Even for one established in the highest non-duality, intent on liberation, it is astonishing to witness how desire and the pursuit of pleasure can leave a person feeling incomplete. Though true knowledge has dawned and ignorance appears weak and vanquished, still, it is remarkable how the longing for pleasure persists, even as the end of time approaches. For the one who is detached in all circumstances, able to discern the eternal from the transient, it is astonishing that, while seeking liberation, there arises a fear of liberation itself. The wise, whether nourished or afflicted, perceive only the Self everywhere—they neither rejoice nor become angry. Seeing their own body as if it were another’s, such a great soul is unmoved by praise or blame. When the world is seen as mere illusion and all curiosity has faded, how could the mind of the wise be afraid, even in the face of death? The one whose mind is free from desire, content in self-knowledge, remains incomparable, even in hopelessness. Knowing by nature that all which is seen is truly nothing, what is there for the wise to accept or reject? For the one who has abandoned inner passions, is free from duality and expectation, any experience that arises by chance brings neither sorrow nor delight. The wise one, established in self-knowledge, plays with the enjoyments of the world, yet is never like those deluded who are swept away by worldly existence. The state that even the highest gods like Indra yearn for—how remarkable that the yogi established in such a state feels no elation. For the knower of That, there is no inner contact with merit or sin, just as space, though it appears to touch smoke, remains unaffected. 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, among all forms of life, only the knower is free from both desire and aversion. Whoever knows the Self as nondual, as the Lord of the universe, acts without fear, wherever he may be. Ashtavakra teaches: “You have no attachment to anything, O pure one—why then do you seek to renounce? Dissolve the aggregation of body and mind, and thus enter dissolution. The universe arises within you like a bubble in the ocean; knowing the Self to be one, 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 pleasure and pain, in fullness, hope and hopelessness, in life and death—thus, enter dissolution.” He continues: “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. I am like the great ocean; the world is like a wave. For one with this knowledge, there is neither renunciation nor acceptance—only dissolution. I am like the mother-of-pearl; the world-appearance is like silver. For one with this knowledge, there is neither renunciation nor acceptance—only dissolution. Whether I am in all beings or all beings are in me—such is the knowledge of this one; for him, there is neither renunciation, nor acceptance, nor dissolution.” King Janaka reflects: “In the infinite ocean that is myself, the ship of the world drifts here and there, moved by the wind of its own mind; I have no impatience with this. In the infinite ocean that is myself, the wave of the world arises and subsides by its own nature; whether it rises or falls, for me there is neither gain nor loss. In the infinite ocean that is myself, the world is merely a notion; utterly peaceful, formless—this alone I abide in. The Self is not in states, nor are states in That infinite, stainless One; thus, unattached, desireless, and at peace—this alone I abide in. Ah! I am pure consciousness alone; the world is like a magic show. So for me, how or where could there be any thought of rejection or acceptance?” Ashtavakra further explains: “Bondage is when the mind desires, grieves, lets go, takes hold, sees distinctions, or becomes angry. Liberation is when the mind neither desires nor grieves, neither lets go nor takes hold, neither rejoices nor becomes angry. Bondage is when the mind is attached to any perception; liberation is when the mind is unattached to all perceptions. Liberation is when there is no sense of ‘I’; bondage is when there is ‘I’. Knowing this, do not grasp or abandon anything, even carelessly.” He continues: “When are the pairs of opposites, action and inaction, ever at peace, and for whom? Knowing this, become indifferent here, devoted to renunciation, free from all vows. For some rare blessed one, merely by observing the ways of the world, the desire for life, for food, and for knowledge, along with all agitation, have vanished. All this is impermanent, tainted by the threefold suffering, unsubstantial, blameworthy, to be abandoned—knowing this, one becomes calm. What time, what age, or what circumstance is there where the pairs of opposites do not exist for people? Ignoring them, acting as is fitting, one attains perfection. Not by the doctrines of sages, saints, or yogis—seeing this, who, having become dispassionate, does not become calm? Having realized the true nature of consciousness, who is not a teacher? By the method of dispassion and equanimity, one leads others beyond the cycle of birth and death. See the transformations of the elements as merely the elements themselves, as they truly are; in that very instant, freed from bondage, you will abide in your own nature. Desires alone are the world—therefore, abandon them all. Renouncing desires, you will remain established today, in whatever way it may be.