Ashtavakra Gita

सुखदुःखे जन्ममृत्यू दैवादेवेति निश्चयी। साध्यादर्शी निरायासः कुर्वन्नपि न लिप्यते

Knowing that happiness and sorrow, birth and death, are by fate, one who sees what is to be done, without effort, is not tainted even while acting.

चिन्तया जायते दुःखं नान्यथेहेति निश्चयी। तया हीनः सुखी शान्तः सर्वत्र गलितस्पृहः

Knowing that suffering arises from thought and not otherwise, one who is free from it is happy, peaceful, and everywhere devoid of longing.

नाहं देहो न मे देहो बोधोऽहमिति निश्चयी। कैवल्यं इव संप्राप्तो न स्मरत्यकृतं कृतम्

Knowing 'I am not the body, nor is the body mine; I am consciousness,' one attains isolation as if liberated, and does not remember what was done or not done.

आब्रह्मस्तंबपर्यन्तं अहमेवेति निश्चयी। निर्विकल्पः शुचिः शान्तः प्राप्ताप्राप्तविनिर्वृतः

Knowing 'I alone am,' from Brahma down to a blade of grass, one who is undivided, pure, peaceful, and free from concern for attainment or non-attainment.

नाश्चर्यमिदं विश्वं न किंचिदिति निश्चयी। निर्वासनः स्फूर्तिमात्रो न किंचिदिव शाम्यति

Knowing 'This world is not wondrous, nor is anything,' one who is free from desires, consisting only of awareness, becomes peaceful as if nothing exists.

जनक उवाच॥ कायकृत्यासहः पूर्वं ततो वाग्विस्तरासहः। अथ चिन्तासहस्तस्माद् एवमेवाहमास्थितः

Janaka said: First, I was unable to perform bodily actions; then, unable to elaborate in speech; then, unable to think—thus, I have settled in this way.

प्रीत्यभावेन शब्दादेरदृश्यत्वेन चात्मनः। विक्षेपैकाग्रहृदय एवमेवाहमास्थितः

By absence of delight in words and the like, and by the invisibility of the self, with a heart undisturbed and concentrated, thus I have settled.

समाध्यासादिविक्षिप्तौ व्यवहारः समाधये। एवं विलोक्य नियमं एवमेवाहमास्थितः

Observing the rule that activity such as the practice of samadhi is itself a distraction from samadhi, I have thus settled in this way.

हेयोपादेयविरहाद् एवं हर्षविषादयोः। अभावादद्य हे ब्रह्मन्न् एवमेवाहमास्थितः

O Brahman, recognizing that joy and sorrow do not arise due to the absence of anything to accept or reject, I have thus settled in this way.

आश्रमानाश्रमं ध्यानं चित्तस्वीकृतवर्जनं। विकल्पं मम वीक्ष्यैतैरेवमेवाहमास्थितः

Seeing that ashramas, non-ashramas, meditation, and even the acceptance of thoughts by the mind are all mere concepts, I have thus settled in this way.

कर्मानुष्ठानमज्ञानाद् यथैवोपरमस्तथा। बुध्वा सम्यगिदं तत्त्वं एवमेवाहमास्थितः

Just as the performance of action ceases through ignorance, so too, having rightly understood this truth, I have thus settled in this way.

अचिंत्यं चिंत्यमानोऽपि चिन्तारूपं भजत्यसौ। त्यक्त्वा तद्भावनं तस्माद् एवमेवाहमास्थितः

Even when one tries to think of the unthinkable, it takes the form of thought; therefore, abandoning such contemplation, I have thus settled in this way.

एवमेव कृतं येन स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ। एवमेव स्वभावो यः स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ

Whoever acts in this way becomes fulfilled; whoever has this very nature becomes fulfilled.

जनक उवाच॥ अकिंचनभवं स्वास्थं कौपीनत्वेऽपि दुर्लभं। त्यागादाने विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्

Janaka said: 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, I sit here at ease.

कुत्रापि खेदः कायस्य जिह्वा कुत्रापि खेद्यते। मनः कुत्रापि तत्त्यक्त्वा पुरुषार्थे स्थितः सुखम्

Fatigue comes to the body somewhere, the tongue is tired somewhere, the mind elsewhere; having abandoned these, I remain happily established in the Self.

कृतं किमपि नैव स्याद् इति संचिन्त्य तत्त्वतः। यदा यत्कर्तुमायाति तत् कृत्वासे यथासुखम्

Reflecting truly that nothing whatsoever is ever done, whenever something comes to be done, I do it and sit at ease.

कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावा देहस्थयोगिनः। संयोगायोगविरहादहमासे यथासुखम्

For the yogi abiding in the body, the insistence on action or inaction is absent; due to the absence of union or separation, I sit here at ease.

अर्थानर्थौ न मे स्थित्या गत्या न शयनेन वा। तिष्ठन् गच्छन् स्वपन् तस्मादहमासे यथासुखम्

Gain and loss are not mine by standing, going, or lying down; whether standing, going, or sleeping, therefore I sit here at ease.

स्वपतो नास्ति मे हानिः सिद्धिर्यत्नवतो न वा। नाशोल्लासौ विहायास्मदहमासे यथासुखम्

There is no loss for me when asleep, nor accomplishment when striving; having abandoned both decline and elation, I sit here at ease.

सुखादिरूपा नियमं भावेष्वालोक्य भूरिशः। शुभाशुभे विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम्

Observing repeatedly the rule that states such as happiness and others are only in the mind, having abandoned both auspicious and inauspicious, I sit here at ease.

जनक उवाच॥ प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तो यः प्रमादाद् भावभावनः। निद्रितो बोधित इव क्षीणसंस्मरणो हि सः

Janaka said: One whose mind is empty by nature, but who contemplates objects out of inadvertence, is like one asleep though awake, for his memory is exhausted.

क्व धनानि क्व मित्राणि क्व मे विषयदस्यवः। क्व शास्त्रं क्व च विज्ञानं यदा मे गलिता स्पृहा

Where are possessions, where are friends, where are sense objects for me? Where is scripture, and where is knowledge, when all desire has fallen away from me?

विज्ञाते साक्षिपुरुषे परमात्मनि चेश्वरे। नैराश्ये बंधमोक्षे च न चिंता मुक्तये मम

Having realized the witness-self, the supreme self, the Lord, and in the absence of hope, bondage, or liberation, I have no concern for liberation.

अंतर्विकल्पशून्यस्य बहिः स्वच्छन्दचारिणः। भ्रान्तस्येव दशास्तास्तास्तादृशा एव जानते

For one who is empty of inner concepts and moves freely outwardly, the states that arise are like those of a deluded person; only such a one knows them.

अष्टावक्र उवाच॥ यथातथोपदेशेन कृतार्थः सत्त्वबुद्धिमान्। आजीवमपि जिज्ञासुः परस्तत्र विमुह्यति

Ashtavakra said: 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.

मोक्षो विषयवैरस्यं बन्धो वैषयिको रसः। एतावदेव विज्ञानं यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु

Liberation is indifference to sense objects; bondage is the taste for sense objects. This alone is to be understood—act as you wish.

वाग्मिप्राज्ञानमहोद्योगं जनं मूकजडालसं। करोति तत्त्वबोधोऽयमतस्त्यक्तो बुभुक्षभिः

The realization of truth makes even the eloquent, wise, and energetic person mute, dull, and inactive; therefore, those who desire worldly enjoyment abandon it.

न त्वं देहो न ते देहो भोक्ता कर्ता न वा भवान्। चिद्रूपोऽसि सदा साक्षी निरपेक्षः सुखं चर

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.

रागद्वेषौ मनोधर्मौ न मनस्ते कदाचन। निर्विकल्पोऽसि बोधात्मा निर्विकारः सुखं चर

Attachment and aversion are qualities of the mind; the mind is never yours. You are consciousness itself, without distinctions, unchanging—move about happily.