becomes peaceful, as if nothing exists at all. Janaka shares his journey: first, he was unable to perform bodily actions; then, unable to elaborate in speech; finally, unable even to think—thus, he settled into a natural state. By losing delight in words and worldly things, and by the invisibility of the self, his heart became undisturbed and concentrated, and so he settled. Observing that even the practice of samadhi is itself a distraction from true samadhi, Janaka settled in this way. Recognizing that joy and sorrow do not arise when there is nothing to accept or reject, he found rest. He saw that ashramas and non-ashramas, meditation, and even the mind’s acceptance of thoughts are mere concepts, and thus he settled. Just as action ceases through ignorance, so too, by rightly understanding this truth, Janaka settled in peace. Even when trying to think of the unthinkable, it still takes the form of thought; therefore, abandoning such contemplation, he settled. Whoever acts in this way becomes fulfilled; whoever embodies this nature is fulfilled. Janaka declares that the state of having nothing and being established in oneself is rare, even for one with only a loincloth; having abandoned both acceptance and renunciation, he sits at ease. Fatigue comes to the body, to the tongue, and to the mind at different places, but having abandoned these, Janaka remains happily established in the Self. Reflecting truly that nothing whatsoever is ever done, whenever something arises to be done, he does it and sits at ease. For the yogi abiding in the body, insistence on action or inaction is absent; because there is no union or separation, Janaka sits at ease. Gain and loss are not his, whether standing, walking, or lying down; thus, in all states, he sits at ease. There is no loss in sleep, nor accomplishment in striving; having abandoned both decline and elation, Janaka rests in ease. Observing that states such as happiness and others are only in the mind, and abandoning both auspicious and inauspicious, he sits at ease. Janaka further reflects: one whose mind is naturally empty but who contemplates objects out of habit is like one asleep though awake, for memory is exhausted. Where are possessions, friends, sense objects for him? Where is scripture or knowledge, when all desire has fallen away? Having realized the witness-self, the supreme self, the Lord, and in the absence of hope, bondage, or liberation, Janaka has no concern for liberation. For one empty of inner concepts and moving freely outwardly, the states that arise are like those of a deluded person; only such a one knows them. Ashtavakra then says: by whatever means he is instructed, the wise person who has attained fulfillment is satisfied; but the seeker, even for a lifetime, remains confused about that. Liberation is indifference to sense objects; bondage is taste for sense objects. This alone is to be understood—act as you wish. The realization of truth makes even the eloquent, wise, and energetic person mute, dull, and inactive; therefore, those who desire worldly enjoyment abandon it. You are not the body, nor is the body yours; you are neither the enjoyer nor the doer. You are consciousness itself, always the witness, unattached—move about happily. Attachment and aversion are qualities of the mind; the mind is never yours. You are consciousness itself, without distinctions, unchanging—move about happily. Recognize the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self; become free of ego and possessiveness, and be happy. In that in which the universe shines forth, like waves in the ocean—that alone is the truth, without doubt. O embodiment of consciousness, be free from distress. Have faith, dear one, have faith—do not be deluded here. The Self, your true nature, is knowledge itself, divine, and beyond nature. The body, enveloped by qualities, stands, comes, and goes. The Self neither goes nor comes—why grieve for it? Let the body remain until the end of an age, or let it go today—where is increase or decrease for you, who are pure consciousness alone? In you, the infinite ocean, the waves of the universe arise by their own nature; whether they rise or subside, there is neither gain nor loss for you. Dear one, you are pure consciousness alone; this world is not separate from you. Therefore, for whom, how, and where can there be any notion of acceptance or rejection? In you, the one, imperishable, peaceful, pure space of consciousness—how can there be birth, action, or even ego? Whatever you perceive, there you alone appear. Do bracelets, armlets, or anklets shine apart from the gold? Abandon the division, “This is me, this is not me.” Realizing that all is the Self, be free of all notions and be happy.