Containing 20 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अष्टावक्र उवाच
यथातथोपदेशेन कृतार्थः सत्त्वबुद्धिमान् ।
आजीवमपि जिज्ञासुः
परस्तत्र विमुह्यति ॥
"Ashtavakra said: While a man of pure intelligence may achieve the goal by the most casual of instruction, another may seek knowledge all his life and still remain bewildered."
मोक्षो विषयवैरस्यं
बन्धो वैषयिको रसः ।
एतावदेव विज्ञानं
यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥
"Liberation is distaste for the objects of the senses. Bondage is love of the senses. This is knowledge. Now do as you wish."
वाग्मिप्राज्ञामहोद्योगं
जनं मूकजडालसं ।
करोति तत्त्वबोधोऽयम-
तस्त्यक्तो बुभुक्षभिः ॥
"This awareness of the truth makes an eloquent, clever and energetic man dumb, stupid and lazy, so it is avoided by those whose aim is enjoyment."
न त्वं देहो न ते देहो भोक्ता
कर्ता न वा भवान् ।
चिद्रूपोऽसि सदा साक्षी
निरपेक्षः सुखं चर ॥
"You are not the body, nor is the body yours, nor are you the doer of actions or the reaper of their consequences. You are eternally pure consciousness, the witness, in need of nothing — so live happily."
रागद्वेषौ मनोधर्मौ
न मनस्ते कदाचन ।
निर्विकल्पोऽसि बोधात्मा
निर्विकारः सुखं चर ॥
"Desire and anger are objects of the mind, but the mind is not yours, nor ever has been. You are choiceless awareness itself and unchanging — so live happily."
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं
सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
विज्ञाय निरहंकारो
निर्ममस्त्वं सुखी भव ॥
"Recognising oneself in all beings, and all beings in oneself, be happy, free from the sense of responsibility and free from preoccupation with “me.”"
विश्वं स्फुरति यत्रेदं
तरंगा इव सागरे ।
तत्त्वमेव न सन्देह-
श्चिन्मूर्ते विज्वरो भव ॥
"Your nature is the consciousness, in which the whole world wells up, like waves in the sea. That is what you are, without any doubt, so be free of disturbance."
श्रद्धस्व तात श्रद्धस्व
नात्र मोऽहं कुरुष्व भोः ।
ज्ञानस्वरूपो भगवा-
नात्मा त्वं प्रकृतेः परः ॥
"Have faith, my son, have faith. Don’t let yourself be deluded in this. You are yourself the Lord, whose very nature is knowledge, and you are beyond natural causation."
गुणैः संवेष्टितो देह-
स्तिष्ठत्यायाति याति च ।
आत्मा न गंता नागंता
किमेनमनुशोचसि ॥
"The body invested with the senses stands still, and comes and goes. You yourself neither come nor go, so why bother about them?"
देहस्तिष्ठतु कल्पान्तं
गच्छत्वद्यैव वा पुनः ।
क्व वृद्धिः क्व च वा हानिस्-
तव चिन्मात्ररूपिणः ॥
"Let the body last to the end of the Age, or let it come to an end right now. What have you gained or lost, who consist of pure consciousness?"
त्वय्यनंतमहांभोधौ
विश्ववीचिः स्वभावतः ।
उदेतु वास्तमायातु न ते
वृद्धिर्न वा क्षतिः ॥
"Let the world wave rise or subside according to its own nature in you, the great ocean. It is no gain or loss to you."
तात चिन्मात्ररूपोऽसि न
ते भिन्नमिदं जगत् ।
अतः कस्य कथं कुत्र
हेयोपादेयकल्पना ॥
"My son, you consist of pure consciousness, and the world is not separate from you. So who is to accept or reject it, and how, and why?"
एकस्मिन्नव्यये शान्ते चिदाकाशेऽमले त्वयि ।
कुतो जन्म कुतो कर्म
कुतोऽहंकार एव च ॥
"How can there be either birth, karma, or responsibility in that one unchanging, peaceful, unblemished, and infinite consciousness which is you?"
यत्त्वं पश्यसि तत्रैकस्-
त्वमेव प्रतिभाससे ।
किं पृथक् भासते स्वर्णात्
कटकांगदनूपुरम् ॥
"Whatever you see, it is you alone manifest in it. How can bracelets, armlets and anklets be different from the gold they are made of?"
अयं सोऽहमयं नाहं
विभागमिति संत्यज ।
सर्वमात्मेति निश्चित्य
निःसङ्कल्पः सुखी भव ॥
"Giving up such distinctions as “He is what I am,” and “I am not that,” recognise that “Everything is myself,” and be without distinction and happy."
तवैवाज्ञानतो विश्वं
त्वमेकः परमार्थतः ।
त्वत्तोऽन्यो नास्ति संसारी
नासंसारी च कश्चन ॥
"It is through your ignorance that all this exists. In reality you alone exist. Apart from you there is no one within or beyond samsara."
भ्रान्तिमात्रमिदं विश्वं
न किंचिदिति निश्चयी ।
निर्वासनः स्फूर्तिमात्रो
न किंचिदिव शाम्यति ॥
"Knowing that all this is just an illusion, one becomes free of desire, pure receptivity, and at peace, as if nothing existed."
एक एव भवांभोधा-
वासीदस्ति भविष्यति ।
न ते बन्धोऽस्ति मोक्षो वा कृत्यकृत्यः सुखं चर ॥
"Only one thing has existed, exists and will exist in the ocean of being. You have no bondage or liberation. Live happily and fulfilled."
मा सङ्कल्पविकल्पाभ्यां
चित्तं क्षोभय चिन्मय ।
उपशाम्य सुखं तिष्ठ
स्वात्मन्यानन्दविग्रहे ॥
"Being pure consciousness, do not disturb your mind with thoughts of for and against. Be at peace and remain happily in yourself, the essence of joy."
त्यजैव ध्यानं सर्वत्र
मा किंचिद् हृदि धारय ।
आत्मा त्वं मुक्त एवासि
किं विमृश्य करिष्यसि ॥
"Give up meditation completely but don’t let the mind hold on to anything. You are free by nature, so what will you achieve by forcing the mind?"