Containing 8 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
अष्टावक्र उवाच
कृताकृते च द्वन्द्वानि
कदा शान्तानि कस्य वा ।
एवं ज्ञात्वेह निर्वेदाद् भव
त्यागपरोऽव्रती ॥
"Ashtavakra said: Knowing when the dualism of things done and undone has been put to rest, or the person for whom they occur has, then you can here and now go beyond renunciation and obligations by indifference to such things."
कस्यापि तात धन्यस्य लोकचेष्टावलोकनात् ।
जीवितेच्छा बुभुक्षा च
बुभुत्सोपशमं गताः ॥
"Rare indeed, my son, is the lucky man whose observation of the world’s behaviour has led to the extinction of his thirst for living, thirst for pleasure, and thirst for knowledge."
अनित्यं सर्वमेवेदं
तापत्रयदूषितं ।
असारं निन्दितं हेयमि-
ति निश्चित्य शाम्यति ॥
"All this is transient and spoiled by the three sorts of pain. Knowing it to be insubstantial, ignoble, and fit only for rejection, one attains peace."
कोऽसौ कालो वयः किं वा
यत्र द्वन्द्वानि नो नृणां ।
तान्युपेक्ष्य यथाप्राप्तवर्ती
सिद्धिमवाप्नुयात् ॥
"When was that age or time of life when the dualism of extremes did not exist for men? Abandoning them, a person who is happy to take whatever comes attains perfection."
नाना मतं महर्षीणां
साधूनां योगिनां तथा ।
दृष्ट्वा निर्वेदमापन्नः
को न शाम्यति मानवः ॥
"Who does not end up with indifference to such things and attain peace when he has seen the differences of opinions among the great sages, saints, and yogis?"
कृत्वा मूर्तिपरिज्ञानं
चैतन्यस्य न किं गुरुः ।
निर्वेदसमतायुक्त्या
यस्तारयति संसृतेः ॥
"Is he not a guru who, endowed with dispassion and equanimity, achieves full knowledge of the nature of consciousness, and leads others out of samsara?"
पश्य भूतविकारांस्त्वं
भूतमात्रान् यथार्थतः ।
तत्क्षणाद् बन्धनिर्मुक्तः
स्वरूपस्थो भविष्यसि ॥
"If you would just see the transformations of the elements as nothing more than the elements, then you would immediately be freed from all bonds and established in your own nature."
वासना एव संसार इति
सर्वा विमुंच ताः ।
तत्त्यागो वासनात्यागा-
त्स्थितिरद्य यथा तथा ॥
"One’s desires are samsara. Knowing this, abandon them. The renunciation of them is the renunciation of it. Now you can remain as you are."