ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° ðððĪðū is a 20-chapter dialogue of direct ð
ðĶððĩððĪ, and by this point it is no longer trying to "convince" the intellect; it is trying to mature the heart. The teaching keeps returning to the same non-dual recognition - you are the awareness that knows experience - but it approaches it through different angles so that residual attachments, fears, and habits lose their grip. This is why the text can feel both philosophical and intensely practical: it keeps asking you to see what actually drives your suffering.
In the previous chapters, the dialogue has already moved from inquiry to lived steadiness. Chapter 1 combines ethical stabilizers with the witness standpoint (ðļðūððð·ð). Chapter 2 expresses recognition through metaphors like rope-snake and wave-ocean, loosening fear and ownership. Chapter 3 exposes subtle forms of craving and identity even after insight, and Chapter 4 describes freedom as the absence of inner compulsion. Chapter 5 urges ðēðŊ - dissolution of false identification - and Chapter 6 has ððĻð respond that for the Self there is "no giving up and no grasping." Chapter 7 then describes the ocean-like stance where the rise and fall of experience produces no inner gain or loss.
Chapter 9 now makes a decisive turn toward ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ - a mature disillusionment that is not cynicism but clarity. ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° is not asking you to hate the world; he is asking you to see what the world can and cannot deliver. When dualities (ðĶððĩððĶððĩ) are taken as ultimate, the mind swings endlessly. When their inevitability is understood, the mind can stop bargaining with reality. The chapter also names ðĩðūðļðĻðū (latent tendencies) as the engine of ðļððļðūð° - the repeating cycle of craving and dissatisfaction - and it points to the dropping of ðĩðūðļðĻðūs as the heart of peace.
The chapters ahead keep unfolding the same message until it becomes effortless. Later sections will emphasize the naturalness of freedom, the emptiness of egoic striving, and the quiet joy of resting as awareness. But Chapter 9 is a key hinge: it gives the "why" behind dispassion, showing how observation of life, impermanence, and the diversity of opinions can ripen the mind into steadiness.
Seen as a whole, Chapter 9 is a chapter of ripening. It begins by questioning the promise of dualities like "doing vs not-doing" and "success vs failure", and it shows how a blessed maturity can arise simply by watching how people live. It then gives a clear contemplative lens: everything is impermanent and mixed with suffering, so clinging is irrational. It warns that no age or time escapes duality, so peace must be learned amid life rather than postponed. Finally, it gives a concise Advaitic diagnosis: see the elements as elements, and drop ðĩðūðļðĻðū - because ðĩðūðļðĻðū is ðļððļðūð°. The summary of this chapter is simple: disillusionment, when it becomes clear and compassionate, is the doorway to freedom.
ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° ððĩðūð āĨĨ
ðððĪðūðððĪð ð ðĶððĩððĶððĩðūðĻðŋ ððĶðū ðķðūððĪðūðĻðŋ ððļððŊ ðĩðū āĨĪ
ððĩð ððððūðĪððĩððđ ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶðūðĶð ððĩ ðĪððŊðūððŠð°ðð―ðĩðð°ðĪð āĨĨ ðŊ-1āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð°ð - the sage Ashtavakra
ððĩðūð - said
ðððĪ-ð
ðððĪð - in "done" and "not done"; action and inaction
ð - and
ðĶððĩððĶððĩðūðĻðŋ - dualities; opposing pairs
ððĶðū - when?
ðķðūððĪðūðĻðŋ - pacified; quiet
ððļððŊ - for whom?
ðĩðū - indeed; or
ððĩð - thus
ððððūðĪððĩðū - having known
ððđ - here; in this life
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶðūðĪð - from dispassion; from mature disillusionment
ððĩ - become
ðĪððŊðūð-ðŠð°ð - devoted to renunciation; oriented to letting go
ðĩðð°ðĪð - one of vow; steadfast
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Ashtavakra said: In action and inaction, and in all dualities - when are they ever fully pacified, and for whom? Knowing this, become steady in renunciation through mature disillusionment.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse begins with a blunt question that breaks a common hope: the hope that life will become free of dualities. We imagine there will be a time when doing and not-doing, success and failure, praise and blame, gain and loss finally stop. ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° says: when? for whom? The message is not pessimism; it is realism. If you keep waiting for the world to stop producing ðĶððĩððĶððĩ, you postpone peace indefinitely. ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ here means a mature "I've seen enough" - not disgust, but clear seeing that the chase never ends. From that clarity, renunciation (ðĪððŊðūð) becomes natural: you stop feeding what keeps you restless.
This aligns with the gItA's insistence that the wise person lives amid dualities without being shaken. It also resonates with the Upanishadic emphasis on the impermanence of results: actions produce outcomes, outcomes change, and no outcome can become an unchanging refuge. Advaita adds an even deeper point: the Self is not improved by favorable dualities and not harmed by unfavorable ones. But the mind forgets this and keeps trying to manufacture safety through performance or avoidance. The verse is inviting a different kind of strength: become ðĩðð°ðĪð - steady - not by winning every duality, but by seeing through the need to win.
Practice by identifying the duality you are currently bargaining with. It might be "work hard vs rest", "be liked vs be honest", "achieve vs be at peace". Notice the subtle belief: "If I land on the right side, then I'll be okay." Then pause and test it: has the right side ever stayed? Has it ever ended the chase? Let that recognition mature into ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ. After that, choose one act of ðĪððŊðūð that is inner, not dramatic: drop one compulsive checking habit, drop one argument you don't need to win, drop one self-punishing standard. Keep it steady for a week. This is how renunciation becomes lived: not by throwing life away, but by withdrawing energy from what keeps the mind enslaved.
ððļððŊðūðŠðŋ ðĪðūðĪ ð§ðĻððŊðļððŊ ðēððððð·ðððūðĩðēðððĻðūðĪð āĨĪ
ðððĩðŋðĪðððððū ðŽðððððð·ðū ð ðŽððððĪððļððŠðķðŪð ððĪðūð āĨĨ ðŊ-2āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ððļððŊðūðŠðŋ - for someone; for some person
ðĪðūðĪ - dear one; child (a compassionate address)
ð§ðĻððŊðļððŊ - of the blessed one
ðēðð-ððð·ðððū-ð
ðĩðēðððĻðūðĪð - from observing the behavior of people
ðððĩðŋðĪ-ðððððū - desire for life; clinging to living
ðŽðððððð·ðū - hunger; craving
ð - and
ðŽððððĪððļðū - desire to know; curiosity (often restless)
ððŠðķðŪð - quieting; subsiding
ððĪðūð - have gone; have entered
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
For some blessed person, dear one, simply by observing how people live, the craving to cling to life, the hunger for more, and even restless curiosity become quiet.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse points to a quiet teacher available to everyone: observation. You do not need a dramatic tragedy to become wise; sometimes simply watching how people chase and suffer is enough. ðēðð-ððð·ðððū is the bustle of human behavior: ambition, comparison, gossip, anxiety, pride. For a blessed person (ð§ðĻððŊ), observation produces ððŠðķðŪ - settling. The verse names three cravings that drive much of life: ðððĩðŋðĪðððððū (clinging to life as an identity), ðŽðððððð·ðū (hunger for more), and ðŽððððĪððļðū (restless curiosity that keeps the mind scattered). When these quiet, the mind becomes simpler and more capable of peace.
Notice that the verse does not condemn curiosity or the desire to live. It is describing excess: the compulsive version of these drives that keeps the mind restless. Many people are not unhappy because life is hard; they are unhappy because the mind cannot stop wanting a different moment. Observation can break this spell. You see that even those who "have it all" still worry; those who win still fear losing; those who appear powerful are still insecure. This is the beginning of ðĩðŋðĩðð (discernment): understanding what truly satisfies and what cannot. Advaita uses this discernment to point beyond all objects to the Self as the only stable refuge.
Practice by turning observation into a contemplative habit rather than a judgmental one. Once a day, notice one pattern in the world that repeats: people craving validation, people chasing novelty, people fighting to be right. Then look inward and ask: "Where does this pattern live in me?" This is the blessedness: you learn without needing to repeat every mistake. Next, take one simplifying action: eat a simpler meal, reduce a needless scroll, or spend ten minutes in quiet without stimulation. The aim is not to hate life, but to let the mind taste ððŠðķðŪ and discover that peace is not dependent on constant input.
ð
ðĻðŋðĪððŊð ðļð°ððĩðŪððĩððĶð ðĪðūðŠðĪðð°ðŋðĪðŊðĶðð·ðŋðĪðŪð āĨĪ
ð
ðļðūð°ð ðĻðŋððĶðŋðĪð ðđððŊðŪðŋðĪðŋ ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ āĨĨ ðŊ-3āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ð
ðĻðŋðĪððŊð - impermanent
ðļð°ððĩð ððĩ - everything indeed
ððĶðŪð - this
ðĪðūðŠ-ðĪðð°ðŋðĪðŊ-ðĶðð·ðŋðĪðŪð - tainted by the threefold suffering
ð
ðļðūð°ð - without essence; insubstantial
ðĻðŋððĶðŋðĪð - blameworthy; not worthy of worship
ðđððŊðŪð - to be relinquished; to be let go
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðĻðŋðķðððŋðĪððŊ - having decided; having discerned
ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ - becomes peaceful; quiets down
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Knowing firmly that everything here is impermanent, mixed with threefold suffering, insubstantial, and not worthy of clinging, one becomes peaceful.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse is the classic contemplative lens of dispassion. It asks you to look at life honestly: everything is ð
ðĻðŋðĪððŊ (changing), and therefore clinging is structurally painful. The phrase ðĪðūðŠ-ðĪðð°ðŋðĪðŊ refers to three kinds of suffering that touch embodied life: suffering from oneself (body-mind), from other beings, and from forces beyond control (nature, fate). ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° is not trying to make you gloomy; he is trying to cut through fantasy. Fantasy says, "If I arrange the world correctly, I will finally be secure." The verse says security cannot be built from what is impermanent; therefore peace must come from a different center.
This is also a corrective for how we romanticize objects. We treat certain things as if they are pure good: success, pleasure, recognition, even spiritual experiences. Then we are shocked when they disappoint. Calling the world ð
ðļðūð° (without stable essence) does not mean it has no beauty; it means it cannot be a permanent refuge. Advaita uses this clarity to point to the Self as the only non-changing reality. When you stop demanding permanence from the impermanent, relationships become healthier and ambition becomes cleaner. You can enjoy and work, but without turning outcomes into salvation.
Practice by applying this verse to one attachment at a time. Pick one object you silently treat as a "savior" - a person, a future plan, an achievement. Then contemplate: it is ð
ðĻðŋðĪððŊ; it is touched by ðĪðūðŠ; it cannot stay. Let that land. Next, make one practical adjustment: loosen one demand you place on that object. For example, love a person without demanding they remove your insecurity; pursue a career goal without letting it define your worth; enjoy a comfort without turning it into addiction. Then add a daily anchor to the changeless: two minutes of resting as the witness, or repeating a simple truth like "awareness is here." Over time, this turns dispassion into peace rather than bitterness.
ððð―ðļð ððūðēð ðĩðŊð ððŋð ðĩðū ðŊðĪðð° ðĶððĩððĶððĩðūðĻðŋ ðĻð ðĻððĢðūðŪð āĨĪ
ðĪðūðĻððŊððŠðððð·ððŊ ðŊðĨðūðŠðð°ðūðŠððĪðĩð°ððĪð ðļðŋðĶðð§ðŋðŪðĩðūðŠððĻððŊðūðĪð āĨĨ ðŊ-4āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðð - which?
ð
ðļð - that (such)
ððūðēð - time
ðĩðŊð - age; stage of life
ððŋð ðĩðū - or what else?
ðŊðĪðð° - where
ðĶððĩððĶððĩðūðĻðŋ - dualities
ðĻ - not
ð - indeed
ðĻððĢðūðŪð - of human beings
ðĪðūðĻðŋ - those (dualities)
ððŠðððð·ððŊ - overlooking; not giving them binding importance
ðŊðĨðū-ðŠðð°ðūðŠððĪ-ðĩð°ððĪð - living as what comes; meeting what arrives
ðļðŋðĶðð§ðŋðŪð - fulfillment; perfection
ð
ðĩðūðŠððĻððŊðūðĪð - would attain
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
What time or age is there in which human beings are free of dualities? Overlooking them and living with what comes, one attains fulfillment.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse dismantles the "someday" myth. We often believe peace will come in a different season: after this project, after retirement, after the relationship settles, after health improves. ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° says dualities do not disappear with time; they are woven into embodied life. Therefore peace must be learned amid duality. The key instruction is ððŠðððð·ððŊ: not indifference, but not granting dualities ultimate authority. You can feel pain and still be free; you can taste pleasure and still be free. Freedom is not a mood; it is a standpoint.
The phrase ðŊðĨðū-ðŠðð°ðūðŠððĪ-ðĩð°ððĪð is powerful and easy to misunderstand. It does not mean you do nothing. It means you stop fighting reality as it arrives. You meet what comes with intelligence and steadiness. This is close to the Advaitic flavor of "what is, is" - not as fatalism, but as the starting point for wise action. When you accept the present fact, the mind stops wasting energy on resentment and fantasy. Then action becomes more effective. In daily life, you can feel the difference immediately: a problem is handled better when you stop arguing with its existence.
Practice by picking one daily duality you habitually resist: discomfort vs comfort, praise vs blame, success vs failure. When the "unwanted" side shows up, notice the extra suffering produced by resistance: "This shouldn't be." Then apply ððŠðððð·ðū: allow the fact to be true for now. Ask: "What is the next sensible step?" and take it. Also practice ðŊðĨðū-ðŠðð°ðūðŠððĪ in small ways: accept one inconvenience without complaint, accept one criticism without immediate defense, accept one uncertainty without panic. Each time, return to the witness for two breaths. Over weeks, you build the capacity to be steady in duality - and that steadiness is the "fulfillment" the verse points to.
ðĻðūðĻðū ðŪðĪð ðŪðđð°ðð·ððĢðūð ðļðūð§ððĻðūð ðŊðððŋðĻðūð ðĪðĨðū āĨĪ
ðĶðð·ððððĩðū ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶðŪðūðŠðĻððĻð ðð ðĻ ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ ðŪðūðĻðĩð āĨĨ ðŊ-5āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĻðūðĻðū - various; many
ðŪðĪð - opinions; views; doctrines
ðŪðđð°ðð·ððĢðūð - of great sages
ðļðūð§ððĻðūð - of saintly persons
ðŊðððŋðĻðūð - of yogis
ðĪðĨðū - also
ðĶðð·ððððĩðū - having seen
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶðŪð - dispassion; mature disillusionment
ððŠðĻððĻð - having attained; having fallen into
ðð - who?
ðĻ - not
ðķðūðŪððŊðĪðŋ - becomes peaceful; settles
ðŪðūðĻðĩð - a human being
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Seeing the many views of sages, saints, and yogis, who would not grow disillusioned and become calm?
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse highlights an unexpected doorway to peace: seeing the diversity of opinions. Many seekers imagine there is one perfect doctrine that will end all confusion, and they keep switching teachers, systems, and ideas in search of certainty. ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° says: even sages and yogis express many ðŪðĪs (views). Seeing that can produce ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ - not despair, but humility. The mind relaxes its demand for intellectual certainty, and it becomes more interested in direct understanding than in winning arguments. This is a mature turning point: the need to be "right" often hides a deeper insecurity.
This is also a call to discernment. Diversity of views does not mean "anything goes"; it means the mind should stop expecting concepts to be final. Concepts can point, but they cannot replace seeing. Advaita often uses this humility to redirect attention from debate to the witness. When you notice that even refined philosophies can contradict, you can ask: "What is the one fact that does not contradict?" The fact is awareness: every view is known in awareness. This is why non-duality keeps pointing to the knower rather than to the map. The verse is freeing you from spiritual consumerism and inviting you to settle into practice.
Practice by simplifying your input. If you consume many teachings, choose one primary text and one primary practice for a month. Let other opinions be interesting, but not intoxicating. When you encounter a contradiction, instead of arguing, ask: "What is the lived effect of this idea? Does it reduce craving and fear?" Then return to the witness: the very impulse to be certain is a movement known in awareness. Finally, practice intellectual humility in a small way: admit "I don't know" once, or listen fully to an opposing view without preparing your rebuttal. These small actions weaken egoic rigidity and make the mind calmer and more open to direct recognition.
ðððĪððĩðū ðŪðð°ððĪðŋðŠð°ðŋððððūðĻð ðððĪðĻððŊðļððŊ ðĻ ððŋð ððð°ðð āĨĪ
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶðļðŪðĪðūðŊððððĪððŊðū ðŊðļððĪðūð°ðŊðĪðŋ ðļððļððĪðð āĨĨ ðŊ-6āĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðððĪððĩðū - having done; having accomplished
ðŪðð°ððĪðŋ-ðŠð°ðŋððððūðĻðŪð - direct recognition of the "form"/nature
ðððĪðĻððŊðļððŊ - of consciousness
ðĻ - not
ððŋð - what?
ððð°ðð - teacher; that which teaches
ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ-ðļðŪðĪðū-ðŊððððĪððŊðū - through dispassion, evenness, and clear reasoning
ðŊð - who
ðĪðūð°ðŊðĪðŋ - carries across
ðļððļððĪðð - from repeated worldly wandering; from the cycle of ðļððļðūð°
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
When one has directly recognized the nature of consciousness, what is not a teacher? Through dispassion, evenness, and clear reasoning, one crosses beyond the cycle of wandering.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse contains two linked insights. First: when the nature of consciousness (ðððĪðĻððŊ) is directly recognized, life itself becomes a teacher. You no longer need every lesson to come packaged as a spiritual instruction; events, emotions, and relationships all reveal where attachment still hides. Second: the actual tools that carry you across are named plainly: ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ (mature disillusionment), ðļðŪðĪðū (evenness), and ðŊððððĪðŋ (clear reasoning). These are not merely ideas; they are stabilizers. Together they reduce the mind's tendency to overreact and to chase illusions.
This is also a gentle correction to "teacher shopping." A true ððð°ð is invaluable, but the mind can misuse the idea of guru to avoid responsibility: "If only I find the right teacher, my mind will stop." The verse says: if you have already seen the truth of awareness, then everything can instruct you. A harsh moment teaches where pride lives; a loss teaches where grasping lives; a joy teaches where clinging to highs lives. Advaita treats every experience as an opportunity for ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ - reflective assimilation - so knowledge becomes lived. The phrase ðļððļððĪðŋ points to the repetitive wandering of the mind; crossing it is less about changing geography and more about ending compulsion.
Practice by turning one ordinary difficulty into a guru for a week. Choose one recurring trigger - maybe criticism, loneliness, or uncertainty. Each time it arises, ask: "What is this teaching me about my ðĩðūðļðĻðū?" Then apply the three tools: (1) ðĻðŋð°ððĩððĶ - recognize that feeding the old pattern has never brought peace; (2) ðļðŪðĪðū - take one breath to equalize the mind, neither dramatizing nor suppressing; (3) ðŊððððĪðŋ - choose the most reasonable next step (a conversation, a boundary, rest, a plan). Write two lines in a journal each night: "What did today teach?" and "What did I drop?" This makes life a teacher without turning it into self-criticism.
ðŠðķððŊ ðððĪðĩðŋððūð°ðūððļððĪððĩð ðððĪðŪðūðĪðð°ðūðĻð ðŊðĨðūð°ððĨðĪð āĨĪ
ðĪðĪðððð·ðĢðūðĶð ðŽðð§ðĻðŋð°ððŪððððĪð ðļððĩð°ððŠðļððĨð ððĩðŋð·ððŊðļðŋ āĨĨ ðŊ-ðāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðŠðķððŊ - see; observe
ðððĪ-ðĩðŋððūð°ðūðĻð - changes/modifications of the elements
ðĪððĩðŪð - you
ðððĪ-ðŪðūðĪðð°ðūðĻð - as mere elements; only as elements
ðŊðĨðūð°ððĨðĪð - as they truly are; in reality
ðĪðĪð-ððð·ðĢðūðĪð - from that moment itself; immediately
ðŽðð§-ðĻðŋð°ððŪððððĪð - freed from bondage
ðļððĩð°ððŠ-ðļððĨð - established in one's own nature
ððĩðŋð·ððŊðļðŋ - you will be
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
See the changes of the elements as mere elements, as they truly are. From that very moment, you will be freed from bondage and established in your own nature.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This verse gives a practical Advaita instruction: de-personalize experience. Much bondage comes from taking every bodily and mental change as "me." ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° says: see ðððĪ-ðĩðŋððūð° - the body's sensations and changes, the mind's moods and shifts - as ðððĪ-ðŪðūðĪðð°, "mere elements." They are nature doing nature. When you see them as they are (ðŊðĨðūð°ððĨðĪð), identification loosens. The witness remains, and the drama reduces. The promise "immediately" is about insight: the moment you stop mis-identifying, a portion of bondage drops.
This does not mean you neglect the body or ignore emotions. It means you stop turning them into an identity. For example, anxiety becomes a pattern of breath and thought, not "I am anxious therefore I am unsafe." Pain becomes sensation, not "I am broken therefore I am doomed." This aligns with the broader Advaita approach: the seen is not the seer. The gItA similarly speaks of seeing the body as a field (ððð·ððĪðð°) and the knower as distinct (ððð·ððĪðð°ððð). When this distinction is lived, the mind becomes less reactive and more capable of wise care.
Practice by doing a short "element-view" check-in twice a day. Sit for two minutes and scan: sensations, emotions, thoughts. For each, label: "element-change." Feel the difference between sensation and story. Then ask: "What is aware of this?" Rest as that for one breath. After that, take one caring action for the body-mind (stretch, hydrate, message someone, take a walk) without taking the body-mind as the Self. This combination - clear seeing plus kind action - makes the verse practical: you become less identified and more responsible at the same time.
ðĩðūðļðĻðū ððĩ ðļððļðūð° ððĪðŋ ðļð°ððĩðū ðĩðŋðŪððð ðĪðūð āĨĪ
ðĪðĪððĪððŊðūðð ðĩðūðļðĻðūðĪððŊðūððūðĪððļððĨðŋðĪðŋð°ðĶððŊ ðŊðĨðū ðĪðĨðū āĨĨ ðŊ-ðŪāĨĨ
Meaning (ðŠðĶðūð°ððĨ):
ðĩðūðļðĻðū - latent tendency; conditioning; habitual craving
ððĩ - indeed; only
ðļððļðūð°ð - the cycle of wandering; repetitive bondage
ððĪðŋ - thus
ðļð°ððĩðūð - all
ðĩðŋðŪððð - abandon; release
ðĪðūð - those
ðĪðĪð-ðĪððŊðūðð - that renunciation
ðĩðūðļðĻðū-ðĪððŊðūððūðĪð - from the dropping of ðĩðūðļðĻðūs
ðļððĨðŋðĪðŋð - abiding; steadiness
ð
ðĶððŊ - today; now
ðŊðĨðū ðĪðĨðū - as it is; in whatever way it is
Translation (ððūðĩðūð°ððĨ):
Latent tendencies alone are the cycle of bondage. Release them all. Real renunciation is the dropping of tendencies; then you abide today, as you are.
Commentary (ð
ðĻððļðð§ðūðĻ):
This final verse is the chapter's distilled diagnosis. ðĩðūðļðĻðū is the subtle residue of past conditioning: the grooves that make the mind chase, fear, repeat. Even after insight, ðĩðūðļðĻðū can keep producing the old movie of "me" and "my problem." ð
ð·ðððūðĩððð° says: that repetitive motion is ðļððļðūð°. The world is not the main chain; the inner tendency is. Therefore, dropping ðĩðūðļðĻðū is the real ðĪððŊðūð. When tendencies drop, you do not have to wait for a future situation to be free; you can abide ð
ðĶððŊ - today, now - as the Self.
This is also where Advaita becomes very practical. You might agree intellectually that you are awareness, and still be pulled by old habits: seeking approval, replaying shame, chasing stimulation, holding grudges. These are ðĩðūðļðĻðū patterns. The verse points to a freedom that is not merely philosophical: the nervous system becomes less reactive, the mind becomes less hungry, and life becomes simpler. The phrase ðŊðĨðū ðĪðĨðū is important: it hints at acceptance. When ðĩðūðļðĻðū drops, you can be with reality as it is, without constantly negotiating for a different moment.
Practice by picking one ðĩðūðļðĻðū to release for a month. Make it specific and observable: "checking messages for reassurance," "replaying a past insult," "doom-scrolling when tired," "needing to be right." Each time the urge appears, do a three-step release: (1) feel the urge in the body, (2) name it "ðĩðūðļðĻðū", (3) choose not to feed it for two minutes while resting as the witness. After two minutes, if action is still needed, act deliberately rather than compulsively. Also add one nourishment practice: a short daily meditation, a walk, or a service act - not as moralism, but as re-patterning. Over time, the tendency loses force. Then the verse becomes true in your life: ðļððĨðŋðĪðŋ - steady abiding - is available today, not as an achievement, but as the natural state when the old grooves are not fed.
Browse Related Categories: