Containing 20 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अष्टावक्र उवाच
तेन ज्ञानफलं प्राप्तं
योगाभ्यासफलं तथा ।
तृप्तः स्वच्छेन्द्रियो नित्यं
एकाकी रमते तु यः ॥
"Ashtavakra said: He who is content, with purified senses, and always enjoys solitude, has gained the fruit of knowledge and the fruit of the practice of yoga too."
न कदाचिज्जगत्यस्मिन्
तत्त्वज्ञा हन्त खिद्यति ।
यत एकेन तेनेदं
पूर्णं ब्रह्माण्डमण्डलम् ॥
"The knower of truth is never distressed in this world, for the whole round world is full of himself alone."
न जातु विषयाः केऽपि
स्वारामं हर्षयन्त्यमी ।
सल्लकीपल्लवप्रीत-
मिवेभं निंबपल्लवाः ॥
"None of these senses please a man who has found satisfaction within, just as Nimba leaves do not please the elephant that has acquired the taste for Sallaki leaves."
यस्तु भोगेषु भुक्तेषु
न भवत्यधिवासिता ।
अभुक्तेषु निराकांक्षी
तदृशो भवदुर्लभः ॥
"The man is rare who is not attached to the things he has enjoyed, and does not hanker after the things he has not enjoyed."
बुभुक्षुरिह संसारे
मुमुक्षुरपि दृश्यते ।
भोगमोक्षनिराकांक्षी
विरलो हि महाशयः ॥
"Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both found in samsara, but the great-souled man who desires neither pleasure nor liberation is rare indeed."
धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु
जीविते मरणे तथा ।
कस्याप्युदारचित्तस्य
हेयोपादेयता न हि ॥
"It is only the noble-minded who is free from attraction or repulsion to religion, wealth, sensuality, and life and death too."
वांछा न विश्वविलये
न द्वेषस्तस्य च स्थितौ ।
यथा जीविकया तस्माद्
धन्य आस्ते यथा सुखम् ॥
"He feels no desire for the elimination of all this, nor anger at its continuing, so the fortunate man lives happily with whatever sustinence presents itself."
कृतार्थोऽनेन ज्ञानेने-
त्येवं गलितधीः कृती ।
पश्यन् शृण्वन् स्पृशन् जिघ्रन्न्
अश्नन्नस्ते यथा सुखम् ॥
"Thus fulfilled through this knowledge, contented, and with the thinking mind emptied, he lives happily just seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting."
शून्या दृष्टिर्वृथा चेष्टा
विकलानीन्द्रियाणि च ।
न स्पृहा न विरक्तिर्वा
क्षीणसंसारसागरे ॥
"In him for whom the ocean of samsara has dried up, there is neither attachment or aversion. His gaze is vacant, his behaviour purposeless, and his senses inactive."
न जगर्ति न निद्राति
नोन्मीलति न मीलति ।
अहो परदशा क्वापि
वर्तते मुक्तचेतसः ॥
"Surely the supreme state is everywhere for the liberated mind. He is neither awake nor asleep, and neither opens nor closes his eyes."
सर्वत्र दृश्यते स्वस्थः
सर्वत्र विमलाशयः ।
समस्तवासना मुक्तो
मुक्तः सर्वत्र राजते ॥
"The liberated man is resplendent everywhere, free from all desires. Everywhere he appears self-possessed and pure of heart."
पश्यन् शृण्वन् स्पृशन् जिघ्रन्न्
अश्नन् गृण्हन् वदन् व्रजन् ।
ईहितानीहितैर्मुक्तो
मुक्त एव महाशयः ॥
"Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting, speaking, and walking about, the great-souled man who is freed from trying to achieve or avoid anything is free indeed."
न निन्दति न च स्तौति
न हृष्यति न कुप्यति ।
न ददाति न गृण्हाति
मुक्तः सर्वत्र नीरसः ॥
"The liberated man is free from desires everywhere. He neither blames, praises, rejoices, is disappointed, gives, nor takes."
सानुरागां स्त्रियं दृष्ट्वा
मृत्युं वा समुपस्थितं ।
अविह्वलमनाः स्वस्थो
मुक्त एव महाशयः ॥
"When a great-souled one is unperturbed in mind, and equally self-possessed at either the sight of a woman inflamed with desire or at approaching death, he is truly liberated."
सुखे दुःखे नरे नार्यां
संपत्सु विपत्सु च ।
विशेषो नैव धीरस्य
सर्वत्र समदर्शिनः ॥
"There is no distinction between pleasure and pain, man and woman, success and failure for the wise man who looks on everything as equal."
न हिंसा नैव कारुण्यं
नौद्धत्यं न च दीनता ।
नाश्चर्यं नैव च क्षोभः
क्षीणसंसरणे नरे ॥
"There is no aggression nor compassion, no pride nor humility, no wonder nor confusion for the man whose days of samsara are over."
न मुक्तो विषयद्वेष्टा
न वा विषयलोलुपः ।
असंसक्तमना नित्यं
प्राप्ताप्राप्तमुपाश्नुते ॥
"The liberated man is not averse to the senses nor is he attached to them. He enjoys hinself continually with an unattached mind in both success and failure."
समाधानसमाधान-
हिताहितविकल्पनाः ।
शून्यचित्तो न जानाति
कैवल्यमिव संस्थितः ॥
"One established in the Absolute state with an empty mind does not know the alternatives of inner stillness and lack of inner stillness, and of good and evil."
निर्ममो निरहंकारो
न किंचिदिति निश्चितः ।
अन्तर्गलितसर्वाशः
कुर्वन्नपि करोति न ॥
"A man free of “me” and “mine” and of a sense of responsibility, aware that “Nothing exists,” with all desires extinguished within, does not act even in acting."
मनःप्रकाशसंमोह
स्वप्नजाड्यविवर्जितः ।
दशां कामपि संप्राप्तो
भवेद् गलितमानसः ॥
"He whose thinking mind is dissolved achieves the indescribable state and is free from the mental display of delusion, dream, and ignorance."