In this world, most people are driven by longing—some seek enjoyment, others yearn for liberation. Yet among them, the truly rare soul is one who is free from both desires, untouched by the urge for pleasure or the quest for freedom. For such a noble mind, there is no notion of accepting or rejecting anything, whether it be righteousness, wealth, pleasure, liberation, life, or even death. He moves through existence without preference, his heart untouched by the tides of gain and loss. Even at the dissolution of the universe, he feels no desire; nor does he harbor aversion when the world persists. He simply lives as he is, blessed and content, untouched by the drama of creation and destruction. Fulfilled by profound knowledge, with all thoughts dissolved, this accomplished one remains content in every moment—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating—abiding in himself, never seeking more. His vision is empty, his actions seemingly futile, his senses subdued. In him, there is neither longing nor detachment; the vast ocean of worldly existence has dried up. He neither wakes nor sleeps, neither opens nor closes his eyes; what a wondrous state! Somewhere, the liberated one abides, his mind utterly free. Wherever he is seen, he appears self-possessed and pure in intention. Freed from all desires, liberated, he shines everywhere, his presence luminous. Whether seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, or walking, he is freed from both action and inaction—the great-souled one, truly liberated. He neither criticizes nor praises, neither rejoices nor becomes angry; he neither gives nor takes. Liberated, he remains indifferent everywhere, untouched by the opposites of life. Whether he encounters affection or faces death, his mind remains undisturbed, self-possessed—such is the nature of the liberated great soul. In pleasure and pain, in man or woman, in fortune or misfortune, he sees no distinction. The wise one perceives all equally, his vision unwavering. There is no violence, no compassion, no arrogance, nor dejection; no wonder, nor agitation. Such is the person whose wandering has ended, whose heart is at rest. The liberated one is neither an enemy of sense objects nor attached to them. His mind remains always unattached; he enjoys whatever comes, and whatever does not, without preference. Thoughts of concentration, non-concentration, good and bad, are absent—his mind is empty, knowing nothing, established as if in absolute aloneness. Without possessiveness or ego, firmly convinced that nothing is his, with all hopes dissolved within, even while acting, he does nothing. Free from the illumination and confusion of mind, and from the dullness of dream, whatever state he attains, his mind has dissolved, leaving only peace. Ashtavakra declares: Until awakening arises, delusion is like a dream. To that one whose nature is pure bliss, peaceful and radiant, he bows in reverence. One may acquire all wealth and enjoy abundant pleasures, but without complete renunciation, true happiness cannot be found. For one whose inner self is burned by the sun of duty's suffering, happiness is impossible without the nectar-stream of peace. This existence, says Ashtavakra, is merely imagination—nothing in reality. For those who discern the distinction between being and non-being, their own nature is never absent. The state of the Self is neither distant nor contracted; it is attained, free of distinctions, effortless, unchanging, and pure. When confusion ceases and one's true nature is simply accepted, those whose vision is unobstructed shine, free from sorrow. The entire world is mere imagination; the Self is liberated and eternal. Knowing this, why would the wise practice like a child, seeking what is already theirs? Having determined that the Self is Brahman, and that existence and non-existence are imagined, what does the desireless one know, say, or do? When the thought "I am this, I am not this" has faded, and all is known as the Self, the yogi becomes silent, resting in the fullness of being. For the peaceful yogi, there is neither distraction nor concentration, neither excessive understanding nor ignorance, neither pleasure nor pain. Whether in sovereignty or the life of a mendicant, in gain or loss, among people or in the forest, for the yogi whose nature is free of distinctions, there is no difference. Where is righteousness, where is desire, where is wealth, where is discrimination? For the yogi freed from dualities, there is no sense of "this is done, this is not." There is nothing to be done, nor any delight in the heart; for the yogi liberated while living, life here is simply as it is. Where is delusion, where is the world, where is meditation, where is liberation? For the great soul resting at the limit of all thought, none of these remain. Let the one by whom this world is seen declare it does not exist; the one without desires acts, yet sees without seeing. Let one who has seen the supreme Brahman think "I am Brahman." But the one who is free from thought, who sees no second, what does he think? He who perceives agitation of the Self seeks to restrain it; but the noble one, not agitated and with nothing to be accomplished, does nothing. The wise, though appearing contrary to the world and living among it, sees neither absorption nor distraction, nor any loss of himself. Content and free from both existence and non-existence, without desire, he does nothing at all, though he acts in the eyes of the world. Whether engaged in action or withdrawn, the wise is never confused; whatever comes to be done, he does it and remains at ease. Without desire, without support, free and unbound, he moves as he wills; tossed by the winds of conditioning, he acts like a dry leaf. For the one free from worldly involvement, there is neither joy nor sorrow anywhere; he rules with a cool mind, always as if bodiless. Nowhere does the wise one, whose mind is cooler than cool and who delights in the Self, feel any desire to abandon or any sense of loss. For the steadfast one whose mind is naturally empty, whatever is done happens spontaneously; like an ordinary person, he neither feels pride nor humiliation. Thus, the story of the liberated soul unfolds—a life of profound peace, freedom, and silent radiance.