With a profound sense of wonder, the sage exclaims, “Ah! I salute myself, for I am untouched by destruction. Though the universe—from Brahma himself down to the smallest blade of grass—perishes and passes away, I alone remain, undiminished and eternal. Even possessing a body, I am one without a second, never coming nor going, pervading the universe and abiding everywhere. I marvel at myself, for none is as skillful as I; without ever touching the body, I have sustained the universe for ages. Nothing belongs to me—yet, if one were to speak truly, everything within the reach of speech and mind is mine. The triad of knowledge, object, and knower is but an appearance; whatever arises here due to ignorance, I am that, stainless and pure. Duality is the root of suffering, and there is no other remedy for it. All that is seen is false; I alone am the pure essence of consciousness. I am pure awareness, and only through ignorance have I imagined any limitation. Reflecting constantly in this way, my state remains ever free from distinctions. For me, there is neither bondage nor liberation, nor confusion; peace is without support. Though the universe appears to abide in me, in truth, it does not. It is certain: this universe, along with the body, is nothing. The Self is pure consciousness alone—upon what, then, can imagination now arise? Body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, and even fear—these are all mere imaginations. What concern have I, who am consciousness itself? Even amidst crowds of people, I perceive no duality. It is as if the world has become a wilderness to me; where then shall I find delight? I am not the body, nor does the body belong to me; I am not the individual soul—I am consciousness itself. My only bondage was the desire for life. The diverse and swiftly arising waves of the world have emerged in me, the infinite ocean, stirred by the wind of mind. When the wind of mind subsides in me, the infinite ocean, the world-boat—the unfortunate merchant of life—perishes. In me, the infinite ocean, the waves of living beings are wondrous; they rise, fall, play, and merge, all by their own nature. Ashtavakra teaches: Knowing the Self to be one and imperishable, how can a wise person—established in self-knowledge—be attached to the pursuit of worldly gain? Delight in the realm of sense objects arises only from ignorance of the Self, just as greed arises from mistaking mother-of-pearl for silver. The universe shines forth in that in which these waves arise, as in the ocean. Knowing ‘I am That,’ why do you run about as if distressed? Even after hearing that the Self is pure, beautiful consciousness, one who is deeply attached to sensual pleasure acquires impurity. For the sage who knows the Self in all beings, and all beings in the Self, it is astonishing that the sense of ‘mine’ persists. Established in supreme non-duality, even intent on liberation, it is astonishing that one, swayed by desire and impaired by the pursuit of pleasure, remains incomplete. Though knowledge has arisen and the enemy of ignorance is recognized as exceedingly weak, it is astonishing that one still desires pleasure, even as time draws to its end. For one who is detached here and elsewhere, who discriminates between the eternal and the transient, it is astonishing that, desiring liberation, he fears liberation itself. The wise person, whether being fed or afflicted, always perceives only the Self; he neither rejoices nor becomes angry. He who sees his own body as if it were another’s—how would such a great soul be disturbed by praise or blame? Seeing this world as mere illusion, and with all curiosity gone, how would the wise mind be afraid, even with death at hand? For the great one whose mind is without desire, even in hopelessness, who is satisfied in self-knowledge—who can be compared to him? Knowing by nature that all this seen is nothing, what does the wise mind perceive as to be accepted or rejected? For one who has abandoned inner passions, who is free from duality and expectation, any experience that comes by chance brings neither sorrow nor delight. Ashtavakra declares: Indeed, the wise one established in self-knowledge, playing with the enjoyment of the world, is never equal to the deluded who are carried along by worldly existence. The state which even the highest gods like Indra long for—how amazing that the yogi established there feels no elation. For the knower of That, there is no inner contact with merit or sin, just as space, though appearing to touch smoke, is never truly affected. Who could restrain the great soul who knows all this world as the Self, and lives as things come? From Brahma down to a blade of grass, in all four kinds of beings, only the knower has the power to be free from both desire and aversion. Whoever knows the Self as nondual, the Lord of the universe—whatever he knows, he does; he has no fear anywhere. Ashtavakra instructs: You have no attachment to anything—why, O pure one, do you wish to renounce? Dissolve the aggregation, and thus enter dissolution. The universe arises in you like a bubble in the ocean; knowing the Self to be one, thus enter dissolution. Even though the world appears directly, it does not exist in you, the stainless one, just as a snake is seen in a rope; thus, enter dissolution. Being the same in pain and pleasure, full, equal in hope and hopelessness, and the same in life and death—thus, enter dissolution. Ashtavakra concludes: I am infinite like space; the world is natural like a pot. For one with this knowledge, there is neither renunciation nor acceptance—only dissolution.