ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° ðððĪðū 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 ð
ðĶððĩððĪ: 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 ððĻð'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 ðĩðūðļðĻðūs (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 ððĻð speaks from the afterglow of recognition. Those chapters are filled with the rhetorical question ðððĩ ("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.
ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° ððĩðūð āĨĨ
ðŊðļððŊ ðŽðð§ððĶðŊð ðĪðūðĩðĪððļððĩðŠððĻðĩðĶð ððĩðĪðŋ ððð°ðŪð āĨĪ
ðĪðļððŪð ðļððððð°ððŠðūðŊ ðĻðŪð ðķðūððĪðūðŊ ðĪðððļð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-1āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŊðļððŊ - of whom
ðŽðð§-ððĶðŊð - on the rise of awakening
ðĪðūðĩðĪð - then; to that extent
ðļððĩðŠððĻ-ðĩðĪð - like a dream
ððĩðĪðŋ - becomes
ððð°ðŪð - delusion; confusion
ðĪðļððŪð - to that
ðļðð-ðð-ð°ððŠðūðŊ - whose nature is bliss alone
ðĻðŪð - salutations
ðķðūððĪðūðŊ - to peace; to the tranquil one
ðĪðððļð - to radiance; to inner light
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
As awakening arises, delusion becomes dreamlike. Salutations to that peaceful radiance whose very nature is pure bliss.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The chapter opens with a salutation that is also a diagnostic. When ðŽðð§ððĶðŊ (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. ðļðð-ðð-ð°ððŠ points to a happiness that is not produced by circumstances but is the natural ease of being. ðĪðððļð is inner light: the clarity that sees and the vitality that is not dependent on mood. In Advaita language, this is the Self as ððŋðĪð (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 ðŽðð§ððĶðŊ.
ð
ð°ðððŊðŋðĪððĩðūððŋðēðūðĻð ð
ð°ððĨðūðĻð ððððūðĻðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðŠðð·ðððēðūðĻð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðđðŋ ðļð°ððĩðŠð°ðŋðĪððŊðūððŪððĪð°ððĢ ðļððð ððĩððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-2āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ð°ðððŊðŋðĪððĩðū - having acquired; having earned
ð
ððŋðēðūðĻð - all
ð
ð°ððĨðūðĻð - wealth; gains
ððððūðĻð - enjoyments; pleasures
ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - obtains
ðŠðð·ðððēðūðĻð - abundant; plentiful
ðĻ ðđðŋ - indeed not
ðļð°ððĩ-ðŠð°ðŋðĪððŊðūððŪð - renunciation of all (inner clinging)
ð
ððĪð°ððĢ - without
ðļððð - happy
ððĩððĪð - becomes
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Even after gaining all wealth and abundant pleasures, one does not become truly happy without renouncing all inner clinging.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðļð°ððĩ-ðŠð°ðŋðĪððŊðūð: 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: ðĪððĻ ðĪððŊðððĪððĻ ððððððĨðūð - 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 ðļð°ððĩ-ðŠð°ðŋðĪððŊðūð in miniature.
ðð°ððĪðĩððŊðĶððððŪðūð°ððĪððĄðððĩðūðēðūðĶððð§ðūððĪð°ðūðĪððŪðĻð āĨĪ
ðððĪð ðŠðð°ðķðŪðŠððŊðð·ð§ðūð°ðūðļðūð°ðŪððĪð ðļðððŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-3āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðð°ððĪðĩððŊ - "must-do"; duty-bound demands
ðĶððð - suffering; pain
ðð°ððĪððĄ - sun
ðððĩðūðēðū - flame
ðĶððð§ - burnt
ð
ððĪð°-ððĪððŪðĻð - of the inner self/mind
ðððĪð - from where? how?
ðŠðð°ðķðŪ - tranquility; pacification
ðŠððŊðð· - nectar
ð§ðūð°ðū - stream
ðļðūð° - essence
ððĪð - except; without
ðļðððŪð - happiness
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðð°ððĪðĩððŊ-ðĶððð - 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 ðŠðð°ðķðŪ: 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, ðŠðð°ðķðŪ 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 ðŠðð°ðķðŪ: 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.
ððĩðð―ðŊð ððūðĩðĻðūðŪðūðĪðð°ð ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĪð ðŠð°ðŪðūð°ððĨðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðūðļððĪððŊððūðĩð ðļððĩððūðĩðūðĻðūð ððūðĩðūððūðĩðĩðŋððūðĩðŋðĻðūðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-4āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððĩð ð
ðŊð - this becoming; this world-process
ððūðĩðĻðū-ðŪðūðĪðð°ð - only imagination; only mental construction
ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĪð - nothing
ðŠð°ðŪðūð°ððĨðĪð - in the ultimate sense
ðĻ ð
ðļððĪðŋ - there is not
ð
ððūðĩð - non-existence; absolute negation
ðļððĩððūðĩðūðĻðūð - of that which has real nature
ððūðĩ-ð
ððūðĩ - existence and non-existence (appearance and disappearance)
ðĩðŋððūðĩðŋðĻðūðŪð - of those that manifest as such
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse is a classic Advaita move: it calls the world ððūðĩðĻðū-ðŪðūðĪðð°, 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 (ðŠð°ðŪðūð°ððĨ), the world has no independent substance.
At the same time, it avoids a crude nihilism. It says there is no absolute non-existence (ð
ððūðĩ) of what has true nature (ðļððĩððūðĩ). 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 ððūðĩðĻðū - 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 ððūðĩðĻðū-ðŪðūðĪðð°.
ðĻ ðĶðð°ð ðĻ ð ðļðððððūðēððēðŽðð§ðŪððĩðūðĪððŪðĻð ðŠðĶðŪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠð ðĻðŋð°ðūðŊðūðļð ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ð ðĻðŋð°ðððĻðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-5āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ðĶðð°ð - not far
ðĻ ð ðļðððððūðĪð - not by contraction/strain
ðēðŽðð§ð ððĩ - already attained
ððĪððŪðĻð ðŠðĶðŪð - the state/abode of the Self
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠð - beyond conceptual alternatives
ðĻðŋð°ðūðŊðūðļð - effortless
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ð - changeless
ðĻðŋð°ðððĻðŪð - spotless; pure
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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. ðļðððð 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: ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠ (not caught in either/or thinking), ðĻðŋð°ðūðŊðūðļ (effortless), ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð° (unchanging), ðĻðŋð°ðððĻ (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.
ðĩððŊðūðŪððđðŪðūðĪðð°ðĩðŋð°ðĪð ðļððĩð°ððŠðūðĶðūðĻðŪðūðĪðð°ðĪð āĨĪ
ðĩððĪðķðððū ðĩðŋð°ðūðððĪð ðĻðŋð°ðūðĩð°ðĢðĶðð·ðððŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-6āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩððŊðūðŪððđ - confusion; delusion
ðŪðūðĪðð° - mere; only
ðĩðŋð°ðĪð - in the cessation
ðļððĩð°ððŠ - one's own nature
ððĶðūðĻ - taking up; owning as oneself
ðŪðūðĪðð°ðĪð - merely by; simply through
ðĩððĪ-ðķðððūð - free from sorrow
ðĩðŋð°ðūðððĪð - shine
ðĻðŋð°ðūðĩð°ðĢ-ðĶðð·ðððŊð - those with unobstructed vision
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
When mere confusion ends, simply by returning to one's own nature, unobstructed vision shines and sorrow falls away.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse is radically optimistic: it says sorrow is not your essence. Sorrow arises from ðĩððŊðūðŪððđ - confusion about what you are. When that confusion ceases, not by struggle but by clarity, the mind's vision becomes ðĻðŋð°ðūðĩð°ðĢ - unobstructed. "Returning to one's nature" (ðļððĩð°ððŠ-ððĶðūðĻ) 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, ðĻðŋð°ðūðĩð°ðĢ ðĶðð·ðððŋ becomes the capacity to feel fully while remaining inwardly free.
ðļðŪðļððĪð ððēððŠðĻðūðŪðūðĪðð°ðŪðūðĪððŪðū ðŪððððĪð ðļðĻðūðĪðĻð āĨĪ
ððĪðŋ ðĩðŋððððūðŊ ð§ðð°ð ðđðŋ ððŋðŪðððŊðļððŊðĪðŋ ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļðŪðļððĪð - all
ððēððŠðĻðū-ðŪðūðĪðð°ðŪð - mere imagination; mental construction
ððĪððŪðū - the Self
ðŪððððĪð - free
ðļðĻðūðĪðĻð - eternal
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðĩðŋððððūðŊ - having known
ð§ðð°ð - wise one
ðđðŋ - indeed
ððŋðŪð - what?
ð
ðððŊðļððŊðĪðŋ - practices (as a means)
ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð - like a child
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ðŪððððĪ) and eternal (ðļðĻðūðĪðĻ), then the main "work" is recognition, not accumulation. In that light, endless striving can look childish (ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð) - 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.
ððĪððŪðū ðŽðð°ðđððŪððĪðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ ððūðĩðūððūðĩð ð ððēððŠðŋðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ððŋð ðĩðŋððūðĻðūðĪðŋ ððŋð ðŽðð°ððĪð ð ðð°ððĪðŋ ððŋðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððĪððŪðū ðŽðð°ðđððŪ - the Self is Brahman
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ - having ascertained
ððūðĩ - being; existence
ð
ððūðĩ - non-being; negation
ð - and
ð - also
ððēððŠðŋðĪð - imagined; constructed
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - desireless
ððŋðŪð - what?
ðĩðŋððūðĻðūðĪðŋ - knows
ððŋðŪð - what?
ðŽðð°ððĪð - says
ð - and
ðð°ððĪðŋ - does
ððŋðŪð - what?
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ððēððŠðĻðū, ideas that come and go. The liberated mind becomes ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ: 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 ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ: not deadness, but freedom from inner bargaining.
ð
ðŊð ðļðð―ðđðŪðŊð ðĻðūðđðŪðŋðĪðŋ ððð·ððĢðū ðĩðŋððēððŠðĻðū āĨĪ
ðļð°ððĩðŪðūðĪððŪððĪðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ ðĪðð·ððĢðððððĪðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðŊð - this
ðļð ð
ðđðŪð - "this is I"
ð
ðŊð ðĻ ð
ðđðŪð - "this is not I"
ððĪðŋ - thus
ððð·ððĢðū - exhausted; ended
ðĩðŋððēððŠðĻðū - conceptual dividing; imagining
ðļð°ððĩð - everything
ððĪððŪðū ððĪðŋ - as the Self
ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ - having ascertained
ðĪðð·ððĢðð-ðððĪðļððŊ - of one who has become silent
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The mind usually survives by dividing: me/not me, safe/unsafe, mine/not mine. That division is ðĩðŋððēððŠ, 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 ðĪðð·ððĢðð - 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 ðĪðð·ððĢðð - inner quiet that does not depend on controlling the world.
ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð ðĻ ððððūððð°ððŊð ðĻðūðĪðŋðŽðð§ð ðĻ ðŪððĒðĪðū āĨĪ
ðĻ ðļððð ðĻ ð ðĩðū ðĶððððŪððŠðķðūððĪðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-10āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ - not
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð - distraction; scattering
ðĻ ð - nor
ðððūððð°ððŊðŪð - one-pointedness; concentration
ðĻ ð
ðĪðŋ-ðŽðð§ð - not excessive "knowing"/cleverness
ðĻ ðŪððĒðĪðū - not stupidity/dullness
ðĻ ðļðððŪð - not pleasure (as a bondage)
ðĻ ð ðĶððððŪð - nor pain (as a bondage)
ððŠðķðūððĪðļððŊ - of one who is pacified; deeply at rest
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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. ððŠðķðūððĪðŋ 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 ððŠðķðūððĪðŋ rather than from the chase for the "right" state.
ðļððĩðūð°ðūðððŊð ððððð·ðĩððĪððĪð ð ðēðūððūðēðūðð ððĻð ðĩðĻð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠðļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ ðĻ ðĩðŋðķðð·ðð―ðļððĪðŋ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-11āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððĩðūð°ðūðððŊð - in sovereignty; in kingship
ððððð·-ðĩððĪððĪð - in a life of begging; mendicancy
ð - and
ðēðūð-ð
ðēðūðð - in gain and loss
ððĻð - among people; in a crowd
ðĩðĻð - in the forest
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠ-ðļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ - of one whose nature is beyond conceptual splitting
ðĻ - not
ðĩðŋðķððķð - special difference; inner partiality
ð
ðļððĪðŋ - is
ðŊðððŋðĻð - for the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠ - 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.
ðððĩ ð§ð°ððŪð ðððĩ ð ðĩðū ððūðŪð ðððĩ ððūð°ððĨð ðððĩ ðĩðŋðĩðððŋðĪðū āĨĪ
ððĶð ðððĪðŪðŋðĶð ðĻððĪðŋ ðĶððĩððĶððĩðð°ððŪððððĪðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-12āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...? (how could it apply?)
ð§ð°ððŪð - duty; ethical order
ððūðŪð - desire; pleasure
ð
ð°ððĨð - wealth; gain
ðĩðŋðĩðððŋðĪðū - discernment (as anxious judging)
ððĶð ðððĪðŪð - "this is done"
ððĶð ðĻ - "this is not"
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðĶððĩððĶððĩðð - by opposites; dualities
ðŪððððĪðļððŊ - of one freed
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The rhetorical ðððĩ 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 ðĩðŋðĩðð 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 ðĶððĩððĶððĩ 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.
ðððĪððŊð ððŋðŪðŠðŋ ðĻððĩðūðļððĪðŋ ðĻ ððūðŠðŋ ðđððĶðŋ ð°ðððĻðū āĨĪ
ðŊðĨðū ðððĩðĻðŪððĩððđ ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-13āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĪððŊð - something that "must be done"; obligatory act
ððŋðŪðŠðŋ - anything at all
ðĻ ððĩ ð
ðļððĪðŋ - does not exist
ðĻ ððūðŠðŋ - no
ðđððĶðŋ - in the heart/mind
ð°ðððĻðū - attachment; coloring; fascination
ðŊðĨðū - as
ðððĩðĻð ððĩ - just living
ððđ - here
ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪðļððŊ - of the liberated-while-living one
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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, ð°ðððĻðū - 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.
ðððĩ ðŪððđð ðððĩ ð ðĩðū ðĩðŋðķððĩð ðððĩ ðĪðĶð ð§ððŊðūðĻð ðððĩ ðŪððððĪðĪðū āĨĪ
ðļð°ððĩðļðððēððŠðļððŪðūðŊðūð ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðļððŊ ðŪðđðūðĪððŪðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-14āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðŪððđð - delusion
ðĩðŋðķððĩð - world
ð§ððŊðūðĻð - meditation
ðŪððððĪðĪðū - liberation (as a concept)
ðļð°ððĩ-ðļðððēððŠ - all mental constructions; all intentions/imaginations
ðļððŪðūðŊðūðŪð - at the boundary/limit
ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðļððŊ - of one who rests
ðŪðđðūðĪððŪðĻð - of the great-souled one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse speaks from the standpoint where even spiritual categories are transcended. When the mind rests at the limit of ðļðððēððŠ - 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 ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪ: 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 ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ means here.
ðŊððĻ ðĩðŋðķððĩðŪðŋðĶð ðĶðð·ððð ðļ ðĻðūðļððĪððĪðŋ ðð°ððĪð ðĩð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð ððŋð ððð°ððĪð ðŠðķððŊðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-15āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŊððĻ - by whom
ðĩðŋðķððĩð ððĶð - this world
ðĶðð·ððð - has been seen
ðļð - that one
ðĻ ð
ðļððĪðŋ - "it is not" (as an ultimate claim)
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðð°ððĪð - may say/do
ðĩð - indeed
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð - free from latent craving/conditioning
ððŋðŪð - what?
ððð°ððĪð - does
ðŠðķððŊðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while seeing
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - does not see (as separate/ultimate)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse uses a paradox to describe the wise person's relation to appearances. The world is seen, yet it can be called "not" (ðĻ ð
ðļððĪðŋ) 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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻ, 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 ðĩðūðļðĻðū: 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.
ðŊððĻ ðĶðð·ððð ðŠð°ð ðŽðð°ðđððŪ ðļðð―ðđð ðŽðð°ðđððŪððĪðŋ ððŋððĪðŊððĪð āĨĪ
ððŋð ððŋððĪðŊðĪðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð ðĶððĩðŋðĪððŊð ðŊð ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-16āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŊððĻ - by whom
ðĶðð·ððð - has been seen
ðŠð°ð ðŽðð°ðđððŪ - the supreme Brahman
ðļð ð
ðđð ðŽðð°ðđððŪ - "I am Brahman"
ððĪðŋ - thus
ððŋððĪðŊððĪð - would think
ððŋðŪð - what?
ððŋððĪðŊðĪðŋ - thinks
ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð - free of anxious thinking; thought-free in the sense of no need
ðĶððĩðŋðĪððŊð - a second (other)
ðŊð - who
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - does not see
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ð
ðĶððĩððĪ in lived experience) does not need to constantly reassure themselves with a concept.
In Advaita, words like ð
ðđð ðŽðð°ðđððŪðūðļððŪðŋ 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 (ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪ) 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.
ðĶðð·ððð ðŊððĻðūðĪððŪðĩðŋððð·ððŠð ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð ððð°ððĪð ðĪððĩðļð āĨĪ
ððĶðūð°ðļððĪð ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ðŋðŠððĪð ðļðūð§ððŊðūððūðĩðūðĪððð°ððĪðŋ ððŋðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-1ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĶðð·ððð - seen; noticed
ðŊððĻ - by whom
ððĪððŪ-ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð - inner distraction; Self's projection as mind-movement
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð - suppression; restraint
ððð°ððĪð - does
ðĪð - but
ð
ðļð - that one
ððĶðūð°ð - noble-minded; vast-hearted
ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ðŋðŠððĪð - not distracted
ðļðūð§ððŊ-ð
ððūðĩðūðĪð - because there is nothing to be achieved
ðð°ððĪðŋ - does
ððŋðŪð - what?
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ððĶðūð°) 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: ðļðūð§ððŊðūððūðĩ, 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 ðŊðð Sutras talk about ð
ðððŊðūðļ and ðĩðð°ðūðððŊ 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.
ð§ðð°ð ðēðððĩðŋðŠð°ððŊðļððĪð ðĩð°ððĪðŪðūðĻðð―ðŠðŋ ðēðððĩðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðļðŪðūð§ðŋð ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð ðĻ ðēððŠð ðļððĩðļððŊ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-1ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð§ðð°ð - steady one; wise person
ðēðð-ðĩðŋðŠð°ððŊðļððĪð - "opposite" to worldly ways; beyond worldly values
ðĩð°ððĪðŪðūðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while living/acting
ðēðððĩðĪð - like ordinary people (outwardly)
ðĻ - not
ðļðŪðūð§ðŋð - absorption (as an ego-state)
ðĻ - not
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð - distraction
ðĻ - not
ðēððŠð - loss; disappearance
ðļððĩðļððŊ - of himself
ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - sees; experiences (as a problem)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðēðððĩðĪð - like everyone else. Yet inwardly they are ðēðð-ðĩðŋðŠð°ððŊðļððĪ - 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 ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ and ðĩðŋððð·ððŠ. Most seekers oscillate: "I was focused; now I'm distracted; I've lost it." The wise does not feel this loss (ðēððŠ) 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.
ððūðĩðūððūðĩðĩðŋðđððĻð ðŊðļððĪððŠððĪð ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð ðŽðð§ð āĨĪ
ðĻððĩ ððŋðððŋðĪððððĪð ðĪððĻ ðēðððĶðð·ððððŊðū ðĩðŋððð°ððĩðĪðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-1ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððūðĩ-ð
ððūðĩ - being and non-being; appearing and disappearing
ðĩðŋðđððĻð - free from
ðŊð - who
ðĪððŠððĪð - content; satisfied
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð - without latent craving/conditioning
ðŽðð§ð - wise person
ðĻ ððĩ - not at all
ððŋðððŋðĪð - anything
ðððĪðŪð - done (as an ego-claim)
ðĪððĻ - by him
ðēðð-ðĶðð·ððððŊðū - from the world's viewpoint
ðĩðŋððð°ððĩðĪðū - while acting; while making movements
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse points to two freedoms: freedom from metaphysical anxiety and freedom from doership. The wise is ððūðĩðūððūðĩ-ðĩðŋðđððĻ - 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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻ: 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 (ðĪððŠððĪðŋ) 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.
ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪð ðĩðū ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪð ðĩðū ðĻððĩ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĶðð°ðððð°ðđð āĨĪ
ðŊðĶðū ðŊðĪððð°ððĪððŪðūðŊðūðĪðŋ ðĪðĪððððĪððĩðū ðĪðŋð·ðð ðĪð ðļðððŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-20āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪð - in action; in outward engagement
ðĩðū - or
ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪð - in withdrawal; in stepping back
ðĩðū - or
ðĻ ððĩ - not at all
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - for the steady/wise one
ðĶðð°ðððð°ðđð - stubborn clinging; hard grasping
ðŊðĶðū ðŊðĪð - whenever whatever
ðð°ððĪðð - to do
ððŊðūðĪðŋ - comes (to be done)
ðĪðĪð - that
ðððĪððĩðū - having done
ðĪðŋð·ðð ðĪð - remains; stands
ðļðððŪð - happily; at ease
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋ or ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋ. Action happens when needed, rest happens when appropriate, and neither becomes an identity. This is why the verse ends with ðļðððŪð: 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.
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð ðĻðŋð°ðūðēððŽð ðļððĩðððððĶð ðŪððððĪðŽðð§ðĻð āĨĪ
ððð·ðŋðŠððĪð ðļððļðððūð°ðĩðūðĪððĻ ððð·ðððĪð ðķðð·ðððŠð°ððĢðĩðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-21āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð - without latent cravings; free from conditioning
ðĻðŋð°ðūðēððŽð - without outer support; not leaning on anything
ðļððĩðððððĶð - free; acting from one's own nature
ðŪððððĪ-ðŽðð§ðĻð - freed from bondage
ððð·ðŋðŠððĪð - tossed; thrown about
ðļððļðððūð°-ðĩðūðĪððĻ - by the wind of impressions/habits
ððð·ðððĪð - moves; behaves
ðķðð·ðð-ðŠð°ððĢðĩðĪð - like a dry leaf
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse addresses a subtle question: if one is free, why does action still happen? It points to ðļððļðððūð° - 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 ðŠðð°ðūð°ðŽðð§: 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 ðļððļðððūð° 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.
ð
ðļððļðūð°ðļððŊ ðĪð ðððĩðūðŠðŋ ðĻ ðđð°ðð·ð ðĻ ðĩðŋð·ðūðĶðĪðū āĨĪ
ðļ ðķððĪðēðŪðĻðū ðĻðŋðĪððŊð ðĩðŋðĶððđ ððĩ ð°ðūððŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-22āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðļððļðūð°ðļððŊ - of one beyond bondage; not caught in ðļððļðūð°
ðĪð - indeed
ðððĩðūðŠðŋ - anywhere; in any situation
ðĻ ðđð°ðð·ð - no elation
ðĻ ðĩðŋð·ðūðĶðĪðū - no dejection
ðļð - that one
ðķððĪðē-ðŪðĻðū - cool-minded; calm in heart
ðĻðŋðĪððŊð - always
ðĩðŋðĶððđð - bodiless (as if beyond body-identity)
ððĩ - like; as though
ð°ðūððŊð - shines; appears splendid
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ðķððĪðē) because its identity is no longer tied to passing conditions. "Bodiless" (ðĩðŋðĶððđ) 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, ðķððĪðē-ðŪðĻðū becomes less rare and more natural.
ðððĪðð°ðūðŠðŋ ðĻ ððŋðđðūðļðūðļððĪðŋ ðĻðūðķð ðĩðūðŠðŋ ðĻ ðððĪðð°ððŋðĪð āĨĪ
ððĪððŪðūð°ðūðŪðļððŊ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðķððĪðēðūððððĪð°ðūðĪððŪðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-23āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĪðð°ðūðŠðŋ - anywhere
ðĻ ððŋðđðūðļðū - no wish to abandon; no urge to throw away
ð
ðļððĪðŋ - exists
ðĻ - not
ððķðū - hope/desire; expectation
ðĩðū ð
ðŠðŋ - nor even
ðĻ ðððĪðð°ððŋðĪð - nowhere at all
ððĪððŪ-ðð°ðūðŪðļððŊ - of one who delights in the Self
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðķððĪðē - cool; calm
ðððððĪð°ðūðĪððŪðĻð - of very clear/cool inner nature
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ððĪððŪðūð°ðūðŪ) 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 ðĩðð°ðūðððŊ. 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 ððĪððŪðūð°ðūðŪ - being at home in oneself.
ðŠðð°ðððĪððŊðū ðķððĻððŊððŋðĪððĪðļððŊ ððð°ððĩðĪðð―ðļððŊ ðŊðĶðððððŊðū āĨĪ
ðŠðð°ðūðððĪðļððŊððĩ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĻ ðŪðūðĻð ðĻðūðĩðŪðūðĻðĪðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-24āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŠðð°ðððĪððŊðū - by nature; naturally
ðķððĻððŊ-ððŋðĪððĪðļððŊ - of one whose mind is empty (of ego-driven vikalpa)
ððð°ððĩðĪð - while doing
ð
ðļððŊ - of this one
ðŊðĶðððððŊðū - spontaneously; as it happens
ðŠðð°ðūðððĪðļððŊ - like an ordinary person
ððĩ - indeed
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðĻ ðŪðūðĻð - no pride/honor
ðĻ ð
ðĩðŪðūðĻðĪðū - no humiliation/insult-sense
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse dismantles the need to look spiritual. The liberated mind can appear completely ordinary (ðŠðð°ðūðððĪ). It can joke, work, eat, rest - and yet inwardly be empty of ego-based story. That is ðķððĻððŊ-ððŋðĪððĪ 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 (ðŊðĶðððððŊðū): 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 ðŪðūðĻ and ð
ðĩðŪðūðĻ as inner rulers.
ðððĪð ðĶððđððĻ ðð°ððŪððĶð ðĻ ðŪðŊðū ðķððĶðð§ð°ððŠðŋðĢðū āĨĪ
ððĪðŋ ððŋððĪðūðĻðð°ðð§ð ðŊð ððð°ððĩðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðð°ððĪðŋ ðĻ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-25āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĪðŪð - done
ðĶððđððĻ - by the body
ðð°ððŪ ððĶð - this action
ðĻ ðŪðŊðū - not by me
ðķððĶðð§-ð°ððŠðŋðĢðū - whose nature is pure (the Self)
ððĪðŋ - thus
ððŋððĪðū-ð
ðĻðð°ðð§ð - one who abides in this understanding
ðŊð - who
ððð°ððĩðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while doing
ðð°ððĪðŋ ðĻ - does not do (as an ego-claim)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse is a practical Advaita instruction: relocate doership. The body-mind is an instrument that acts, but the Self as pure awareness (ðķððĶðð§-ð°ððŠ) 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" (ð
ðĻðð°ðð§ð): 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.
ð
ðĪðĶððĩðūðĶððĩ ððð°ððĪð ðĻ ððĩððĶðŠðŋ ðŽðūðēðŋðķð āĨĪ
ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪð ðļððð ðķðð°ððŪðūðĻð ðļððļð°ðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðķðððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-26āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðĪðĶð-ðĩðūðĶð - as if one who does not know/say "that" (the truth)
ððĩ - like; as though
ððð°ððĪð - acts
ðĻ ððĩððĪð - does not become
ð
ðŠðŋ - even
ðŽðūðēðŋðķð - a fool
ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪð - liberated while living
ðļððð - happy; at ease
ðķðð°ððŪðūðĻð - endowed; radiant
ðļððļð°ðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while moving in the world
ðķðððĪð - shines; appears splendid
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŽðūðēðŋðķ (foolish). He is ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪ: 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" (ðķðððĪð) 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.
ðĻðūðĻðūðĩðŋððūð°ðļððķðð°ðūððĪð ð§ðð°ð ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋðŪðūððĪð āĨĪ
ðĻ ððēððŠðĪð ðĻ ððūðĻðūðĪðŋ ðĻ ðķððĢððĪðŋ ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-2ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðūðĻðū-ðĩðŋððūð° - many kinds of thoughts/inquiry
ðļððķðð°ðūððĪð - thoroughly exhausted
ð§ðð°ð - wise person
ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋðŪð - rest; repose
ðððĪð - has reached
ðĻ ððēððŠðĪð - does not imagine/construct
ðĻ ððūðĻðūðĪðŋ - does not "know" in the egoic sense
ðĻ ðķððĢððĪðŋ - does not hear (as an object-seeker)
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - does not see (as an object-seeker)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðļððķðð°ðūððĪ - exhausted of its own looping inquiry - it can finally relax into ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ, 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 ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ - the rest that does not depend on answering every question.
ð
ðļðŪðūð§ðð°ðĩðŋððð·ððŠðūðĻð ðĻ ðŪððŪðððð·ðð°ððĻ ðððĪð°ð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ ððēððŠðŋðĪð ðŠðķððŊðĻð ðŽðð°ðđððŪððĩðūðļððĪð ðŪðđðūðķðŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-2ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðļðŪðūð§ðð - without (the need for) samAdhi
ð
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠðūðĪð - without distraction
ðĻ ðŪððŪðððð·ðð - not a seeker of liberation
ðĻ - not
ðððĪð°ð - nor the opposite (one who rejects liberation)
ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ - having ascertained
ððēððŠðŋðĪð - imagined; constructed
ðŠðķððŊðĻð - seeing
ðŽðð°ðđððŪ ððĩ - as Brahman alone
ððļððĪð - abides; remains
ðŪðđðū-ððķðŊð - great-souled one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse describes a mature neutrality. Some seekers obsess over ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ; others reject it and cling to distraction as "normal life." The liberated mind is beyond both. It is ð
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠ in the sense of not being psychologically scattered, and it is also beyond the need to chase special absorption. Therefore it is neither a ðŪððŪðððð·ð (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 ððēððŠðŋðĪ, they lose authority. Then what remains is ðŽðð°ðđððŪ ððĩ - 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.
ðŊðļððŊðūððĪð ðļððŊðūðĶðđðððūð°ð ðĻ ðð°ððĪðŋ ðð°ððĪðŋ ðļð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ðđðððūð°ð§ðð°ððĢ ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĶðððĪð ðððĪðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-2ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŊðļððŊ ð
ððĪð - within whom
ðļððŊðūðĪð - is; exists
ð
ðđðððūð°ð - ego-sense; "I"-maker
ðĻ ðð°ððĪðŋ - does not act (truly)
ðð°ððĪðŋ - (yet) acts (as a claim)
ðļð - that one
ðĻðŋð°ðđðððūð° - without ego
ð§ðð°ððĢ - by the steady one
ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĪð - nothing
ð
ðððĪðŪð - undone
ðððĪðŪð - done
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ð
ðđðððūð°. 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.
ðĻððĶððĩðŋðððĻð ðĻ ð ðļððĪðð·ðððŪðð°ððĪð ðļððŠððĶðĩð°ðððŋðĪðŪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ðūðķð ððĪðļððĶððđð ððŋðĪððĪð ðŪððððĪðļððŊ ð°ðūððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-30āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ððĶððĩðŋðððĻðŪð - not agitated
ðĻ ð ðļððĪðð·ðððŪð - nor elated
ð
ðð°ððĪð - without doership
ðļððŠððĶ-ðĩð°ðððŋðĪðŪð - without inner twitching; without nervous vibration
ðĻðŋð°ðūðķð - without expectation
ððĪ-ðļððĶððđðŪð - with doubt gone
ððŋðĪððĪð - mind
ðŪððððĪðļððŊ - of the liberated one
ð°ðūððĪð - shines
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The liberated mind shines: not agitated or elated, free of doership and inner twitching, without expectation, and without doubt.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse gives a clear psychological portrait of freedom. The liberated mind is not constantly swinging between agitation and excitement. It is also ð
ðð°ððĪð - the sense of "I am the doer" has softened - so action does not create the same inner tension. The phrase ðļððŠððĶ-ðĩð°ðððŋðĪ 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. ðĻðŋð°ðūðķðū 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." ððĪ-ðļððĶððđ 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.
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ððŊðūðĪðð ððð·ðððŋðĪðð ðĩðūðŠðŋ ðŊððððŋðĪððĪð ðĻ ðŠðð°ðĩð°ððĪðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĻðŋðŪðŋðĪððĪðŪðŋðĶð ððŋððĪð ðĻðŋð°ðð§ððŊðūðŊððĪðŋ ðĩðŋððð·ðððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-31āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ððŊðūðĪðð - to meditate deeply; to contemplate
ððð·ðððŋðĪðð - to act; to make effort
ðĩðū ð
ðŠðŋ - or even
ðŊðĪð ððŋðĪððĪð - whose mind
ðĻ ðŠðð°ðĩð°ððĪðĪð - does not engage; does not "push"
ðĻðŋð°ððĻðŋðŪðŋðĪððĪðŪð - without motive; without cause
ððĶð - this (mind/life)
ððŋððĪð - yet
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ððŊðūðŊðĪðŋ - meditates/reflects
ðĩðŋððð·ðððĪð - acts; moves
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The liberated mind does not deliberately push itself into meditation or action, yet it may still meditate and act spontaneously, without motive.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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" (ðĻðŋð°ððĻðŋðŪðŋðĪððĪ): 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 ðĻðŋð°ððĻðŋðŪðŋðĪððĪ as a lived quality: actions occur, but inner compulsion fades.
ðĪðĪððĪððĩð ðŊðĨðūð°ððĨðŪðūðð°ððĢððŊ ðŪððĶð ðŠðð°ðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðŪððĒðĪðūðŪð āĨĪ
ð
ðĨðĩðū ðŊðūðĪðŋ ðļðððððŪðŪððĒð ððð―ðŠðŋ ðŪððĒðĩðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-32āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĪðĪððĪððĩð - truth; reality
ðŊðĨðūð°ððĨðŪð - as it truly is
ððð°ððĢððŊ - having heard
ðŪððĶð - dull one; unprepared one
ðŠðð°ðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ - attains; falls into
ðŪððĒðĪðūðŪð - dullness; foolishness
ð
ðĨðĩðū - or else
ðŊðūðĪðŋ - goes to; falls into
ðļðððððŪð - contraction; shrinking; fear
ð
ðŪððĒð - not dull; capable one
ððð―ðŠðŋ - someone
ðŪððĒðĩðĪð - like a fool
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðļðððð - 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 ðŪððĒðĪðū and ðļðððð from hijacking the teaching.
ðððūððð°ðĪðū ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð ðĩðū ðŪððĒðð°ðððŊðļððŊðĪð ðððķðŪð āĨĪ
ð§ðð°ðūð ðððĪððŊð ðĻ ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ ðļððŠððĪðĩðĪððļððĩðŠðĶð ðļððĨðŋðĪðūð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-33āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððūððð°ðĪðū - one-pointedness; concentration
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð - suppression; restraint
ðĩðū - or
ðŪððĒðð - by the foolish/immature
ð
ðððŊðļððŊðĪð - is practiced
ðððķðŪð - intensely; excessively
ð§ðð°ðūð - the wise
ðððĪððŊð - something that "must be done"
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ - do not see (as a burden)
ðļððŠððĪðĩðĪð - like one asleep (in ease)
ðļððĩ-ðŠðĶð - in one's own place/nature
ðļððĨðŋðĪðūð - established
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
Ashtavakra is not attacking ðððūððð°ðĪðū or ðĻðŋð°ðð§ 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 ðļððĩ-ðŠðĶ - 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.
ð
ðŠðð°ðŊðĪððĻðūðĪð ðŠðð°ðŊðĪððĻðūðĶð ðĩðū ðŪððĒð ðĻðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðŋðŪð āĨĪ
ðĪðĪððĪððĩðĻðŋðķðððŊðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ ðŠðð°ðūðððð ððĩðĪðŋ ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-34āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðŠðð°ðŊðĪððĻðūðĪð - from not making effort
ðŠðð°ðŊðĪððĻðūðĪð - from making effort
ðĩðū - or
ðŪððĒð - the confused one
ðĻ ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - does not attain
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðŋðŪð - peace; repose; cessation
ðĪðĪððĪððĩ-ðĻðŋðķðððŊ - certainty of truth
ðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ - by merely; just through
ðŠðð°ðūðððð - the wise one
ððĩðĪðŋ - becomes
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪð - at peace; inwardly rested
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĪðĪððĪððĩ-ðĻðŋðķðððŊ: 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 ðĻðŋðķðððŊ becomes steady and peace becomes natural.
ðķððĶðð§ð ðŽððĶðð§ð ðŠðð°ðŋðŊð ðŠðð°ððĢð ðĻðŋð·ððŠðð°ðŠððð ðĻðŋð°ðūðŪðŊðŪð āĨĪ
ððĪððŪðūðĻð ðĪð ðĻ ððūðĻððĪðŋ ðĪðĪðð°ðūðððŊðūðļðŠð°ðū ððĻðūð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-35āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðķððĶðð§ð - pure
ðŽððĶðð§ð - aware; awakened
ðŠðð°ðŋðŊðŪð - dear; beloved
ðŠðð°ððĢð - full; complete
ðĻðŋð·ððŠðð°ðŠððð - beyond the world of mental projection
ðĻðŋð°ðūðŪðŊðŪð - without disease; free of disturbance
ððĪððŪðūðĻð - the Self
ðĪð - that
ðĻ ððūðĻððĪðŋ - do not know
ðĪðĪðð° - in that matter
ð
ðððŊðūðļ-ðŠð°ðūð - devoted to practice as an end in itself
ððĻðūð - people
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŠðð°ððĢ.
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.
ðĻðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðð°ððŪðĢðū ðŪðððð·ð ðĩðŋðŪððĒðð―ðððŊðūðļð°ððŠðŋðĢðū āĨĪ
ð§ðĻððŊð ðĩðŋððððūðĻðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ ðŪððððĪðļððĪðŋð·ðð ðĪððŊðĩðŋððð°ðŋðŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-36āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - does not attain
ðð°ððŪðĢðū - by action
ðŪðððð·ð - liberation
ðĩðŋðŪððĒð - the thoroughly confused one
ð
ðððŊðūðļ-ð°ððŠðŋðĢðū - by practice-as-action
ð§ðĻððŊð - blessed one
ðĩðŋððððūðĻ-ðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ - by knowledge alone
ðŪððððĪð - liberated
ðĪðŋð·ðð ðĪðŋ - stands; remains
ð
ðĩðŋððð°ðŋðŊð - unchanged; unmoving in essence
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĩðŋððððūðĻ - 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 ð
ðĩðŋððð°ðŋðŊ: 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 ð
ðĩðŋððð°ðŋðŊ Self the verse points to. Over time, practice becomes lighter and knowledge becomes deeper.
ðŪððĒð ðĻðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðĪðĶð ðŽðð°ðđððŪ ðŊðĪð ððĩðŋðĪððŪðŋððððĪðŋ āĨĪ
ð
ðĻðŋððððĻððĻðŠðŋ ð§ðð°ð ðđðŋ ðŠð°ðŽðð°ðđððŪðļððĩð°ððŠððūðð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-3ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŪððĒð - the confused one
ðĻ ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - does not attain
ðĪðĪð ðŽðð°ðđððŪ - that Brahman
ðŊðĪð - which
ððĩðŋðĪððŪð - to become
ðððððĪðŋ - desires
ð
ðĻðŋððððĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even without desiring
ð§ðð°ð - the wise one
ðđðŋ - indeed
ðŠð°-ðŽðð°ðđððŪ-ðļððĩð°ððŠ-ððūðð - of the nature of the supreme Brahman
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŠð°ðŽðð°ðđððŪ. 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.
ðĻðŋð°ðūð§ðūð°ðū ððð°ðđðĩððŊððð°ðū ðŪððĒðūð ðļððļðūð°ðŠðð·ððūð āĨĪ
ððĪðļððŊðūðĻð°ððĨðŪððēðļððŊ ðŪððēðððððĶð ðððĪð ðŽðð§ðð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-3ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ðūð§ðūð°ðūð - without true support; unsupported within
ððð°ðđ-ðĩððŊððð°ðūð - busy with grasping
ðŪððĒðūð - confused ones
ðļððļðūð°-ðŠðð·ððūð - nourishers of bondage
ððĪðļððŊ - of this
ð
ðĻð°ððĨ-ðŪððēðļððŊ - root of harm/misfortune
ðŪððē-ðððððĶð - cutting of the root
ðððĪð - done
ðŽðð§ðð - by the wise
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Confused people, unsupported within, stay busy grasping and thus keep nourishing bondage. The wise cut the very root of this root of harm.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse describes the ordinary condition: inner unsupportedness. When you do not know the Self as your foundation, you feel ðĻðŋð°ðūð§ðūð° - as if you are hanging in midair. That insecurity pushes you into ððð°ðđ (grasping): grabbing possessions, control, validation, certainty. But grasping only feeds ðļððļðūð°, 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 ðĻðŋð°ðūð§ðūð°, and grasping will reduce naturally.
ðĻ ðķðūððĪðŋð ðēððĪð ðŪððĒð ðŊðĪð ðķðŪðŋðĪððŪðŋððððĪðŋ āĨĪ
ð§ðð°ðļððĪðĪððĪððĩð ðĩðŋðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðū ðķðūððĪðŪðūðĻðļð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-3ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ðķðūððĪðŋð - not peace
ðēððĪð - attains
ðŪððĒð - the confused one
ðŊðĪð - because; though
ðķðŪðŋðĪððŪð - to become calm
ðððððĪðŋ - desires
ð§ðð°ð - the wise one
ðĪðĪððĪððĩð - truth
ðĩðŋðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ - having ascertained clearly
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
ðķðūððĪ-ðŪðĻðļð - with a peaceful mind
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĪðĪððĪððĩ-ðĻðŋðķðððŊ: 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.
ðððĩðūðĪððŪðĻð ðĶð°ððķðĻð ðĪðļððŊ ðŊðĶð ðĶðð·ðððŪðĩðēððŽðĪð āĨĪ
ð§ðð°ðūðļððĪð ðĪð ðĻ ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ ðŠðķððŊððĪððŊðūðĪððŪðūðĻðŪðĩððŊðŊðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-40āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ððĪððŪðĻð ðĶð°ððķðĻð - vision/knowledge of the Self
ðĪðļððŊ - for that one
ðŊðĪð - who
ðĶðð·ððð - the seen; objects
ð
ðĩðēððŽðĪð - depends on; leans on
ð§ðð°ðūð - the wise
ðĪð ðĪð - that kind (of dependence)
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ - do not adopt/see as valid
ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ - see
ððĪððŪðūðĻð - the Self
ð
ðĩððŊðŊðŪð - imperishable
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĶðð·ððŊ, 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 ð
ðĩððŊðŊ, 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 ðĶððð-ðĶððķððŊ 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.
ðððĩ ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð ðĩðŋðŪððĒðļððŊ ðŊð ðĻðŋð°ððŽðð§ð ðð°ððĪðŋ ðĩð āĨĪ
ðļððĩðūð°ðūðŪðļððŊððĩ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðūðļðūðĩðððĪðð°ðŋðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-41āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ð - suppression; forced restraint
ðĩðŋðŪððĒðļððŊ - of the thoroughly confused one
ðŊð - who
ðĻðŋð°ððŽðð§ð - force; stubborn insistence
ðð°ððĪðŋ - does
ðĩð - indeed
ðļððĩðūð°ðūðŪðļððŊ - of one who delights in the Self
ððĩ - indeed
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the wise/steady one
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
ð
ðļð - that (restraint)
ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪð - natural; not artificial
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ðð§ 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 ð°ðūð and ðĶððĩðð·. When attraction and aversion soften, restraint becomes ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪ - 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 ðĻðŋð°ðð§ becomes natural, not theatrical.
ððūðĩðļððŊ ððūðĩðð ððķðððŋðĻð ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĶð ððūðĩðððŠð°ð āĨĪ
ðððŊðūððūðĩðð ððķðððŋðĶð ððĩðŪððĩ ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-42āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððūðĩðļððŊ - of "being" (existence)
ððūðĩðð - affirmer; one who constructs/claims
ððķðððŋðĪð - someone
ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĶð - "nothing"; non-being
ððūðĩðð - affirmer; one who constructs/claims
ð
ðŠð°ð - another
ðððŊ - both
ð
ððūðĩðð - one who posits both (being and non-being) / one who negates both
ððķðððŋðĪð - someone
ððĩð ððĩ - just so; in this way
ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēð - unconfused; undisturbed
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĩðŋððēððŠ: conceptual construction. Ashtavakra calls the truly free one ðĻðŋð°ðūðððē - 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 ðĻðŋð°ðūðððē.
ðķððĶðð§ðŪðĶððĩðŊðŪðūðĪððŪðūðĻð ððūðĩðŊððĪðŋ ðððŽððĶðð§ðŊð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðĪð ððūðĻððĪðŋ ðļððŪððđðūðĶððŊðūðĩðððððĩðŪðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðūð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-43āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðķððĶðð§ð - pure
ð
ðĶððĩðŊðŪð - non-dual
ððĪððŪðūðĻð - the Self
ððūðĩðŊððĪðŋ - imagine; think about; conceptualize
ðð-ðŽððĶðð§ðŊð - those with poor understanding
ðĻ ðĪð - but not
ððūðĻððĪðŋ - know (directly)
ðļððŪððđðūðĪð - due to delusion
ðŊðūðĩðĪð-ðððĩðŪð - as long as they live
ð
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðūð - unrested; not at peace
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ððūðĩðĻðū - mental construction. Direct knowledge (ððððūðĻ) is different: it changes the center of identity. The verse says that without this shift, the mind remains ð
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪ, 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.
ðŪððŪðððð·ðð°ððŽððĶðð§ðŋð°ðūðēððŽðŪððĪð°ððĢ ðĻ ðĩðŋðĶððŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ðūðēððŽððĩ ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪðū ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð°ððŪððððĪðļððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-44āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŪððŪðððð·ðð - of one who seeks liberation
ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð - intellect; discerning faculty
ððēððŽðŪð - support; something to lean on
ð
ððĪð°ððĢ - without
ðĻ ðĩðŋðĶððŊðĪð - is not found
ðĻðŋð°ðūðēððŽðū - supportless; not leaning
ððĩ - indeed
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪðū - desireless
ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð - intellect
ðŪððððĪðļððŊ - of the liberated one
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The seekerâs intellect relies on supports. But the liberated oneâs intellect is always supportless and desireless, not leaning on anything.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
In early stages, we need supports: a teacher, a method, a scripture, an idea of truth. That is natural. The seeker (ðŪððŪðððð·ð) leans because the mind is still learning to stand in awareness. This verse is describing the maturity beyond that: the liberated intellect is ðĻðŋð°ðūðēððŽ, 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 ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ - 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.
ðĩðŋð·ðŊðĶððĩððŠðŋðĻð ðĩðððð·ððŊ ðððŋðĪðūð ðķð°ðĢðūð°ððĨðŋðĻð āĨĪ
ðĩðŋðķððĪðŋ ðððŋðĪðŋ ððð°ððĄð ðĻðŋð°ðð§ðððūððð°ðļðŋðĶðð§ðŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-45āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩðŋð·ðŊ - sense-objects
ðĶððĩððŠðŋðĻð - tiger
ðĩðððð·ððŊ - seeing
ðððŋðĪðūð - frightened
ðķð°ðĢ-ð
ð°ððĨðŋðĻð - seeking refuge
ðĩðŋðķððĪðŋ - enter
ðððŋðĪðŋ - quickly
ððð°ððĄð - cave; lair
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ - suppression/restraint
ðððūððð°ððŊ - one-pointedness
ðļðŋðĶðð§ðŊð - for attainment
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Seeing the tiger of sense-objects, frightened seekers rush into the cave of suppression and concentration, hoping to attain them.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ðð§ from a cave of fear into a tool of clarity.
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð ðđð°ðŋð ðĶðð·ððððĩðū ðĪðð·ððĢðð ðĩðŋð·ðŊðĶððĪðŋðĻð āĨĪ
ðŠðēðūðŊððĪð ðĻ ðķðððĪðūðļððĪð ðļððĩððĪð ðððĪððūððĩð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-46āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻð - desireless; free of conditioning
ðđð°ðŋð - lion (a powerful one); conqueror
ðĶðð·ððððĩðū - seeing
ðĪðð·ððĢðð - silently
ðĩðŋð·ðŊ-ðĶððĪðŋðĻð - elephants of sense-objects
ðŠðēðūðŊððĪð - run away
ðĻ ðķðððĪðūð - not able (to face)
ðĪð - they
ðļððĩððĪð - serve; attend
ðððĪ-ððūððĩð - having flattered; having become servile
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse flips the usual power dynamic. Normally, objects dominate the mind through craving and fear. But when the mind becomes ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻ (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.
ðĻ ðŪððððĪðŋððūð°ðŋððūð ð§ðĪððĪð ðĻðŋððķððð ðŊððððĪðŪðūðĻðļð āĨĪ
ðŠðķððŊðĻð ðķððĢððĩðĻð ðļððŠððķðĻð ððŋððð°ðĻððĻðķððĻðĻððĻðūðļððĪð ðŊðĨðūðļðððŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-4ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ - not
ðŪððððĪðŋ-ððūð°ðŋððūðŪð - garland/sign of liberation (as a display)
ð§ðĪððĪð - wears
ðĻðŋððļððð - unattached; without clinging
ðŊððððĪ-ðŪðūðĻðļð - with an integrated/steady mind
ðŠðķððŊðĻð - seeing
ðķððĢððĩðĻð - hearing
ðļððŠððķðĻð - touching
ððŋððð°ðĻð - smelling
ð
ðķððĻðĻð - eating
ððļððĪð - remains; lives
ðŊðĨðū ðļðððŪð - at ease; comfortably
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The unattached, steady-minded one does not wear liberation as a sign. He simply lives at ease, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and eating.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse continues the theme that liberation is not a costume. The steady-minded one is ðĻðŋððļðð - unattached - so he does not need to display freedom with outer signs or a special persona. The phrase ðŪððððĪðŋ-ððūð°ðŋððū 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 (ðŊððððĪ-ðŪðūðĻðļ): 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 ðĻðŋððļðð and ðŊððððĪ-ðŪðūðĻðļ lived realities.
ðĩðļððĪððķðð°ðĩðĢðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ ðķððĶðð§ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð°ððĻðŋð°ðūðððēð āĨĪ
ðĻððĩðūððūð°ðŪðĻðūððūð°ðŪððĶðūðļððŊð ðĩðū ðŠðð°ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-4ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩðļððĪð - reality; the real
ðķðð°ðĩðĢ - hearing (of teaching)
ðŪðūðĪðð°ððĢ - by merely; just through
ðķððĶðð§-ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð - pure intellect; clear understanding
ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēð - unconfused; undisturbed
ðĻ ððĩ - not at all
ðððūð°ðŪð - proper conduct (as a rigid label)
ð
ðĻðūððūð°ðŪð - improper conduct (as a rigid label)
ððĶðūðļððŊðŪð - indifference; withdrawal
ðĩðū - or
ðŠðð°ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - sees; categorizes
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse describes what "right hearing" can do. When the mind truly hears ðĩðļððĪð (the reality of the Self), it becomes ðķððĶðð§-ðŽððĶðð§ðŋ - 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.
ðŊðĶðū ðŊðĪððð°ððĪððŪðūðŊðūðĪðŋ ðĪðĶðū ðĪðĪðððð°ððĪð ðððð āĨĪ
ðķððð ðĩðūðŠððŊðķððð ðĩðūðŠðŋ ðĪðļððŊ ððð·ðððū ðđðŋ ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-4ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŊðĶðū ðŊðĪð - whenever whatever
ðð°ððĪðð - to do
ððŊðūðĪðŋ - comes (to be done)
ðĪðĶðū ðĪðĪð - then that
ððð°ððĪð - does
ðððð - straightforwardly; simply
ðķððð - good; auspicious
ðĩðū - or
ð
ðķðððŪð - not good; inauspicious
ðĩðū ð
ðŠðŋ - or even
ðĪðļððŊ - of that one
ððð·ðððū - conduct; activity
ðđðŋ - indeed
ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð - like a child (uncontrived)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse is describing naturalness, not irresponsibility. When the ego is not busy calculating self-image, action becomes ððð - straightforward. The wise responds to what life asks without overthinking and without hidden manipulation. The comparison to a child (ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð) 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 ððð 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.
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪððļðððŪðūðŠððĻððĪðŋ ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðēððēððĪð ðŠð°ðŪð āĨĪ
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĻððĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðŋð ððððððĪððļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪð ðŠð°ðŪð ðŠðĶðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-50āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪð - from freedom; from independence
ðļðððŪð - happiness
ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - obtains
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪð - from freedom
ðēððĪð - attains
ðŠð°ðŪð - the supreme
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪð - from freedom
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðŋðŪð - peace; repose
ððððððĪð - reaches
ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊðūðĪð - from freedom
ðŠð°ðŪð ðŠðĶðŪð - the highest state/abode
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
From freedom comes happiness; from freedom comes the supreme; from freedom comes deep peace; from freedom comes the highest state.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse is a celebration of ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊ - 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 (ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪðŋ) 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, ðļððĩðūðĪððĪðð°ððŊ stops being an idea and becomes an inner atmosphere.
ð
ðð°ððĪððĪððĩðŪðððððĪððĪððĩð ðļððĩðūðĪððŪðĻð ðŪðĻððŊðĪð ðŊðĶðū āĨĪ
ðĪðĶðū ððð·ððĢðū ððĩððĪððŊððĩ ðļðŪðļððĪðūðķðððŋðĪððĪðĩððĪððĪðŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-51āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðð°ððĪððĪððĩðŪð - non-doership
ð
ðððððĪððĪððĩðŪð - non-enjoyership; not being the experiencer-as-owner
ðļððĩ-ððĪððŪðĻð - of one's own Self
ðŪðĻððŊðĪð - understands; regards
ðŊðĶðū - when
ðĪðĶðū - then
ððð·ððĢðū - exhausted; dissolved
ððĩððĪðŋ - become
ððĩ - indeed
ðļðŪðļððĪðūð - all
ððŋðĪððĪ-ðĩððĪððĪðŊð - mind-modifications; mental movements
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
When one truly understands the Self as neither doer nor owner-enjoyer, the mind's restless movements naturally dissolve.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse links stillness to identity. The mind's movements (ðĩððĪððĪðŋs) 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 ð
ðð°ððĪððĪððĩ and ð
ðððððĪððĪððĩ - 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.
ðŊðð 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 ððð·ððĢðū: 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.
ððððððððēðūðŠððŊðððĪðŋððū ðļððĨðŋðĪðŋð°ðð§ðð°ðļððŊ ð°ðūððĪð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðĪð ðļðļððŠððđððŋðĪððĪðļððŊ ðķðūððĪðŋð°ððŪððĒðļððŊ ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-52āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððððððððēðū - unrestrained; free of rigid constraint
ð
ðŠðŋ - even
ð
ðððĪðŋððū - natural; unforced
ðļððĨðŋðĪðŋð - state; abiding
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the wise one
ð°ðūððĪð - shines
ðĻ ðĪð - but not
ðļ-ðļððŠððđ-ððŋðĪððĪðļððŊ - of one whose mind has craving
ðķðūððĪðŋð - peace
ðŪððĒðļððŊ - of the foolish/immature
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪðū - artificial; manufactured
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Even if outwardly free of rigid restraint, the wise oneâs abiding is naturally peaceful. But the peace of a craving-filled fool is artificial and fragile.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse makes a subtle distinction: outer restraint is not the same as inner freedom. The wise person's peace is ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪ - 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 ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪ - 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.
ðĩðŋðēðļððĪðŋ ðŪðđðūððððð°ððĩðŋðķððĪðŋ ððŋð°ðŋððđððĩð°ðūðĻð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ðļððĪððēððŠðĻðū ð§ðð°ðū ð
ðŽðĶðð§ðū ðŪððððĪðŽððĶðð§ðŊð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-53āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩðŋðēðļððĪðŋ - sport; enjoy; move playfully
ðŪðđðū-ððððð - with great enjoyments
ðĩðŋðķððĪðŋ - enter
ððŋð°ðŋ-ððđððĩð°ðūðĻð - mountain caves/valleys
ðĻðŋð°ðļððĪ-ððēððŠðĻðūð - with imagination/constructing removed
ð§ðð°ðūð - wise ones
ð
ðŽðĶðð§ðūð - unbound
ðŪððððĪ-ðŽððĶðð§ðŊð - those whose intellect is liberated
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ðļððĪ-ððēððŠðĻðū - no longer busy constructing identity and expectation - they are not enslaved by either luxury or austerity.
This matches the chapterâs 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 ð
ðŽðĶðð§: 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 mindâs 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.
ðķðð°ððĪðð°ðŋðŊð ðĶððĩðĪðūð ðĪðð°ððĨðŪðððĻðūð ðððŠðĪðŋð ðŠðð°ðŋðŊðŪð āĨĪ
ðĶðð·ððððĩðū ðļððŠððððŊ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĻ ððūðŠðŋ ðđððĶðŋ ðĩðūðļðĻðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-54āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðķðð°ððĪðð°ðŋðŊð - learned one (versed in scripture)
ðĶððĩðĪðūð - deity
ðĪðð°ððĨðŪð - sacred place; pilgrimage
ð
ðððĻðūðŪð - woman; beauty
ðððŠðĪðŋð - king; power/authority
ðŠðð°ðŋðŊðŪð - beloved; dear one
ðĶðð·ððððĩðū - having seen
ðļððŠððððŊ - having honored; having worshiped respectfully
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the wise one
ðĻ ððūðŠðŋ - none whatsoever
ðđððĶðŋ - in the heart
ðĩðūðļðĻðū - latent craving/impression
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĩðūðļðĻðū 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 ðĩðūðļðĻðū 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.
ðððĪððŊðð ðŠððĪðð°ðð ððēðĪðð°ððķðð ðĶððđðŋðĪðð°ððķðððūðŠðŋ ðððĪðð°ððð āĨĪ
ðĩðŋðđðļððŊ ð§ðŋðððððĪð ðŊððð ðĻ ðŊðūðĪðŋ ðĩðŋðððĪðŋð ðŪðĻðūðð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-55āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĪððŊðð - by servants
ðŠððĪðð°ðð - by sons
ððēðĪðð°ðð - by spouse
ð - and
ðĶððđðŋðĪðð°ðð - by grandsons
ð ð
ðŠðŋ - and also
ðððĪðð°ððð - by relatives of oneâs clan
ðĩðŋðđðļððŊ - by laughing; by mocking
ð§ðŋðððððĪð - insulted; dishonored
ðŊððð - yogi; wise one
ðĻ ðŊðūðĪðŋ - does not go into
ðĩðŋðððĪðŋð - disturbance; distortion
ðŪðĻðūðð - even a little
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Even if mocked and insulted by those close to him, the yogi is not inwardly disturbed even a little.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ðĩðŋðððĪðŋ). 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.
ðļððĪðð·ðððð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ðļððĪðð·ððð ððŋðĻððĻðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ð ððŋðĶððŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðĪðļððŊðūðķððð°ððŊðĶðķðūð ðĪðūð ðĪðūð ðĪðūðĶððķðū ððĩ ððūðĻðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-56āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððĪðð·ððð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while satisfied/content
ðĻ ðļððĪðð·ððð - not (bound by) satisfaction
ððŋðĻððĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while weary
ðĻ ððŋðĶððŊðĪð - does not grieve; is not distressed
ðĪðļððŊ - of that one
ððķððð°ððŊ-ðĶðķðūðŪð - wondrous state
ðĪðūð ðĪðūð - that and that (state/aspect)
ðĪðūðĶððķðūð ððĩ - only those like him
ððūðĻðĪð - know
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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.
ðð°ððĪðĩððŊðĪððĩ ðļððļðūð°ð ðĻ ðĪðūð ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ ðļðð°ðŊð āĨĪ
ðķððĻððŊðūððūð°ðū ðĻðŋð°ðūððūð°ðū ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ðū ðĻðŋð°ðūðŪðŊðūð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-5ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðð°ððĪðĩððŊðĪðū - the compulsive sense of "must-do"
ððĩ - indeed
ðļððļðūð°ð - bondage; repeated suffering
ðĻ ðĪðūð - not that
ðŠðķððŊððĪðŋ - see (as binding)
ðļðð°ðŊð - the wise
ðķððĻððŊ-ðððūð°ðūð - empty in form (free of ego-structure)
ðĻðŋð°ðūððūð°ðūð - formless
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ðūð - changeless
ðĻðŋð°ðūðŪðŊðūð - free of disturbance/disease
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðļððļðūð°. 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: ðĻðŋð°ðūððūð° (formless), ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð° (unchanging), ðĻðŋð°ðūðŪðŊ (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 ðð°ððĪðĩððŊðĪðū as bondage and makes action lighter.
ð
ððð°ððĩðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðļðððð·ðððūðĶð ðĩððŊððð°ð ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° ðŪððĒð§ðð āĨĪ
ððð°ððĩðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðĪð ðððĪððŊðūðĻðŋ ðððķðēð ðđðŋ ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-5ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ððð°ððĩðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while not doing
ðļðððð·ðððūðĪð - due to agitation; inner disturbance
ðĩððŊððð°ð - restless; scattered
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° - everywhere
ðŪððĒ-ð§ðð - the confused-minded one
ððð°ððĩðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while doing
ðĪð - but
ðððĪððŊðūðĻðŋ - tasks; duties
ðððķðēð - skillful; wise
ðđðŋ - indeed
ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēð - unconfused; undisturbed
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Even when doing nothing, the confused mind is restless due to inner agitation. Even while doing tasks, the skillful wise one remains undisturbed.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðļðððð·ðð - 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 ðððķðē - 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 ðĻðŋð°ðūðððēðĪðū that does not depend on your activity level.
ðļðððŪðūðļððĪð ðļððð ðķððĪð ðļðððŪðūðŊðūðĪðŋ ðŊðūðĪðŋ ð āĨĪ
ðļððð ðĩðððĪðŋ ðļððð ððððððĪð ðĩððŊðĩðđðūð°ðð―ðŠðŋ ðķðūððĪð§ðð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-5ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļðððŪð - with ease; happily
ððļððĪð - sits; remains
ðļðððŪð - with ease
ðķððĪð - lies down; sleeps
ðļðððŪð - with ease
ððŊðūðĪðŋ - comes
ðŊðūðĪðŋ - goes
ð - and
ðļðððŪð - with ease
ðĩðððĪðŋ - speaks
ðļðððŪð - with ease
ððððððĪð - eats; enjoys
ðĩððŊðĩðđðūð°ð ð
ðŠðŋ - even in worldly dealings
ðķðūððĪ-ð§ðð - peaceful-minded one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse emphasizes that peace is not reserved for meditation alone. For the ðķðūððĪ-ð§ðð (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.
ðļððĩððūðĩðūðĶððŊðļððŊ ðĻððĩðūð°ððĪðŋð°ððēðððĩðĶð ðĩððŊðĩðđðūð°ðŋðĢð āĨĪ
ðŪðđðūðđðð°ðĶ ððĩðūððð·ððððŊð ððĪðððēððķð ðļððķðððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-60āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððĩððūðĩðūðĪð - by nature
ðŊðļððŊ - of whom
ðĻ ððĩ ðð°ððĪðŋð - no distress/need at all
ðēðððĩðĪð - like the world; like ordinary people
ðĩððŊðĩðđðūð°ðŋðĢð - while behaving/engaging
ðŪðđðū-ðđðð°ðĶð - a great lake
ððĩ - like
ð
ððð·ððððŊð - unshakable
ððĪ-ðððēððķð - whose afflictions are gone
ðļððķðððĪð - shines beautifully
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ðð°ððĪðŋ) driving him. Because ðððēððķs (afflictive patterns) have faded, he remains ð
ððð·ððððŊ - 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.
ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋð°ðŠðŋ ðŪððĒðļððŊ ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋ ð°ððŠððūðŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋð°ðŠðŋ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋðŦðēððūððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-61āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋð - withdrawal; turning away
ð
ðŠðŋ - even
ðŪððĒðļððŊ - of the confused one
ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋð - engagement; outward action
ððŠððūðŊðĪð - arises
ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋð ð
ðŠðŋ - even engagement
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady/wise one
ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋ-ðŦðē-ððūððŋðĻð - bearing the fruit of withdrawal
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Even withdrawal becomes another form of engagement for the confused mind, while even engagement yields the fruit of withdrawal for the wise.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŠðð°ðĩððĪððĪðŋ 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 ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋ: 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 ðĻðŋðĩððĪððĪðŋ-ðŦðē appears in the middle of life.
ðŠð°ðŋððð°ðđðð·ð ðĩðð°ðūðððŊð ðŠðð°ðūðŊð ðŪððĒðļððŊ ðĶððķððŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðĶððđð ðĩðŋððēðŋðĪðūðķðļððŊ ðððĩ ð°ðūðð ðððĩ ðĩðŋð°ðūððĪðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-62āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŠð°ðŋððð°ðđðð·ð - in possessions; in acquisitions
ðĩðð°ðūðððŊð - dispassion
ðŠðð°ðūðŊð - generally; mostly
ðŪððĒðļððŊ - of the confused one
ðĶððķððŊðĪð - is seen
ðĶððđð - toward the body
ðĩðŋððēðŋðĪ-ððķðū - whose craving/expectation has fallen away
ðððĩ ð°ðūðð - where is attachment?
ðððĩ ðĩðŋð°ðūððĪðū - where is (even) dispassion?
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŠð°ðŋððð°ðđ. The deeper attachment remains untouched. True freedom begins when the craving rooted in body-identification weakens.
The wise person described here has ðĩðŋððēðŋðĪ-ððķðū 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 ð°ðūð, and where is ðĩðŋð°ðūððĪðū? 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 ðĩðð°ðūðððŊ than merely simplifying possessions.
ððūðĩðĻðūððūðĩðĻðūðļðððĪðū ðĶðð·ðððŋð°ððŪððĒðļððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðū āĨĪ
ððūðĩððŊððūðĩðĻðŊðū ðļðū ðĪð ðļððĩðļððĨðļððŊðūðĶðð·ðððŋð°ððŠðŋðĢð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-63āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððūðĩðĻðū - imagining; mental construction
ð
ððūðĩðĻðū - "not imagining"; suppression/anti-imagination
ðļðððĪðū - attached; stuck
ðĶðð·ðððŋð - view; vision
ðŪððĒðļððŊ - of the confused one
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
ððūðĩððŊ-ð
ððūðĩðĻðŊðū - by abandoning imagined and unimagined (both extremes)
ðļðū - that (vision)
ðĪð - however
ðļððĩðļððĨðļððŊ - of the steady one
ð
ðĶðð·ðððŋ-ð°ððŠðŋðĢð - becomes "non-seeing" (non-fixating)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The confused mind is always stuck in imagining or in fighting imagination. But when both are dropped, the steady oneâs vision becomes free of fixation - a kind of "non-seeing."
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The mind can get trapped in two extremes: constant mental constructing (ððūðĩðĻðū) and constant suppression of constructing (ð
ððūðĩðĻðū). 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 ð
ðĶðð·ðððŋ - 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 ð
ðĶðð·ðððŋ - a clean seeing that is free of compulsive fixation.
ðļð°ððĩðūð°ðððð·ð ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ðŊðķððð°ððĶð ðŽðūðēðĩðĻð ðŪððĻðŋð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðēððŠðļððĪðļððŊ ðķððĶðð§ðļððŊ ððð°ðŋðŊðŪðūðĢðð―ðŠðŋ ðð°ððŪðĢðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-64āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļð°ððĩ-ðð°ðððð·ð - in all undertakings
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - desireless; without craving for result
ðŊð - who
ðð°ððĪð - moves; lives
ðŽðūðēðĩðĪð - like a child (uncontrived)
ðŪððĻðŋð - sage
ðĻ ðēððŠð - no stain; no binding residue
ðĪðļððŊ - for that one
ðķððĶðð§ðļððŊ - pure one
ððð°ðŋðŊðŪðūðĢð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while being done
ðð°ððŪðĢðŋ - in action
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
The sage who lives without craving in all undertakings, simple like a child, is not stained by action even while actions occur.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse states the core of ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ 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" (ðēððŠ) 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 ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ. 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 ðēððŠ and make actions cleaner.
ðļ ððĩ ð§ðĻððŊ ððĪððŪðððð ðļð°ððĩððūðĩðð·ð ðŊð ðļðŪð āĨĪ
ðŠðķððŊðĻð ðķððĢððĩðĻð ðļððŠððķðĻð ððŋððð°ðĻððĻð ð
ðķððĻðĻððĻðŋðļððĪð°ðð·ðŪðūðĻðļð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-65āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļ ððĩ - he alone
ð§ðĻððŊð - blessed
ððĪððŪ-ðððð - knower of the Self
ðļð°ððĩ-ððūðĩðð·ð - in all conditions/states
ðŊð - who
ðļðŪð - equal; even-minded
ðŠðķððŊðĻð - seeing
ðķððĢððĩðĻð - hearing
ðļððŠððķðĻð - touching
ððŋððð°ðĻð - smelling
ð
ðķððĻðĻð - eating
ððļððĪð°ðð·-ðŪðĻðļð - with mind free of thirst/craving
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð-ðĪðð·ððĢðū in spirit - free of thirst. That thirst is the subtle demand that says, "I need more," or "I need different." When thirst ends, equanimity (ðļðŪðĪðū) becomes natural across all states (ðļð°ððĩ-ððūðĩ).
This is why the verse calls such a one ð§ðĻððŊ - 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.
ðððĩ ðļððļðūð°ð ðððĩ ððūððūðļð ðððĩ ðļðūð§ððŊð ðððĩ ð ðļðūð§ðĻðŪð āĨĪ
ðððūðķðļððŊððĩ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠðļððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-66āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðļððļðūð°ð - bondage; repetitive suffering
ðððūðļð - appearance; mere semblance
ðļðūð§ððŊð - goal to be achieved
ðļðūð§ðĻðŪð - means/practice
ðððūðķðļððŊ ððĩ - like space
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠðļððŊ - free of conceptual splitting
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
For the steady one, always free of conceptual splitting and vast like space, where are bondage and mere appearance, goal and means?
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse uses the metaphor of ðððūðķ (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 ðļððļðūð° because experiences are seen as ðððūðļ - 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.
ðļ ððŊðĪððŊð°ððĨðļððĻððŊðūðļð ðŠðð°ððĢðļððĩð°ðļðĩðŋððð°ðđð āĨĪ
ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪðð―ðĻðĩððððŋðĻððĻð ðļðŪðūð§ðŋð°ððŊðļððŊ ðĩð°ððĪðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-6ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļð - that one
ððŊðĪðŋ - conquers; triumphs
ð
ð°ððĨ-ðļððĻððŊðūðļð - renouncer of worldly gain/ends
ðŠðð°ððĢ-ðļððĩð°-ðļ-ðĩðŋððð°ðđð - full in expression and being; complete and vital
ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪð - natural; unforced
ð
ðĻðĩððððŋðĻððĻð - unbroken; uninterrupted
ðļðŪðūð§ðŋð - absorption/rest in the Self
ðŊðļððŊ - whose
ðĩð°ððĪðĪð - remains; prevails
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ð
ð°ððĨ-ðļððĻððŊðūðļð is one who has renounced the chase for gain as identity. Yet the verse immediately says he is ðŠðð°ððĢ - full, not dry. That fullness comes from ð
ðððĪðð°ðŋðŪ ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ: a natural, unforced resting in awareness that is ð
ðĻðĩððððŋðĻððĻ, 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 ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ is still an ego project; unforced ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ 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 ðļðŪðūð§ðŋ less a special event and more a stable background.
ðŽðđððĻðūðĪðð° ððŋðŪððððĪððĻ ððððūðĪðĪðĪððĪððĩð ðŪðđðūðķðŊð āĨĪ
ððððŪðððð·ðĻðŋð°ðūððūðððð·ð ðļðĶðū ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° ðĻðð°ðļð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-6ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŽðđððĻðū ð
ðĪðð° - with many words here
ððŋð ððððĪððĻ - what is the use?
ððððūðĪ-ðĪðĪððĪððĩð - knower of truth
ðŪðđðū-ððķðŊð - great-souled one
ððð-ðŪðððð· - enjoyment and liberation
ðĻðŋð°ðūððūðððð·ð - without craving for
ðļðĶðū - always
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° - everywhere
ðĻðð°ðļð - without personal relish/agenda; not hooked
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Why many words? The great-souled knower of truth craves neither pleasure nor liberation, and remains unhooked everywhere.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ððð (pleasure) and not hungry even for ðŪðððð· as an achievement. That is why he is called ðĻðð°ðļ: 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 ðĻðð°ðļ in the best sense: free.
ðŪðđðĶðūðĶðŋ ðððĶððĶððĩððĪð ðĻðūðŪðŪðūðĪðð°ðĩðŋðððððŋðĪðŪð āĨĪ
ðĩðŋðđðūðŊ ðķððĶðð§ðŽðð§ðļððŊ ððŋð ðððĪððŊðŪðĩðķðŋð·ððŊðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-6ðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŪðđðĪð-ððĶðŋ - beginning with ðŪðđðĪð (cosmic intellect) and so on
ðððĪð-ðĶððĩððĪðŪð - the dual world
ðĻðūðŪ-ðŪðūðĪðð° - mere name
ðĩðŋðððððŋðĪðŪð - expanded/spread out
ðĩðŋðđðūðŊ - having abandoned; having let go
ðķððĶðð§-ðŽðð§ðļððŊ - of pure awareness
ððŋðŪð - what?
ðððĪððŊð - duty; something to be done
ð
ðĩðķðŋð·ððŊðĪð - remains
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse points to the constructed nature of cosmology and identity. Whether you describe the world through ðŪðđðĪð and other categories or through modern categories, the mind is still naming and mapping. The verse says: it is ðĻðūðŪ-ðŪðūðĪðð° - 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 ðķððĶðð§-ðŽðð§: 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.
ððð°ðŪðððĪðŪðŋðĶð ðļð°ððĩð ððŋðððŋðĻððĻðūðļððĪððĪðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŊð āĨĪ
ð
ðēððð·ððŊðļððŦðð°ðĢð ðķððĶðð§ð ðļððĩððūðĩððĻððĩ ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð0āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððð°ðŪ-ðððĪðŪð - of the nature of illusion
ððĶð ðļð°ððĩð - all this
ððŋðððŋðĪð ðĻ ð
ðļððĪðŋ - "nothing exists" (in the ultimate sense)
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðĻðŋðķðððŊð - one with firm certainty
ð
ðēððð·ððŊ - not an object of perception; subtle
ðļððŦðð°ðĢð - shining presence; awareness
ðķððĶðð§ð - pure
ðļððĩððūðĩððĻ ððĩ - by nature alone
ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ - becomes calm; is pacified
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse speaks in the strongest Advaita language: "nothing exists" - meaning nothing exists independently, as a separate ultimate reality. Everything is ððð°ðŪ-ðððĪ in the sense of being appearance. When this is firmly understood, the mind stops clinging. The pure one is described as ð
ðēððð·ððŊ-ðļððŦðð°ðĢ: 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 (ðķðūððĪðŋ) 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 ðļððĩððūðĩ-ðķðū ððĪðŋ becomes real: calmness that arises from seeing clearly.
ðķððĶðð§ðļððŦðð°ðĢð°ððŠðļððŊ ðĶððķððŊððūðĩðŪðŠðķððŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðððĩ ðĩðŋð§ðŋð ðððĩ ð ðĩðð°ðūðððŊð ðððĩ ðĪððŊðūðð ðððĩ ðķðŪðð―ðŠðŋ ðĩðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð1āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðķððĶðð§-ðļððŦðð°ðĢ-ð°ððŠðļððŊ - of one whose nature is pure shining awareness
ðĶððķððŊ-ððūðĩðŪð - the sense of objecthood; treating things as separate objects
ð
ðŠðķððŊðĪð - not seeing; not adopting
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðĩðŋð§ðŋð - rule; injunction
ðĩðð°ðūðððŊð - dispassion
ðĪððŊðūðð - renunciation
ðķðŪð - calmness; pacification
ð
ðŠðŋ - even
ðĩðū - or
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse speaks from the standpoint where practices become unnecessary because their purpose has been fulfilled. Rules (ðĩðŋð§ðŋ), dispassion (ðĩðð°ðūðððŊ), renunciation (ðĪððŊðūð), and calmness (ðķðŪ) are usually taught as means to reduce craving and stabilize the mind. But if you have recognized yourself as ðķððĶðð§-ðļððŦðð°ðĢ - pure shining awareness - and the habit of objectifying (ðĶððķððŊ-ððūðĩ) 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, ðķðŪ and ðĩðð°ðūðððŊ grow more naturally.
ðļððŦðð°ðĪðð―ðĻððĪð°ððŠððĢ ðŠðð°ðððĪðŋð ð ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪð āĨĪ
ðððĩ ðŽðð§ð ðððĩ ð ðĩðū ðŪðððð·ð ðððĩ ðđð°ðð·ð ðððĩ ðĩðŋð·ðūðĶðŋðĪðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð2āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððŦðð°ðĪð - of one who shines; is vividly present
ð
ðĻððĪ-ð°ððŠððĢ - as infinite; without limit
ðŠðð°ðððĪðŋð - nature; the field of phenomena
ð - and
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪð - not seeing (as separate/ultimate)
ðððĩ ðŽðð§ð - where is bondage?
ðððĩ ðŪðððð·ð - where is liberation?
ðððĩ ðđð°ðð·ð - where is elation?
ðððĩ ðĩðŋð·ðūðĶðŋðĪðū - where is dejection?
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ð
ðĻððĪ 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 ðŠðð°ðððĪðŋ" 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 ðđð°ðð· and ðĩðŋð·ðūðĶ reduces, and equanimity becomes more natural.
ðŽððĶðð§ðŋðŠð°ððŊððĪðļððļðūð°ð ðŪðūðŊðūðŪðūðĪðð°ð ðĩðŋðĩð°ððĪðĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪð ðĻðŋð°ðđðððūð°ð ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ðķðððĪð ðŽðð§ð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð3āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŽððĶðð§ðŋ-ðŠð°ððŊððĪ-ðļððļðūð°ð - in bondage up to the level of intellect
ðŪðūðŊðū-ðŪðūðĪðð°ðŪð - only illusion; mere appearance
ðĩðŋðĩð°ððĪðĪð - turns; operates; plays out
ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪð - without "mine"
ðĻðŋð°ðđðððūð°ð - without ego
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - desireless
ðķðððĪð - shines
ðŽðð§ð - the wise one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Within the mind-and-intellect world, the play of illusion continues. But the wise one shines free - without possessiveness, without ego, without craving.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse clarifies where bondage lives: in the mind-intellect complex. ðŪðūðŊðū 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 ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪ, ðĻðŋð°ðđðððūð°, ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ. 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 mindâs 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 ðŪðūðŊðū 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.
ð
ððð·ðŊð ððĪðļððĪðūðŠðŪðūðĪððŪðūðĻð ðŠðķððŊðĪð ðŪððĻðð āĨĪ
ðððĩ ðĩðŋðĶððŊðū ð ðððĩ ðĩðū ðĩðŋðķððĩð ðððĩ ðĶððđðð―ðđð ðŪðŪððĪðŋ ðĩðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð4āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ððð·ðŊð - imperishable
ððĪ-ðļððĪðūðŠðŪð - free from torment; with anguish gone
ððĪððŪðūðĻð - the Self
ðŠðķððŊðĪð - of one who sees/realizes
ðŪððĻðð - of the sage
ðððĩ ðĩðŋðĶððŊðū - where is knowledge (as an object)?
ðððĩ ðĩðŋðķððĩð - where is the world (as an ultimate)?
ðððĩ ðĶððđð - where is the body (as identity)?
ðððĩ ð
ðđðŪð - where is "I" (ego)?
ðŪðŪ ððĪðŋ - "mine"
ðĩðū - or
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse shows what changes when the Self is seen as ð
ððð·ðŊ, imperishable. When identity is no longer tied to the changing, the sense of inner torment (ðļððĪðūðŠ) 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 ðððĩ 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.
ðĻðŋð°ðð§ðūðĶððĻðŋ ðð°ððŪðūðĢðŋ ððđðūðĪðŋ ððĄð§ðð°ððŊðĶðŋ āĨĪ
ðŪðĻðð°ðĨðūðĻð ðŠðð°ðēðūðŠðūððķðð ðð°ððĪððŪðūðŠððĻððĪððŊðĪðĪðððð·ðĢðūðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð5āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ðð§-ððĶððĻðŋ - restraint and related disciplines
ðð°ððŪðūðĢðŋ - practices/actions
ððđðūðĪðŋ - abandons
ððĄ-ð§ðð - dull-minded one; unprepared intellect
ðŊðĶðŋ - if
ðŪðĻð-ð°ðĨðūðĻð - fantasies; mental chariots
ðŠðð°ðēðūðŠðūðĻð - idle talk; prattle
ð - and
ðð°ððĪðð - to do
ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - becomes capable; falls into
ð
ðĪðĪð-ððð·ðĢðūðĪð - immediately; at once
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
If an unprepared, dull mind abandons disciplines like restraint, it immediately falls into fantasies and idle talk.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ðð§ 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.
ðŪððĶð ðķðð°ððĪððĩðūðŠðŋ ðĪðĶððĩðļððĪð ðĻ ððđðūðĪðŋ ðĩðŋðŪððĒðĪðūðŪð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠð ðŽðđðŋð°ððŊðĪððĻðūðĶððĪð°ððĩðŋð·ðŊðēðūðēðļð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ð6āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŪððĶð - dull one; unprepared person
ðķðð°ððĪððĩðū ð
ðŠðŋ - even after hearing
ðĪðĪð ðĩðļððĪð - that truth/reality
ðĻ ððđðūðĪðŋ - does not abandon
ðĩðŋðŪððĒðĪðūðŪð - confusion; delusion
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠð - appearing without concepts
ðŽðđðŋð ðŊðĪððĻðūðĪð - outwardly due to effort
ð
ððĪð°ð - inwardly
ðĩðŋð·ðŊ-ðēðūðēðļð - longing for objects; craving
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠ can be manufactured by suppression or by image-management, while inwardly the mind is still ðĩðŋð·ðŊ-ðēðūðēðļ, 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. Ashtavakraâs 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 chapterâs 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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððēððŠ becomes less of a mask and more of a natural simplicity.
ððððūðĻðūðĶð ððēðŋðĪðð°ððŪðū ðŊð ðēðððĶðð·ððððŊðūðŠðŋ ðð°ððŪðððĪð āĨĪ
ðĻðūðŠððĻððĪððŊðĩðļð°ð ðð°ððĪðð ðĩðððĪððŪððĩ ðĻ ððŋðððĻ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ððāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððððūðĻðūðĪð - through knowledge
ððēðŋðĪ-ðð°ððŪðū - whose sense of action/doership has melted away
ðŊð - who
ðēðð-ðĶðð·ððððŊðū ð
ðŠðŋ - even from the world's viewpoint
ðð°ððŪ-ðððĪð - one who does actions
ðĻ ððŠððĻððĪðŋ - does not obtain
ð
ðĩðļð°ðŪð - occasion; opportunity (for egoic claiming)
ðð°ððĪðð - to do (as "I do")
ðĩðððĪðð ððĩ - even to speak (as "I assert")
ðĻ ððŋðððĻ - anything
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ððēðŋðĪ-ðð°ððŪðū), 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 egoâs 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 Gitaâs 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.
ðððĩ ðĪðŪð ðððĩ ðŠðð°ððūðķð ðĩðū ðđðūðĻð ðððĩ ð ðĻ ððŋðððĻ āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ðļððŊ ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðĻðŋð°ðūðĪðððļððŊ ðļð°ððĩðĶðū āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ððŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðĪðŪð - darkness; ignorance
ðŠðð°ððūðķð - light; knowledge
ðĩðū - or
ðđðūðĻð - loss; abandonment
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðĻ ððŋðððĻ - anything at all
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°ðļððŊ - of the changeless one
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðĻðŋð°ðūðĪðððļððŊ - of the fearless/undisturbed one
ðļð°ððĩðĶðū - always
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse is speaking from the Selfâs 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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðŋððūð°, changeless. When identity is anchored there, the opposites lose their power to define you. That is why the verseâs 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 ðĻðŋð°ðūðĪðð, 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.
ðððĩ ð§ðð°ððŊð ðððĩ ðĩðŋðĩðððŋðĪððĩð ðððĩ ðĻðŋð°ðūðĪðððĪðūðŠðŋ ðĩðū āĨĪ
ð
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðððŊðļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ ðĻðŋððļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ððŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ð§ðð°ððŊð - courage; firmness
ðĩðŋðĩðððŋðĪððĩð - discernment
ðĻðŋð°ðūðĪðððĪðū - fearlessness; undisturbedness
ð
ðŠðŋ ðĩðū - even or
ð
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðððŊ-ðļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ - of one whose nature is indescribable
ðĻðŋððļððĩððūðĩðļððŊ - of one beyond fixed nature/attributes
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
For the yogi whose nature is indescribable and beyond fixed attributes, where are even qualities like courage, discernment, and fearlessness as separate "traits"?
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ð
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðððŊ, indescribable, and ðĻðŋððļððĩððūðĩ, 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.
ðĻ ðļððĩð°ððð ðĻððĩ ðĻð°ðð ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪðŋð°ððĻ ðððĩ ðđðŋ āĨĪ
ðŽðđððĻðūðĪðð° ððŋðŪððððĪððĻ ðŊðððĶðð·ððððŊðū ðĻ ððŋðððĻ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ0āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ðļððĩð°ððð - not heaven
ðĻ ððĩ ðĻð°ðð - nor hell
ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪðŋð - liberation while living
ðĻ - not
ð ððĩ ðđðŋ - nor indeed
ðŽðđððĻðū ð
ðĪðð° - with many words here
ððŋð ððððĪððĻ - what is the use?
ðŊðð-ðĶðð·ððððŊðū - from the yogic vision
ðĻ ððŋðððĻ - nothing at all
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse speaks from the non-dual standpoint where the mindâs 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 ðððĩðĻððŪððððĪðŋ as a "thing" because, from the Selfâs 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 ðŊðð-ðĶðð·ðððŋ - 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 ðŊðð-ðĶðð·ðððŋ.
ðĻððĩ ðŠðð°ðūð°ððĨðŊðĪð ðēðūðð ðĻðūðēðūðððĻðūðĻððķðððĪðŋ āĨĪ
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðķððĪðēð ððŋðĪððĪðŪðŪððĪððĻððĩ ðŠðð°ðŋðĪðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ1āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ððĩ - not at all
ðŠðð°ðūð°ððĨðŊðĪð - prays for; begs for; anxiously seeks
ðēðūðð - gain
ðĻ ð
ðēðūðððĻ - not because of loss
ð
ðĻððķðððĪðŋ - grieves; laments
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðķððĪðēð - cool; calm
ððŋðĪððĪð - mind
ð
ðŪððĪððĻ - with nectar; with the immortal (taste of the Self)
ððĩ - indeed
ðŠðð°ðŋðĪðŪð - filled
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
He neither begs for gain nor grieves over loss. The steady oneâs mind is cool, filled with the nectar of inner wholeness.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðķððĪðē: cool, not overheated by craving.
The word ð
ðŪððĪ 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.
ðĻ ðķðūððĪð ðļððĪððĪðŋ ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ðĻ ðĶðð·ðððŪðŠðŋ ðĻðŋððĶðĪðŋ āĨĪ
ðļðŪðĶððððļðððļððĪððŠððĪð ððŋðððŋðĪð ðððĪððŊð ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ2āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ - not
ðķðūððĪð - the calm/peaceful person
ðļððĪððĪðŋ - praises
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - desireless one
ðĻ - not
ðĶðð·ðððŪð - the wicked/unwholesome
ð
ðŠðŋ - even
ðĻðŋððĶðĪðŋ - condemns
ðļðŪ-ðĶððð-ðļðð - equal in pain and pleasure
ðĪððŠððĪð - content
ððŋðððŋðĪð - anything
ðððĪððŊð - "must-do" duty
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - does not see (as binding)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðððĪððŊð as burden: when you are not trying to fix your self-image through action, action becomes simpler. This aligns with the chapterâs 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.
ð§ðð°ð ðĻ ðĶððĩðð·ðððŋ ðļððļðūð°ðŪðūðĪððŪðūðĻð ðĻ ðĶðŋðĶðððð·ðĪðŋ āĨĪ
ðđð°ðð·ðūðŪð°ðð·ðĩðŋðĻðŋð°ððŪððððĪð ðĻ ðŪððĪð ðĻ ð ðððĩðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ3āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð§ðð°ð - steady one; wise
ðĻ ðĶððĩðð·ðððŋ - does not hate
ðļððļðūð°ðŪð - worldly life; the cycle of experience
ððĪððŪðūðĻð - the Self
ðĻ ðĶðŋðĶðððð·ðĪðŋ - does not crave to "see" (as an object)
ðđð°ðð· - elation
ð
ðŪð°ðð· - irritation; impatience; resentment
ðĩðŋðĻðŋð°ððŪððððĪð - freed from
ðĻ ðŪððĪð - not dead
ðĻ ð ðððĩðĪðŋ - nor (as a separate ego) lives
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 egoâs sense of being a separate living or dying entity.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse corrects two common spiritual cravings: world-hatred and Self-seeking as an object. Some people hate ðļððļðūð° 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 ðđð°ðð· and ð
ðŪð°ðð· 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.
ðĻðŋððļððĻððđð ðŠððĪðð°ðĶðūð°ðūðĶð ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ðĩðŋð·ðŊðð·ð ð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð ðļððĩðķð°ðð°ðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻðŋð°ðūðķð ðķðððĪð ðŽðð§ð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ4āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋððļððĻððđð - without clinging attachment
ðŠððĪðð°-ðĶðūð°-ððĶð - toward children, spouse, and the like
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - without craving
ðĩðŋð·ðŊðð·ð - toward sense-objects
ð - and
ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð - free of worry
ðļððĩ-ðķð°ðð°ð ð
ðŠðŋ - even about oneâs own body
ðĻðŋð°ðūðķð - without expectation
ðķðððĪð - shines
ðŽðð§ð - the wise one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse describes non-attachment in its most sensitive places: relationships and the body. ðĻðŋððļððĻððđ 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, ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ 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. ðĻðŋð°ðūðķðū 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 verseâs qualities concrete.
ðĪðð·ðððŋð ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° ð§ðð°ðļððŊ ðŊðĨðūðŠðĪðŋðĪðĩð°ððĪðŋðĻð āĨĪ
ðļððĩðððððĶð ðð°ðĪð ðĶððķðūðĻð ðŊðĪðð°ðļððĪðŪðŋðĪðķðūðŊðŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ5āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĪðð·ðððŋð - contentment; satisfaction
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° - everywhere
ð§ðð°ðļððŊ - of the steady one
ðŊðĨðū-ðŠðĪðŋðĪ-ðĩð°ððĪðŋðĻð - living with what comes; as life falls into place
ðļððĩðððððĶð - freely; as he wishes
ðð°ðĪð - while roaming/moving
ðĶððķðūðĻð - places
ðŊðĪðð° - wherever
ð
ðļððĪðŪðŋðĪ - at sunset; when the day ends
ðķðūðŊðŋðĻð - of one who lies down/rests
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Contentment is everywhere for the steady one who lives with what comes. Roaming freely through places, he rests wherever the day ends.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŊðĨðū-ðŠðĪðŋðĪ - 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.
ðŠðĪðĪððĶððĪð ðĩðū ðĶððđð ðĻðūðļððŊ ððŋððĪðū ðŪðđðūðĪððŪðĻð āĨĪ
ðļððĩððūðĩðððŪðŋðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋðĩðŋðļððŪððĪðūðķðð·ðļððļððĪðð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪ6āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŠðĪðĪð - may fall
ððĶððĪð - may rise
ðĩðū - or
ðĶððđð - the body
ðĻ ð
ðļððŊ ððŋððĪðū - no concern for him
ðŪðđðūðĪððŪðĻð - of the great-souled one
ðļððĩððūðĩ-ðððŪðŋ - the ground of one's true nature
ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ - rest; repose
ðĩðŋðļððŪððĪ - having forgotten
ð
ðķððķ - all
ðļððļððĪðð - of bondage; of the cycle of worldly becoming
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðŪðđðūðĪððŪðū, the body is no longer the center of identity. Because he rests in the ground of being (ðļððĩððūðĩ-ðððŪðŋ), 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 bodyâs 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.
ð
ððŋðððĻð ððūðŪððūð°ð ðĻðŋð°ððĶððĩððĶððĩðķðððŋðĻððĻðļððķðŊð āĨĪ
ð
ðļðððĪð ðļð°ððĩððūðĩðð·ð ðððĩðēð ð°ðŪðĪð ðŽðð§ð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ððŋðððĻð - having nothing; non-possessive
ððūðŪ-ððūð°ð - moving freely; acting as he wishes (without compulsion)
ðĻðŋð°ððĶððĩððĶððĩð - free of opposites
ððŋðĻððĻ-ðļððķðŊð - doubts cut off
ð
ðļðððĪð - unattached
ðļð°ððĩ-ððūðĩðð·ð - in all conditions/states
ðððĩðēð - alone; pure; uncombined
ð°ðŪðĪð - delights; rests joyfully
ðŽðð§ð - wise one
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse strings together many signs of liberation. ð
ððŋðððĻ is inner poverty in the best sense: nothing is possessed as identity. ððūðŪ-ððūð° here does not mean indulgence; it means inner freedom to move without compulsion. ðĻðŋð°ððĶððĩððĶððĩ and ððŋðĻððĻ-ðļððķðŊ describe the end of inner argument: doubt about the Self is cut, so the mind is no longer pulled by opposites. Then ðððĩðē 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 ð°ðŪðĪð: 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, ðððĩðē joy becomes more accessible: not as excitement, but as quiet wholeness.
ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪð ðķðððĪð ð§ðð°ð ðļðŪðēðð·ðððūðķððŪððūðððĻð āĨĪ
ðļðððŋðĻððĻðđððĶðŊððð°ððĨðŋð°ððĩðŋðĻðŋð°ðð§ððĪð°ððļððĪðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪð - without "mine"; non-possessive
ðķðððĪð - shines
ð§ðð°ð - steady/wise one
ðļðŪ-ðēðð·ðð-ð
ðļððŪ-ððūðððĻð - equal toward clod, stone, and gold
ðļð-ððŋðĻððĻ-ðđððĶðŊ-ððð°ððĨðŋð - whose heart-knot is well cut/broken
ðĩðŋðĻðŋð°ðð§ððĪ - shaken off; blown away
ð°ððļð-ðĪðŪð - passion and inertia (the guNas)
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse gives a classical marker of freedom: ðļðŪ-ðēðð·ðð-ð
ðļððŪ-ððūðððĻ - 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 ðĻðŋð°ððŪðŪ, free from possessiveness.
The "heart-knot" (ðđððĶðŊ-ððð°ððĨðŋ) is the knot of ego-identification that ties awareness to body-mind as "me." When it is cut, the guNas lose dominance. ð°ððļð (restless passion) and ðĪðŪðļð (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.
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð°ðūðĻðĩð§ðūðĻðļððŊ ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĶð ðĩðūðļðĻðū ðđððĶðŋ āĨĪ
ðŪððððĪðūðĪððŪðĻð ðĩðŋðĪððŠððĪðļððŊ ðĪððēðĻðū ðððĻ ððūðŊðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŪðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° - everywhere
ð
ðĻðĩð§ðūðĻðļððŊ - unconcerned; not fixated
ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĪð - nothing at all
ðĩðūðļðĻðū - latent craving/impression
ðđððĶðŋ - in the heart
ðŪððððĪ-ððĪððŪðĻð - of the liberated Self (person)
ðĩðŋðĪððŠððĪðļððŊ - fully content; completely satisfied
ðĪððēðĻðū - comparison
ðððĻ - with what?
ððūðŊðĪð - arises
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĩðūðļðĻðū is gone and contentment is deep (ðĩðŋðĪððŠððĪ), 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 ð
ðĻðĩð§ðūðĻ: 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.
ððūðĻðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðĻ ððūðĻðūðĪðŋ ðŠðķððŊðĻððĻðŠðŋ ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ āĨĪ
ðŽðð°ððĩðĻððĻð ð
ðŠðŋ ðĻ ð ðŽðð°ððĪð ððð―ðĻððŊð ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻðūðĶððĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ0āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððūðĻðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while knowing
ðĻ ððūðĻðūðĪðŋ - does not (egoically) know/claim
ðŠðķððŊðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while seeing
ðĻ ðŠðķððŊðĪðŋ - does not (egoically) see/claim
ðŽðð°ððĩðĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while speaking
ðĻ ð ðŽðð°ððĪð - does not (egoically) speak/claim
ðð ð
ðĻððŊð - who else?
ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻðūðĪð - from desirelessness
ððĪð - except; without
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĻðŋð°ððĩðūðļðĻ: 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.
ððŋððð·ðð°ððĩðū ðððŠðĪðŋð°ððĩðūðŠðŋ ðŊð ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð ðļ ðķðððĪð āĨĪ
ððūðĩðð·ð ððēðŋðĪðū ðŊðļððŊ ðķðððĻðūðķðððĻðū ðŪðĪðŋð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ1āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððŋððð·ðð - mendicant; monk
ðĩðū - or
ðððŠðĪðŋð - king; ruler
ð
ðŠðŋ - also
ðŊð - who
ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪð - desireless; free of craving for results
ðļð - that one
ðķðððĪð - shines
ððūðĩðð·ð - in all conditions/states
ððēðŋðĪðū - melted; dissolved
ðŊðļððŊ - whose
ðķðððĻ-ð
ðķðððĻðū - good and bad (as ego-labels)
ðŪðĪðŋð - mind; judgment
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Whether a monk or a king, the desireless one shines. In all conditions, his egoic labeling of "good" and "bad" has melted away.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse says freedom is not a costume tied to a role. The desireless one can be a ððŋððð·ð or a ðððŠðĪðŋ, and still shine. What matters is not the outer life but the inner motive. When ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ 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 chapterâs repeated theme: reduce inner ownership and craving, and life becomes cleaner.
Practice by living ðĻðŋð·ðððūðŪ 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.
ðððĩ ðļððĩðūðððððĶððŊð ðððĩ ðļððððð ðððĩ ðĩðū ðĪðĪððĪððĩðĩðŋðĻðŋðķðððŊð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððŊðūððūð°ðððĩðððĪðļððŊ ðð°ðŋðĪðūð°ððĨðļððŊ ðŊðððŋðĻð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ2āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĩ - where is...?
ðļððĩ-ððððððĶððŊðŪð - freedom of will; acting as one wishes
ðļððððð - contraction; shrinking
ðĪðĪððĪððĩ-ðĩðŋðĻðŋðķðððŊð - certainty of truth
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððŊðūð - without pretence; without hypocrisy
ðð°ðððĩ-ðððĪðļððŊ - of one who is pure straightforwardness
ðð°ðŋðĪðūð°ððĨðļððŊ - fulfilled; accomplished in purpose
ðŊðððŋðĻð - of the yogi
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
The verse points to a mind that has become simple and transparent. When the yogi is ðĻðŋð°ððĩððŊðūð (without pretence) and ðð°ðððĩ (straightforward), there is less inner conflict. Such a person is ðð°ðŋðĪðūð°ððĨ: 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 ðð°ðŋðĪðūð°ððĨ in practice.
ððĪððŪðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋðĪððŠððĪððĻ ðĻðŋð°ðūðķððĻ ððĪðūð°ððĪðŋðĻðū āĨĪ
ð
ððĪð°ððŊðĶðĻððððŊððĪ ðĪðĪð ððĨð ððļððŊ ððĨððŊðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ3āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððĪððŪ-ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ - rest in the Self
ðĪððŠððĪððĻ - satisfied by
ðĻðŋð°ðūðķððĻ - without expectation
ððĪ-ðð°ððĪðŋðĻðū - with distress gone
ð
ððĪð°ð - within
ðŊðĪð - whatever
ð
ðĻððððŊððĪ - is experienced
ðĪðĪð - that
ððĨð - how?
ððļððŊ - to whom?
ððĨððŊðĪð - can be spoken/explained
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse points to the ineffability of realization. When the mind rests in the Self (ððĪððŪ-ðĩðŋðķðð°ðūððĪðŋ), 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 (ðĪððŠððĪðŋ) is inward and stable, and the distress (ðð°ððĪðŋ) 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 verseâs point: what matters most is not what you can say, but what you can be.
ðļððŠððĪðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ðļðð·ððŠððĪð ð ðļððĩðŠððĻðð―ðŠðŋ ðķðŊðŋðĪð ðĻ ð āĨĪ
ððūðð°ðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ððūðð°ððĪðŋ ð§ðð°ðļððĪððŠððĪð ðŠðĶð ðŠðĶð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ4āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðļððŠððĪð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while sleeping
ðĻ ðļðð·ððŠððĪð - not (as) in deep sleep (as identity)
ð - and
ðļððĩðŠððĻð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while dreaming
ðķðŊðŋðĪð ðĻ - not "lying down" (as identity)
ð - and
ððūðð°ð ð
ðŠðŋ - even while awake
ðĻ ððūðð°ððĪðŋ - not "awake" (as ego-identity)
ð§ðð°ð - steady one
ðĪððŠððĪð - content
ðŠðĶð ðŠðĶð - at every step; always
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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.
ðððð ðļððŋððĪðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð ðļðððĶðð°ðŋðŊðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻðŋð°ðŋððĶðð°ðŋðŊð āĨĪ
ðļððŽððĶðð§ðŋð°ðŠðŋ ðĻðŋð°ððŽððĶðð§ðŋð ðļðūðđðððūð°ðð―ðĻðđððððĪðŋð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ5āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððð - knower; wise one
ðļ-ððŋððĪð ð
ðŠðŋ - even with thoughts
ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪð - free of anxious thinking
ðļ-ðððĶðð°ðŋðŊð ð
ðŠðŋ - even with senses
ðĻðŋð°ðŋððĶðð°ðŋðŊð - not bound by senses
ðļð-ðŽððĶðð§ðŋð ð
ðŠðŋ - even with sharp intellect
ðĻðŋð°ððŽððĶðð§ðŋð - beyond intellect as identity
ðļ-ð
ðđðððūð°ð ð
ðŠðŋ - even appearing with ego
ð
ðĻðđððððĪðŋð - without ego-ownership
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse describes freedom as non-ownership rather than shutdown. Thoughts can appear, but they do not become anxious rumination (ðĻðŋðķðððŋððĪ). Senses can function, but they do not enslave (ðĻðŋð°ðŋððĶðð°ðŋðŊ). Intellect can be sharp, but it is not the core identity (ðĻðŋð°ððŽððĶðð§ðŋ). Even ego-functions like using "I" in speech can continue, but without ego-ownership (ð
ðĻðđððððĪðŋ).
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.
ðĻ ðļððð ðĻ ð ðĩðū ðĶðððð ðĻ ðĩðŋð°ðððĪð ðĻ ðļðððĩðūðĻð āĨĪ
ðĻ ðŪððŪðððð·ðð°ððĻ ðĩðū ðŪððððĪðū ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĻððĻ ð ððŋðððĻ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊ6āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ðļððð - not (defined as) happy
ðĻ ðĶðððð - not (defined as) unhappy
ðĻ ðĩðŋð°ðððĪð - not (defined as) dispassionate
ðĻ ðļðððĩðūðĻð - not (defined as) attached
ðĻ ðŪððŪðððð·ðð - not a seeker of liberation
ðĻ ðŪððððĪðū - not (as a personal label) "liberated"
ðĻ ððŋðððŋðĪð - not "something"
ðĻ ð ððŋðððĻ - nor "nothing"
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
He cannot be boxed into opposites: not defined as happy or unhappy, attached or detached, seeker or liberated, "something" or "nothing."
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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.
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ðŋðŠððĪð ðļðŪðūð§ð ðĻ ðļðŪðūð§ðŋðŪðūðĻð āĨĪ
ððūðĄððŊðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ððĄð ð§ðĻððŊð ðŠðūððĄðŋðĪððŊðð―ðŠðŋ ðĻ ðŠððĄðŋðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩðŋððð·ððŠð ð
ðŠðŋ - even in distraction
ðĻ ðĩðŋððð·ðŋðŠððĪð - not truly scattered (in identity)
ðļðŪðūð§ð - in absorption
ðĻ ðļðŪðūð§ðŋðŪðūðĻð - not one who claims samAdhi
ððūðĄððŊð ð
ðŠðŋ - even in dullness
ðĻ ððĄð - not truly dull (as identity)
ð§ðĻððŊð - blessed one
ðŠðūððĄðŋðĪððŊð ð
ðŠðŋ - even in scholarship
ðĻ ðŠððĄðŋðĪð - not one who claims to be a scholar
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 (ð§ðĻððŊ) 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.
ðŪððððĪð ðŊðĨðūðļððĨðŋðĪðŋðļððĩðļððĨð ðððĪðð°ððĪðĩððŊðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪð āĨĪ
ðļðŪð ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° ðĩððĪðð·ððĢððŊðūðĻððĻ ðļððŪð°ðĪððŊðððĪð ðððĪðŪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŪððððĪð - liberated
ðŊðĨðū-ðļððĨðŋðĪðŋ - in whatever condition; as things are
ðļððĩðļððĨð - steady; inwardly healthy
ðððĪ-ðð°ððĪðĩððŊ - with what needed to be done done
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪð - at rest; at peace
ðļðŪð - equal; even-minded
ðļð°ððĩðĪðð° - everywhere
ðĩððĪðð·ððĢððŊðūðĪð - from freedom from thirst/craving
ðĻ ðļððŪð°ðĪðŋ - does not remember/replay
ð
ðððĪðŪð - the undone
ðððĪðŪð - the done
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ðĩððĪðð·ððĢððŊ 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 ðððĪ-ðð°ððĪðĩððŊ and ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĪ: duties handled, mind at peace.
Equanimity is emphasized again: ðļðŪð ðļð°ððĩðĪðð°. 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.
ðĻ ðŠðð°ððŊðĪð ðĩððĶððŊðŪðūðĻð ðĻðŋððĶððŊðŪðūðĻð ðĻ ðððŠððŊðĪðŋ āĨĪ
ðĻððĩððĶððĩðŋððĪðŋ ðŪð°ðĢð ðððĩðĻð ðĻðūððŋðĻððĶðĪðŋ āĨĨ 1ðŪ-ðŊðŊāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ðŠðð°ððŊðĪð - does not become overly pleased
ðĩððĶððŊðŪðūðĻð - while being praised/respected
ðĻðŋððĶððŊðŪðūðĻð - while being blamed/criticized
ðĻ ðððŠððŊðĪðŋ - does not get angry
ðĻ ððĩ ððĶððĩðŋððĪðŋ - does not fear/shrink
ðŪð°ðĢð - at death
ðððĩðĻð - in life
ðĻ ð
ððŋðĻððĶðĪðŋ - does not become overly delighted/attached
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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.
ðĻ ð§ðūðĩðĪðŋ ððĻðūððð°ððĢð ðĻðūð°ðĢððŊðŪððŠðķðūððĪð§ðð āĨĪ
ðŊðĨðūðĪðĨðū ðŊðĪðð°ðĪðĪðð° ðļðŪ ððĩðūðĩðĪðŋð·ðð ðĪð āĨĨ 1ðŪ-100āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻ ð§ðūðĩðĪðŋ - does not run
ððĻ-ðððð°ððĢðŪð - into crowded society
ðĻ - nor
ðð°ðĢððŊðŪð - into the forest/solitude
ððŠðķðūððĪ-ð§ðð - one whose mind is deeply pacified
ðŊðĨðū ðĪðĨðū - as it is; in whatever way
ðŊðĪðð° ðĪðĪðð° - wherever
ðļðŪð ððĩ - equal indeed
ð
ðĩðĪðŋðĻðŋðķðð ðĪð - remains; abides
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
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 (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
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 ððŠðķðūððĪ, 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 ðĩðūðļðĻðū. 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 chapterâs final instruction lived: wherever you are, remain equal and at peace.
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