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अष्टावक्र गीता अष्टादशोऽध्यायः अष्टावक्र गीता 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 अद्वैत: 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 जनक'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 वासनाs (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 जनक speaks from the afterglow of recognition. Those chapters are filled with the rhetorical question क्व ("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. अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥ Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The object of salutation is not an external trophy; it is the peace and radiance of the Self itself. सुख-एक-रूप points to a happiness that is not produced by circumstances but is the natural ease of being. तेजस् is inner light: the clarity that sees and the vitality that is not dependent on mood. In Advaita language, this is the Self as चित् (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 बोधोदय. अर्जयित्वाखिलान् अर्थान् भोगानाप्नोति पुष्कलान् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The Isha Upanishad hints at the same medicine: तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथाः - 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 सर्व-परित्याग in miniature. कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वालादग्धान्तरात्मनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The verse says the only real cooling is प्रशम: 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, प्रशम 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 प्रशम: 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. भवोऽयं भावनामात्रो न किञ्चित् परमार्थतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): At the same time, it avoids a crude nihilism. It says there is no absolute non-existence (अभाव) of what has true nature (स्वभाव). 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 भावना - 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 भावना-मात्र. न दूरं न च सङ्कोचाल्लब्धमेवात्मनः पदम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The nature of the Self is described with four negations: निर्विकल्प (not caught in either/or thinking), निरायास (effortless), निर्विकार (unchanging), निरञ्जन (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. व्यामोहमात्रविरतौ स्वरूपादानमात्रतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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, निरावरण दृष्टि becomes the capacity to feel fully while remaining inwardly free. समस्तं कल्पनामात्रमात्मा मुक्तः सनातनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. आत्मा ब्रह्मेति निश्चित्य भावाभावौ च कल्पितौ । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निष्काम: not deadness, but freedom from inner bargaining. अयं सोऽहमयं नाहमिति क्षीणा विकल्पना । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The result is तूष्णीं - 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 तूष्णीं - inner quiet that does not depend on controlling the world. न विक्षेपो न चैकाग्र्यं नातिबोधो न मूढता । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 उपशान्ति rather than from the chase for the "right" state. स्वाराज्ये भैक्षवृत्तौ च लाभालाभे जने वने । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. क्व धर्मः क्व च वा कामः क्व चार्थः क्व विवेकिता । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 द्वन्द्व 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. कृत्यं किमपि नैवास्ति न कापि हृदि रञ्जना । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. क्व मोहः क्व च वा विश्वं क्व तद् ध्यानं क्व मुक्तता । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 विश्रान्ति means here. येन विश्वमिदं दृष्टं स नास्तीति करोतु वै । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 वासना: 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. येन दृष्टं परं ब्रह्म सोऽहं ब्रह्मेति चिन्तयेत् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): In Advaita, words like अहं ब्रह्मास्मि 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 (निश्चिन्त) 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. दृष्टो येनात्मविक्षेपो निरोधं कुरुते त्वसौ । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The verse also points to a deeper reason: साध्याभाव, 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 योग Sutras talk about अभ्यास and वैराग्य 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. धीरो लोकविपर्यस्तो वर्तमानोऽपि लोकवत् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): Because their identity is not tied to mind-states, they do not obsess over समाधि and विक्षेप. Most seekers oscillate: "I was focused; now I'm distracted; I've lost it." The wise does not feel this loss (लोप) 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. भावाभावविहीनो यस्तृप्तो निर्वासनो बुधः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (तृप्ति) 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. प्रवृत्तौ वा निवृत्तौ वा नैव धीरस्य दुर्ग्रहः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. निर्वासनो निरालम्बः स्वच्छन्दो मुक्तबन्धनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is closely related to the idea of प्रारब्ध: 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 संस्कार 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. असंसारस्य तु क्वापि न हर्षो न विषादता । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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, शीतल-मना becomes less rare and more natural. कुत्रापि न जिहासास्ति नाशो वापि न कुत्रचित् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is a mature expression of वैराग्य. 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 आत्माराम - being at home in oneself. प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तस्य कुर्वतोऽस्य यदृच्छया । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (यदृच्छया): 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 मान and अवमान as inner rulers. कृतं देहेन कर्मेदं न मया शुद्धरूपिणा । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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" (अनुरोधी): 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. अतद्वादीव कुरुते न भवेदपि बालिशः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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" (शोभते) 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. नानाविचारसुश्रान्तो धीरो विश्रान्तिमागतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 विश्रान्ति - the rest that does not depend on answering every question. असमाधेरविक्षेपान् न मुमुक्षुर्न चेतरः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The core is "seeing the constructed as constructed." When you see thoughts, identities, and world-stories as कल्पित, they lose authority. Then what remains is ब्रह्म एव - 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. यस्यान्तः स्यादहङ्कारो न करोति करोति सः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is very close to the Bhagavad Gita's analysis of अहङ्कार. 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. नोद्विग्नं न च सन्तुष्टमकर्तृ स्पन्दवर्जितम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The verse also highlights two roots of suffering: expectation and doubt. निराशा 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." गत-सन्देह 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. निर्ध्यातुं चेष्टितुं वापि यच्चित्तं न प्रवर्तते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निर्निमित्त as a lived quality: actions occur, but inner compulsion fades. तत्त्वं यथार्थमाकर्ण्य मन्दः प्राप्नोति मूढताम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 मूढता and सङ्कोच from hijacking the teaching. एकाग्रता निरोधो वा मूढैरभ्यस्यते भृशम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. अप्रयत्नात् प्रयत्नाद् वा मूढो नाप्नोति निर्वृतिम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निश्चय becomes steady and peace becomes natural. शुद्धं बुद्धं प्रियं पूर्णं निष्प्रपञ्चं निरामयम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 पूर्ण. 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. नाप्नोति कर्मणा मोक्षं विमूढोऽभ्यासरूपिणा । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 अविक्रिय: 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 अविक्रिय Self the verse points to. Over time, practice becomes lighter and knowledge becomes deeper. मूढो नाप्नोति तद् ब्रह्म यतो भवितुमिच्छति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. निराधारा ग्रहव्यग्रा मूढाः संसारपोषकाः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निराधार, and grasping will reduce naturally. न शान्तिं लभते मूढो यतः शमितुमिच्छति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. क्वात्मनो दर्शनं तस्य यद् दृष्टमवलम्बते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): Advaita's method is simple: turn from objects to the knower. The wise see the Self as अव्यय, 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 दृग्-दृश्य 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. क्व निरोधो विमूढस्य यो निर्बन्धं करोति वै । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 राग and द्वेष. When attraction and aversion soften, restraint becomes अकृत्रिम - 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 निरोध becomes natural, not theatrical. भावस्य भावकः कश्चिन् न किञ्चिद् भावकोपरः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निराकुल. शुद्धमद्वयमात्मानं भावयन्ति कुबुद्धयः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. मुमुक्षोर्बुद्धिरालम्बमन्तरेण न विद्यते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निष्काम - 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. विषयद्वीपिनो वीक्ष्य चकिताः शरणार्थिनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निरोध from a cave of fear into a tool of clarity. निर्वासनं हरिं दृष्ट्वा तूष्णीं विषयदन्तिनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. न मुक्तिकारिकां धत्ते निःशङ्को युक्तमानसः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (युक्त-मानस): 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 निःसङ्क and युक्त-मानस lived realities. वस्तुश्रवणमात्रेण शुद्धबुद्धिर्निराकुलः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. यदा यत्कर्तुमायाति तदा तत्कुरुते ऋजुः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 ऋजु 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. स्वातन्त्र्यात्सुखमाप्नोति स्वातन्त्र्याल्लभते परम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (निर्वृति) 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, स्वातन्त्र्य stops being an idea and becomes an inner atmosphere. अकर्तृत्वमभोक्तृत्वं स्वात्मनो मन्यते यदा । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): योग 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 क्षीणा: 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. उच्छृङ्खलाप्यकृतिका स्थितिर्धीरस्य राजते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. विलसन्ति महाभोगैर्विशन्ति गिरिगह्वरान् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This matches the chapter’s repeated theme: the inner shift is primary. When craving is gone, enjoyment does not become addiction, and solitude does not become escapism. The wise can move according to circumstance, health, and responsibility without turning it into a spiritual badge. That is why the verse calls them अबद्ध: unbound in the heart. Practice by dropping the idea that one outer form guarantees freedom. If you are drawn to simplicity, practice it without superiority. If you live with comforts, practice gratitude and non-clinging. In both cases, watch the mind’s constructing: "this proves I'm spiritual" or "this proves I'm worldly." Let that story dissolve. Then the outer life becomes flexible and the inner freedom grows, which is the real teaching of the verse. श्रोत्रियं देवतां तीर्थमङ्गनां भूपतिं प्रियम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 वासना 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. भृत्यैः पुत्रैः कलत्रैश्च दौहित्रैश्चापि गोत्रजैः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. सन्तुष्टोऽपि न सन्तुष्टः खिन्नोऽपि न च खिद्यते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. कर्तव्यतैव संसारो न तां पश्यन्ति सूरयः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The verse then describes the wise in Vedantic language: निराकार (formless), निर्विकार (unchanging), निरामय (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 कर्तव्यता as bondage and makes action lighter. अकुर्वन्नपि सङ्क्षोभाद् व्यग्रः सर्वत्र मूढधीः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 कुशल - 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 निराकुलता that does not depend on your activity level. सुखमास्ते सुखं शेते सुखमायाति याति च । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. स्वभावाद्यस्य नैवार्तिर्लोकवद् व्यवहारिणः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. निवृत्तिरपि मूढस्य प्रवृत्ति रुपजायते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निवृत्ति-फल appears in the middle of life. परिग्रहेषु वैराग्यं प्रायो मूढस्य दृश्यते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The wise person described here has विगलित-आशा 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 राग, and where is विरागता? 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 वैराग्य than merely simplifying possessions. भावनाभावनासक्ता दृष्टिर्मूढस्य सर्वदा । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 अदृष्टि - a clean seeing that is free of compulsive fixation. सर्वारम्भेषु निष्कामो यश्चरेद् बालवन् मुनिः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निष्काम. 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 लेप and make actions cleaner. स एव धन्य आत्मज्ञः सर्वभावेषु यः समः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is why the verse calls such a one धन्य - 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. क्व संसारः क्व चाभासः क्व साध्यं क्व च साधनम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. स जयत्यर्थसन्न्यासी पूर्णस्वरसविग्रहः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 समाधि is still an ego project; unforced समाधि 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 समाधि less a special event and more a stable background. बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन ज्ञाततत्त्वो महाशयः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 नीरस in the best sense: free. महदादि जगद्द्वैतं नाममात्रविजृम्भितम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. भ्रमभूतमिदं सर्वं किञ्चिन्नास्तीति निश्चयी । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (शान्ति) 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 स्वभाव-शा न्ति becomes real: calmness that arises from seeing clearly. शुद्धस्फुरणरूपस्य दृश्यभावमपश्यतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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, शम and वैराग्य grow more naturally. स्फुरतोऽनन्तरूपेण प्रकृतिं च न पश्यतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is not emotional denial. It is the recognition that feelings are waves, not the ocean. The "not seeing प्रकृति" 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 हर्ष and विषाद reduces, and equanimity becomes more natural. बुद्धिपर्यन्तसंसारे मायामात्रं विवर्तते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The phrase "illusion plays out" also protects you from unrealistic expectations. Even after insight, the body-mind will still have perceptions, habits, and reactions. What changes is ownership. When you do not take the mind’s play as "me", its power reduces. That is why the wise "shines": the shine is clarity amidst the play, like a lamp that is not disturbed by shadows moving on the wall. Practice by treating the mind's drama as माया 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. अक्षयं गतसन्तापमात्मानं पश्यतो मुनेः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The verse uses क्व 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. निरोधादीनि कर्माणि जहाति जडधीर्यदि । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निरोध 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. मन्दः श्रुत्वापि तद्वस्तु न जहाति विमूढताम् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This is why the tradition insists on sincerity. If the heart is still hungry, pretending to be free creates more splitting: an outer mask and an inner craving. Ashtavakra’s point is not to shame, but to make you honest: freedom is measured by reduced craving and fear, not by the appearance of calm. This also ties back to the chapter’s warnings about mishearing. Practice by choosing honesty over image. Notice where you try to appear detached while secretly craving. Bring the craving into awareness without judgment and work with it directly: simplify habits, reduce stimulation, and strengthen contentment. If you meditate, do it not to look spiritual but to see clearly. Over time, outer quiet and inner quiet align, and निर्विकल्प becomes less of a mask and more of a natural simplicity. ज्ञानाद् गलितकर्मा यो लोकदृष्ट्यापि कर्मकृत् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): In practical terms, this means life becomes simpler. Actions happen when needed, words are spoken when helpful, but the mind does not build a self-image from them. This is close to the Gita’s repeated refrain: the wise acts without attachment and without ego. The deeper freedom is not in changing outward life dramatically; it is in removing the inner owner. Practice by noticing when you "stamp" your actions. After speaking, do you replay: "Did I sound smart?" After acting, do you claim: "I achieved" or "I failed"? Catch the stamping and soften it. Replace it with a quieter view: "This happened through the body-mind; awareness witnessed it." Continue to act responsibly, but drop the inner ownership. Over time, you will understand the verse: the ego finds no opportunity to claim. क्व तमः क्व प्रकाशो वा हानं क्व च न किञ्चन । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 निरातङ्क, 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. क्व धैर्यं क्व विवेकित्वं क्व निरातङ्कतापि वा । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. न स्वर्गो नैव नरको जीवन्मुक्तिर्न चैव हि । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 योग-दृष्टि - 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 योग-दृष्टि. नैव प्रार्थयते लाभं नालाभेनानुशोचति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The word अमृत 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. न शान्तं स्तौति निष्कामो न दुष्टमपि निन्दति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 कृत्यं as burden: when you are not trying to fix your self-image through action, action becomes simpler. This aligns with the chapter’s repeated critique of the inner "must" voice. Practice by watching where you use judgment to feed ego. Notice if you praise to be liked or condemn to feel righteous. Replace that with clean discernment: "What action reduces harm?" Then act, without contempt. Also cultivate equanimity: when pleasure or pain comes, remember the witness and keep your response steady. This reduces the need for reactive praise/blame and supports the contentment the verse describes. धीरो न द्वेष्टि संसारमात्मानं न दिदृक्षति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 हर्ष and अमर्ष 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. निःस्नेहः पुत्रदारादौ निष्कामो विषयेषु च । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. निराशा is the end of anxious expectation: the mind stops demanding that life guarantee a certain shape of future. That is why the wise "shines": inner freedom is visible as steadiness. Practice by distinguishing love from clinging. In relationships, notice where fear makes you control. Replace it with trust and honest communication. With the body, practice responsible care without obsession: exercise, eat well, rest, but drop the identity-story around it. And work with expectation: each time you catch yourself demanding a guarantee, soften it into preference. These steps make the verse’s qualities concrete. तुष्टिः सर्वत्र धीरस्य यथापतितवर्तिनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. पततूदेतु वा देहो नास्य चिन्ता महात्मनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): This does not recommend neglect. The wise cares for the body as an instrument, but without worshiping it as the Self. When identity shifts to awareness, the body’s changes are still felt, but they do not become existential catastrophe. The verse also says he has "forgotten" bondage - meaning he is no longer hypnotized by the old self-story of limitation and fear. Practice by relating to the body more wisely. Care for it responsibly: rest, eat well, move, seek help when needed. But watch the identity-panic: "If the body changes, I am ruined." When that thought appears, return to awareness and remember what is not the body. Then take practical steps calmly. Over time, body-care becomes clean, and body-fear loses its grip. अकिञ्चनः कामचारो निर्द्वन्द्वश्छिन्नसंशयः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 रमते: 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, केवल joy becomes more accessible: not as excitement, but as quiet wholeness. निर्ममः शोभते धीरः समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The "heart-knot" (हृदय-ग्रन्थि) is the knot of ego-identification that ties awareness to body-mind as "me." When it is cut, the guNas lose dominance. रजस् (restless passion) and तमस् (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. सर्वत्रानवधानस्य न किञ्चिद् वासना हृदि । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): It also says अनवधान: 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. जानन्नपि न जानाति पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. भिक्षुर्वा भूपतिर्वापि यो निष्कामः स शोभते । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): The "melting" of good/bad judgment does not mean losing discernment. It means the ego is no longer using morality as identity. The wise can still distinguish wholesome and unwholesome actions, but without self-righteousness and without self-hatred. This is consistent with the chapter’s repeated theme: reduce inner ownership and craving, and life becomes cleaner. Practice by living निष्काम 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. क्व स्वाच्छन्द्यं क्व सङ्कोचः क्व वा तत्त्वविनिश्चयः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 चरितार्थ in practice. आत्मविश्रान्तितृप्तेन निराशेन गतार्तिना । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (तृप्ति) is inward and stable, and the distress (आर्ति) that drives seeking has faded. Therefore, the urge to convert experience into stories reduces. Practice by valuing direct seeing over endless description. If you study, pause often and verify in experience: what is aware right now? If you feel the urge to talk about spirituality constantly, ask whether it is serving clarity or feeding identity. Try short periods of quiet where you let the teaching become lived rather than discussed. This respects the verse’s point: what matters most is not what you can say, but what you can be. सुप्तोऽपि न सुषुप्तौ च स्वप्नेऽपि शयितो न च । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. ज्ञः सचिन्तोऽपि निश्चिन्तः सेन्द्रियोऽपि निरिन्द्रियः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. न सुखी न च वा दुःखी न विरक्तो न सङ्गवान् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. विक्षेपेऽपि न विक्षिप्तः समाधौ न समाधिमान् । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 (धन्य) 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. मुक्तो यथास्थितिस्वस्थः कृतकर्तव्यनिर्वृतः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): Equanimity is emphasized again: समः सर्वत्र. 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. न प्रीयते वन्द्यमानो निन्द्यमानो न कुप्यति । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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. न धावति जनाकीर्णं नारण्यमुपशान्तधीः । Meaning (पदार्थ): Translation (भावार्थ): Commentary (अनुसन्धान): 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 वासना. Then environment becomes a secondary detail rather than a condition for sanity. Practice by building a mind that does not need escape. Create small moments of stillness in the middle of your day, even in noise. Also learn to be alone without immediately reaching for stimulation. In both places, return to awareness and soften reactivity. Then choose settings wisely for your health and responsibilities, but do not treat settings as salvation. This makes the chapter’s final instruction lived: wherever you are, remain equal and at peace.
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