aṣṭāvakra gītā is the kind of text that does not slowly persuade you; it points directly and asks you to verify the point in your own experience. Its teaching is advaita: the Self is not a person inside the body-mind, but the awareness in which the body, mind, and world appear. When this is seen, life does not necessarily change on the outside, but the inside stops being dominated by craving, fear, and self-made struggle.

Up to now, the dialogue has moved from janaka's initial questions (knowledge, liberation, dispassion) into a steady recognition of the witness. Chapters 1-4 build the foundation, Chapters 5-9 dissolve doership and fixation, Chapters 10-15 deepen disillusionment with craving and status, and Chapter 17 sketches the liberated life as simple, unshaken, and free of inner hunger. The overall direction has been consistent: stop outsourcing wholeness to experiences and return again and again to the Self as already free.

Chapter 18 is the longest chapter of the entire work (100 verses) and reads like a panoramic compendium. It begins with a salutation to the peace and radiance of awakening, then moves through many angles: the futility of searching for happiness through accumulation, the difference between the wise and the confused, the danger of spiritual ego, and the naturalness of freedom when vāsanās (latent cravings) thin out. The verses alternate between sharp negations ("not this, not that") and positive descriptions of the liberated mind's ease.

After this chapter, the text closes with two short but powerful chapters (19-20) where janaka speaks from the afterglow of recognition. Those chapters are filled with the rhetorical question kva ("where is...?") to show that, for the Self, the old categories of bondage and liberation cannot even be located.

Seen as a whole, Chapter 18 tries to make freedom feel unmistakably normal. It says again and again: liberation is not a special posture; it is the end of the inner compulsion to grasp, resist, and define yourself by states. The wise can be active or quiet, in palace or forest, praised or blamed - and still be at ease, because the center has shifted from personality to awareness. The chapter is long because it turns that single insight around like a crystal, so that it can be recognized in every angle of life.

aṣṭāvakra uvācha ॥
yasya bōdhōdayē tāvatsvapnavad bhavati bhramaḥ ।
tasmai sukhaikarūpāya namaḥ śāntāya tējasē ॥ 18-1॥

Meaning (padārtha):
yasya - of whom
bōdha-udayē - on the rise of awakening
tāvat - then; to that extent
svapna-vat - like a dream
bhavati - becomes
bhramaḥ - delusion; confusion
tasmai - to that
sukha-ēka-rūpāya - whose nature is bliss alone
namaḥ - salutations
śāntāya - to peace; to the tranquil one
tējasē - to radiance; to inner light

Translation (bhāvārtha):
As awakening arises, delusion becomes dreamlike. Salutations to that peaceful radiance whose very nature is pure bliss.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The chapter opens with a salutation that is also a diagnostic. When bōdhōdaya (the rise of awakening) happens, confusion does not need to be fought; it is seen through. A dream can feel urgent while you are inside it, but it loses its authority when you wake. Likewise, once the Self is recognized as awareness, the old confusions of identity - "I am only the body", "I must control everything", "I will be safe only if..." - start feeling dreamlike. They may still appear as thoughts, but they no longer command the same belief.

The object of salutation is not an external trophy; it is the peace and radiance of the Self itself. sukha-ēka-rūpa points to a happiness that is not produced by circumstances but is the natural ease of being. tējas is inner light: the clarity that sees and the vitality that is not dependent on mood. In Advaita language, this is the Self as chit (awareness) recognized as already complete. The salutation is a way of turning the mind toward that center before the long chapter unfolds.

Practice by noticing where you are still "dreaming" in waking life. When a thought like "I am not enough" or "I must secure the future right now" arises, pause and ask, "Is this a fact, or is it a dreamlike assumption?" Feel the breath and notice awareness present now. Then take the next practical step without feeding the anxious story. Over time, this trains the mind to shift from living inside the dream to living from the witness, which is the real meaning of bōdhōdaya.

arjayitvākhilān arthān bhōgānāpnōti puṣkalān ।
na hi sarvaparityāgamantarēṇa sukhī bhavēt ॥ 18-2॥

Meaning (padārtha):
arjayitvā - having acquired; having earned
akhilān - all
arthān - wealth; gains
bhōgān - enjoyments; pleasures
āpnōti - obtains
puṣkalān - abundant; plentiful
na hi - indeed not
sarva-parityāgam - renunciation of all (inner clinging)
antarēṇa - without
sukhī - happy
bhavēt - becomes

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even after gaining all wealth and abundant pleasures, one does not become truly happy without renouncing all inner clinging.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is not condemning livelihood or responsible enjoyment; it is diagnosing the inability of acquisition to produce lasting wellbeing. You can gather "all" the things people chase - money, comfort, status, experiences - and still feel anxious, restless, or incomplete. Why? Because the mind is still clinging, still bargaining: "If I add one more thing, then I'll be okay." Ashtavakra calls the cure sarva-parityāga: not throwing away every object, but dropping the inner dependence that makes objects carry the weight of your happiness.

The Isha Upanishad hints at the same medicine: tēna tyaktēna bhuñjīthāḥ - enjoy through renunciation. The renunciation is internal: enjoy without possessiveness. When you stop making objects into refuge, you can still use them and appreciate them, but you are not enslaved by them. This is also why "renunciation" here is not depression; it is freedom. The mind becomes lighter because it no longer treats life as a never-ending shopping list for wholeness.

Practice by doing one week of "inner renunciation" in a concrete area. Pick one thing you are attached to: an outcome, a habit, a certain image. Keep functioning, but notice the clinging: the rehearsing, the fear of loss, the need for control. Each time it appears, relax the demand with a simple statement: "I can prefer this, but I don't need it to be whole." Then do one small act that loosens dependence - simplify a purchase, reduce a compulsive check, accept one discomfort without drama. This is sarva-parityāga in miniature.

kartavyaduḥkhamārtaṇḍajvālādagdhāntarātmanaḥ ।
kutaḥ praśamapīyūṣadhārāsāramṛtē sukham ॥ 18-3॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kartavya - "must-do"; duty-bound demands
duḥkha - suffering; pain
ārtaṇḍa - sun
jvālā - flame
dagdha - burnt
antara-ātmanaḥ - of the inner self/mind
kutaḥ - from where? how?
praśama - tranquility; pacification
pīyūṣa - nectar
dhārā - stream
sāra - essence
ṛtē - except; without
sukham - happiness

Translation (bhāvārtha):
If the mind is burnt by the blazing sun of anxiety about "must-do" duties, where can happiness be, except in the nectar-stream of inner tranquility?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Many people are not suffering because they have duties, but because of the inner sunburn created by "must-do" anxiety. The mind turns life into an endless list: responsibilities, expectations, self-improvement, image-management. That list produces kartavya-duḥkha - a felt burden of obligation. Ashtavakra uses the image of the sun's flames to show how this dries the heart. In that condition, even pleasures cannot satisfy; they are like a sip of water on a burning day.

The verse says the only real cooling is praśama: inner pacification. This is not escapism; it is the mind settling into its own nature. When the sense of doership softens, duties become tasks rather than chains. The Bhagavad Gita points to a similar cooling when it speaks of the person who acts without inner fever, free from expectation and possessiveness. In Advaita, praśama deepens when you recognize yourself as awareness rather than as the anxious manager of life.

Practice by identifying your personal "must-do" sun. Notice one area where you carry constant urgency - work, family, health, spirituality. Each day, take a short pause and ask, "What am I trying to control right now?" Then do the next needed action, but drop the extra inner pressure. Add a daily five-minute practice of praśama: sit quietly, feel the breath, and let thoughts pass without chasing them. The point is not to remove responsibilities; it is to stop burning yourself with them.

bhavō'yaṃ bhāvanāmātrō na kiñchit paramārthataḥ ।
nāstyabhāvaḥ svabhāvānāṃ bhāvābhāvavibhāvinām ॥ 18-4॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhavaḥ ayaṃ - this becoming; this world-process
bhāvanā-mātraḥ - only imagination; only mental construction
na kiñchit - nothing
paramārthataḥ - in the ultimate sense
na asti - there is not
abhāvaḥ - non-existence; absolute negation
svabhāvānāṃ - of that which has real nature
bhāva-abhāva - existence and non-existence (appearance and disappearance)
vibhāvinām - of those that manifest as such

Translation (bhāvārtha):
This world-process is only a mental construction; ultimately it is nothing. What is real does not truly cease - it only appears and disappears as "being" and "non-being".

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a classic Advaita move: it calls the world bhāvanā-mātra, a construction of mind. That does not mean you should deny what appears; it means you should stop treating appearance as ultimate reality. The world is experienced through perception, memory, and interpretation - and those are layered with imagination. When you mistake these layers for final truth, you suffer. The verse says that in the ultimate sense (paramārtha), the world has no independent substance.

At the same time, it avoids a crude nihilism. It says there is no absolute non-existence (abhāva) of what has true nature (svabhāva). In other words: appearances come and go, but the underlying reality does not vanish. This aligns with the Upanishadic vision that the Self is unborn and undying, while names and forms arise and dissolve. When this is seen, loss and change still happen, but the heart is not destroyed by them because it knows what does not change.

Practice by working with your strongest "world-story." Notice a situation where you interpret events in a way that creates suffering: "This means I'm failing," "This means I'm unsafe," "This means life is unfair." Label it as bhāvanā - a construction - and ask, "What is directly present, and what is imagined?" Then respond to what is directly present. This does not make you passive; it makes you accurate. Over time, the mind becomes less trapped in its own stories, which is the practical meaning of seeing the world as bhāvanā-mātra.

na dūraṃ na cha saṅkōchāllabdhamēvātmanaḥ padam ।
nirvikalpaṃ nirāyāsaṃ nirvikāraṃ nirañjanam ॥ 18-5॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na dūraṃ - not far
na cha saṅkōchāt - not by contraction/strain
labdhaṃ ēva - already attained
ātmanaḥ padam - the state/abode of the Self
nirvikalpaṃ - beyond conceptual alternatives
nirāyāsaṃ - effortless
nirvikāraṃ - changeless
nirañjanam - spotless; pure

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The Self is not far away and is not reached by mental strain; it is already attained. It is beyond concepts, effortless, changeless, and pure.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse corrects the most basic spiritual misunderstanding: treating the Self as a distant goal. If the Self were far, you could travel to it; if it were produced by effort, you could manufacture it. But the verse says the opposite: it is already attained because it is what you are. The problem is not absence; it is mis-identification. saṅkōcha here points to the mind's tendency to squeeze itself - to force concentration, to force control, to force a state. Ashtavakra says: that strain is not the doorway.

The nature of the Self is described with four negations: nirvikalpa (not caught in either/or thinking), nirāyāsa (effortless), nirvikāra (unchanging), nirañjana (unstained). These are not poetic decorations; they are practical cues for recognition. If what you seek is effortless and ever-present, then the way you seek must also become effortless. This is why Advaita often emphasizes relaxation and clarity over force.

Practice by noticing where you are straining for peace. Do you clench your attention in meditation? Do you force yourself to feel "spiritual"? Instead, try the opposite: relax the body, soften the breath, and simply notice that awareness is already present. When thoughts arise, let them be. Ask quietly: "What knows this thought?" That question points back to the already-attained Self. Over time, the mind learns that freedom is closer than effort.

vyāmōhamātraviratau svarūpādānamātrataḥ ।
vītaśōkā virājantē nirāvaraṇadṛṣṭayaḥ ॥ 18-6॥

Meaning (padārtha):
vyāmōha - confusion; delusion
mātra - mere; only
viratau - in the cessation
svarūpa - one's own nature
ādāna - taking up; owning as oneself
mātrataḥ - merely by; simply through
vīta-śōkāḥ - free from sorrow
virājantē - shine
nirāvaraṇa-dṛṣṭayaḥ - those with unobstructed vision

Translation (bhāvārtha):
When mere confusion ends, simply by returning to one's own nature, unobstructed vision shines and sorrow falls away.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse is radically optimistic: it says sorrow is not your essence. Sorrow arises from vyāmōha - confusion about what you are. When that confusion ceases, not by struggle but by clarity, the mind's vision becomes nirāvaraṇa - unobstructed. "Returning to one's nature" (svarūpa-ādāna) means recognizing yourself as awareness rather than as the stories and roles within awareness. Then sorrow is seen as a wave, not as a definition.

This is why Advaita treats ignorance as the root cause and knowledge as the cure. It also explains why mere coping strategies often feel incomplete: they manage sorrow without touching its root assumption. When the Self is recognized as whole, the mind does not need to manufacture happiness; it simply stops manufacturing sorrow through mis-identification. Many Upanishadic passages describe this shift as freedom from grief, because grief depends on the belief that the Self can be diminished or lost.

Practice by tracing sorrow back to identification. When grief or anxiety arises, ask: "What am I taking myself to be right now?" Often it is a threatened role or a feared future. Then return to a simpler fact: awareness is present, and it is not damaged by the feeling. This does not erase human emotion, but it prevents collapse into it. Over time, nirāvaraṇa dṛṣṭi becomes the capacity to feel fully while remaining inwardly free.

samastaṃ kalpanāmātramātmā muktaḥ sanātanaḥ ।
iti vijñāya dhīrō hi kimabhyasyati bālavat ॥ 18-7॥

Meaning (padārtha):
samastaṃ - all
kalpanā-mātram - mere imagination; mental construction
ātmā - the Self
muktaḥ - free
sanātanaḥ - eternal
iti - thus
vijñāya - having known
dhīraḥ - wise one
hi - indeed
kim - what?
abhyasyati - practices (as a means)
bālavat - like a child

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Knowing that all is a mental construction and that the Self is eternally free, what would the wise one keep practicing like a child trying to attain something?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This is one of Ashtavakra's most provocative themes: once the truth is seen, practice as "achievement" loses meaning. The verse is not mocking sincere effort; it is mocking the misunderstanding that freedom is produced by effort. If the Self is already free (mukta) and eternal (sanātana), then the main "work" is recognition, not accumulation. In that light, endless striving can look childish (bālavat) - like trying to polish a mirror in order to create the face.

Still, the tradition also recognizes stages. Many people need preparatory disciplines to quiet the mind and reduce agitation. Ashtavakra is speaking from the standpoint of direct recognition and is warning you not to turn discipline into a permanent project. The moment you truly see the Self as awareness, you stop treating practice as a ladder to become worthy. Practice becomes assimilation: living from clarity, not chasing an experience.

Practice by shifting the motive of your discipline. If you meditate, do not do it to "get" a state; do it to see clearly what is always present. If you study, do not study to win arguments; study to remove confusion. And after you practice, consciously let go of the practice-thought: rest in simple awareness without measuring. This helps discipline serve recognition rather than becoming a new form of bondage.

ātmā brahmēti niśchitya bhāvābhāvau cha kalpitau ।
niṣkāmaḥ kiṃ vijānāti kiṃ brūtē cha karōti kim ॥ 18-8॥

Meaning (padārtha):
ātmā brahma - the Self is Brahman
iti - thus
niśchitya - having ascertained
bhāva - being; existence
abhāva - non-being; negation
u - and
cha - also
kalpitau - imagined; constructed
niṣkāmaḥ - desireless
kim - what?
vijānāti - knows
kim - what?
brūtē - says
cha - and
karōti - does
kim - what?

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Having ascertained "the Self is Brahman" and seeing even "being" and "non-being" as mental constructs, what does the desireless one really need to know, say, or do?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes the end of existential homework. When the Self is recognized as Brahman - the ground of all experience - the mind no longer needs to solve reality by collecting conclusions. Even big conceptual opposites like "exists/does not exist" are seen as kalpanā, ideas that come and go. The liberated mind becomes niṣkāma: not because it is dull, but because it has stopped searching for completion through knowing, speaking, and doing.

The point is not that the wise becomes mute or inert; it is that the inner compulsion ends. Most people are driven by an anxious need to understand everything, explain themselves, and control outcomes. That drive is rooted in insecurity about identity. When identity is seen as awareness, the drive relaxes. This is close to the Upanishadic mood where the Self is said to be self-luminous and self-established; it does not need to be certified by constant thought.

Practice by noticing your own compulsion to know, speak, and do. When you feel restless, ask: "Am I trying to secure myself by explaining, fixing, or proving?" If yes, pause and return to awareness. Then do only what is needed, and let the rest drop. This is a practical way to cultivate niṣkāma: not deadness, but freedom from inner bargaining.

ayaṃ sō'hamayaṃ nāhamiti kṣīṇā vikalpanā ।
sarvamātmēti niśchitya tūṣṇīmbhūtasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-9॥

Meaning (padārtha):
ayaṃ - this
saḥ aham - "this is I"
ayaṃ na aham - "this is not I"
iti - thus
kṣīṇā - exhausted; ended
vikalpanā - conceptual dividing; imagining
sarvaṃ - everything
ātmā iti - as the Self
niśchitya - having ascertained
tūṣṇīṃ-bhūtasya - of one who has become silent
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the yogi who has recognized everything as the Self, the conceptual dividing of "this is me" and "this is not me" comes to an end, and a natural silence arises.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The mind usually survives by dividing: me/not me, safe/unsafe, mine/not mine. That division is vikalpa, conceptual splitting. This verse says that when the yogi sees everything as the Self, the splitting exhausts itself. "Everything is the Self" does not mean confusing objects with the Self; it means seeing that all objects appear in awareness and have no independent existence apart from it. When this is clear, the urgent dividing loses its purpose.

The result is tūṣṇīṃ - silence. Again, this is not merely quiet speech; it is the settling of inner commentary. The mind is no longer compelled to label and claim. This is why many Advaita texts describe realization as a kind of natural stillness: not forced suppression, but the end of restless categorizing. When the knot of "me/not me" loosens, the heart becomes quieter without effort.

Practice by observing how often your mind says "me" and "mine." In a day, notice the subtle claim: "my idea," "my reputation," "my problem," "my success." Then experiment with loosening it: "This is happening in awareness." You don't have to become passive; you simply stop tightening around ownership. Even a few moments of this loosening can bring a taste of tūṣṇīṃ - inner quiet that does not depend on controlling the world.

na vikṣēpō na chaikāgryaṃ nātibōdhō na mūḍhatā ।
na sukhaṃ na cha vā duḥkhamupaśāntasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-10॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na - not
vikṣēpaḥ - distraction; scattering
na cha - nor
ēkāgryam - one-pointedness; concentration
na ati-bōdhaḥ - not excessive "knowing"/cleverness
na mūḍhatā - not stupidity/dullness
na sukham - not pleasure (as a bondage)
na cha duḥkham - nor pain (as a bondage)
upaśāntasya - of one who is pacified; deeply at rest
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the deeply settled yogi, there is no bondage in distraction or concentration, cleverness or dullness, pleasure or pain. These pairs no longer define the heart.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is not denying that the mind can be focused or distracted; it is denying that these states rule identity. Most people suffer by measuring themselves through mental states: "I'm concentrated, so I'm good; I'm distracted, so I'm failing." The settled yogi is beyond that scoreboard. upaśānti means the mind has stopped fighting itself. In that rest, even pleasure and pain lose their ability to make you whole or broken.

This is a deep form of equanimity. The Bhagavad Gita describes the steady person as equal in happiness and sorrow and not shaken by change. Advaita adds the inner logic: if you are awareness, then states of mind are objects known by you; they cannot define you. When this is understood, even "spiritual" states like one-pointedness do not become ego trophies, and ordinary states like dullness do not become self-condemnation.

Practice by reducing state-based identity. When you feel focused, enjoy it but don't become proud. When you feel scattered, don't despair; simply return to one small anchor. When pleasure comes, receive it without clinging; when pain comes, respond without panic. Each time, ask: "What is aware of this state?" That question points to the unchanging witness. Over time, you begin to live from upaśānti rather than from the chase for the "right" state.

svārājyē bhaikṣavṛttau cha lābhālābhē janē vanē ।
nirvikalpasvabhāvasya na viśēṣō'sti yōginaḥ ॥ 18-11॥

Meaning (padārtha):
svārājyē - in sovereignty; in kingship
bhaikṣa-vṛttau - in a life of begging; mendicancy
cha - and
lābha-alābhē - in gain and loss
janē - among people; in a crowd
vanē - in the forest
nirvikalpa-svabhāvasya - of one whose nature is beyond conceptual splitting
na - not
viśēśaḥ - special difference; inner partiality
asti - is
yōginaḥ - for the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the yogi whose nature is beyond inner splitting, there is no inner difference between kingship and begging, gain and loss, crowd and forest.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse lists extremes to make a simple point: inner freedom is portable. Many people think peace depends on conditions: "If only I had more money," or "If only I could leave society." Ashtavakra says the truly free mind is nirvikalpa - not trapped in compulsive comparisons - so it is not enslaved by circumstances. Kingship and begging are outer opposites, but the wise does not build identity from either.

This does not mean the wise cannot prefer a simpler life. It means preference is not bondage. If a palace comes, it is handled; if a forest comes, it is handled. The Bhagavad Gita describes this as being equal in honor and dishonor, gain and loss, victory and defeat. Advaita explains why: the Self is not improved by abundance or diminished by lack. So the inner "specialness" of conditions dissolves.

Practice by seeing where you make happiness conditional. Notice a thought like "When I get X, I'll finally relax." Then challenge it gently: "Can I relax a little now?" Do one small act of portability: breathe calmly in a stressful place, simplify a decision, or be content with an imperfect moment. Also, reduce comparison. Each time you compare your life with someone else's, return to the witness and to one practical action you can take. This trains the mind to find steadiness independent of setting.

kva dharmaḥ kva cha vā kāmaḥ kva chārthaḥ kva vivēkitā ।
idaṃ kṛtamidaṃ nēti dvandvairmuktasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-12॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...? (how could it apply?)
dharmaḥ - duty; ethical order
kāmaḥ - desire; pleasure
arthaḥ - wealth; gain
vivēkitā - discernment (as anxious judging)
idaṃ kṛtam - "this is done"
idaṃ na - "this is not"
iti - thus
dvandvaiḥ - by opposites; dualities
muktasya - of one freed
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the yogi freed from inner dualities like "done/not done", where are the usual pursuits - duty, gain, pleasure - and even anxious judging called discernment?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The rhetorical kva is a way of saying: these categories cannot bind the wise. The verse does not deny that duties and desires exist in society; it says the liberated mind is not imprisoned by them. When the inner duality of "done/not done" loses its grip, the mind stops living inside constant evaluation. Then even vivēka can change meaning: it is no longer anxious judging; it becomes a quiet clarity that does not produce self-torture.

This verse also warns against turning spirituality into another obsession with measurement. Some people live with a constant spiritual accounting: "Have I progressed? Have I purified enough? Have I done the right practice?" That is still dvandva bondage. The liberated mind is free because it has shifted identity to awareness. When that shift happens, outer aims can still be handled appropriately, but they no longer carry the weight of identity.

Practice by noticing your inner accountant. Where do you keep scoring yourself - morally, socially, spiritually? When you catch "done/not done" loops, pause and return to a simple awareness of breath and sensation. Then act cleanly: do the right thing in the situation, but stop rehearsing it for self-worth. Over time, this reduces the inner dvandva that makes life heavy.

kṛtyaṃ kimapi naivāsti na kāpi hṛdi rañjanā ।
yathā jīvanamēvēha jīvanmuktasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-13॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kṛtyaṃ - something that "must be done"; obligatory act
kimapi - anything at all
na ēva asti - does not exist
na kāpi - no
hṛdi - in the heart/mind
rañjanā - attachment; coloring; fascination
yathā - as
jīvanaṃ ēva - just living
iha - here
jīvanmuktasya - of the liberated-while-living one
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the liberated-while-living yogi, there is no inner sense of "I must do something," and no attachment that colors the heart. Life is simply lived.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes a profound simplicity: the end of the inner "should." Of course the wise may still act responsibly, but their actions are not driven by the psychological burden of obligation. The sense of "I must do this to become okay" has ended. Similarly, rañjanā - the mind being "colored" by fascination and attachment - has faded. The heart is not dyed by craving.

Many people mistake freedom for inactivity, but this verse shows it is more like unburdened living. Duties can still be met, but without inner pressure. Relationships can still be held, but without possessiveness. This is close to the Gita's vision of action without attachment: acting as required, but not as an anxious self-making project. In Advaita, the key is that the sense of being a separate doer has softened.

Practice by reducing the inner "must" in one daily task. Do the task, but watch the emotional pressure you add: resentment, urgency, guilt. Replace it with a calmer intention: "Let this be done well, without inner violence." Also watch attachments: where does the mind get colored? Praise, romance, control, comfort? Notice the coloring and let it fade by returning to awareness. Over time, you will taste the verse's message: life can be lived cleanly, without being carried as a burden.

kva mōhaḥ kva cha vā viśvaṃ kva tad dhyānaṃ kva muktatā ।
sarvasaṅkalpasīmāyāṃ viśrāntasya mahātmanaḥ ॥ 18-14॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
mōhaḥ - delusion
viśvaṃ - world
dhyānaṃ - meditation
muktatā - liberation (as a concept)
sarva-saṅkalpa - all mental constructions; all intentions/imaginations
sīmāyām - at the boundary/limit
viśrāntasya - of one who rests
mahātmanaḥ - of the great-souled one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the great soul who rests at the far boundary of all mental constructions, where are delusion and world, meditation and liberation as concepts?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse speaks from the standpoint where even spiritual categories are transcended. When the mind rests at the limit of saṅkalpa - the mind's constructing and intending - then "world" and "delusion" are no longer problems, and even "meditation" and "liberation" are no longer projects. This does not mean the world disappears; it means the mind is no longer caught in conceptual struggle about it. The great soul is described as viśrānta: resting.

Many seekers turn meditation into a new tension: "I must meditate correctly to get liberation." This verse says that when the mind's constructing ends, the need to build an identity through meditation ends too. Advaita calls this resting as the Self: awareness does not need to meditate on itself; it is already present. The Bhagavad Gita similarly hints that the highest knowledge is not an experience you produce; it is the stable recognition that changes how you relate to every experience.

Practice by simplifying your spiritual effort. If you meditate, notice the subtle ambition behind it and soften it. Sit, breathe, and let awareness be aware, without pushing. When thoughts about "world" and "liberation" arise, see them as thoughts and let them pass. Then return to simple presence. Over time, meditation becomes less a technique and more a resting, which is what viśrānti means here.

yēna viśvamidaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ sa nāstīti karōtu vai ।
nirvāsanaḥ kiṃ kurutē paśyannapi na paśyati ॥ 18-15॥

Meaning (padārtha):
yēna - by whom
viśvaṃ idaṃ - this world
dṛṣṭaṃ - has been seen
saḥ - that one
na asti - "it is not" (as an ultimate claim)
iti - thus
karōtu - may say/do
vai - indeed
nirvāsanaḥ - free from latent craving/conditioning
kim - what?
kurutē - does
paśyan api - even while seeing
na paśyati - does not see (as separate/ultimate)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The one who has truly seen the world may say, "Ultimately it is not." The desireless one does nothing in the ego-sense; even while seeing, he does not see it as a separate, binding reality.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse uses a paradox to describe the wise person's relation to appearances. The world is seen, yet it can be called "not" (na asti) in the ultimate sense because it has no independent substance apart from awareness. This is not denial of experience; it is denial of independent, binding reality. The desireless one is nirvāsana, so the world does not hook the mind with craving and fear. Even while seeing, the inner "seeing-as-binding" ends.

Advaita often distinguishes between practical reality and ultimate reality. Practically, the world is experienced and life must be lived. Ultimately, the world is an appearance in consciousness. This verse points to the latter without asking you to become impractical. It is also why the wise is said to "do nothing" even while actions occur: the ego's claim on experience is absent. The Gita uses similar language when it says the wise sees action in inaction and inaction in action.

Practice by applying this distinction when you are overwhelmed. When a situation feels absolute ("this will ruin me"), remember: it is experienced, but it is not ultimate. See it as an appearance within awareness. Then take practical steps without panic. Also work with vāsanā: notice how craving and fear make experiences sticky. Reduce their fuel by simplifying habits, being truthful, and resting as the witness. This makes "seeing without bondage" more than a philosophy.

yēna dṛṣṭaṃ paraṃ brahma sō'haṃ brahmēti chintayēt ।
kiṃ chintayati niśchintō dvitīyaṃ yō na paśyati ॥ 18-16॥

Meaning (padārtha):
yēna - by whom
dṛṣṭaṃ - has been seen
paraṃ brahma - the supreme Brahman
saḥ ahaṃ brahma - "I am Brahman"
iti - thus
chintayēt - would think
kim - what?
chintayati - thinks
niśchintaḥ - free of anxious thinking; thought-free in the sense of no need
dvitīyaṃ - a second (other)
yaḥ - who
na paśyati - does not see

Translation (bhāvārtha):
One who has truly seen the supreme Brahman does not need to keep thinking "I am Brahman." What would the one free of anxious thinking think, who sees no second at all?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse warns against turning the highest teaching into a mantra of ego. "I am Brahman" can be a liberating pointer, but if it becomes a repeated thought used to feel special, it can also become another identity. The verse asks: if you have truly seen Brahman, why would you need to keep asserting it? The one who sees no second (advaita in lived experience) does not need to constantly reassure themselves with a concept.

In Advaita, words like ahaṃ brahmāsmi are meant to remove ignorance, not to create a new mental costume. Once the thorn removes the thorn, both are discarded. That is the spirit of this verse. It points to the quiet mind (niśchinta) that does not need to keep building itself through thoughts, even "spiritual" thoughts. Recognition matures into silence.

Practice by noticing your own use of spiritual concepts as self-reassurance. If you find yourself repeating ideas to feel safe or superior, pause. Return to direct experience: the fact of awareness is here. Instead of repeating "I am Brahman" mechanically, use it as a pointer: ask, "What is aware right now?" Rest there. This keeps the teaching alive and prevents it from becoming another ego slogan.

dṛṣṭō yēnātmavikṣēpō nirōdhaṃ kurutē tvasau ।
udārastu na vikṣiptaḥ sādhyābhāvātkarōti kim ॥ 18-17॥

Meaning (padārtha):
dṛṣṭaḥ - seen; noticed
yēna - by whom
ātma-vikṣēpaḥ - inner distraction; Self's projection as mind-movement
nirōdhaṃ - suppression; restraint
kurutē - does
tu - but
asau - that one
udāraḥ - noble-minded; vast-hearted
na vikṣiptaḥ - not distracted
sādhya-abhāvāt - because there is nothing to be achieved
karōti - does
kim - what?

Translation (bhāvārtha):
One who notices inner distraction tries to restrain it. But the noble one is not distracted at all; with nothing to be achieved, what would he try to do?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse contrasts two stages. In early practice, you notice distraction and you try to restrain it. That can be useful. But Ashtavakra is pointing beyond that: the noble one (udāra) is not stuck in distraction, because the root identification has softened. If you no longer believe you are the mind, the mind's movement does not imprison you in the same way. So the whole project of suppression becomes less central.

The verse also points to a deeper reason: sādhyābhāva, the absence of a goal to achieve. When freedom is understood as recognition, not production, the mind stops trying to "get" a state. That does not mean the mind becomes chaotic; it means it becomes less anxious. The yōga Sutras talk about abhyāsa and vairāgya as means; Ashtavakra is speaking from the place where their fruit has ripened into natural ease.

Practice by using restraint skillfully but lightly. If the mind is scattered, bring it back - but don't make it a war. Alongside practice, also inquire: "Who is distracted?" Notice that awareness knows distraction without being distracted. Then let the mind relax into that knowing. The more you taste this, the less you will feel the need to force a mental state, because you will recognize the freedom that is already present.

dhīrō lōkaviparyastō vartamānō'pi lōkavat ।
na samādhiṃ na vikṣēpaṃ na lōpaṃ svasya paśyati ॥ 18-18॥

Meaning (padārtha):
dhīraḥ - steady one; wise person
lōka-viparyastaḥ - "opposite" to worldly ways; beyond worldly values
vartamānaḥ api - even while living/acting
lōkavat - like ordinary people (outwardly)
na - not
samādhiṃ - absorption (as an ego-state)
na - not
vikṣēpaṃ - distraction
na - not
lōpaṃ - loss; disappearance
svasya - of himself
paśyati - sees; experiences (as a problem)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Though the wise one lives outwardly like others, he is inwardly beyond worldly values. He does not see himself as falling into distraction or rising into absorption, nor as losing anything of himself.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a reminder that freedom can look ordinary. The wise may still live in society, speak, work, and interact. Outwardly they can appear lōkavat - like everyone else. Yet inwardly they are lōka-viparyasta - not in the sense of rebellion, but in the sense of not being governed by the world's value system of praise, status, and constant becoming. Their center is awareness, not reputation.

Because their identity is not tied to mind-states, they do not obsess over samādhi and vikṣēpa. Most seekers oscillate: "I was focused; now I'm distracted; I've lost it." The wise does not feel this loss (lōpa) because the Self was never a state to be gained or lost. This verse is also compassion for those who fear "falling" spiritually: the deeper stability is not fragile.

Practice by allowing your spiritual life to become ordinary and honest. Notice your fear of losing progress and your desire to appear advanced. Each time, return to the witness and remember: awareness is present even in distraction. Continue simple disciplines, but drop the dramatic story about them. Let your outer life be normal and responsible, and let your inner life be anchored in the recognition that nothing essential can be lost.

bhāvābhāvavihīnō yastṛptō nirvāsanō budhaḥ ।
naiva kiñchitkṛtaṃ tēna lōkadṛṣṭyā vikurvatā ॥ 18-19॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhāva-abhāva - being and non-being; appearing and disappearing
vihīnaḥ - free from
yaḥ - who
tṛptaḥ - content; satisfied
nirvāsanaḥ - without latent craving/conditioning
budhaḥ - wise person
na ēva - not at all
kiñchit - anything
kṛtam - done (as an ego-claim)
tēna - by him
lōka-dṛṣṭyā - from the world's viewpoint
vikurvatā - while acting; while making movements

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The wise one, content and free from craving, is beyond the mental opposites of "being" and "non-being." Though he may act from the world's viewpoint, inwardly he does not claim, "I have done something."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse points to two freedoms: freedom from metaphysical anxiety and freedom from doership. The wise is bhāvābhāva-vihīna - not obsessed with proving existence or non-existence. Such debates can become mental addiction. When the Self is recognized, these opposites lose their grip. The second freedom is nirvāsana: the mind is no longer driven by latent cravings. So even when actions occur, they do not feel like "my achievement" or "my burden."

This is a key Advaita point: actions belong to the body-mind, while the Self is the witness. The Bhagavad Gita says the wise see themselves as not acting even while acting. Ashtavakra's verse says the same with emphasis on the inner absence of claim. The world may see activity, but the wise does not use activity to construct identity. That is why contentment (tṛpti) is repeatedly mentioned: without inner lack, there is no need to own actions.

Practice by reducing doership in small ways. When you complete a task, notice the urge to claim credit or to fear blame. Replace it with a quieter view: "This happened through circumstances, skills, and effort; awareness witnessed it." Also work with cravings that drive action: approval-seeking, control, validation. Each time you see a craving, pause and loosen it. This gradually makes action lighter and more selfless, which is what the verse describes.

pravṛttau vā nivṛttau vā naiva dhīrasya durgrahaḥ ।
yadā yatkartumāyāti tatkṛtvā tiṣṭhataḥ sukham ॥ 18-20॥

Meaning (padārtha):
pravṛttau - in action; in outward engagement
vā - or
nivṛttau - in withdrawal; in stepping back
vā - or
na ēva - not at all
dhīrasya - for the steady/wise one
durgrahaḥ - stubborn clinging; hard grasping
yadā yat - whenever whatever
kartuṃ - to do
āyāti - comes (to be done)
tat - that
kṛtvā - having done
tiṣṭhataḥ - remains; stands
sukham - happily; at ease

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Whether in action or withdrawal, the wise one does not cling stubbornly. Whatever needs to be done when the time comes, he does it and then rests at ease.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This is a very practical description of freedom: flexibility without inner stickiness. Many people cling to one posture - always doing, or always avoiding. The wise is not stubbornly attached to either pravṛtti or nivṛtti. Action happens when needed, rest happens when appropriate, and neither becomes an identity. This is why the verse ends with sukham: ease is the sign, not drama.

This also clarifies that Advaita is not passivity. The wise does act - but without compulsive over-involvement. The Bhagavad Gita praises this as skill in action: acting without inner attachment. In everyday terms, it means responding cleanly and then letting the mind stop replaying. The mind of bondage keeps rehearsing and worrying; the mind of freedom acts and then rests.

Practice by training "do, then stop." Pick one area where you overthink: messages, decisions, mistakes. Do the necessary step, and then consciously end the replay. If the mind restarts, bring it back to the present and to the breath. Also, notice rigid identities: "I'm the kind of person who always works" or "I never engage." Replace them with responsiveness: "What is needed now?" This simple habit cultivates the ease described in the verse.

nirvāsanō nirālambaḥ svachChandō muktabandhanaḥ ।
kṣiptaḥ saṃskāravātēna chēṣṭatē śuṣkaparṇavat ॥ 18-21॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirvāsanaḥ - without latent cravings; free from conditioning
nirālambaḥ - without outer support; not leaning on anything
svachChandaḥ - free; acting from one's own nature
mukta-bandhanaḥ - freed from bondage
kṣiptaḥ - tossed; thrown about
saṃskāra-vātēna - by the wind of impressions/habits
chēṣṭatē - moves; behaves
śuṣka-parṇavat - like a dry leaf

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Free from craving and not leaning on anything, acting from freedom, the liberated one still moves in the world - carried by the "wind" of past impressions, like a dry leaf.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse addresses a subtle question: if one is free, why does action still happen? It points to saṃskāra - residual impressions and momentum from the past. Even after recognition, the body-mind has habits, preferences, and a certain trajectory. The wise one is free because there is no inner clinging, but the outer instrument still moves, just as a dry leaf can be moved by wind without having a will of its own. The key is the absence of ego-ownership.

This is closely related to the idea of prārabdha: the portion of past momentum that continues until the body ends. Advaita does not deny momentum; it denies that momentum defines the Self. That is why the liberated one can appear to act, speak, travel, and even have moods, while inwardly remaining unattached. The verse protects you from expecting a cartoonish liberation where the body becomes a statue; instead, it describes a natural, unforced freedom.

Practice by observing your own saṃskāra winds. Notice habitual reactions: impatience, people-pleasing, overthinking, indulgence. Instead of claiming them as "me", see them as conditioned patterns moving through the body-mind. Then respond with awareness: do one small, clean interruption of the pattern. Over time, habits lose power, and even while momentum continues, it does not feel like bondage. That is the freedom the verse points to.

asaṃsārasya tu kvāpi na harṣō na viṣādatā ।
sa śītalamanā nityaṃ vidēha iva rājayē ॥ 18-22॥

Meaning (padārtha):
asaṃsārasya - of one beyond bondage; not caught in saṃsāra
tu - indeed
kvāpi - anywhere; in any situation
na harṣaḥ - no elation
na viṣādatā - no dejection
saḥ - that one
śītala-manā - cool-minded; calm in heart
nityaṃ - always
vidēhaḥ - bodiless (as if beyond body-identity)
iva - like; as though
rājayē - shines; appears splendid

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the one beyond bondage, there is no emotional swing into elation or dejection in any situation. Always cool-minded, he shines as though bodiless.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes emotional freedom, not emotional numbness. The liberated mind is not constantly pulled upward by pleasure and downward by pain. It has a steady coolness (śītala) because its identity is no longer tied to passing conditions. "Bodiless" (vidēha) here means: not confined to the body-idea. The body can be present, but the sense of being only the body has faded, so emotional weather does not dominate the sky.

The Bhagavad Gita calls this steadiness being free from agitation in sorrow and free from craving in pleasure. Advaita explains the mechanism: when the Self is known as awareness, feelings are experienced but not owned as identity. That is why the wise can be deeply human - caring, responsive, even tender - without being emotionally enslaved. The shine the verse mentions is the shine of inner stability, not outer performance.

Practice by working with one emotional swing. When you feel elated, notice the urge to cling and prolong; when you feel dejected, notice the urge to collapse and dramatize. In both cases, return to the witness: feel the body, breathe, and let the emotion be present without turning it into a story about "me." Then act from steadiness: enjoy without grasping, and respond to pain without panic. Over time, śītala-manā becomes less rare and more natural.

kutrāpi na jihāsāsti nāśō vāpi na kutrachit ।
ātmārāmasya dhīrasya śītalāchChatarātmanaḥ ॥ 18-23॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kutrāpi - anywhere
na jihāsā - no wish to abandon; no urge to throw away
asti - exists
na - not
āśā - hope/desire; expectation
vā api - nor even
na kutrachit - nowhere at all
ātma-ārāmasya - of one who delights in the Self
dhīrasya - of the steady one
śītala - cool; calm
āchChatarātmanaḥ - of very clear/cool inner nature

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the steady one who delights in the Self, there is no urge to abandon life anywhere and no expectation anywhere. His inner nature is profoundly cool and clear.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse describes the end of two opposite impulses: the impulse to throw life away and the impulse to demand something from life. Many people oscillate between these: "I want to escape everything" and "I need something more." The Self-delighting one (ātmārāma) needs neither. Because wholeness is felt within, there is no urgent need to abandon situations, and there is no anxious expectation that situations must provide fulfillment. That is why the mind is described as deeply cool and clear.

This is a mature expression of vairāgya. It is not bitterness and it is not indifference; it is inner completeness. When the Self is recognized, both escapism and grasping lose their force. This is also why the wise can remain in ordinary life without inner bondage: there is no secret bargaining with the world and no secret resentment toward it.

Practice by watching where you fantasize about escape and where you demand fulfillment. If you feel "I want to quit everything," ask what pain you are trying to avoid. If you feel "I need this outcome," ask what lack you are trying to fill. In both cases, return to the witness and to one clean step: rest, simplify, speak truth, take responsibility. Over time, the heart learns the calm of ātmārāma - being at home in oneself.

prakṛtyā śūnyachittasya kurvatō'sya yadṛchChayā ।
prākṛtasyēva dhīrasya na mānō nāvamānatā ॥ 18-24॥

Meaning (padārtha):
prakṛtyā - by nature; naturally
śūnya-chittasya - of one whose mind is empty (of ego-driven vikalpa)
kurvataḥ - while doing
asya - of this one
yadṛchChayā - spontaneously; as it happens
prākṛtasya - like an ordinary person
ēva - indeed
dhīrasya - of the steady one
na mānaḥ - no pride/honor
na avamānatā - no humiliation/insult-sense

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The steady one, whose mind is naturally free of ego-churning, may act spontaneously like an ordinary person - yet he is untouched by pride or humiliation.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse dismantles the need to look spiritual. The liberated mind can appear completely ordinary (prākṛta). It can joke, work, eat, rest - and yet inwardly be empty of ego-based story. That is śūnya-chitta here: not a blank mind, but a mind not cluttered with "me" and "mine." Because the ego-story is thin, the person is not wounded by insult nor inflated by praise.

This is one of the most practical markers of freedom: being less controlled by other people's opinions. Many suffer because honor and insult become identity threats. Advaita points out that identity is awareness, not reputation. When that is seen, you can still care about ethics and relationships, but you are not emotionally held hostage. That is why the verse says the wise acts spontaneously (yadṛchChayā): action is not performance for approval.

Practice by working with praise and blame. Notice one place where you are sensitive to being appreciated or criticized. When you receive praise, enjoy it but don't feed identity; when you receive criticism, learn if it's useful and drop the rest. In both cases, return to awareness and remember: your worth is not a social verdict. Then do one small act of sincerity without performance - an honest boundary, a quiet kindness, a clean correction. This steadily reduces māna and avamāna as inner rulers.

kṛtaṃ dēhēna karmēdaṃ na mayā śuddharūpiṇā ।
iti chintānurōdhī yaḥ kurvannapi karōti na ॥ 18-25॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kṛtam - done
dēhēna - by the body
karma idaṃ - this action
na mayā - not by me
śuddha-rūpiṇā - whose nature is pure (the Self)
iti - thus
chintā-anurōdhī - one who abides in this understanding
yaḥ - who
kurvan api - even while doing
karōti na - does not do (as an ego-claim)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Knowing "this action is done by the body, not by me, the pure Self," one who abides in this understanding does not feel egoic doership even while actions happen.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a practical Advaita instruction: relocate doership. The body-mind is an instrument that acts, but the Self as pure awareness (śuddha-rūpa) is not the doer. When this is understood, actions can continue without the inner claim "I am doing." That claim is what creates pride, guilt, fear of failure, and obsession with results. Dropping the claim does not make you irresponsible; it makes you less neurotic.

The Bhagavad Gita teaches this repeatedly: the wise sees action as occurring through the qualities of nature, while the Self remains a witness. Ashtavakra's verse is the same teaching in one line. The key is "abiding" (anurōdhī): it is not enough to repeat the idea; it must become your lived reference point. Then doership weakens naturally.

Practice by applying this to one action a day. Before you act, feel the body and note: "The body-mind will do this." After the act, notice the inner claim and soften it: "It happened." If you made a mistake, correct it without self-hatred. If you succeeded, enjoy without inflation. Over time, you will see how much suffering was produced by doership, and how much peace comes from releasing it.

atadvādīva kurutē na bhavēdapi bāliśaḥ ।
jīvanmuktaḥ sukhī śrīmān saṃsarannapi śōbhatē ॥ 18-26॥

Meaning (padārtha):
atad-vādī - as if one who does not know/say "that" (the truth)
iva - like; as though
kurutē - acts
na bhavēt - does not become
api - even
bāliśaḥ - a fool
jīvanmuktaḥ - liberated while living
sukhī - happy; at ease
śrīmān - endowed; radiant
saṃsaran api - even while moving in the world
śōbhatē - shines; appears splendid

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The liberated one may act outwardly as though he does not "speak the truth" at every moment, yet he is not foolish. Happy and radiant, he shines even while moving through ordinary worldly life.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse prevents spiritual showmanship. The liberated person does not need to constantly advertise wisdom. They may speak and act in ordinary ways, even appearing simple. That does not mean ignorance; it means freedom from the need to perform enlightenment. The verse says: he acts "as if" he does not speak the doctrine, and yet he is not bāliśa (foolish). He is jīvanmukta: free while living.

Many people confuse wisdom with spiritual language. But real wisdom is the absence of inner bondage, not the ability to quote. This is why the liberated one can "shine" (śōbhatē) even in ordinary life: the shine is inner peace and simplicity. It also implies humility. When you are not trying to prove anything, you can meet people where they are without preaching.

Practice by reducing your need to appear wise. Notice where you reach for spiritual vocabulary to impress or to avoid vulnerability. Try being simpler: listen well, speak truthfully, and act kindly. Let your steadiness be the teaching. At the same time, keep clarity inwardly: remember the witness, release doership, reduce craving. This makes wisdom both humble and real, which is the spirit of this verse.

nānāvichārasuśrāntō dhīrō viśrāntimāgataḥ ।
na kalpatē na jānāti na śṛṇōti na paśyati ॥ 18-27॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nānā-vichāra - many kinds of thoughts/inquiry
suśrāntaḥ - thoroughly exhausted
dhīraḥ - wise person
viśrāntim - rest; repose
āgataḥ - has reached
na kalpatē - does not imagine/construct
na jānāti - does not "know" in the egoic sense
na śṛṇōti - does not hear (as an object-seeker)
na paśyati - does not see (as an object-seeker)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Exhausted of endless mental inquiry, the wise one reaches deep rest. In that rest, the mind stops constructing and seeking through knowing, hearing, and seeing.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse describes a turning point: the mind becomes tired of itself. Many seekers do years of thinking, debating, comparing, and analyzing. That can be useful initially, but it can also become a trap: the mind keeps spinning about liberation instead of resting as the Self. When the mind becomes suśrānta - exhausted of its own looping inquiry - it can finally relax into viśrānti, the rest of being.

The list "does not imagine, does not know, does not hear, does not see" is not literal blindness or ignorance. It means the seeking mode has stopped. The senses may function, but the inner drive to grab objects for completion is absent. This is like the end of compulsive searching on the internet: you close the tabs because you are no longer hungry. The wise has closed the mental tabs.

Practice by noticing your own "mental tabs." Where do you keep searching for certainty, reassurance, or spiritual validation? Set a small boundary: decide a time when you stop consuming and start resting. Sit quietly and let the mind be without feeding it new inputs. When the urge to think arises, let it arise and pass without following. Over time, you will taste a bit of viśrānti - the rest that does not depend on answering every question.

asamādhēravikṣēpān na mumukṣurna chētaraḥ ।
niśchitya kalpitaṃ paśyan brahmaivāstē mahāśayaḥ ॥ 18-28॥

Meaning (padārtha):
asamādhēḥ - without (the need for) samAdhi
avikṣēpāt - without distraction
na mumukṣuḥ - not a seeker of liberation
na - not
chētaraḥ - nor the opposite (one who rejects liberation)
niśchitya - having ascertained
kalpitaṃ - imagined; constructed
paśyan - seeing
brahma ēva - as Brahman alone
āstē - abides; remains
mahā-āśayaḥ - great-souled one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Free from both distraction and the need to chase samadhi, he is neither a seeker of liberation nor its opposite. Seeing the world as a construction, the great-souled one simply abides as Brahman.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes a mature neutrality. Some seekers obsess over samādhi; others reject it and cling to distraction as "normal life." The liberated mind is beyond both. It is avikṣēpa in the sense of not being psychologically scattered, and it is also beyond the need to chase special absorption. Therefore it is neither a mumukṣu (one striving to get liberation) nor "the opposite" (one who dismisses liberation). The posture of striving itself has relaxed.

The core is "seeing the constructed as constructed." When you see thoughts, identities, and world-stories as kalpita, they lose authority. Then what remains is brahma ēva - awareness itself. This verse is a key bridge between practice and non-practice: practice may quiet the mind, but liberation is the recognition of what awareness already is, independent of mental states.

Practice by loosening your identity as "seeker." Notice where you are chasing a future state and where you are rebelling against practice. In both cases, return to the witness. Treat your thoughts and moods as constructions arising in awareness. Then rest as the awareness that knows them. If you meditate, do it without ambition; if you live your life, live it without distraction-as-escape. This makes the mind steady without turning steadiness into a new cage.

yasyāntaḥ syādahaṅkārō na karōti karōti saḥ ।
nirahaṅkāradhīrēṇa na kiñchidakṛtaṃ kṛtam ॥ 18-29॥

Meaning (padārtha):
yasya antaḥ - within whom
syāt - is; exists
ahaṅkāraḥ - ego-sense; "I"-maker
na karōti - does not act (truly)
karōti - (yet) acts (as a claim)
saḥ - that one
nirahaṅkāra - without ego
dhīrēṇa - by the steady one
na kiñchit - nothing
akṛtam - undone
kṛtam - done

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The ego-filled person may not truly act (actions happen through nature), yet he claims "I act." The ego-free steady one may act, yet inwardly nothing feels "done" or "undone" as a personal burden.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse turns doership upside down. In truth, the body-mind acts through conditioning, circumstances, and nature. But the ego claims ownership: "I did this." That claim creates pride and guilt. So the verse says the ego-filled person "does not act" in the deeper sense (because action belongs to the instrument), yet he claims action. The ego-free person is the reverse: actions may occur through him, yet there is no inner claim and no inner burden of "done/undone."

This is very close to the Bhagavad Gita's analysis of ahaṅkāra. When ego claims doership, it also claims enjoyership and sufferership, and that is the root of bondage. When ego is absent, action becomes lighter and cleaner. In Advaita, the Self is not the doer; it is the witness. Recognizing that changes the entire emotional tone of life.

Practice by observing how doership creates inner weight. Notice after an action how quickly the mind says "my success" or "my failure." Then step back and see the chain of causes: training, help, luck, body energy, mood, circumstances. Let the claim soften. Replace it with responsibility without ego: "I will respond and learn." This reduces pride and guilt and makes the mind more peaceful. Over time, "done/undone" stops being an identity issue.

nōdvignaṃ na cha santuṣṭamakartṛ spandavarjitam ।
nirāśaṃ gatasandēhaṃ chittaṃ muktasya rājatē ॥ 18-30॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na udvignam - not agitated
na cha santuṣṭam - nor elated
akartṛ - without doership
spanda-varjitam - without inner twitching; without nervous vibration
nirāśaṃ - without expectation
gata-sandēham - with doubt gone
chittaṃ - mind
muktasya - of the liberated one
rājatē - shines

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The liberated mind shines: not agitated or elated, free of doership and inner twitching, without expectation, and without doubt.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse gives a clear psychological portrait of freedom. The liberated mind is not constantly swinging between agitation and excitement. It is also akartṛ - the sense of "I am the doer" has softened - so action does not create the same inner tension. The phrase spanda-varjita points to the end of nervous inner twitching: the subtle vibration of craving, fear, and self-justification that keeps the mind restless even when life looks fine.

The verse also highlights two roots of suffering: expectation and doubt. nirāśā here does not mean hopelessness; it means the end of the inner bargain that says, "Life must give me this for me to be okay." gata-sandēha means doubt is gone - not because every question has been answered, but because the core confusion about identity has been resolved. This is close to the Gita's description of the steady person whose mind is settled, free from fear and anger, and not dependent on outcomes.

Practice by locating "spanda" in your own experience. Notice the inner twitch that appears when you are waiting for a response, trying to impress, or fearing a mistake. Instead of feeding it, pause, breathe, and return to the witness. Then act cleanly without the extra inner bargaining. Also work with expectation: pick one area where you demand a certain outcome, and soften it into preference. Finally, notice doubt as identity-confusion ("What if I'm not enough?") and meet it with inquiry: "What is aware of this doubt?" Repeating this steadily makes the mind quieter and more radiant, which is what the verse describes.

nirdhyātuṃ chēṣṭituṃ vāpi yachchittaṃ na pravartatē ।
nirnimittamidaṃ kintu nirdhyāyēti vichēṣṭatē ॥ 18-31॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirdhyātuṃ - to meditate deeply; to contemplate
chēṣṭituṃ - to act; to make effort
vā api - or even
yat chittaṃ - whose mind
na pravartatē - does not engage; does not "push"
nirnimittam - without motive; without cause
idaṃ - this (mind/life)
kintu - yet
nirdhyāyati - meditates/reflects
vichēṣṭatē - acts; moves

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The liberated mind does not deliberately push itself into meditation or action, yet it may still meditate and act spontaneously, without motive.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes spontaneity after the ego's project ends. The mind no longer "tries" to meditate to gain something, and it no longer "tries" to act to prove something. The compulsive push is gone. Yet life does not freeze. Thought and action can still arise, but they arise as natural movements, not as anxious strategies. That is why the verse says "without motive" (nirnimitta): there is no inner bargaining behind the movement.

This is an important point because many imagine that spirituality means becoming inactive or blank. Advaita says the real shift is inner: the end of doership and craving. The body-mind can continue to function like an instrument - breathing, speaking, responding - without egoic ownership. The Bhagavad Gita says the wise may act, yet remain inwardly free. This verse gives the same idea: action and contemplation may happen, but not as an ego-project.

Practice by doing one activity without hidden motive. Choose a simple task - washing dishes, walking, writing. Do it attentively, but watch for the inner push: "I must finish fast," "I must look good," "I must get praise." Each time it appears, soften it and return to presence. Also, if you meditate, notice the ambition for a state and drop it. Let practice become a resting rather than a chase. Over time, you will understand nirnimitta as a lived quality: actions occur, but inner compulsion fades.

tattvaṃ yathārthamākarṇya mandaḥ prāpnōti mūḍhatām ।
athavā yāti saṅkōchamamūḍhaḥ kō'pi mūḍhavat ॥ 18-32॥

Meaning (padārtha):
tattvaṃ - truth; reality
yathārtham - as it truly is
ākarṇya - having heard
mandaḥ - dull one; unprepared one
prāpnōti - attains; falls into
mūḍhatām - dullness; foolishness
athavā - or else
yāti - goes to; falls into
saṅkōcham - contraction; shrinking; fear
amūḍhaḥ - not dull; capable one
kō'pi - someone
mūḍhavat - like a fool

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Hearing the truth as it is, the unprepared person may become even more confused. Or even a capable person may shrink and contract in fear, behaving like a fool.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a sober caution: the truth can be misheard. A dull or ego-driven mind may take non-duality as license for carelessness, denial, or arrogance - becoming "more foolish" than before. On the other hand, even a sincere, capable person can feel saṅkōcha - contraction - when the teaching threatens cherished identities. The mind may feel: "If I'm not the body-mind, then what am I?" That fear can look like confusion.

Tradition therefore emphasizes preparation: ethical stability, humility, and a willingness to examine oneself honestly. The teaching is simple, but the ego's defenses are complex. When Ashtavakra says "you are free," the ego may either inflate ("I'm already liberated!") or shrink ("then my life is meaningless"). Both are distortions. The right hearing is mature: it softens craving and fear and makes responsibility cleaner, not optional.

Practice by checking how you receive teachings. If you notice arrogance or carelessness arising, treat it as a sign of mishearing. If you notice fear and contraction, slow down and ground yourself in simple practice: breath, honesty, kindness. Study with a quiet mind and apply the insight gradually in daily life. The goal is not to force yourself to feel fearless; it is to let understanding become stable. This prevents mūḍhatā and saṅkōcha from hijacking the teaching.

ēkāgratā nirōdhō vā mūḍhairabhyasyatē bhṛśam ।
dhīrāḥ kṛtyaṃ na paśyanti suptavatsvapadē sthitāḥ ॥ 18-33॥

Meaning (padārtha):
ēkāgratā - one-pointedness; concentration
nirōdhaḥ - suppression; restraint
vā - or
mūḍhaiḥ - by the foolish/immature
abhyasyatē - is practiced
bhṛśam - intensely; excessively
dhīrāḥ - the wise
kṛtyaṃ - something that "must be done"
na paśyanti - do not see (as a burden)
suptavat - like one asleep (in ease)
sva-padē - in one's own place/nature
sthitāḥ - established

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Foolish minds intensely practice concentration or suppression. The wise, established in their own nature, do not carry the burden of "something must be done"; they rest as naturally as one asleep.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Ashtavakra is not attacking ēkāgratā or nirōdha as tools; he is attacking the mindset that thinks freedom is produced by force. The foolish mind often becomes extreme: it tries to clamp down on thought or concentrate to prove worth. That can create more tension. The wise rests in sva-pada - one's own nature - and therefore does not experience life as an endless duty list. The inner burden of "I must fix myself" fades.

This is a core difference between force and clarity. Force can temporarily suppress mind, but the root identification remains. Clarity dissolves identification, so the mind can rest without effort. The verse uses "sleep" as a metaphor for ease, not for unconsciousness. It suggests a natural resting in being where the mind is not continuously commanding itself.

Practice by using technique without violence. If you meditate, bring attention back gently rather than aggressively. Notice if you are trying to "win" at meditation. Replace that with a softer inquiry: "What is aware right now?" Also, reduce the inner list of "shoulds" by choosing one simple practice and doing it consistently without obsessing. This helps concentration serve recognition instead of becoming another ego contest.

aprayatnāt prayatnād vā mūḍhō nāpnōti nirvṛtim ।
tattvaniśchayamātrēṇa prājñō bhavati nirvṛtaḥ ॥ 18-34॥

Meaning (padārtha):
aprayatnāt - from not making effort
prayatnāt - from making effort
vā - or
mūḍhaḥ - the confused one
na āpnōti - does not attain
nirvṛtim - peace; repose; cessation
tattva-niśchaya - certainty of truth
mātrēṇa - by merely; just through
prājñaḥ - the wise one
bhavati - becomes
nirvṛtaḥ - at peace; inwardly rested

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The confused one does not attain peace either by effort or by laziness. The wise one becomes peaceful simply through clear certainty of the truth.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse criticizes two common mistakes: forcing and avoiding. Some try to become free through strain; others avoid inner work and call it freedom. Both miss the point. The verse says the confused mind finds no rest either way because the root confusion remains. Peace comes from tattva-niśchaya: clear certainty about what you are. That certainty dissolves the anxiety that fuels restlessness.

This does not mean intellectual belief; it means an insight that becomes stable. When you know, not merely think, that you are awareness and not the changing stories, the mind stops panicking about outcomes. Then effort becomes lighter and rest becomes natural. In Advaita, this is why knowledge is central: actions can purify, but only knowledge removes the core misunderstanding.

Practice by shifting from method-addiction to clarity. Keep simple disciplines, but make inquiry central: "What is aware?" When you notice yourself oscillating between over-effort and avoidance, return to this question. Also verify in experience: notice that awareness is present whether the mind is busy or quiet. This repeated verification is how niśchaya becomes steady and peace becomes natural.

śuddhaṃ buddhaṃ priyaṃ pūrṇaṃ niṣprapañchaṃ nirāmayam ।
ātmānaṃ taṃ na jānanti tatrābhyāsaparā janāḥ ॥ 18-35॥

Meaning (padārtha):
śuddhaṃ - pure
buddhaṃ - aware; awakened
priyam - dear; beloved
pūrṇaṃ - full; complete
niṣprapañchaṃ - beyond the world of mental projection
nirāmayam - without disease; free of disturbance
ātmānaṃ - the Self
taṃ - that
na jānanti - do not know
tatra - in that matter
abhyāsa-parāḥ - devoted to practice as an end in itself
janāḥ - people

Translation (bhāvārtha):
People who are obsessed with practice as an end often fail to recognize the Self that is pure, aware, dear, complete, beyond mental projection, and free of disturbance.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is not anti-practice; it is anti-obsession. Practice can be necessary to calm the mind and refine attention, but it can also become a substitute for recognition. Some people keep practicing to avoid the simple, direct insight: "I am awareness." The verse describes the Self with strong adjectives - pure, awake, complete - and says those who are only focused on methods may miss it because they keep looking for an experience rather than recognizing the experiencer.

Advaita often compares this to polishing a mirror while forgetting to look at the face already reflected. The Self is not created by practice; it is revealed when mis-identification ends. If practice becomes a never-ending project of self-improvement, it can quietly reinforce the assumption "I am a deficient person who must become." This verse breaks that assumption by pointing to the Self as already pūrṇa.

Practice by balancing discipline with direct inquiry. Keep your practice simple and consistent, but regularly ask: "What knows this experience?" After meditation, rest for a minute as awareness without doing anything. Also watch for the subtle identity "I am a practitioner." Let that soften. When practice supports recognition, it becomes a doorway; when practice replaces recognition, it becomes a treadmill. This verse invites you off the treadmill.

nāpnōti karmaṇā mōkṣaṃ vimūḍhō'bhyāsarūpiṇā ।
dhanyō vijñānamātrēṇa muktastiṣṭhatyavikriyaḥ ॥ 18-36॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na āpnōti - does not attain
karmaṇā - by action
mōkṣaṃ - liberation
vimūḍhaḥ - the thoroughly confused one
abhyāsa-rūpiṇā - by practice-as-action
dhanyaḥ - blessed one
vijñāna-mātrēṇa - by knowledge alone
muktaḥ - liberated
tiṣṭhati - stands; remains
avikriyaḥ - unchanged; unmoving in essence

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The confused one does not attain liberation through action, even through practice-as-action. The blessed one, through knowledge alone, stands liberated, unchanged in essence.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This is a central Advaita claim: liberation is not a product of action. Actions happen in time and produce results in time. Liberation is the recognition of the timeless Self. So the verse says the confused one keeps trying to "do" liberation through practice-as-action and misses the point. The blessed one is freed by vijñāna - knowledge - because knowledge removes ignorance directly.

This does not cancel the role of discipline; it puts it in its proper place. Discipline can purify the mind and reduce agitation so that knowledge can be received and assimilated. But discipline itself is not the liberator. The liberator is seeing what is already true. That is why the liberated one is called avikriya: unchanged. The Self was never modified by bondage, so it does not become modified by liberation either.

Practice by reorienting your effort. Keep the practices that make you calmer and more honest, but stop using them as a way to "earn" liberation. Let them support clarity. Add daily inquiry: "What am I, really?" Notice that awareness is present before, during, and after every practice. That is the avikriya Self the verse points to. Over time, practice becomes lighter and knowledge becomes deeper.

mūḍhō nāpnōti tad brahma yatō bhavitumichChati ।
anichChannapi dhīrō hi parabrahmasvarūpabhāk ॥ 18-37॥

Meaning (padārtha):
mūḍhaḥ - the confused one
na āpnōti - does not attain
tat brahma - that Brahman
yataḥ - which
bhavitum - to become
ichChati - desires
anichChan api - even without desiring
dhīraḥ - the wise one
hi - indeed
para-brahma-svarūpa-bhāk - of the nature of the supreme Brahman

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The confused person does not attain Brahman precisely because he wants to "become" it. The wise one, even without that desire, already stands as the very nature of the supreme Brahman.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The desire to "become Brahman" hides the fundamental mistake: assuming you are not already That. Wanting to become reinforces separation. The verse says the confused one fails because of this very posture. The wise one does not need to want to become; he recognizes his nature as parabrahma. The difference is not effort; it is identity.

This is why Advaita often says the path is subtraction, not addition. You are not manufacturing divinity; you are removing the ignorance that makes you feel limited. Once that ignorance is removed, the Self is seen as always already whole. The verse also comforts sincere seekers: your deepest nature is not waiting for a future achievement; it is available now as awareness.

Practice by noticing where your spirituality is driven by becoming. If you feel "I'm not there yet," see that as a thought arising in awareness. Instead of feeding it, return to the witness and ask, "What is 'there' made of?" Usually it is an imagined future mood. Replace that with present recognition: awareness is here. Continue disciplined living, but let the core shift from "becoming" to "seeing." This aligns your practice with the verse's instruction.

nirādhārā grahavyagrā mūḍhāḥ saṃsārapōṣakāḥ ।
ētasyānarthamūlasya mūlachChēdaḥ kṛtō budhaiḥ ॥ 18-38॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirādhārāḥ - without true support; unsupported within
graha-vyagrāḥ - busy with grasping
mūḍhāḥ - confused ones
saṃsāra-pōṣakāḥ - nourishers of bondage
ētasya - of this
anartha-mūlasya - root of harm/misfortune
mūla-chChēdaḥ - cutting of the root
kṛtaḥ - done
budhaiḥ - by the wise

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Confused people, unsupported within, stay busy grasping and thus keep nourishing bondage. The wise cut the very root of this root of harm.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse describes the ordinary condition: inner unsupportedness. When you do not know the Self as your foundation, you feel nirādhāra - as if you are hanging in midair. That insecurity pushes you into graha (grasping): grabbing possessions, control, validation, certainty. But grasping only feeds saṃsāra, because it strengthens craving and fear. The verse calls this the root of harm: it keeps suffering self-renewing.

The wise cut the root by finding the true support: awareness itself. When you recognize the Self as the ground, the frantic need to grasp relaxes. This is not merely a moral improvement; it is a structural change. The same life continues, but it is no longer driven by panic. That is why the verse calls the wise "root cutters": they remove the cause, not merely the symptoms.

Practice by identifying your main grasping pattern. Is it needing praise, needing control, needing certainty, needing comfort? Then ask what it is trying to support: usually a fear of being unsafe or unworthy. Meet that fear with inquiry and with calm action. Reduce one grasping behavior deliberately and replace it with one inner support practice: quiet sitting, honest journaling, prayer, or self-inquiry. Over time, you will feel less nirādhāra, and grasping will reduce naturally.

na śāntiṃ labhatē mūḍhō yataḥ śamitumichChati ।
dhīrastattvaṃ viniśchitya sarvadā śāntamānasaḥ ॥ 18-39॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na śāntiṃ - not peace
labhatē - attains
mūḍhaḥ - the confused one
yataḥ - because; though
śamitum - to become calm
ichChati - desires
dhīraḥ - the wise one
tattvaṃ - truth
viniśchitya - having ascertained clearly
sarvadā - always
śānta-manasaḥ - with a peaceful mind

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The confused person does not find peace even while wishing to be calm. The wise person, having clearly ascertained the truth, remains peaceful in mind always.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Many people sincerely want peace and still don't find it. The verse explains why: wishing is not the same as seeing. If the mind continues to identify with thoughts and emotions, it will remain reactive, even while it "wants to be calm." The wise one is calm because of tattva-niśchaya: clarity about identity. When you know yourself as awareness, peace is no longer a mood you chase; it is a baseline.

This verse also points out a common trap: trying to calm the mind while keeping the causes of agitation alive. If you keep feeding craving, resentment, and fear, the mind won't settle. The wise cuts the cause by seeing the truth and by living in alignment with that seeing. In that sense, peace is both insight and lifestyle.

Practice by shifting from wishing to understanding. When you notice restlessness, ask: "What am I believing right now?" Often it is a fear-story or a demand-story. Question it. Then take one action that supports calm: simplify one task, speak one truth, release one grudge, reduce one indulgence. Over time, peace becomes less of a wish and more of a lived consequence of clarity.

kvātmanō darśanaṃ tasya yad dṛṣṭamavalambatē ।
dhīrāstaṃ taṃ na paśyanti paśyantyātmānamavyayam ॥ 18-40॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
ātmanaḥ darśanaṃ - vision/knowledge of the Self
tasya - for that one
yat - who
dṛṣṭaṃ - the seen; objects
avalambatē - depends on; leans on
dhīrāḥ - the wise
taṃ taṃ - that kind (of dependence)
na paśyanti - do not adopt/see as valid
paśyanti - see
ātmānaṃ - the Self
avyayam - imperishable

Translation (bhāvārtha):
How can one truly know the Self if one depends on what is seen (objects and experiences)? The wise do not lean on the seen; they recognize the imperishable Self.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse points to the basic direction of inquiry: do not look for the Self among objects. Many people try to find freedom through experiences - visions, moods, states, achievements. But all of that is dṛṣya, the seen. The Self is the seer. If you lean on the seen for your identity, you will remain unstable, because the seen constantly changes. The verse asks: where is Self-knowledge in that approach?

Advaita's method is simple: turn from objects to the knower. The wise see the Self as avyaya, imperishable. That does not mean denying objects; it means not grounding yourself in them. This is also why the Upanishads emphasize the Self as the inner witness and why teachers use dṛg-dṛśya discrimination: separate the seer from the seen until the seer is recognized as awareness.

Practice by making a clear shift once a day. Sit quietly and notice an object: a sound, a sensation, a thought. Then ask, "What knows this?" Do not answer with another thought; simply notice the knowing presence. That is closer to you than any experience. Then bring this into life: when you are tempted to base your worth on a result, remember the imperishable witness. This gradually reduces dependence on the seen and makes Self-knowledge more stable.

kva nirōdhō vimūḍhasya yō nirbandhaṃ karōti vai ।
svārāmasyaiva dhīrasya sarvadāsāvakṛtrimaḥ ॥ 18-41॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
nirōdhaḥ - suppression; forced restraint
vimūḍhasya - of the thoroughly confused one
yaḥ - who
nirbandhaṃ - force; stubborn insistence
karōti - does
vai - indeed
svārāmasya - of one who delights in the Self
ēva - indeed
dhīrasya - of the wise/steady one
sarvadā - always
asau - that (restraint)
akṛtrimaḥ - natural; not artificial

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Where is true restraint for the confused person who forces it? For the wise one who delights in the Self, restraint is natural always.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Forced suppression is often a sign of inner conflict. The mind sees its own restlessness and tries to clamp down, but the clamping itself is another form of agitation. That is why the verse asks, "Where is nirōdha for the confused one?" The wise person does not need to fight the mind with the mind, because their identity is not entangled with mind-movement. When the Self is known, craving reduces, and restraint becomes natural.

This does not mean the wise is careless. It means self-control is no longer maintained by tension. In the Bhagavad Gita, steadiness is linked to freedom from rāga and dvēṣa. When attraction and aversion soften, restraint becomes akṛtrima - unforced. Ashtavakra's point is: do not confuse tight control with freedom; freedom is the absence of inner compulsion.

Practice by reducing the fuel rather than increasing the clamp. Notice what triggers your impulses - stress, loneliness, boredom, pride. Instead of forcing suppression, work with the trigger: breathe, ground the body, simplify the environment, and return to awareness. Then choose a clean action. Over time, impulses weaken because the inner need behind them is met more wisely. This is how nirōdha becomes natural, not theatrical.

bhāvasya bhāvakaḥ kaśchin na kiñchid bhāvakōparaḥ ।
ubhayābhāvakaḥ kaśchid ēvamēva nirākulaḥ ॥ 18-42॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhāvasya - of "being" (existence)
bhāvakaḥ - affirmer; one who constructs/claims
kaśchit - someone
na kiñchid - "nothing"; non-being
bhāvakaḥ - affirmer; one who constructs/claims
aparaḥ - another
ubhaya - both
abhāvakaḥ - one who posits both (being and non-being) / one who negates both
kaśchit - someone
ēvaṃ ēva - just so; in this way
nirākulaḥ - unconfused; undisturbed

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Some minds affirm "it exists," others affirm "nothing exists," and others take positions involving both. The one who is free of these mental constructions alone is truly unconfused.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse points out how the mind can get addicted to philosophy. It can take a stand on existence, take a stand on non-existence, or take a complicated stand that mixes both - and still remain restless. These positions feel like clarity, but they are often just new forms of vikalpa: conceptual construction. Ashtavakra calls the truly free one nirākula - not because they hold the "right" opinion, but because they are not trapped in opinion-making.

Advaita uses reasoning, but its final aim is to take you beyond the need for mental positions. The Self is not a thesis to defend; it is the awareness in which all theses appear. When this is recognized, you can use concepts as tools without becoming imprisoned by them. This is why the chapter often critiques both realism and nihilism: both can be mental extremes that miss the living fact of awareness.

Practice by noticing when you use philosophy to avoid direct seeing. If you find yourself debating "is the world real?" while still suffering from fear and craving, return to what is immediate: experience is present and awareness knows it. Ask, "What is aware right now?" Rest there. Let concepts serve insight rather than replacing it. This makes the mind simpler and more nirākula.

śuddhamadvayamātmānaṃ bhāvayanti kubuddhayaḥ ।
na tu jānanti sammōhādyāvajjīvamanirvṛtāḥ ॥ 18-43॥

Meaning (padārtha):
śuddhaṃ - pure
advayam - non-dual
ātmānaṃ - the Self
bhāvayanti - imagine; think about; conceptualize
ku-buddhayaḥ - those with poor understanding
na tu - but not
jānanti - know (directly)
sammōhāt - due to delusion
yāvat-jīvam - as long as they live
anirvṛtāḥ - unrested; not at peace

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Those with poor understanding merely imagine the pure, non-dual Self. Due to delusion, they do not truly know it and remain unrested all their lives.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse draws a sharp line between thinking and knowing. You can hold the concept "the Self is pure and non-dual" and still live with the same cravings and fears. That is bhāvanā - mental construction. Direct knowledge (jñāna) is different: it changes the center of identity. The verse says that without this shift, the mind remains anirvṛta, unrested, because the root delusion persists.

This is why Advaita emphasizes assimilation. A concept can sit in the mind while the ego continues to run the show. The point of teaching is to dissolve the ego's central claim, not to decorate it with ideas. When that dissolution does not happen, even beautiful concepts become another burden: "I know the truth, so why am I still suffering?" This verse compassionately names that mismatch as delusion, not as personal failure.

Practice by moving from concept to verification. When you read "you are awareness," pause and look: what is aware of this thought right now? Notice that awareness is already present and unchanged. Then watch how the ego reappears as craving or fear and name it honestly. Reduce one craving each week and strengthen one virtue (truthfulness, simplicity, kindness). This grounds insight so it becomes lived knowledge rather than a borrowed idea.

mumukṣōrbuddhirālambamantarēṇa na vidyatē ।
nirālambaiva niṣkāmā buddhirmuktasya sarvadā ॥ 18-44॥

Meaning (padārtha):
mumukṣōḥ - of one who seeks liberation
buddhiḥ - intellect; discerning faculty
ālambam - support; something to lean on
antarēṇa - without
na vidyatē - is not found
nirālambā - supportless; not leaning
ēva - indeed
niṣkāmā - desireless
buddhiḥ - intellect
muktasya - of the liberated one
sarvadā - always

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The seeker’s intellect relies on supports. But the liberated one’s intellect is always supportless and desireless, not leaning on anything.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
In early stages, we need supports: a teacher, a method, a scripture, an idea of truth. That is natural. The seeker (mumukṣu) leans because the mind is still learning to stand in awareness. This verse is describing the maturity beyond that: the liberated intellect is nirālamba, not because it rejects teachers, but because it no longer needs to lean. It rests in its own foundation.

This is the difference between dependence and reverence. A seeker may cling to teachings as security; a liberated one can respect teachings without using them as a crutch. Their intellect is also niṣkāma - not driven by desire for status, experience, or proof. That is why it can be supportless: it is not trying to get something. When the hunger ends, the leaning ends.

Practice by using supports wisely but aiming at inner standing. Study and practice, but notice where you cling: needing a constant answer, needing a constant teacher-voice, needing a constant spiritual identity. Then, once a day, rest without leaning: sit quietly and let awareness be aware. Let the mind feel the ground of being. This gradually transforms supports from crutches into pointers.

viṣayadvīpinō vīkṣya chakitāḥ śaraṇārthinaḥ ।
viśanti jhaṭiti krōḍaṃ nirōdhaikāgrasiddhayē ॥ 18-45॥

Meaning (padārtha):
viṣaya - sense-objects
dvīpinaḥ - tiger
vīkṣya - seeing
chakitāḥ - frightened
śaraṇa-arthinaḥ - seeking refuge
viśanti - enter
jhaṭiti - quickly
krōḍaṃ - cave; lair
nirōdha - suppression/restraint
ēkāgrya - one-pointedness
siddhayē - for attainment

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Seeing the tiger of sense-objects, frightened seekers rush into the cave of suppression and concentration, hoping to attain them.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Ashtavakra uses humor and sharp metaphor. When sense-objects feel dangerous, people often run into techniques as refuge: "Let me suppress the mind, let me concentrate intensely, then I will be safe." Sometimes this is necessary as a temporary step, but the verse is pointing out the fear-based posture behind it. If practice is driven by panic and aversion, it can become another form of bondage.

Real freedom is not hiding from the "tiger"; it is understanding why the tiger has power. Objects become terrifying or irresistible because the mind projects completion onto them. When that projection is removed through insight and dispassion, the tiger becomes less frightening. Then practice is not escape; it is clarity. This verse is a reminder to examine motive: are you practicing to see, or to hide?

Practice by approaching desires and fears with awareness rather than flight. When an object triggers craving or panic, pause and feel the sensation in the body. Ask, "What am I believing this object will give or take?" Then return to the witness. Use simple restraint when needed, but keep the spirit of understanding. This transforms nirōdha from a cave of fear into a tool of clarity.

nirvāsanaṃ hariṃ dṛṣṭvā tūṣṇīṃ viṣayadantinaḥ ।
palāyantē na śaktāstē sēvantē kṛtachāṭavaḥ ॥ 18-46॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirvāsanaṃ - desireless; free of conditioning
hariṃ - lion (a powerful one); conqueror
dṛṣṭvā - seeing
tūṣṇīṃ - silently
viṣaya-dantinaḥ - elephants of sense-objects
palāyantē - run away
na śaktāḥ - not able (to face)
tē - they
sēvantē - serve; attend
kṛta-chāṭavaḥ - having flattered; having become servile

Translation (bhāvārtha):
When the elephants of sense-objects see the lion of desirelessness, they flee. If they cannot flee, they stand quietly and even "serve" with flattery.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse flips the usual power dynamic. Normally, objects dominate the mind through craving and fear. But when the mind becomes nirvāsana (free from latent craving), objects lose their grip. In that presence, temptations either fall away ("flee") or become harmless ("serve"). The imagery of elephants and lion emphasizes strength: the strength of desirelessness is greater than the strength of temptation.

This is not about hating the world. It is about becoming internally whole. When you are not hungry, food cannot seduce you in the same way; when you are not needy, praise cannot control you in the same way. The "serving" here points to a mature relationship with life: pleasures can be enjoyed as they come, but they do not become masters. The mind is sovereign because it is not bargaining.

Practice by building the lion, not by fighting the elephants. Reduce one compulsive pattern that keeps you hungry: scrolling, overeating, validation-seeking. Replace it with a higher nourishment: quiet presence, honest connection, meaningful work. As hunger reduces, objects naturally lose their power. Then you will see the verse's point in daily life: temptation fades when inner fullness grows.

na muktikārikāṃ dhattē niḥśaṅkō yuktamānasaḥ ।
paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśan jighrannaśnannāstē yathāsukham ॥ 18-47॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na - not
mukti-kārikām - garland/sign of liberation (as a display)
dhattē - wears
niḥsaṅkaḥ - unattached; without clinging
yukta-mānasaḥ - with an integrated/steady mind
paśyan - seeing
śṛṇvan - hearing
spṛśan - touching
jighran - smelling
aśnan - eating
āstē - remains; lives
yathā sukham - at ease; comfortably

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The unattached, steady-minded one does not wear liberation as a sign. He simply lives at ease, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and eating.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse continues the theme that liberation is not a costume. The steady-minded one is niḥsaṅka - unattached - so he does not need to display freedom with outer signs or a special persona. The phrase mukti-kārikā is a playful image: some people "wear" liberation as a garland, announcing it through speech, posture, or performance. Ashtavakra says the truly free one simply lives. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating - ordinary human functions continue - but without inner bondage.

This is a corrective for spiritual vanity and for spiritual fragility. If freedom depends on looking a certain way or maintaining a certain state, it is not freedom. The liberated mind is integrated (yukta-mānasa): it is not split into "spiritual" and "worldly" compartments. This is close to the Gita's portrait of steadiness, where the wise person is not disturbed by sensory contact and does not need to prove anything. Freedom is inward, and therefore it can be simple.

Practice by letting your spirituality become quieter and more honest. Notice where you try to appear wise or to convince others (or yourself) that you are progressing. Reduce that performance. Instead, focus on the inner signs of freedom: less craving, less reactivity, more clarity, more kindness. Do one small act each day that is free of display - a helpful action without credit, a boundary without drama, a simple enjoyment without clinging. This makes niḥsaṅka and yukta-mānasa lived realities.

vastuśravaṇamātrēṇa śuddhabuddhirnirākulaḥ ।
naivāchāramanāchāramaudāsyaṃ vā prapaśyati ॥ 18-48॥

Meaning (padārtha):
vastu - reality; the real
śravaṇa - hearing (of teaching)
mātrēṇa - by merely; just through
śuddha-buddhiḥ - pure intellect; clear understanding
nirākulaḥ - unconfused; undisturbed
na ēva - not at all
āchāram - proper conduct (as a rigid label)
anāchāram - improper conduct (as a rigid label)
audāsyam - indifference; withdrawal
vā - or
prapaśyati - sees; categorizes

Translation (bhāvārtha):
By simply hearing the truth, the intellect becomes clear and undisturbed. From that clarity, it stops being trapped in rigid labels of "proper," "improper," or "indifferent."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes what "right hearing" can do. When the mind truly hears vastu (the reality of the Self), it becomes śuddha-buddhi - clear in understanding - and therefore less entangled in judgment. It does not mean the wise becomes unethical; it means the mind no longer lives in self-righteous labeling. Actions are guided by clarity and compassion rather than by anxiety about image.

Notice how this fits with the earlier warning (18-32): the truth can be misheard. A careless mind might misuse this verse to excuse behavior. But Ashtavakra is describing a purified intellect, not a lazy one. When ego shrinks, the need to perform morality for identity also shrinks. Then what remains is a cleaner simplicity: doing what is appropriate without inner drama and without harsh condemnation of oneself and others.

Practice by keeping the foundation of ethics while dropping the addiction to judgment. When you evaluate yourself or others, ask: "Is this discernment, or is it ego?" Keep what is genuinely helpful (boundaries, responsibility), and drop what is egoic (contempt, self-hatred). Return to awareness before you act, and let actions come from steadiness. Over time, you will feel what the verse points to: less inner confusion and less compulsive labeling.

yadā yatkartumāyāti tadā tatkurutē ṛjuḥ ।
śubhaṃ vāpyaśubhaṃ vāpi tasya chēṣṭā hi bālavat ॥ 18-49॥

Meaning (padārtha):
yadā yat - whenever whatever
kartuṃ - to do
āyāti - comes (to be done)
tadā tat - then that
kurutē - does
ṛjuḥ - straightforwardly; simply
śubhaṃ - good; auspicious
vā - or
aśubham - not good; inauspicious
vā api - or even
tasya - of that one
chēṣṭā - conduct; activity
hi - indeed
bālavat - like a child (uncontrived)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Whatever comes to be done, he does it simply and directly. Whether it appears good or bad, his conduct is uncontrived, like a child's.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse is describing naturalness, not irresponsibility. When the ego is not busy calculating self-image, action becomes ṛju - straightforward. The wise responds to what life asks without overthinking and without hidden manipulation. The comparison to a child (bālavat) points to innocence of ego-strategy: the action is not weighed down by performance, pride, or fear.

This does not cancel discernment. It means discernment is quiet and functional rather than anxious. The wise can still distinguish helpful from harmful, but the heart is not trapped in inner argument. This is also why the verse includes "good or bad": from the wise person's standpoint, even outcomes do not become identity. Actions happen according to circumstances, and the mind remains light.

Practice by simplifying one decision process. Notice where you delay action because you want certainty, approval, or perfection. Take one clean step without waiting for ideal conditions. Also, practice ṛju in speech: say one honest sentence without overexplaining or manipulating. When mistakes happen, correct them without self-hatred. This grows the uncontrived clarity the verse describes.

svātantryātsukhamāpnōti svātantryāllabhatē param ।
svātantryānnirvṛtiṃ gachChētsvātantryāt paramaṃ padam ॥ 18-50॥

Meaning (padārtha):
svātantryāt - from freedom; from independence
sukham - happiness
āpnōti - obtains
svātantryāt - from freedom
labhatē - attains
param - the supreme
svātantryāt - from freedom
nirvṛtim - peace; repose
gachChēt - reaches
svātantryāt - from freedom
paramaṃ padam - the highest state/abode

Translation (bhāvārtha):
From freedom comes happiness; from freedom comes the supreme; from freedom comes deep peace; from freedom comes the highest state.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a celebration of svātantrya - inner independence. The freedom meant here is not merely outer choice; it is freedom from being owned by craving, fear, and self-image. When you are internally free, happiness is not constantly negotiated with circumstances. That is why the verse repeats the word: it wants you to see that the highest good is not an object you obtain, but the freedom of the heart itself.

Advaita sees this freedom as the natural condition of awareness. Bondage is mostly the mind's habit of leaning and clinging. When that habit ends, the Self is recognized as already complete, and peace (nirvṛti) becomes stable. This is why the text can call freedom the "highest state": not a mystical achievement, but the end of dependence.

Practice by building inner freedom in a measurable way. Choose one compulsion - a habit, a craving, a fear-driven avoidance - and reduce it gently but consistently. Replace it with one freedom-supporting habit: quiet sitting, honest reflection, service, simplicity. Notice how even small reductions in compulsion bring disproportionate peace. Let that encourage you. Over time, svātantrya stops being an idea and becomes an inner atmosphere.

akartṛtvamabhōktṛtvaṃ svātmanō manyatē yadā ।
tadā kṣīṇā bhavantyēva samastāśchittavṛttayaḥ ॥ 18-51॥

Meaning (padārtha):
akartṛtvam - non-doership
abhōktṛtvam - non-enjoyership; not being the experiencer-as-owner
sva-ātmanaḥ - of one's own Self
manyatē - understands; regards
yadā - when
tadā - then
kṣīṇā - exhausted; dissolved
bhavanti - become
ēva - indeed
samastāḥ - all
chitta-vṛttayaḥ - mind-modifications; mental movements

Translation (bhāvārtha):
When one truly understands the Self as neither doer nor owner-enjoyer, the mind's restless movements naturally dissolve.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse links stillness to identity. The mind's movements (vṛttis) are fueled by the doer-enjoyer story: "I must act," "I must get," "I must avoid." When that story is believed, the mind keeps moving to secure outcomes. When you recognize akartṛtva and abhōktṛtva - that the Self is not the personal doer and not the owner of experiences - the fuel reduces. Then the mind quiets, not by force, but by lack of need.

yōga says that the mind becomes still through practice and dispassion, but Advaita adds a deeper lever: correct identity. If you keep thinking you are a separate agent, you will keep producing vRuttis. When the witness is recognized as the Self, vRuttis may still arise, but they are not fed by compulsive ownership. That is why the verse says they become kṣīṇā: worn out.

Practice by watching doership and enjoyership in real time. When you begin a task, notice the thought "I am doing." When you seek a result, notice the thought "I must enjoy/own this." Then step back: feel awareness knowing these thoughts. Let the body-mind act as needed, but soften the inner claim. This is not irresponsibility; it is inner freedom. Over time, mental agitation reduces because the doer story is no longer constantly reinforced.

uchChṛṅkhalāpyakṛtikā sthitirdhīrasya rājatē ।
na tu saspṛhachittasya śāntirmūḍhasya kṛtrimā ॥ 18-52॥

Meaning (padārtha):
uchChṛṅkhalā - unrestrained; free of rigid constraint
api - even
akṛtikā - natural; unforced
sthitiḥ - state; abiding
dhīrasya - of the wise one
rājatē - shines
na tu - but not
sa-spṛha-chittasya - of one whose mind has craving
śāntiḥ - peace
mūḍhasya - of the foolish/immature
kṛtrimā - artificial; manufactured

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even if outwardly free of rigid restraint, the wise one’s abiding is naturally peaceful. But the peace of a craving-filled fool is artificial and fragile.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse makes a subtle distinction: outer restraint is not the same as inner freedom. The wise person's peace is akṛtrima - natural - because it comes from reduced craving and clear identity. Therefore it can remain even without rigid self-control. The foolish person's peace, when craving is still alive, is kṛtrima - manufactured - because it depends on controlling circumstances or suppressing impulses. It breaks easily.

This does not mean the wise behaves recklessly. It means the wise does not need constant tension to be steady. When the root hunger is gone, discipline becomes easier and more organic. Many seekers experience the opposite: they rely on tight control while craving remains, so their peace feels brittle. Ashtavakra is encouraging a deeper cure: remove craving, not merely behavior.

Practice by focusing on the root. If you notice your peace depends on perfect routines or external control, that is a clue that craving or fear is still running. Work with the craving directly: simplify, be honest, reduce compulsive stimulation, and return to the witness often. Use discipline, but without harshness. Over time, peace becomes less dependent on external management and more like the natural steadiness described here.

vilasanti mahābhōgairviśanti girigahvarān ।
nirastakalpanā dhīrā abaddhā muktabuddhayaḥ ॥ 18-53॥

Meaning (padārtha):
vilasanti - sport; enjoy; move playfully
mahā-bhōgaiḥ - with great enjoyments
viśanti - enter
giri-gahvarān - mountain caves/valleys
nirasta-kalpanāḥ - with imagination/constructing removed
dhīrāḥ - wise ones
abaddhāḥ - unbound
mukta-buddhayaḥ - those whose intellect is liberated

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The wise, free of mental constructing and unbound within, may enjoy great pleasures or enter mountain caves. With liberated intellect, they are free in any setting.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse breaks the stereotype that the wise must look one particular way. Freedom is not a lifestyle uniform. The liberated may enjoy comforts or may live simply in solitude; the point is that neither binds them. Because their mind is nirasta-kalpanā - no longer busy constructing identity and expectation - they are not enslaved by either luxury or austerity.

This matches the chapter’s repeated theme: the inner shift is primary. When craving is gone, enjoyment does not become addiction, and solitude does not become escapism. The wise can move according to circumstance, health, and responsibility without turning it into a spiritual badge. That is why the verse calls them abaddha: unbound in the heart.

Practice by dropping the idea that one outer form guarantees freedom. If you are drawn to simplicity, practice it without superiority. If you live with comforts, practice gratitude and non-clinging. In both cases, watch the mind’s constructing: "this proves I'm spiritual" or "this proves I'm worldly." Let that story dissolve. Then the outer life becomes flexible and the inner freedom grows, which is the real teaching of the verse.

śrōtriyaṃ dēvatāṃ tīrthamaṅganāṃ bhūpatiṃ priyam ।
dṛṣṭvā sampūjya dhīrasya na kāpi hṛdi vāsanā ॥ 18-54॥

Meaning (padārtha):
śrōtriyaṃ - learned one (versed in scripture)
dēvatāṃ - deity
tīrtham - sacred place; pilgrimage
aṅganām - woman; beauty
bhūpatiṃ - king; power/authority
priyam - beloved; dear one
dṛṣṭvā - having seen
sampūjya - having honored; having worshiped respectfully
dhīrasya - of the wise one
na kāpi - none whatsoever
hṛdi - in the heart
vāsanā - latent craving/impression

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even after seeing and honoring learning, divinity, holy places, beauty, power, and loved ones, the wise one carries no craving-impression in the heart.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse shows the difference between appreciation and attachment. The wise can honor a learned person, worship a deity, respect a holy place, appreciate beauty, relate to power, and love the beloved - and yet not be inwardly hooked. That is because vāsanā does not stick. The heart does not get perfumed with craving. The experiences pass through without leaving a chain.

Many people fear that spirituality requires rejecting beauty, love, or devotion. This verse says: the problem is not contact; it is clinging. When identity is awareness, contact does not become bondage. Devotion can remain pure, love can remain tender, and respect can remain sincere - without turning into dependency. That is a mature form of freedom: fullness without denial.

Practice by observing where vāsanā sticks in you. After a pleasant experience, notice if the mind starts planning, craving, and clinging. After praise or power-contact, notice if ego inflates. Then return to the witness and let the impression dissolve: "That was experienced; it can end." Continue to honor what is worthy, but do it from fullness, not from hunger. This trains appreciation without bondage.

bhṛtyaiḥ putraiḥ kalatraiścha dauhitraiśchāpi gōtrajaiḥ ।
vihasya dhikkṛtō yōgī na yāti vikṛtiṃ manāk ॥ 18-55॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhṛtyaiḥ - by servants
putraiḥ - by sons
kalatraiḥ - by spouse
cha - and
dauhitraiḥ - by grandsons
cha api - and also
gōtrajaiḥ - by relatives of one’s clan
vihasya - by laughing; by mocking
dhikkṛtaḥ - insulted; dishonored
yōgī - yogi; wise one
na yāti - does not go into
vikṛtiṃ - disturbance; distortion
manāk - even a little

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even if mocked and insulted by those close to him, the yogi is not inwardly disturbed even a little.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
Insults from strangers can be ignored, but insults from close people cut deeper because they hit identity. This verse says the yogi is free even there. Being laughed at or dishonored by servants, family, or relatives does not throw him into distortion (vikṛti). That does not mean he is indifferent to relationships; it means he is not psychologically owned by other people's words.

This is a practical sign of inner freedom: you can be corrected without collapsing and you can be criticized without becoming bitter. The ego often demands respect as proof of worth. When worth is rooted in awareness, respect can be welcomed, but lack of respect does not destroy you. That is why the verse highlights the hardest scenario: close relationships.

Practice by training steadiness under criticism. When a close person mocks you, notice the immediate urge: defend, attack, withdraw. Pause and feel the sting in the body. Ask, "What identity is hurt?" Then respond cleanly: set a boundary, clarify, or stay silent - but avoid reactive drama. This builds inner stability. Over time, words lose their power to distort you, and relationships become less driven by ego.

santuṣṭō'pi na santuṣṭaḥ khinnō'pi na cha khidyatē ।
tasyāścharyadaśāṃ tāṃ tāṃ tādṛśā ēva jānatē ॥ 18-56॥

Meaning (padārtha):
santuṣṭaḥ api - even while satisfied/content
na santuṣṭaḥ - not (bound by) satisfaction
khinnaḥ api - even while weary
na khidyatē - does not grieve; is not distressed
tasya - of that one
āścharya-daśām - wondrous state
tāṃ tāṃ - that and that (state/aspect)
tādṛśāḥ ēva - only those like him
jānatē - know

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even when content, he is not trapped in the idea of contentment; even when weary, he is not distressed. Only those who are similar truly understand this wondrous state.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse points to being beyond labels. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction are both mind-states; fatigue and distress are different; most people mix them. The wise can be satisfied without clinging to satisfaction, and can be tired without falling into misery. That is why the verse sounds paradoxical: it is describing a person whose identity is not swallowed by states. The state may be present, but it does not own the Self.

The "wondrous state" is hard to explain to someone who has not tasted it, because language naturally uses opposites. The wise is described in many verses as beyond opposites, so the usual categories do not fit. This does not make the wise inhuman; it makes the wise less reactive. The wonder is the end of compulsive suffering, not the end of ordinary feeling.

Practice by separating fatigue from misery and pleasure from clinging. When you are tired, do what the body needs - rest, eat, slow down - but watch for the mind adding a story of defeat. When you feel content, enjoy it, but watch for fear of losing it. In both cases, return to the witness and let the state be present without becoming identity. This is a practical doorway into the steadiness the verse describes.

kartavyataiva saṃsārō na tāṃ paśyanti sūrayaḥ ।
śūnyākārā nirākārā nirvikārā nirāmayāḥ ॥ 18-57॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kartavyatā - the compulsive sense of "must-do"
ēva - indeed
saṃsāraḥ - bondage; repeated suffering
na tāṃ - not that
paśyanti - see (as binding)
sūrayaḥ - the wise
śūnya-ākārāḥ - empty in form (free of ego-structure)
nirākārāḥ - formless
nirvikārāḥ - changeless
nirāmayāḥ - free of disturbance/disease

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Bondage is nothing but the compulsive sense of "I must do." The wise do not carry that compulsion; abiding as formless, changeless awareness, they remain free of disturbance.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse identifies a surprisingly ordinary root of bondage: the inner "must." Not duty as responsibility, but duty as psychological compulsion - the feeling that your worth depends on doing and achieving. That compulsion creates constant tension and self-judgment. Ashtavakra calls that tension saṃsāra. The wise do not "see" it in the sense of not adopting it as identity. Action can still happen, but not from inner bondage.

The verse then describes the wise in Vedantic language: nirākāra (formless), nirvikāra (unchanging), nirāmaya (free of disturbance). It is pointing to awareness as the true Self, not to a special mental state. When you recognize yourself as awareness, the compulsive "must" loses authority. Life becomes cleaner: responsibilities remain, but inner slavery reduces.

Practice by identifying your strongest "must." It might be "I must be liked," "I must be productive," "I must be perfect." Notice how it drives anxiety. Then replace compulsion with clarity: "I will do what is right, but I will not make my identity depend on it." Take one small task and do it from steadiness, then stop. Over time, this weakens kartavyatā as bondage and makes action lighter.

akurvannapi saṅkṣōbhād vyagraḥ sarvatra mūḍhadhīḥ ।
kurvannapi tu kṛtyāni kuśalō hi nirākulaḥ ॥ 18-58॥

Meaning (padārtha):
akurvan api - even while not doing
saṅkṣōbhāt - due to agitation; inner disturbance
vyagraḥ - restless; scattered
sarvatra - everywhere
mūḍha-dhīḥ - the confused-minded one
kurvan api - even while doing
tu - but
kṛtyāni - tasks; duties
kuśalaḥ - skillful; wise
hi - indeed
nirākulaḥ - unconfused; undisturbed

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even when doing nothing, the confused mind is restless due to inner agitation. Even while doing tasks, the skillful wise one remains undisturbed.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse dismantles the idea that peace comes from changing outer activity. A restless mind can be restless even in a quiet room, because agitation is internal. Likewise, a wise mind can be calm even in busy work, because calm is internal. The difference is not the schedule; it is the relationship to thought. The confused mind is driven by saṅkṣōbha - inner disturbance - so even "doing nothing" becomes a kind of anxious doing.

This is why Advaita insists that the cure is not mere lifestyle optimization. A better routine can help, but if the ego's compulsions remain, restlessness will find new outlets. The wise is kuśala - skillful - because he can act without being agitated by the sense of doership and fear. Tasks are performed as needed, but the mind does not create a self-story around them.

Practice by training calm-in-action. Choose one daily task and do it with full attention, breathing slowly, without rushing. Notice the mind's urge to jump ahead and gently return. Also train calm-in-stillness: sit for two minutes without entertainment and watch how the mind tries to escape. In both cases, return to awareness. This builds nirākulatā that does not depend on your activity level.

sukhamāstē sukhaṃ śētē sukhamāyāti yāti cha ।
sukhaṃ vakti sukhaṃ bhuṅktē vyavahārē'pi śāntadhīḥ ॥ 18-59॥

Meaning (padārtha):
sukham - with ease; happily
āstē - sits; remains
sukham - with ease
śētē - lies down; sleeps
sukham - with ease
āyāti - comes
yāti - goes
cha - and
sukham - with ease
vakti - speaks
sukham - with ease
bhuṅktē - eats; enjoys
vyavahārē api - even in worldly dealings
śānta-dhīḥ - peaceful-minded one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
He sits in ease, sleeps in ease, comes and goes in ease, speaks in ease, and eats in ease. Even in worldly dealings, his mind remains peaceful.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse emphasizes that peace is not reserved for meditation alone. For the śānta-dhīḥ (peaceful-minded one), ease infuses all ordinary actions. That does not mean every moment is pleasant; it means the inner friction has reduced. The mind is no longer constantly resisting experience or bargaining for more. Therefore, even simple activities carry a quiet comfort.

Many people postpone peace: "After I finish this phase, I'll relax." The wise has learned to live from a different center. Because identity is awareness, not outcome, the mind can be at ease while walking, speaking, eating, and handling transactions. This is a key theme of the chapter: liberation is not an exotic event; it is the absence of inner struggle in ordinary life.

Practice by bringing ease into one routine. Pick one daily action - brushing teeth, commuting, eating - and do it without rushing, without multitasking, and without mental commentary. Notice the body and breath. Then bring the same into interactions: speak slowly, listen fully, and drop the urge to prove. These small experiments make peace tangible and train the mind toward the ease described here.

svabhāvādyasya naivārtirlōkavad vyavahāriṇaḥ ।
mahāhrada ivākṣōbhyō gataklēśaḥ suśōbhatē ॥ 18-60॥

Meaning (padārtha):
svabhāvāt - by nature
yasya - of whom
na ēva ārtiḥ - no distress/need at all
lōkavat - like the world; like ordinary people
vyavahāriṇaḥ - while behaving/engaging
mahā-hradaḥ - a great lake
iva - like
akṣōbhyaḥ - unshakable
gata-klēśaḥ - whose afflictions are gone
suśōbhatē - shines beautifully

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Though he behaves outwardly like others, he has no inner distress by nature. Like a vast lake, unshaken and free of affliction, he shines.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The metaphor of the great lake is powerful. Small ponds ripple easily; vast lakes have depth, and disturbances do not reach their bottom quickly. The wise one is like that: he may participate in the world's activities, but inwardly he has depth. There is no underlying hunger or distress (ārti) driving him. Because klēśas (afflictive patterns) have faded, he remains akṣōbhya - not easily shaken.

This verse also clarifies a common misunderstanding: liberation does not require withdrawing from life. It requires withdrawing the ego's dependence. You can behave "like the world" in the sense of doing your responsibilities, yet inwardly not be ruled by craving and fear. That combination is what makes the wise shine: grounded, responsible, and free.

Practice by cultivating depth rather than just calmness. Calmness can be superficial if it depends on everything going well. Depth comes from recognizing awareness as the Self. Each day, spend a few minutes resting as the witness, and in the day, notice when a small disturbance shakes you too much. Use that as an opportunity to return to depth: breathe, widen attention, and remember what is unchanging. Over time, you become more like the great lake the verse describes.

nivṛttirapi mūḍhasya pravṛtti rupajāyatē ।
pravṛttirapi dhīrasya nivṛttiphalabhāginī ॥ 18-61॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nivṛttiḥ - withdrawal; turning away
api - even
mūḍhasya - of the confused one
pravṛttiḥ - engagement; outward action
upajāyatē - arises
pravṛttiḥ api - even engagement
dhīrasya - of the steady/wise one
nivṛtti-phala-bhāginī - bearing the fruit of withdrawal

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even withdrawal becomes another form of engagement for the confused mind, while even engagement yields the fruit of withdrawal for the wise.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse shows that bondage is not mainly in outer behavior; it is in inner motive. A confused person may "withdraw" from the world, but if the withdrawal is driven by fear, resentment, or desire for a special identity, it is still pravṛtti in disguise - inner engagement with craving and aversion. The wise person may be active in the world, but because action is not fueled by clinging, it carries the fruit of nivṛtti: inner freedom.

The Bhagavad Gita makes this point in its own way: true renunciation is not abandoning action; it is abandoning attachment. When the ego is not claiming results, action does not bind. This verse therefore corrects superficial spirituality. The real question is not "Am I busy or quiet?" but "Am I free from craving while I act or withdraw?"

Practice by checking motive whenever you change posture. If you want to "withdraw," ask if it is clean rest or fear-driven escape. If you want to "engage," ask if it is responsibility or craving for validation. In both cases, return to awareness and choose the cleaner motive. When engagement is clean, it becomes liberating; when withdrawal is clean, it becomes restorative. This is how nivṛtti-phala appears in the middle of life.

parigrahēṣu vairāgyaṃ prāyō mūḍhasya dṛśyatē ।
dēhē vigalitāśasya kva rāgaḥ kva virāgatā ॥ 18-62॥

Meaning (padārtha):
parigrahēṣu - in possessions; in acquisitions
vairāgyaṃ - dispassion
prāyaḥ - generally; mostly
mūḍhasya - of the confused one
dṛśyatē - is seen
dēhē - toward the body
vigalita-āśā - whose craving/expectation has fallen away
kva rāgaḥ - where is attachment?
kva virāgatā - where is (even) dispassion?

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Often the confused person shows dispassion only toward possessions. But for the one whose craving toward the body has fallen away, where is attachment - and where is even the need to claim dispassion?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse exposes superficial renunciation. It is relatively easy to give up some external possessions and still remain deeply attached to the body-identity: comfort, youth, appearance, fear of illness, fear of death. That is why the verse says the foolish person's dispassion is often limited to parigraha. The deeper attachment remains untouched. True freedom begins when the craving rooted in body-identification weakens.

The wise person described here has vigalita-āśā toward the body - the anxious expectation that the body must always be a certain way for life to be okay. When that drops, the inner obsession reduces, and then even labels like "attached" and "detached" become less relevant. That is why the verse asks: where is rāga, and where is virāgatā? The mind is simply free.

Practice by expanding your view of attachment. Notice not only what you own, but what you fear losing. Watch body-related compulsions: constant comfort-seeking, insecurity about aging, panic about minor symptoms. Care for the body responsibly, but reduce the emotional worship of it. Each time fear arises, return to awareness and remember what is not the body. This is a deeper form of vairāgya than merely simplifying possessions.

bhāvanābhāvanāsaktā dṛṣṭirmūḍhasya sarvadā ।
bhāvyabhāvanayā sā tu svasthasyādṛṣṭirūpiṇī ॥ 18-63॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhāvanā - imagining; mental construction
abhāvanā - "not imagining"; suppression/anti-imagination
saktā - attached; stuck
dṛṣṭiḥ - view; vision
mūḍhasya - of the confused one
sarvadā - always
bhāvya-abhāvanayā - by abandoning imagined and unimagined (both extremes)
sā - that (vision)
tu - however
svasthasya - of the steady one
adṛṣṭi-rūpiṇī - becomes "non-seeing" (non-fixating)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The confused mind is always stuck in imagining or in fighting imagination. But when both are dropped, the steady one’s vision becomes free of fixation - a kind of "non-seeing."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The mind can get trapped in two extremes: constant mental constructing (bhāvanā) and constant suppression of constructing (abhāvanā). Both are still fixation. One keeps feeding stories; the other keeps fighting stories. The verse says the steady one is free because both extremes are abandoned. Then vision becomes adṛṣṭi - not blindness, but non-fixation. The mind does not compulsively objectify.

This is a subtle pointer: freedom is not achieved by fighting thought; it is achieved by seeing thought as thought and not building identity from it. When the witness is recognized, thoughts can arise and pass without being either indulged or suppressed. That is the "non-seeing" here: not looking at reality through the filter of constant mental making.

Practice by catching yourself in both extremes. When you are lost in stories, pause and return to sensation and breath. When you are aggressively trying to stop thought, soften the effort and let thought be, while not following it. In both cases, shift attention to the awareness that knows. Over time, this creates adṛṣṭi - a clean seeing that is free of compulsive fixation.

sarvārambhēṣu niṣkāmō yaścharēd bālavan muniḥ ।
na lēpastasya śuddhasya kriyamāṇē'pi karmaṇi ॥ 18-64॥

Meaning (padārtha):
sarva-ārambhēṣu - in all undertakings
niṣkāmaḥ - desireless; without craving for result
yaḥ - who
charēt - moves; lives
bālavat - like a child (uncontrived)
muniḥ - sage
na lēpaḥ - no stain; no binding residue
tasya - for that one
śuddhasya - pure one
kriyamāṇē api - even while being done
karmaṇi - in action

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The sage who lives without craving in all undertakings, simple like a child, is not stained by action even while actions occur.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse states the core of niṣkāma living: action does not bind when desire for egoic result does not bind. The sage is compared to a child not because of immaturity, but because of uncontrived simplicity. Actions happen, but they are not used to build identity, and therefore they do not leave the same "stain" (lēpa) of pride, guilt, and fear.

The Bhagavad Gita repeatedly teaches that action without attachment does not bind. Ashtavakra says the same in a simpler form: if the heart is clean and non-craving, action cannot stick. This does not deny cause and effect in the world; it denies psychological bondage. The pure mind responds and moves on, rather than replaying and owning.

Practice by choosing one undertaking and making it niṣkāma. Do it with care, but drop the demand for recognition or perfection. After finishing, deliberately release the mental replay. If praise comes, receive it lightly; if blame comes, learn what is useful and drop the rest. This is how you reduce lēpa and make actions cleaner.

sa ēva dhanya ātmajñaḥ sarvabhāvēṣu yaḥ samaḥ ।
paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśan jighrann aśnannistarṣamānasaḥ ॥ 18-65॥

Meaning (padārtha):
sa ēva - he alone
dhanyaḥ - blessed
ātma-jñaḥ - knower of the Self
sarva-bhāvēṣu - in all conditions/states
yaḥ - who
samaḥ - equal; even-minded
paśyan - seeing
śṛṇvan - hearing
spṛśan - touching
jighran - smelling
aśnan - eating
istarṣa-manasaḥ - with mind free of thirst/craving

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Blessed indeed is the Self-knower who remains equal in all conditions, whose mind is free of thirst, even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and eating.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse ties together equanimity and ordinary living. The Self-knower is not defined by sensory shutdown; he may see and hear, eat and move, but the mind is niḥ-tṛṣṇā in spirit - free of thirst. That thirst is the subtle demand that says, "I need more," or "I need different." When thirst ends, equanimity (samatā) becomes natural across all states (sarva-bhāva).

This is why the verse calls such a one dhanya - blessed. It is not social blessing; it is inner wholeness. Many people can control behavior, but very few end the inner thirst. When the thirst ends, the senses can function without enslaving. This is the mature freedom the chapter keeps describing: life continues, but craving does not rule.

Practice by noticing "thirst moments." These are the moments when you feel, "This isn't enough," or "I need a bigger hit of pleasure/approval/control." Pause there. Feel the body, breathe, and return to awareness. Then choose a simple act of contentment: stop scrolling, eat a bit less, speak less defensively, accept a small discomfort. These small reductions in thirst gradually create the equanimity the verse praises.

kva saṃsāraḥ kva chābhāsaḥ kva sādhyaṃ kva cha sādhanam ।
ākāśasyēva dhīrasya nirvikalpasya sarvadā ॥ 18-66॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
saṃsāraḥ - bondage; repetitive suffering
ābhāsaḥ - appearance; mere semblance
sādhyaṃ - goal to be achieved
sādhanam - means/practice
ākāśasya iva - like space
dhīrasya - of the steady one
nirvikalpasya - free of conceptual splitting
sarvadā - always

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the steady one, always free of conceptual splitting and vast like space, where are bondage and mere appearance, goal and means?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse uses the metaphor of ākāśa (space) to describe the liberated mind: open, unconfined, and untouched by what appears within it. Space does not need to solve the clouds; it simply holds them. Similarly, the wise does not feel trapped in saṃsāra because experiences are seen as ābhāsa - appearances in awareness. When identity is awareness, the usual spiritual structure of "goal and means" loosens. You are no longer trying to travel to yourself.

Upanishadic teaching often uses space to show this: pot-space and vast space are not truly different; the difference is only a boundary. When the boundary of ego is seen as a mental construction, the Self is recognized as vast. That is why the verse asks rhetorical questions. It is not dismissing practice; it is pointing to the truth that practice ultimately reveals: the ever-present openness of awareness.

Practice by cultivating the "space view." When thoughts and emotions arise, imagine them as clouds moving in the sky of awareness. Do not fight them; do not chase them. Let them pass. Then notice that the sky is unchanged. When you feel trapped in a problem, widen attention: hear sounds, feel breath, sense the body, and recognize the field. This helps you taste why the wise is compared to space.

sa jayatyarthasannyāsī pūrṇasvarasavigrahaḥ ।
akṛtrimō'navachChinnē samādhiryasya vartatē ॥ 18-67॥

Meaning (padārtha):
saḥ - that one
jayati - conquers; triumphs
artha-sannyāsī - renouncer of worldly gain/ends
pūrṇa-svara-sa-vigrahaḥ - full in expression and being; complete and vital
akṛtrimaḥ - natural; unforced
anavachChinnaḥ - unbroken; uninterrupted
samādhiḥ - absorption/rest in the Self
yasya - whose
vartatē - remains; prevails

Translation (bhāvārtha):
He truly triumphs - the one who has renounced worldly gain and yet remains full in life, whose absorption in the Self is natural and unbroken.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse defines victory in a non-worldly way. Real victory is not defeating others; it is being free of being defeated by craving. The artha-sannyāsī is one who has renounced the chase for gain as identity. Yet the verse immediately says he is pūrṇa - full, not dry. That fullness comes from akṛtrima samādhi: a natural, unforced resting in awareness that is anavachChinna, unbroken even while life continues.

Many people associate renunciation with dullness, but the verse insists the opposite: when the heart is not hungry for gain, vitality can be more genuine. This is also why the text repeatedly praises unforced steadiness. Forced samādhi is still an ego project; unforced samādhi is simply the mind abiding in its source. That is the triumph being described.

Practice by renouncing one "gain identity." Identify one area where your self-worth depends on achievement, money, status, or being seen. Reduce that dependence intentionally: simplify a goal, refuse one manipulative shortcut, do one good action quietly. At the same time, cultivate unbroken remembrance: return to awareness repeatedly during the day, not as strain but as gentle recall. This makes samādhi less a special event and more a stable background.

bahunātra kimuktēna jñātatattvō mahāśayaḥ ।
bhōgamōkṣanirākāṅkṣī sadā sarvatra nīrasaḥ ॥ 18-68॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bahunā atra - with many words here
kiṃ uktēna - what is the use?
jñāta-tattvaḥ - knower of truth
mahā-āśayaḥ - great-souled one
bhōga-mōkṣa - enjoyment and liberation
nirākāṅkṣī - without craving for
sadā - always
sarvatra - everywhere
nīrasaḥ - without personal relish/agenda; not hooked

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Why many words? The great-souled knower of truth craves neither pleasure nor liberation, and remains unhooked everywhere.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a summary pause. After many descriptions, it says: enough words. The essence is simple: the knower is not hungry. Not hungry for bhōga (pleasure) and not hungry even for mōkṣa as an achievement. That is why he is called nīrasa: not driven by the "flavor" of personal agenda. He can participate in life without being hooked.

This echoes earlier verses in the work where the rare person is described as desiring neither enjoyment nor liberation. The point is not apathy; it is fullness. When the Self is seen as complete, both worldly craving and spiritual ambition soften. Then the mind becomes simpler, and language becomes less necessary. The truth is lived.

Practice by examining your two cravings: worldly and spiritual. Notice where you chase comfort, praise, romance, and control. Also notice where you chase "attainment": wanting to feel special, wanting a perfect state. In both cases, return to awareness and to contentment. Do one act of simple living each day and one act of quiet inquiry each day. This gradually makes the mind less hungry and more nīrasa in the best sense: free.

mahadādi jagaddvaitaṃ nāmamātravijṛmbhitam ।
vihāya śuddhabōdhasya kiṃ kṛtyamavaśiṣyatē ॥ 18-69॥

Meaning (padārtha):
mahat-ādi - beginning with mahat (cosmic intellect) and so on
jagat-dvaitam - the dual world
nāma-mātra - mere name
vijṛmbhitam - expanded/spread out
vihāya - having abandoned; having let go
śuddha-bōdhasya - of pure awareness
kim - what?
kṛtyaṃ - duty; something to be done
avaśiṣyatē - remains

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The whole dual world, from cosmic categories onward, is only an expansion of names. When that is let go, what duty remains for pure awareness?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse points to the constructed nature of cosmology and identity. Whether you describe the world through mahat and other categories or through modern categories, the mind is still naming and mapping. The verse says: it is nāma-mātra - name only. The map is not the territory. When the mind stops mistaking its maps for ultimate reality, a great weight lifts. Then what remains is śuddha-bōdha: pure awareness.

From that standpoint, the idea of "duty to become liberated" collapses. Pure awareness does not have a task to complete; it is already itself. This does not mean the body-mind will stop acting responsibly. It means the inner identity of "I am a limited person who must reach a state" is dropped. What remains is simplicity and spontaneous right action.

Practice by noticing where you cling to maps. You may cling to spiritual frameworks, psychological labels, or stories about your past. Use them as tools, but do not make them your identity. Once a day, deliberately drop all labels for a minute and rest as awareness. Then return to life and act responsibly. This trains you to relate to names as names, which is the freedom the verse is pointing to.

bhramabhūtamidaṃ sarvaṃ kiñchinnāstīti niśchayī ।
alakṣyasphuraṇaḥ śuddhaḥ svabhāvēnaiva śāmyati ॥ 18-70॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhrama-bhūtam - of the nature of illusion
idaṃ sarvaṃ - all this
kiñchit na asti - "nothing exists" (in the ultimate sense)
iti - thus
niśchayī - one with firm certainty
alakṣya - not an object of perception; subtle
sphuraṇaḥ - shining presence; awareness
śuddhaḥ - pure
svabhāvēna ēva - by nature alone
śāmyati - becomes calm; is pacified

Translation (bhāvārtha):
With firm certainty that all this is illusory and has no independent existence, the pure one - a subtle shining presence - becomes calm by nature.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse speaks in the strongest Advaita language: "nothing exists" - meaning nothing exists independently, as a separate ultimate reality. Everything is bhrama-bhūta in the sense of being appearance. When this is firmly understood, the mind stops clinging. The pure one is described as alakṣya-sphuraṇa: a shining presence that cannot be captured as an object. That is awareness itself.

The danger here is nihilism: thinking the verse means nothing matters. That is a mishearing. The verse is pointing to the unreality of separateness, not to the unreality of lived experience. In practice, this insight reduces panic and possessiveness. When you stop treating experiences as ultimate, the heart becomes naturally calm (śānti) because it is no longer bargaining with life.

Practice by applying "dreamlike" insight without becoming careless. When you are anxious, remind yourself: "This is an appearance in awareness; it is not ultimate." Let the body relax, and return to the subtle shining of knowing. Then act responsibly in the world - pay the bill, speak the truth, help someone - but without panic. This is how svabhāva-śā nti becomes real: calmness that arises from seeing clearly.

śuddhasphuraṇarūpasya dṛśyabhāvamapaśyataḥ ।
kva vidhiḥ kva cha vairāgyaṃ kva tyāgaḥ kva śamō'pi vā ॥ 18-71॥

Meaning (padārtha):
śuddha-sphuraṇa-rūpasya - of one whose nature is pure shining awareness
dṛśya-bhāvam - the sense of objecthood; treating things as separate objects
apaśyataḥ - not seeing; not adopting
kva - where is...?
vidhiḥ - rule; injunction
vairāgyaṃ - dispassion
tyāgaḥ - renunciation
śamaḥ - calmness; pacification
api - even
vā - or

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For one who abides as pure shining awareness and no longer sees separate objecthood, where are rules, dispassion, renunciation, or even calmness as practices?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse speaks from the standpoint where practices become unnecessary because their purpose has been fulfilled. Rules (vidhi), dispassion (vairāgya), renunciation (tyāga), and calmness (śama) are usually taught as means to reduce craving and stabilize the mind. But if you have recognized yourself as śuddha-sphuraṇa - pure shining awareness - and the habit of objectifying (dṛśya-bhāva) has softened, then these means are no longer carried as burdens. They may remain as natural qualities, but not as anxious projects.

This verse is easily misused if heard prematurely. It is not telling an untrained mind to ignore ethics or discipline. It is describing a mature mind where discipline is no longer forced. The chapter keeps alternating between lofty descriptions and sober warnings (like 18-75) for this reason: to prevent spiritual bypassing. The right hearing is: practice until the mind is clear, then let practice become natural.

Practice by letting discipline become less tense. Keep basic ethics and simple daily practices, but watch for the ego behind them: pride, harshness, perfectionism. Reduce that. Also cultivate the key insight of the verse: notice when you are objectifying life - treating people and experiences as separate things that must complete you. Return to awareness and see that objecthood is a mental habit. As that habit weakens, śama and vairāgya grow more naturally.

sphuratō'nantarūpēṇa prakṛtiṃ cha na paśyataḥ ।
kva bandhaḥ kva cha vā mōkṣaḥ kva harṣaḥ kva viṣāditā ॥ 18-72॥

Meaning (padārtha):
sphurataḥ - of one who shines; is vividly present
ananta-rūpēṇa - as infinite; without limit
prakṛtiṃ - nature; the field of phenomena
cha - and
na paśyataḥ - not seeing (as separate/ultimate)
kva bandhaḥ - where is bondage?
kva mōkṣaḥ - where is liberation?
kva harṣaḥ - where is elation?
kva viṣāditā - where is dejection?

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the one who abides as the infinite shining Self and does not see the world-field as separate, where are bondage and liberation, joy and sorrow?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse is describing a shift of scale. When you identify as a limited person, bondage and liberation feel like real conditions, and joy and sorrow feel like ultimate verdicts. When you recognize yourself as ananta awareness, these opposites lose their grip. They may still appear as experiences in the mind-body, but they no longer define identity. That is why the verse asks: where are they?

This is not emotional denial. It is the recognition that feelings are waves, not the ocean. The "not seeing prakṛti" here means not taking the phenomenal field as the Self. When that confusion ends, both bondage and liberation are seen as ideas that applied only to the imagined separate self. From the standpoint of the infinite, the drama reduces.

Practice by enlarging your reference point. When you feel intense joy or sorrow, notice the urge to make it absolute. Then return to awareness and see the feeling as a wave. Ask, "What is aware of this wave?" Rest in that. This does not suppress emotion; it gives it space. Over time, the inner hold of harṣa and viṣāda reduces, and equanimity becomes more natural.

buddhiparyantasaṃsārē māyāmātraṃ vivartatē ।
nirmamō nirahaṅkārō niṣkāmaḥ śōbhatē budhaḥ ॥ 18-73॥

Meaning (padārtha):
buddhi-paryanta-saṃsārē - in bondage up to the level of intellect
māyā-mātram - only illusion; mere appearance
vivartatē - turns; operates; plays out
nirmamaḥ - without "mine"
nirahaṅkāraḥ - without ego
niṣkāmaḥ - desireless
śōbhatē - shines
budhaḥ - the wise one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Within the mind-and-intellect world, the play of illusion continues. But the wise one shines free - without possessiveness, without ego, without craving.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse clarifies where bondage lives: in the mind-intellect complex. māyā is not necessarily a cosmic trick; it is the way the mind constructs a world and a self-story. That construction can keep running at the level of experience, but the wise is not imprisoned by it. He is nirmama, nirahaṅkāra, niṣkāma. These are not moral decorations; they are the practical signs that the ego-story has weakened.

The phrase "illusion plays out" also protects you from unrealistic expectations. Even after insight, the body-mind will still have perceptions, habits, and reactions. What changes is ownership. When you do not take the mind’s play as "me", its power reduces. That is why the wise "shines": the shine is clarity amidst the play, like a lamp that is not disturbed by shadows moving on the wall.

Practice by treating the mind's drama as māyā without becoming dismissive. When thoughts and emotions surge, name the play: "mind-story." Then return to the witness. Also actively reduce possessiveness, ego, and craving in daily choices: simplify one desire, stop one manipulation, drop one resentment. This makes the mind-intellect play lighter and less binding.

akṣayaṃ gatasantāpamātmānaṃ paśyatō munēḥ ।
kva vidyā cha kva vā viśvaṃ kva dēhō'haṃ mamēti vā ॥ 18-74॥

Meaning (padārtha):
akṣayaṃ - imperishable
gata-santāpam - free from torment; with anguish gone
ātmānaṃ - the Self
paśyataḥ - of one who sees/realizes
munēḥ - of the sage
kva vidyā - where is knowledge (as an object)?
kva viśvaṃ - where is the world (as an ultimate)?
kva dēhaḥ - where is the body (as identity)?
kva aham - where is "I" (ego)?
mama iti - "mine"
vā - or

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the sage who sees the Self as imperishable and free of inner torment, where are the old categories of knowledge and world, body and ego, "I" and "mine"?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse shows what changes when the Self is seen as akṣaya, imperishable. When identity is no longer tied to the changing, the sense of inner torment (santāpa) reduces. Then many categories lose their grip: you are no longer obsessed with collecting knowledge as identity, no longer trapped in the world as threat, no longer confined to body-identity, and no longer caught in possessiveness. The ego's "I" and "mine" are what generate most suffering, so their weakening is the real liberation.

The verse uses kva to say these things cannot be located as binding realities for the wise. They may appear as practical tools - knowledge can still be used, the world can still be navigated, the body can still be cared for - but they no longer define the Self. That is why the sage is free of torment: the core misidentification is gone.

Practice by working specifically with "I" and "mine." Notice how often you tense around ownership: my reputation, my plan, my body, my comfort. Each time, pause and ask, "Who is this 'I'?" Return to awareness. Then act responsibly without possessiveness. Over time, the categories the verse lists become lighter, and you understand directly why freedom is described as the end of torment.

nirōdhādīni karmāṇi jahāti jaḍadhīryadi ।
manōrathān pralāpāṃścha kartumāpnōtyatatkṣaṇāt ॥ 18-75॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirōdha-ādīni - restraint and related disciplines
karmāṇi - practices/actions
jahāti - abandons
jaḍa-dhīḥ - dull-minded one; unprepared intellect
yadi - if
manō-rathān - fantasies; mental chariots
pralāpān - idle talk; prattle
cha - and
kartuṃ - to do
āpnōti - becomes capable; falls into
atat-kṣaṇāt - immediately; at once

Translation (bhāvārtha):
If an unprepared, dull mind abandons disciplines like restraint, it immediately falls into fantasies and idle talk.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
After many lofty descriptions, this verse gives a grounded warning. A dull or unprepared mind cannot imitate the freedom of the wise by simply dropping discipline. If craving and restlessness are still active, then abandoning restraint leads not to liberation but to indulgence: fantasies, compulsive thinking, and endless talking. This verse is Ashtavakra's way of preventing misuse of non-dual teaching as an excuse for laziness.

The difference is maturity. The wise does not need forced restraint because desire has softened through insight. The unprepared mind still needs structure. This is why traditions insist on ethics, steady practice, and humility. Freedom is not an attitude you declare; it is an inner transformation. Until that transformation is stable, disciplines like nirōdha protect you from your own compulsions.

Practice by being honest about your readiness. If you notice your mind immediately runs to fantasy and distraction when you relax discipline, keep discipline - but make it gentle and sustainable. Reduce stimulation, keep simple meditation, and live truthfully. At the same time, work toward the deeper aim: seeing the Self as awareness. As insight grows, discipline becomes less forced. This is how you respect the verse's warning without getting stuck in rigid control.

mandaḥ śrutvāpi tadvastu na jahāti vimūḍhatām ।
nirvikalpō bahiryatnādantarviṣayalālasaḥ ॥ 18-76॥

Meaning (padārtha):
mandaḥ - dull one; unprepared person
śrutvā api - even after hearing
tat vastu - that truth/reality
na jahāti - does not abandon
vimūḍhatām - confusion; delusion
nirvikalpaḥ - appearing without concepts
bahiḥ yatnāt - outwardly due to effort
antar - inwardly
viṣaya-lālasaḥ - longing for objects; craving

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even after hearing the truth, the unprepared person does not drop confusion. Outwardly he may seem "thought-free" through effort, but inwardly he still longs for sense-objects.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse exposes a kind of spiritual hypocrisy that can arise when non-dual teaching is treated as a performance. A person may try to look detached and quiet, but if craving is still alive inside, the mind remains bound. Outward nirvikalpa can be manufactured by suppression or by image-management, while inwardly the mind is still viṣaya-lālasa, thirsty for objects. The verse says: hearing is not enough if the inner motive is unchanged.

This is why the tradition insists on sincerity. If the heart is still hungry, pretending to be free creates more splitting: an outer mask and an inner craving. Ashtavakra’s point is not to shame, but to make you honest: freedom is measured by reduced craving and fear, not by the appearance of calm. This also ties back to the chapter’s warnings about mishearing.

Practice by choosing honesty over image. Notice where you try to appear detached while secretly craving. Bring the craving into awareness without judgment and work with it directly: simplify habits, reduce stimulation, and strengthen contentment. If you meditate, do it not to look spiritual but to see clearly. Over time, outer quiet and inner quiet align, and nirvikalpa becomes less of a mask and more of a natural simplicity.

jñānād galitakarmā yō lōkadṛṣṭyāpi karmakṛt ।
nāpnōtyavasaraṃ kartuṃ vaktumēva na kiñchana ॥ 18-77॥

Meaning (padārtha):
jñānāt - through knowledge
galita-karmā - whose sense of action/doership has melted away
yaḥ - who
lōka-dṛṣṭyā api - even from the world's viewpoint
karma-kṛt - one who does actions
na āpnōti - does not obtain
avasaram - occasion; opportunity (for egoic claiming)
kartuṃ - to do (as "I do")
vaktuṃ ēva - even to speak (as "I assert")
na kiñchana - anything

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Though he may appear to act in the world, the one whose doership has melted through knowledge finds no occasion to claim "I do" or "I say" anything as an ego.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse highlights the difference between action and doership. The liberated person may still be seen doing tasks, speaking, and moving. But because doership has melted (galita-karmā), there is no inner claiming. That is why it says he finds no "occasion" to do or say anything: not because he is mute or inactive, but because the ego’s habit of stamping actions as "mine" has vanished.

In practical terms, this means life becomes simpler. Actions happen when needed, words are spoken when helpful, but the mind does not build a self-image from them. This is close to the Gita’s repeated refrain: the wise acts without attachment and without ego. The deeper freedom is not in changing outward life dramatically; it is in removing the inner owner.

Practice by noticing when you "stamp" your actions. After speaking, do you replay: "Did I sound smart?" After acting, do you claim: "I achieved" or "I failed"? Catch the stamping and soften it. Replace it with a quieter view: "This happened through the body-mind; awareness witnessed it." Continue to act responsibly, but drop the inner ownership. Over time, you will understand the verse: the ego finds no opportunity to claim.

kva tamaḥ kva prakāśō vā hānaṃ kva cha na kiñchana ।
nirvikārasya dhīrasya nirātaṅkasya sarvadā ॥ 18-78॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
tamaḥ - darkness; ignorance
prakāśaḥ - light; knowledge
vā - or
hānaṃ - loss; abandonment
kva - where is...?
na kiñchana - anything at all
nirvikārasya - of the changeless one
dhīrasya - of the steady one
nirātaṅkasya - of the fearless/undisturbed one
sarvadā - always

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the always fearless, changeless wise one, where are darkness and light, loss and gain - where is anything at all that could bind him?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is speaking from the Self’s standpoint. Darkness and light, ignorance and knowledge, loss and gain - these opposites apply to the mind and to the world of change. But the Self is described as nirvikāra, changeless. When identity is anchored there, the opposites lose their power to define you. That is why the verse’s tone is absolute: "where is anything at all?"

This does not deny practical learning or practical loss. It denies existential bondage to them. The wise can still learn skills, still correct mistakes, still respond to loss - but inwardly they are nirātaṅka, not threatened at the root. Because the Self is recognized as unchanging awareness, the mind does not collapse into fear when conditions change.

Practice by distinguishing practical change from existential threat. When you feel fear around loss or failure, ask, "What is threatened?" Often it is a self-image. Return to awareness and see that awareness is present and unchanged. Then take the practical step: learn, repair, plan. This keeps you functional without being owned by the opposites the verse lists.

kva dhairyaṃ kva vivēkitvaṃ kva nirātaṅkatāpi vā ।
anirvāchyasvabhāvasya niḥsvabhāvasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-79॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
dhairyaṃ - courage; firmness
vivēkitvaṃ - discernment
nirātaṅkatā - fearlessness; undisturbedness
api vā - even or
anirvāchya-svabhāvasya - of one whose nature is indescribable
niḥsvabhāvasya - of one beyond fixed nature/attributes
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the yogi whose nature is indescribable and beyond fixed attributes, where are even qualities like courage, discernment, and fearlessness as separate "traits"?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse pushes the teaching to its logical end: even virtues become hard to "locate" as personal possessions. In ordinary life we say, "I am courageous," "I have discernment." But when the ego-sense dissolves, qualities may appear, yet they are not owned. The yogi is described as anirvāchya, indescribable, and niḥsvabhāva, beyond fixed attributes. From that standpoint, labeling becomes less meaningful.

This does not mean virtues are irrelevant. It means virtues have matured into spontaneity. Courage, discernment, and fearlessness may express naturally, but without the ego claiming, "I am virtuous." The chapter keeps pointing to this: the freed mind is simple. Even the language of attainment becomes unnecessary.

Practice by cultivating virtues without ego-ownership. Do courageous things, make discerning choices, reduce fear - but notice when the mind wants credit. Drop the credit and keep the action. Also, practice humility: allow yourself to be a learner. Over time, qualities become natural and less performative, which is closer to what the verse indicates.

na svargō naiva narakō jīvanmuktirna chaiva hi ।
bahunātra kimuktēna yōgadṛṣṭyā na kiñchana ॥ 18-80॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na svargaḥ - not heaven
na ēva narakaḥ - nor hell
jīvanmuktiḥ - liberation while living
na - not
cha ēva hi - nor indeed
bahunā atra - with many words here
kiṃ uktēna - what is the use?
yōga-dṛṣṭyā - from the yogic vision
na kiñchana - nothing at all

Translation (bhāvārtha):
From the yogic vision, heaven and hell and even the idea of liberation-as-a-thing cannot be located. What more is there to say? Nothing remains as separate.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse speaks from the non-dual standpoint where the mind’s reward-and-punishment map has collapsed. Heaven and hell are meaningful within a worldview of doer and consequence. But when identity is awareness, these become categories within the mind, not ultimate destinations for a separate self. The verse even negates jīvanmukti as a "thing" because, from the Self’s standpoint, there was never bondage to begin with.

This is not an excuse to ignore ethics. It is a statement about ultimate reality. In practical life, actions have consequences, and discipline matters. But the deepest freedom is the recognition that the Self is untouched. The verse says: from yōga-dṛṣṭi - the vision of union - separateness cannot be found. That is why it says "nothing": not nihilism, but non-duality.

Practice by dropping the transactional mentality in spirituality. Notice where you are seeking goodness mainly for reward or avoiding badness mainly for fear. Replace that with sincerity: do what is right because it aligns with clarity. At the same time, rest daily as awareness and observe that awareness is not improved or damaged by outcomes. This slowly brings your lived perspective closer to yōga-dṛṣṭi.

naiva prārthayatē lābhaṃ nālābhēnānuśōchati ।
dhīrasya śītalaṃ chittamamṛtēnaiva pūritam ॥ 18-81॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na ēva - not at all
prārthayatē - prays for; begs for; anxiously seeks
lābhaṃ - gain
na alābhēna - not because of loss
anuśōchati - grieves; laments
dhīrasya - of the steady one
śītalaṃ - cool; calm
chittaṃ - mind
amṛtēna - with nectar; with the immortal (taste of the Self)
ēva - indeed
pūritam - filled

Translation (bhāvārtha):
He neither begs for gain nor grieves over loss. The steady one’s mind is cool, filled with the nectar of inner wholeness.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes freedom from gain-loss obsession. The mind that constantly prays for gain and mourns loss is a mind that has made outcomes into identity. The wise does not live that way. Because identity is awareness, not result, gain and loss are handled practically without inner collapse. That is why the mind is called śītala: cool, not overheated by craving.

The word amṛta is important. It points to the "immortal nectar" of the Self - a happiness not dependent on what comes and goes. When that taste grows, the mind does not need to beg life for proof of worth. This is also why the Bhagavad Gita praises contentment and equanimity in gain and loss. The inner nectar makes outer swings less binding.

Practice by watching your relationship to outcomes. Notice where you "pray" for a particular result: approval, money, a certain response. See the anxiety behind it. Then practice doing what is right without begging life to guarantee comfort. Also, practice receiving loss without self-pity: feel the pain, take practical steps, but avoid identity-collapse. Over time, the mind becomes cooler because it is less dependent on outcomes for peace.

na śāntaṃ stauti niṣkāmō na duṣṭamapi nindati ।
samaduḥkhasukhastṛptaḥ kiñchit kṛtyaṃ na paśyati ॥ 18-82॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na - not
śāntaṃ - the calm/peaceful person
stauti - praises
niṣkāmaḥ - desireless one
na - not
duṣṭam - the wicked/unwholesome
api - even
nindati - condemns
sama-duḥkha-sukha - equal in pain and pleasure
tṛptaḥ - content
kiñchit - anything
kṛtyaṃ - "must-do" duty
na paśyati - does not see (as binding)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The desireless one neither flatters the calm nor condemns the wicked. Equal in pain and pleasure and content within, he does not carry a burden of "something must be done."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is about inner non-reactivity, not moral indifference. The wise does not feed ego by praising "good people" to look good or condemning "bad people" to feel superior. Praise and blame can be tools, but they can also be ego games. The desireless one is free of that game. Because he is inwardly content and equal in pain and pleasure, he does not need to use judgment as a way to stabilize identity.

This does not mean the wise cannot act against harm or support what is wholesome. It means action is not driven by inner agitation. The verse also links this to the end of kṛtyaṃ as burden: when you are not trying to fix your self-image through action, action becomes simpler. This aligns with the chapter’s repeated critique of the inner "must" voice.

Practice by watching where you use judgment to feed ego. Notice if you praise to be liked or condemn to feel righteous. Replace that with clean discernment: "What action reduces harm?" Then act, without contempt. Also cultivate equanimity: when pleasure or pain comes, remember the witness and keep your response steady. This reduces the need for reactive praise/blame and supports the contentment the verse describes.

dhīrō na dvēṣṭi saṃsāramātmānaṃ na didṛkṣati ।
harṣāmarṣavinirmuktō na mṛtō na cha jīvati ॥ 18-83॥

Meaning (padārtha):
dhīraḥ - steady one; wise
na dvēṣṭi - does not hate
saṃsāram - worldly life; the cycle of experience
ātmānaṃ - the Self
na didṛkṣati - does not crave to "see" (as an object)
harṣa - elation
amarṣa - irritation; impatience; resentment
vinirmuktaḥ - freed from
na mṛtaḥ - not dead
na cha jīvati - nor (as a separate ego) lives

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The wise one does not hate the world, and does not crave to "see the Self" as an object. Freed from elation and resentment, he is not trapped in the ego’s sense of being a separate living or dying entity.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse corrects two common spiritual cravings: world-hatred and Self-seeking as an object. Some people hate saṃsāra because it frustrates their desires; that hatred is still attachment, inverted. The wise does not hate, because he is not bargaining with the world for completion. At the same time, he does not crave to "see the Self" as an experience. The Self is the seer; turning it into an object is another form of seeking.

The line "not dead and not living" is a poetic way of saying: the wise is not confined to the ego's biography. The body lives and will die, but the Self as awareness is not born and does not die. When this is recognized, emotional swings like harṣa and amarṣa reduce because they are driven by ego-threat and ego-gratification.

Practice by dropping both extremes: stop hating life and stop chasing a special "Self experience." When you feel resentment toward the world, ask what desire was blocked. When you feel desperate for a mystical experience, ask what insecurity is driving it. Return to the witness and rest. Then live responsibly and kindly in the world. This makes freedom practical and prevents it from becoming another form of craving.

niḥsnēhaḥ putradārādau niṣkāmō viṣayēṣu cha ।
niśchintaḥ svaśarīrē'pi nirāśaḥ śōbhatē budhaḥ ॥ 18-84॥

Meaning (padārtha):
niḥsnēhaḥ - without clinging attachment
putra-dāra-ādau - toward children, spouse, and the like
niṣkāmaḥ - without craving
viṣayēṣu - toward sense-objects
cha - and
niśchintaḥ - free of worry
sva-śarīrē api - even about one’s own body
nirāśaḥ - without expectation
śōbhatē - shines
budhaḥ - the wise one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The wise one shines: not clinging even to family roles, not craving sense-objects, free of worry even about his own body, and without anxious expectation.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes non-attachment in its most sensitive places: relationships and the body. niḥsnēha here does not mean lack of love; it means lack of clinging. Love can remain, but the possessive demand "you must be mine in a certain way" falls away. Similarly, niṣkāma toward objects means pleasure is not treated as a necessity. The mind becomes quieter because it is not continually bargaining.

The verse also says the wise is free of worry even about the body. This does not mean negligence; it means the body is cared for without panic and obsession. nirāśā is the end of anxious expectation: the mind stops demanding that life guarantee a certain shape of future. That is why the wise "shines": inner freedom is visible as steadiness.

Practice by distinguishing love from clinging. In relationships, notice where fear makes you control. Replace it with trust and honest communication. With the body, practice responsible care without obsession: exercise, eat well, rest, but drop the identity-story around it. And work with expectation: each time you catch yourself demanding a guarantee, soften it into preference. These steps make the verse’s qualities concrete.

tuṣṭiḥ sarvatra dhīrasya yathāpatitavartinaḥ ।
svachChandaṃ charatō dēśān yatrastamitaśāyinaḥ ॥ 18-85॥

Meaning (padārtha):
tuṣṭiḥ - contentment; satisfaction
sarvatra - everywhere
dhīrasya - of the steady one
yathā-patita-vartinaḥ - living with what comes; as life falls into place
svachChandaṃ - freely; as he wishes
charataḥ - while roaming/moving
dēśān - places
yatra - wherever
astamita - at sunset; when the day ends
śāyinaḥ - of one who lies down/rests

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Contentment is everywhere for the steady one who lives with what comes. Roaming freely through places, he rests wherever the day ends.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse gives a simple image of inner freedom: wherever the body happens to be, the heart is content. The wise does not require a perfect setting to be at ease. He lives yathā-patita - with what comes - not as fatalism, but as inner flexibility. Because craving is reduced, contentment is portable.

The image of resting wherever the day ends suggests a mind that does not constantly negotiate. Many minds are always planning the next place, the next improvement, the next upgrade. The wise can move freely, but not from dissatisfaction. Movement is not escape; it is simply movement. This is the repeated theme of Chapter 18: freedom is the end of inner demand.

Practice by building "portable contentment." Choose one daily moment when you deliberately stop optimizing - during a meal, a walk, or a pause at work. Let the moment be enough. Also practice sleeping with a lighter mind: reduce scrolling, reduce mental replay, and end the day with a few breaths of witnessing. These small habits cultivate the steadiness and ease the verse pictures.

patatūdētu vā dēhō nāsya chintā mahātmanaḥ ।
svabhāvabhūmiviśrāntivismṛtāśēṣasaṃsṛtēḥ ॥ 18-86॥

Meaning (padārtha):
patatu - may fall
udētu - may rise
vā - or
dēhaḥ - the body
na asya chintā - no concern for him
mahātmanaḥ - of the great-souled one
svabhāva-bhūmi - the ground of one's true nature
viśrānti - rest; repose
vismṛta - having forgotten
aśēśa - all
saṃsṛtēḥ - of bondage; of the cycle of worldly becoming

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Let the body fall or rise - the great soul is not anxious about it, having forgotten the whole cycle of bondage by resting in the ground of true nature.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse speaks to the deepest fear: fear about the body. "Let it fall or rise" is a poetic way of saying: let it live or die, let it weaken or recover. For the mahātmā, the body is no longer the center of identity. Because he rests in the ground of being (svabhāva-bhūmi), the anxious clinging that makes the body feel like "me" is weakened. That is why the mind is not dominated by worry.

This does not recommend neglect. The wise cares for the body as an instrument, but without worshiping it as the Self. When identity shifts to awareness, the body’s changes are still felt, but they do not become existential catastrophe. The verse also says he has "forgotten" bondage - meaning he is no longer hypnotized by the old self-story of limitation and fear.

Practice by relating to the body more wisely. Care for it responsibly: rest, eat well, move, seek help when needed. But watch the identity-panic: "If the body changes, I am ruined." When that thought appears, return to awareness and remember what is not the body. Then take practical steps calmly. Over time, body-care becomes clean, and body-fear loses its grip.

akiñchanaḥ kāmachārō nirdvandvaśChinnasaṃśayaḥ ।
asaktaḥ sarvabhāvēṣu kēvalō ramatē budhaḥ ॥ 18-87॥

Meaning (padārtha):
akiñchanaḥ - having nothing; non-possessive
kāma-chāraḥ - moving freely; acting as he wishes (without compulsion)
nirdvandvaḥ - free of opposites
Chinna-saṃśayaḥ - doubts cut off
asaktaḥ - unattached
sarva-bhāvēṣu - in all conditions/states
kēvalaḥ - alone; pure; uncombined
ramatē - delights; rests joyfully
budhaḥ - wise one

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Having nothing to cling to, moving freely, beyond opposites with doubts cut, unattached in all conditions, the pure wise one rests in a quiet joy.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse strings together many signs of liberation. akiñchana is inner poverty in the best sense: nothing is possessed as identity. kāma-chāra here does not mean indulgence; it means inner freedom to move without compulsion. nirdvandva and Chinna-saṃśaya describe the end of inner argument: doubt about the Self is cut, so the mind is no longer pulled by opposites. Then kēvala joy arises - the quiet delight of being.

Notice how different this is from ordinary pleasure. Ordinary pleasure depends on getting and keeping; it is fragile. This joy comes from non-dependence. That is why the verse ends with ramatē: he "plays" or "delights" in the Self. The wise can still live and act, but the center has shifted from acquisition to presence.

Practice by cultivating the inner meanings of these qualities. Let go of one possession-identity ("this is who I am") and one doubt-loop ("what if I'm not okay"). Reduce engagement with opposites that agitate you: praise/blame, gain/loss, success/failure. Return to awareness repeatedly. Over time, kēvala joy becomes more accessible: not as excitement, but as quiet wholeness.

nirmamaḥ śōbhatē dhīraḥ samalōṣṭāśmakāñchanaḥ ।
subhinnahṛdayagranthirvinirdhūtarajastamaḥ ॥ 18-88॥

Meaning (padārtha):
nirmamaḥ - without "mine"; non-possessive
śōbhatē - shines
dhīraḥ - steady/wise one
sama-lōṣṭa-asma-kāñchanaḥ - equal toward clod, stone, and gold
su-bhinna-hṛdaya-granthiḥ - whose heart-knot is well cut/broken
vinirdhūta - shaken off; blown away
rajas-tamaḥ - passion and inertia (the guNas)

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The wise one shines, non-possessive and equal toward clod, stone, and gold. His heart-knot is broken, and passion and inertia have been shaken off.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse gives a classical marker of freedom: sama-lōṣṭa-asma-kāñchana - seeing clod, stone, and gold with the same inner steadiness. It does not mean the wise cannot use money or objects responsibly; it means value does not hypnotize the heart. When greed and fear are gone, gold loses its power to define worth. That is why he is nirmama, free from possessiveness.

The "heart-knot" (hṛdaya-granthi) is the knot of ego-identification that ties awareness to body-mind as "me." When it is cut, the guNas lose dominance. rajas (restless passion) and tamas (dull inertia) are shaken off, meaning the mind becomes clearer and steadier. This is a deep inner purification, not merely an external lifestyle.

Practice by working with value-hypnosis. Notice how money, status, and possessions trigger greed or insecurity. Then practice "same-ness" inwardly: remind yourself that worth is awareness, not objects. Make one deliberate choice each week that reduces greed: give, simplify, stop comparing. Also watch the heart-knot in daily reactions: "my pride", "my shame." Return to the witness. Over time, the knot loosens and equanimity grows.

sarvatrānavadhānasya na kiñchid vāsanā hṛdi ।
muktātmanō vitṛptasya tulanā kēna jāyatē ॥ 18-89॥

Meaning (padārtha):
sarvatra - everywhere
anavadhānasya - unconcerned; not fixated
na kiñchit - nothing at all
vāsanā - latent craving/impression
hṛdi - in the heart
mukta-ātmanaḥ - of the liberated Self (person)
vitṛptasya - fully content; completely satisfied
tulanā - comparison
kēna - with what?
jāyatē - arises

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the liberated one who is not fixated anywhere, there is no craving in the heart. Being fully content, with what could he be compared?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse says the liberated one becomes incomparable because comparison is fueled by lack. When you feel incomplete, you compare: "better/worse," "ahead/behind." When vāsanā is gone and contentment is deep (vitṛpta), comparison loses meaning. That is why the verse asks, "with what?" It is not praising superiority; it is describing a freedom from the measuring mind.

It also says anavadhāna: not fixated anywhere. This is not carelessness; it is the end of obsessive attention. The mind is not continually scanning for gain or threat. Because it is not hooked, cravings do not take root in the heart. The person can function in life without being consumed by evaluation.

Practice by reducing comparison and fixation. Notice where you constantly measure yourself - in work, relationships, spirituality. Each time, return to awareness and to one clean action you can take. Also reduce obsessive checking: news, messages, metrics. Create small spaces of non-fixation. As the mind becomes less addicted to measuring, a deeper contentment grows, and the verse becomes more understandable from the inside.

jānannapi na jānāti paśyannapi na paśyati ।
bruvann api na cha brūtē kō'nyō nirvāsanādṛtē ॥ 18-90॥

Meaning (padārtha):
jānan api - even while knowing
na jānāti - does not (egoically) know/claim
paśyan api - even while seeing
na paśyati - does not (egoically) see/claim
bruvan api - even while speaking
na cha brūtē - does not (egoically) speak/claim
kaḥ anyaḥ - who else?
nirvāsanāt - from desirelessness
ṛtē - except; without

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even while knowing, seeing, and speaking, he does not claim knowledge, sight, or speech as an ego. Who else could be like this, except the truly desireless one?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This is a poetic way of describing non-ownership. The senses and intellect function, but the ego is not taking credit. The wise knows and sees and speaks, but without the inner stamping: "I know," "I see," "I speak." That stamping is what makes experience personal and binding. Without it, experience is light. That is why the verse links this to nirvāsana: when craving is gone, ownership is greatly reduced.

This verse is also a reminder that liberation is not about shutting down faculties. It is about removing the owner. The world still appears and communication still happens, but the inner need to build identity through them fades. This is why the wise can seem effortless: there is less inner commentary and less self-display.

Practice by watching your inner stamping. Notice how often you claim: "my insight," "my opinion," "my achievement." Then experiment with speaking and acting without claim. Listen more. Speak only what is useful. Let knowing happen without turning it into identity. Over time, you will feel the lightness the verse points to: functioning continues, but ownership and craving reduce.

bhikṣurvā bhūpatirvāpi yō niṣkāmaḥ sa śōbhatē ।
bhāvēṣu galitā yasya śōbhanāśōbhanā matiḥ ॥ 18-91॥

Meaning (padārtha):
bhikṣuḥ - mendicant; monk
vā - or
bhūpatiḥ - king; ruler
api - also
yaḥ - who
niṣkāmaḥ - desireless; free of craving for results
saḥ - that one
śōbhatē - shines
bhāvēṣu - in all conditions/states
galitā - melted; dissolved
yasya - whose
śōbhana-aśōbhanā - good and bad (as ego-labels)
matiḥ - mind; judgment

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Whether a monk or a king, the desireless one shines. In all conditions, his egoic labeling of "good" and "bad" has melted away.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse says freedom is not a costume tied to a role. The desireless one can be a bhikṣu or a bhūpati, and still shine. What matters is not the outer life but the inner motive. When niṣkāma becomes real, the mind is less driven by reward and fear. That is why the verse says the shine remains across states.

The "melting" of good/bad judgment does not mean losing discernment. It means the ego is no longer using morality as identity. The wise can still distinguish wholesome and unwholesome actions, but without self-righteousness and without self-hatred. This is consistent with the chapter’s repeated theme: reduce inner ownership and craving, and life becomes cleaner.

Practice by living niṣkāma in your current role. If you are a leader, lead without ego; if you are a helper, help without martyrdom. Notice where you label yourself as "good" to feel safe or label others as "bad" to feel superior. Replace that with simple responsibility: do what reduces harm and increases clarity. Over time, your role becomes less binding, and the inner shine of steadiness grows.

kva svāchChandyaṃ kva saṅkōchaḥ kva vā tattvaviniśchayaḥ ।
nirvyājārjavabhūtasya charitārthasya yōginaḥ ॥ 18-92॥

Meaning (padārtha):
kva - where is...?
sva-āchChandyam - freedom of will; acting as one wishes
saṅkōchaḥ - contraction; shrinking
tattva-viniśchayaḥ - certainty of truth
nirvyāja - without pretence; without hypocrisy
ārjava-bhūtasya - of one who is pure straightforwardness
charitārthasya - fulfilled; accomplished in purpose
yōginaḥ - of the yogi

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For the fulfilled yogi who is purely straightforward without pretence, where are notions like freedom and contraction, or even the need to assert certainty?

Commentary (anusandhāna):
The verse points to a mind that has become simple and transparent. When the yogi is nirvyāja (without pretence) and ārjava (straightforward), there is less inner conflict. Such a person is charitārtha: the inner purpose is fulfilled, so the mind is not constantly proving something. From that standpoint, even ideas like "I have freedom" or "I feel contracted" lose their obsessive importance.

This is not denial of human experience; it is freedom from self-drama. A mind that is truthful and not hiding does not need to keep announcing certainty. It can live from quiet clarity. The verse suggests that many of our spiritual concepts become unnecessary when the heart is clean. What remains is sincerity and steadiness.

Practice by reducing pretence in your life. Notice where you hide, exaggerate, perform, or manipulate to look a certain way. Replace that with one act of clean honesty each day. Also, practice straightforward action: do what is needed without overcomplication. As inner straightness grows, you will notice less contraction and less need to constantly reassure yourself with concepts. That is the beginning of being charitārtha in practice.

ātmaviśrāntitṛptēna nirāśēna gatārtinā ।
antaryadanubhūyēta tat kathaṃ kasya kathyatē ॥ 18-93॥

Meaning (padārtha):
ātma-viśrānti - rest in the Self
tṛptēna - satisfied by
nirāśēna - without expectation
gata-ārtinā - with distress gone
antar - within
yat - whatever
anubhūyēta - is experienced
tat - that
kathaṃ - how?
kasya - to whom?
kathyatē - can be spoken/explained

Translation (bhāvārtha):
For one satisfied by resting in the Self, free of expectation and distress, whatever is experienced within cannot really be put into words for someone else.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse points to the ineffability of realization. When the mind rests in the Self (ātma-viśrānti), it is satisfied in a way that does not depend on external description. That inner state is not an object you can hand to someone through language. Words can point, inspire, and clarify, but direct recognition is personal. That is why the verse asks, "How, and to whom, can it be told?"

This also hints at why realized people often speak simply. They may use words when helpful, but they are not compelled to describe inner states for validation. The satisfaction (tṛpti) is inward and stable, and the distress (ārti) that drives seeking has faded. Therefore, the urge to convert experience into stories reduces.

Practice by valuing direct seeing over endless description. If you study, pause often and verify in experience: what is aware right now? If you feel the urge to talk about spirituality constantly, ask whether it is serving clarity or feeding identity. Try short periods of quiet where you let the teaching become lived rather than discussed. This respects the verse’s point: what matters most is not what you can say, but what you can be.

suptō'pi na suṣuptau cha svapnē'pi śayitō na cha ।
jāgarē'pi na jāgarti dhīrastṛptaḥ padē padē ॥ 18-94॥

Meaning (padārtha):
suptaḥ api - even while sleeping
na suṣuptau - not (as) in deep sleep (as identity)
cha - and
svapnē api - even while dreaming
śayitaḥ na - not "lying down" (as identity)
cha - and
jāgarē api - even while awake
na jāgarti - not "awake" (as ego-identity)
dhīraḥ - steady one
tṛptaḥ - content
padē padē - at every step; always

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even when sleeping, he is not trapped in "sleep"; even when dreaming, he is not lost in "dream"; even when awake, he is not confined to "waking." The steady one remains content at every step.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse uses paradox to point to continuity of awareness. Ordinary people identify with states: waking, dream, deep sleep. The wise rests as the witness of states. Therefore, even when the body sleeps, the Self is not "asleep." Even when dreaming happens, the Self is not caught. Even in waking, the Self is not confined to waking-identity. This is a poetic way of pointing to the underlying awareness that remains.

The contentment "at every step" suggests that peace is not dependent on maintaining one particular state. Many seekers chase a meditative state and feel lost when it is absent. This verse says: the wise is content in all states because identity is not a state. This is aligned with the Upanishadic teaching of the witness underlying waking, dream, and deep sleep.

Practice by noticing awareness across transitions. When you wake up, notice the simple knowing before thoughts begin. During the day, pause and feel the continuity of awareness between tasks. Before sleep, rest as the witness without forcing thoughtlessness. Over time, you will intuit the verse: states change, but awareness remains, and contentment can become more continuous.

jñaḥ sachintō'pi niśchintaḥ sēndriyō'pi nirindriyaḥ ।
subuddhirapi nirbuddhiḥ sāhaṅkārō'nahaṅkṛtiḥ ॥ 18-95॥

Meaning (padārtha):
jñaḥ - knower; wise one
sa-chintaḥ api - even with thoughts
niśchintaḥ - free of anxious thinking
sa-indriyaḥ api - even with senses
nirindriyaḥ - not bound by senses
su-buddhiḥ api - even with sharp intellect
nirbuddhiḥ - beyond intellect as identity
sa-ahaṅkāraḥ api - even appearing with ego
anahaṅkṛtiḥ - without ego-ownership

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Though thoughts and senses and intellect may operate, he is free of anxious thinking, not bound by the senses, and not identified with the intellect. Even if an ego-function appears, there is no ego-ownership.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse describes freedom as non-ownership rather than shutdown. Thoughts can appear, but they do not become anxious rumination (niśchinta). Senses can function, but they do not enslave (nirindriya). Intellect can be sharp, but it is not the core identity (nirbuddhi). Even ego-functions like using "I" in speech can continue, but without ego-ownership (anahaṅkṛti).

The verse is therefore a compassionate correction: do not mistake liberation for becoming blank. Liberation is clarity about what is "me." The wise uses mind and senses as tools while resting as awareness. This is why the language is paradoxical: "with, yet without." It points to a lived relationship where faculties operate without binding identity.

Practice by shifting from identification to use. Notice thoughts, senses, and intellect as instruments. When a thought arises, see it as an object known by awareness. When a sensory pull arises, feel it without obeying it. When intellectual pride arises, soften it and return to humility. Over time, you will experience the verse directly: functions continue, but ownership and bondage reduce.

na sukhī na cha vā duḥkhī na viraktō na saṅgavān ।
na mumukṣurna vā muktā na kiñchinna cha kiñchana ॥ 18-96॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na sukhī - not (defined as) happy
na duḥkhī - not (defined as) unhappy
na viraktaḥ - not (defined as) dispassionate
na saṅgavān - not (defined as) attached
na mumukṣuḥ - not a seeker of liberation
na muktā - not (as a personal label) "liberated"
na kiñchit - not "something"
na cha kiñchana - nor "nothing"

Translation (bhāvārtha):
He cannot be boxed into opposites: not defined as happy or unhappy, attached or detached, seeker or liberated, "something" or "nothing."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse is a final sweep of negation: it says that the liberated one cannot be captured by ordinary labels. Labels depend on opposites, and the wise is free of inner dependence on opposites. That does not mean he never feels happiness or pain; it means he is not defined by them. Likewise, he may live simply, but not as an identity called "dispassionate." He may be free, but not as a badge called "liberated." The Self is beyond such boxes.

The phrase "not something and not nothing" is especially important. It prevents two extremes: making the Self into a thing you can possess, and falling into nihilism. Advaita points to awareness as real and present, yet not an object. This verse is pointing to that subtle middle: the Self is not a thing, yet it is not nothing. It is the ever-present knowing.

Practice by noticing your urge to label yourself. Do you want to be "happy," "detached," "spiritual," "liberated"? Those labels can create subtle pressure and disappointment. Instead, return to awareness and let states come and go. Live responsibly, practice sincerely, but drop the need to define yourself. Over time, freedom becomes less about an identity and more about the absence of inner boxing.

vikṣēpē'pi na vikṣiptaḥ samādhau na samādhimān ।
jāḍyē'pi na jaḍō dhanyaḥ pāṇḍityē'pi na paṇḍitaḥ ॥ 18-97॥

Meaning (padārtha):
vikṣēpē api - even in distraction
na vikṣiptaḥ - not truly scattered (in identity)
samādhau - in absorption
na samādhimān - not one who claims samAdhi
jāḍyē api - even in dullness
na jaḍaḥ - not truly dull (as identity)
dhanyaḥ - blessed one
pāṇḍityē api - even in scholarship
na paṇḍitaḥ - not one who claims to be a scholar

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Even in distraction he is not inwardly scattered; even in absorption he does not claim samadhi. Even in dullness he is not defined by dullness; even in learning he does not claim the identity of a scholar.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse continues the theme of non-identification across states and identities. The mind can have distraction and stillness, dullness and sharpness. But the wise does not build identity from any of these. That is why even distraction does not truly scatter him: awareness remains present. Even samadhi does not inflate him: he does not use it as ego. Even scholarship does not become pride, and even dullness does not become self-hatred.

This is a deep form of freedom because it removes state-chasing and state-fearing. Many seekers feel, "If I lose concentration, I'm failing." Or they become proud: "I had samadhi." This verse says both are mistakes because they treat states as identity. The blessed one (dhanya) is the one who is free from that confusion.

Practice by changing your relationship to mind-states. When you are distracted, return gently without self-judgment. When you are calm, enjoy it without pride. When you feel dull, take practical steps (rest, movement) without despair. When you are sharp, use it for truth and service, not for superiority. Repeatedly remember: awareness is present in all states. This makes stability more real and less performative.

muktō yathāsthitisvasthaḥ kṛtakartavyanirvṛtaḥ ।
samaḥ sarvatra vaitṛṣṇyānna smaratyakṛtaṃ kṛtam ॥ 18-98॥

Meaning (padārtha):
muktaḥ - liberated
yathā-sthiti - in whatever condition; as things are
svasthaḥ - steady; inwardly healthy
kṛta-kartavya - with what needed to be done done
nirvṛtaḥ - at rest; at peace
samaḥ - equal; even-minded
sarvatra - everywhere
vaitṛṣṇyāt - from freedom from thirst/craving
na smarati - does not remember/replay
akṛtam - the undone
kṛtam - the done

Translation (bhāvārtha):
Liberated, steady in whatever condition arises, at peace with duties done, equal everywhere and free of craving, he does not keep replaying "done" and "undone."

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse gives a very practical signature of freedom: no obsessive replay. Many people suffer from constant mental review: what I did, what I should have done, what I might do. That replay is fueled by craving and fear. The liberated one is vaitṛṣṇya in spirit - free of thirst - so the fuel is reduced. He does what needs to be done and then rests. That is why he is kṛta-kartavya and nirvṛta: duties handled, mind at peace.

Equanimity is emphasized again: samaḥ sarvatra. The wise does not need a special environment to be steady. And because identity is not tied to perfection, he does not torture himself with "done/undone." This does not mean he becomes careless; it means correction happens without self-hatred and without endless rumination.

Practice by ending the replay loop. After a task, intentionally close it: take one breath and tell yourself, "Finished." If something needs follow-up, write it down and stop rehearsing. Also, work with craving: notice how wanting a perfect image fuels rumination. Reduce it by choosing honesty and simplicity. Over time, you will taste the peace described here: action becomes cleaner, and the mind becomes more restful.

na prīyatē vandyamānō nindyamānō na kupyati ।
naivōdvijati maraṇē jīvanē nābhinandati ॥ 18-99॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na prīyatē - does not become overly pleased
vandyamānaḥ - while being praised/respected
nindyamānaḥ - while being blamed/criticized
na kupyati - does not get angry
na ēva udvijati - does not fear/shrink
maraṇē - at death
jīvanē - in life
na abhinandati - does not become overly delighted/attached

Translation (bhāvārtha):
He is not inflated by praise and not angered by blame. He does not fear death, and he does not cling to life with anxious delight.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This verse names four common hooks: praise, blame, death, and life. The ego inflates with praise and burns with blame. It fears death and clings to life as possession. The wise is free because identity is not reputation and not biology. Therefore praise and blame are heard but do not rule. Death is acknowledged but does not terrify. Life is appreciated but not clung to as a guarantee of security.

This is not indifference; it is steadiness. The wise can still respond to feedback and take responsibility, but without emotional slavery. The key is that the Self is known as beyond birth and death, so the deepest fear model collapses. Then life can be lived more fully, because it is not lived from panic.

Practice by working with one hook at a time. If praise affects you, do one good action without telling anyone. If blame affects you, practice receiving criticism and extracting only what is useful. Contemplate impermanence gently to reduce death-fear, and also notice how clinging to life shows up as anxiety. Each day, return to awareness and remember what is not touched by praise, blame, life, or death. This builds the steadiness described here.

na dhāvati janākīrṇaṃ nāraṇyamupaśāntadhīḥ ।
yathātathā yatratatra sama ēvāvatiṣṭhatē ॥ 18-100॥

Meaning (padārtha):
na dhāvati - does not run
jana-ākīrṇam - into crowded society
na - nor
āraṇyam - into the forest/solitude
upaśānta-dhīḥ - one whose mind is deeply pacified
yathā tathā - as it is; in whatever way
yatra tatra - wherever
samaḥ ēva - equal indeed
avatiniśṭhatē - remains; abides

Translation (bhāvārtha):
The deeply settled one does not run to crowds or to forests as escape. Wherever he is, as things are, he remains equal and at peace.

Commentary (anusandhāna):
This final verse closes the chapter with a grounded summary: freedom is not a change of location. People often imagine peace is in a different environment - either in society for stimulation or in the forest for escape. The wise does not "run" either way. Because the mind is upaśānta, it carries peace with it. It can function in crowds without losing itself and can be alone without fear.

The verse is also a gentle critique of escapism. Running away may help temporarily, but if the mind carries craving and fear, those follow. True peace comes from recognition of the Self and the weakening of vāsanā. Then environment becomes a secondary detail rather than a condition for sanity.

Practice by building a mind that does not need escape. Create small moments of stillness in the middle of your day, even in noise. Also learn to be alone without immediately reaching for stimulation. In both places, return to awareness and soften reactivity. Then choose settings wisely for your health and responsibilities, but do not treat settings as salvation. This makes the chapter’s final instruction lived: wherever you are, remain equal and at peace.

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  • Bhartruhari Sataka Trisati - Neeti Satakam
  • Bhartruhari Sataka Trisati - Vairaagya Satakam
  • Nirvaana Dasakam
  • Maya Panchakam
  • Upadesha Saram (Ramana Maharshi)
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 1
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 2
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 3
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 4
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 5
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 6
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 7
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 8
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 9
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 10
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 11
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 12
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 13
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 14
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 15
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 16
  • Chanakya Neethi - Chapter 17
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 33
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 34
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 35
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 36
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 37
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 38
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 39
  • Vidura Neethi - Udyoga Parvam Chapter 40
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 2
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 4
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 5
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 6
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 7
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 9
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 10
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 11
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 12
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 13
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 14
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 15
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 16
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 18
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 19
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 20
  • Viveka Chudamani
  • Brahma Gnanavali Mala
  • Sata Rudreeyam
  • Manisha Panchakam
  • Vedanta Dindima
  • Dhanyashtakam
  • Narayana Satakam (Telugu)
  • Sri Medha Dakshina Murthy Stotram
  • Tattvabodha (Adi Shankaracharya)
  • Dakshina Murthy Dwadasha Nama Stotram
  • Sri Dakshina Murthy Sahasra Nama Stotram
  • Sri Dakshina Murthy Sahasra Namavali
  • Medha Dakshina Murthy Trishati Namavali
  • Atma Panchakam
  • Yati Panchakam (Kaupeena Panchakam)
• Ashtavakra Gita (20)
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 2
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 4
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 5
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 6
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 7
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 9
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 10
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 11
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 12
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 13
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 14
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 15
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 16
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 18
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 19
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 20
• Geetha (89)
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 1
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 2
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 3
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 4
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 5
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 6
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 7
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 8
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 9
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 10
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 11
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 12
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 13
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 14
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 15
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 16
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 17
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 18
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 1
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 2
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 3
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 1 - Samoda Damodara
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 2 - Aklesha Keshava
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 3 - Mugdha Madhusudana
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 4 - Snigdha Madhusudana
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 5 - Sakanksha Pundarikaksha
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 6 - Kuntha Vaikuntha
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 7 - Nagara Narayana
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 8 - Vilakshya Lakshmipati
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 9 - Manda Mukunda
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 10 - Chatura Chaturbhuja
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 11 - Sananda Damodara
  • Gita Govindam Chapter 12 - Suprita Pitambara
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 2
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 4
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 5
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 6
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 7
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 9
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 10
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 11
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 12
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 13
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 14
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 15
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 16
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 18
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 19
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 20
  • Ghantasala Bhagavad Gita
  • Gopika Geetha (Bhagavatha Purana)
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 1
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 2
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 3
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 4
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 5
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 6
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 7
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 8
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 9
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 10
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 11
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Dhyana Slokas (Geetha Dhyanam)
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 1
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 2
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 3
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 4
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 5
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 6
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 7
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 8
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 9
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 10
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 11
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 12
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 13
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 14
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 15
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 16
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 17
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 18
  • Pandava Gita
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Mahatmyam
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Saram
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Aarati
• Gita Jayanti (79)
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 1
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 2
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 3
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 4
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 5
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 6
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 7
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 8
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 9
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 10
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 11
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 12
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 13
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 14
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 15
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 16
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 17
  • Srimad Bhagawad Gita Chapter 18
  • Sri Krishna Sahasra Nama Stotram
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 1
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 2
  • Sri Gurugita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 2
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 4
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 5
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 6
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 7
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 9
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 10
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 11
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 12
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 13
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 14
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 15
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 16
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 18
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 19
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 20
  • Ghantasala Bhagavad Gita
  • Gopika Geetha (Bhagavatha Purana)
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 1
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 2
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 3
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 4
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 5
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 6
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 7
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 8
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 9
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 10
  • Uddhava Geetha - Chapter 11
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Dhyana Slokas (Geetha Dhyanam)
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 1
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 2
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 3
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 4
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 5
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 6
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 7
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 8
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 9
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 10
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 11
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 12
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 13
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 14
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 15
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 16
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 17
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Chapter 18
  • Pandava Gita
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Mahatmyam
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Saram
  • Bhagavadgita Parayana - Gita Aarati
  • Gopala Sahasra Nama Stotram
• Ashtavakra (20)
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 1
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 2
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 3
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 4
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 5
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 6
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 7
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 8
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 9
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 10
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 11
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 12
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 13
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 14
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 15
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 16
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 17
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 18
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 19
  • Ashtavakra Gita Chapter 20