Containing 100 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अष्टावक्र उवाच
यस्य बोधोदये तावत्-
स्वप्नवद् भवति भ्रमः ।
तस्मै सुखैकरूपाय
नमः शान्ताय तेजसे ॥
"Ashtavakra said: Praise be to That by the awareness of which delusion itself becomes dream-like, to that which is pure happiness, peace, and light."
अर्जयित्वाखिलान् अर्थान्
भोगानाप्नोति पुष्कलान् ।
न हि सर्वपरित्याजम-
न्तरेण सुखी भवेत् ॥
"One may get all sorts of pleasure by the acquisition of various objects of enjoyment, but one cannot be happy except by the renunciation of everything."
कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वाला
दग्धान्तरात्मनः ।
कुतः प्रशमपीयूषधारा-
सारमृते सुखम् ॥
"How can there be happiness, for one who has been burnt inside by the blistering sun of the pain of thinking that there are things that still need doing, without the rain of the nectar of peace?"
भवोऽयं भावनामात्रो
न किंचित् परमर्थतः ।
नास्त्यभावः स्वभावनां
भावाभावविभाविनाम् ॥
"This existence is just imagination. It is nothing in reality, but there is no non-being for natures that know how to distinguish being from non-being."
न दूरं न च संकोचाल्-
लब्धमेवात्मनः पदं ।
निर्विकल्पं निरायासं
निर्विकारं निरंजनम् ॥
"The realm of one’s self is not far away, nor can it be achieved by the addition of limitations to its nature. It is unimaginable, effortless, unchanging, and spotless."
व्यामोहमात्रविरतौ
स्वरूपादानमात्रतः ।
वीतशोका विराजन्ते
निरावरणदृष्टयः ॥
"By the simple elimination of delusion and the recognition of one’s true nature, those whose vision is unclouded live free from sorrow."
समस्तं कल्पनामात्र-
मात्मा मुक्तः सनातनः ।
इति विज्ञाय धीरो हि
किमभ्यस्यति बालवत् ॥
"Knowing everything as just imagination, and himself as eternally free, how should the wise man behave like a fool?"
आत्मा ब्रह्मेति निश्चित्य
भावाभावौ च कल्पितौ ।
निष्कामः किं विजानाति
किं ब्रूते च करोति किम् ॥
"Knowing himself to be God, and being and non-being just imagination, what should the man free from desire learn, say, or do?"
अयं सोऽहमयं नाहं
इति क्षीणा विकल्पना ।
सर्वमात्मेति निश्चित्य
तूष्णींभूतस्य योगिनः ॥
"Considerations like “I am this” or “I am not this” are finished for the yogi who has gone silent realising “Everything is myself.”"
न विक्षेपो न चैकाग्र्यं
नातिबोधो न मूढता ।
न सुखं न च वा दुःखं
उपशान्तस्य योगिनः ॥
"For the yogi who has found peace, there is no distraction or one-pointedness, no higher knowledge or ignorance, no pleasure and no pain."
स्वाराज्ये भैक्षवृत्तौ च
लाभालाभे जने वने ।
निर्विकल्पस्वभावस्य
न विशेषोऽस्ति योगिनः ॥
"The dominion of heaven or beggary, gain or loss, life among men or in the forest, these make no difference to a yogi whose nature it is to be free from distinctions."
क्व धर्मः क्व च वा कामः
क्व चार्थः क्व विवेकिता ।
इदं कृतमिदं नेति
द्वन्द्वैर्मुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥
"There are no religious obligations, wealth, sensuality, or discrimination for a yogi free from such opposites as “I have done this,” and “I have not done that.”"
कृत्यं किमपि नैवास्ति
न कापि हृदि रंजना ।
यथा जीवनमेवेह
जीवन्मुक्तस्य योगिनः ॥
"There is nothing needing to be done or any attachment in his heart for the yogi liberated while still alive. Things will last just to the end of life."
क्व मोहः क्व च वा विश्वं
क्व तद् ध्यानं क्व मुक्तता ।
सर्वसंकल्पसीमायां
विश्रान्तस्य महात्मनः ॥
"There is no delusion, world, meditation on That, or liberation for the pacified great soul. All these things are just the realm of imagination."
येन विश्वमिदं दृष्टं स
नास्तीति करोतु वै ।
निर्वासनः किं कुरुते
पश्यन्नपि न पश्यति ॥
"He by whom all this is seen may well make out it doesn’t exist, but what is the desireless one to do? Even in seeing it he does not see it."
येन दृष्टं परं ब्रह्म
सोऽहं ब्रह्मेति चिन्तयेत् ।
किं चिन्तयति निश्चिन्तो
यो न पश्यति ॥
"He by whom the Supreme Brahma is seen may think “I am Brahma,” but what is he to think who is without thought, and who sees no duality?"
दृष्टो येनात्मविक्षेपो
निरोधं कुरुते त्वसौ ।
उदारस्तु न विक्षिप्तः
साध्याभावात्करोति किम् ॥
"He by whom inner distraction is seen may put an end to it, but the noble one is not distracted. When there is nothing to achieve what is he to do?"
धीरो लोकविपर्यस्तो
वर्तमानोऽपि लोकवत् ।
नो समाधिं न विक्षेपं
न लोपं स्वस्य पश्यति ॥
"The wise man, unlike the worldly man, does not see inner stillness, distraction, or fault in himself, even when living like a worldly man."
भावाभावविहीनो यस्-
तृप्तो निर्वासनो बुधः ।
नैव किंचित्कृतं तेन
लोकदृष्ट्या विकुर्वता ॥
"Nothing is done by him who is free from being and non-being, who is contented, desireless, and wise, even if in the world’s eyes he does act."
प्रवृत्तौ वा निवृत्तौ वा
नैव धीरस्य दुर्ग्रहः ।
यदा यत्कर्तुमायाति
तत्कृत्वा तिष्ठते सुखम् ॥
"The wise man who just goes on doing what presents itself for him to do, encounters no difficulty in either activity or inactivity."
निर्वासनो निरालंबः
स्वच्छन्दो मुक्तबन्धनः ।
क्षिप्तः संस्कारवातेन
चेष्टते शुष्कपर्णवत् ॥
"He who is desireless, self-reliant, independent, and free of bonds functions like a dead leaf blown about by the wind of causality."
असंसारस्य तु क्वापि
न हर्षो न विषादिता ।
स शीतलहमना नित्यं
विदेह इव राजये ॥
"There is neither joy nor sorrow for one who has transcended samsara. With a peaceful mind he lives as if without a body."
कुत्रापि न जिहासास्ति
नाशो वापि न कुत्रचित् ।
आत्मारामस्य धीरस्य
शीतलाच्छतरात्मनः ॥
"He whose joy is in himself, and who is peaceful and pure within has no desire for renunciation or sense of loss in anything."
प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तस्य
कुर्वतोऽस्य यदृच्छया ।
प्राकृतस्येव धीरस्य
न मानो नावमानता ॥
"For the man with a naturally empty mind, doing just as he pleases, there is no such thing as pride or false humility, as there is for the natural man."
कृतं देहेन कर्मेदं
न मया शुद्धरूपिणा ।
इति चिन्तानुरोधी यः
कुर्वन्नपि करोति न ॥
"“This action was done by the body but not by me.” The pure-natured person thinking like this is not acting even when acting."
अतद्वादीव कुरुते
न भवेदपि बालिशः ।
जीवन्मुक्तः सुखी श्रीमान्
संसरन्नपि शोभते ॥
"He who acts without being able to say why, but is not thereby a fool, he is one liberated while still alive, happy and blessed. He is happy even in samsara."
नाविचारसुश्रान्तो धीरो
विश्रान्तिमागतः ।
न कल्पते न जाति
न शृणोति न पश्यति ॥
"He who has had enough of endless considerations and has attained peace, does not think, know, hear, or see."
असमाधेरविक्षेपान्
न मुमुक्षुर्न चेतरः ।
निश्चित्य कल्पितं पश्यन्
ब्रह्मैवास्ते महाशयः ॥
"He who is beyond mental stillness and distraction does not desire either liberation or its opposite. Recognising that things are just constructions of the imagination, that great soul lives as God here and now."
यस्यान्तः स्यादहंकारो
न करोति करोति सः ।
निरहंकारधीरेण न
किंचिदकृतं कृतम् ॥
"He who feels responsibility within, acts even when doing nothing, but there is no sense of done or undone for the wise man who is free from the sense of responsibility."
नोद्विग्नं न च सन्तुष्ट-
मकर्तृ स्पन्दवर्जितं ।
निराशं गतसन्देहं
चित्तं मुक्तस्य राजते ॥
"The mind of the liberated man is not upset or pleased. It shines unmoving, desireless, and free from doubt."