Chapter 15 ॥ऩञ्चदशोध्याम्॥

अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
मथातथोऩदशे ने कृ ताथ्भ सत्त्वफतुिभान ।्
आजीवभतऩ तजऻास्ु ऩयस्तत्र तवभह्यु तत ॥ १५-१॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca
yathātathopadeśena kṛtārthaḥ sattvabuddhimān
ājīvamapi jijñāsuḥ parastatra vimuhyati
Ashtavakra: 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.
भोऺो तवषमवयै स्य ं फन्धो वषै तमको यस् ।
एतावदवे तवऻान ं मथच्छे तस तथा कुरु ॥ १५-२॥
mokṣo viṣayavairasyaṁ bandho vaiṣayiko rasaḥ
etāvadeva vijñānaṁ yathecchasi tathā kuru

Liberation is distaste for the objects of the senses. Bondage is love
of the senses. This is knowledge. Now do as you please.
वातग्भप्राऻानभहोर्द्योगं जन ं भकू जडारस ं ।
कयोतत तत्त्वफोधोऽमभतस्त्यिो फबु ऺु तब् ॥ १५-३॥
vāgmiprājñānamahodyogaṁ janaṁ mūkajaḍālasam
karoti tattvabodho'yamatastyakto bubhukṣabhiḥ
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 त्व ं दहे ो न त े दहे ो बोिा कता भ न वा बवान ।्
तचद्रूऩोऽतस सदा साऺी तनयऩऺे ् सखु ं चय ॥ १५-४॥
na tvaṁ deho na te deho bhoktā kartā na vā bhavān
cidrūpo'si sadā sākṣī nirapekṣaḥ sukhaṁ cara
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.

यागद्वेषौ भनोधभौ न भनस्त े कदाचन ।
तनतवकभ िोऽतस फोधात्मा तनतवकभ ाय् सखु ं चय॥१५-५॥
rāgadveṣau manodharmau na manaste kadācana
nirvikalpo'si bodhātmā nirvikāraḥ sukhaṁ cara
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.
सवबभ तू षे ुचात्मान ं सवबभ तू ातन चात्मतन ।
तवऻाम तनयहंकायो तनभभभ स्त्व ं सखु ी बव ॥ १५-६॥
sarvabhūteṣu cātmānaṁ sarvabhūtāni cātmani
vijñāya nirahaṁkāro nirmamastvaṁ sukhī Bhava
Recognising oneself in all beings, and all beings in oneself, be
happy, free from the sense of responsibility and free from
preoccupation with "me".
तवश्व ंस्फुयतत मत्रदे ं तयंगा इव सागय े ।
तत्त्वभवे न सन्दहे तश्चन्मतू े तवज्वयो बव ॥ १५-७॥

viśvaṁ sphurati yatredaṁ taraṁgā iva sāgare
tattvameva na sandehaścinmūrte vijvaro Bhava
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.
श्रिस्व तात श्रिस्व नात्र भोऽहं कुरुष्व बो् ।
ऻानस्वरूऩो बगवानात्मा त्व ं प्रकृ त्े ऩय् ॥ १५-८॥
śraddhasva tāta śraddhasva nātra mo'haṁ kuruṣva bhoḥ
jñānasvarūpo bhagavānātmā tvaṁ prakṛteḥ paraḥ
Have faith, my son, have faith. Don't let yourself be deluded in
this, sir. You are yourself the Lord, whose very nature is
knowledge, and are beyond natural causation.
गणु ्ै सवं ते ष्टतो दहे तस्तष्ठत्यामातत मातत च ।
आत्मा न गतं ा नागतं ा तकभने भनशु ोचतस ॥ १५-९॥
guṇaiḥ saṁveṣṭito dehastiṣṭhatyāyāti yāti ca
ātmā na gaṁtā nāgaṁtā kimenamanuśocasi

The body invested with the senses stands still, and comes and
goes. You yourself neither come nor go, so why bother about
them?
दहे तस्तष्ठत ुकिान्त ं गच्छत्वर्द्यवै वा ऩनु ् ।
क्व वृति् क्व च वा हातनस्तव तचन्मात्ररूतऩण्॥१५-१०॥
dehastiṣṭhatu kalpāntaṁ gacchatvadyaiva vā punaḥ
kva vṛddhiḥ kva ca vā hānistava cinmātrarūpiṇaḥ
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?
त्वय्यनतं भहाबं ोधौ तवश्ववीतच् स्वबावत् ।
उदते ुवास्तभामात ुन त े वतृ िन भवा ऺतत् ॥ १५-११॥
tvayyanaṁtamahāṁbhodhau viśvavīciḥ svabhāvataḥ
udetu vāstamāyātu na te vṛddhirna vā kṣatiḥ
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 तचन्मात्ररूऩोऽतस न त े तबन्नतभद ं जगत ।्
अत् कस्य कथं कुत्र हेमोऩादेमकिना ॥ १५-१२॥
tāta cinmātrarūpo'si na te bhinnamidaṁ jagat
ataḥ kasya kathaṁ kutra heyopādeyakalpanā
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?
एकतिन्नव्यम े शान्त े तचदाकाशऽे भरे त्वतम ।
कुतो जन्म कुतो कभ भ कुतोऽहंकाय एव च ॥ १५-१३॥
ekasminnavyaye śānte cidākāśe'male tvayi
kuto janma kuto karma kuto'haṁkāra eva ca
How can there be either birth, karma or responsibility in that one
unchanging, peaceful, unblemished and infinite consciousness
which is you?
मत्त्व ं ऩश्मतस तत्रकै स्त्वभवे प्रततबासस े।
तकं ऩथृ क ्बासत ेस्वणातभ क् टकागं दनऩू यु भ ॥् १५-१४॥

yattvaṁ paśyasi tatraikastvameva pratibhāsase
kiṁ pṛthak bhāsate svarṇāt kaṭakāṁgadanūpuram
Whatever you see, it is you alone manifest in it. How could
bracelets, armlets and anklets be different from the gold they are
made of?
अमं सोऽहभमं नाहं तवबागतभतत संत्यज ।
सवभभ ात्मते त तनतश्चत्य तन्सङ्कि् सखु ी बव॥१५-१५॥
ayaṁ so'hamayaṁ nāhaṁ vibhāgamiti saṁtyaja
sarvamātmeti niścitya niḥsaṅkalpaḥ sukhī Bhava
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.
तववै ाऻानतो तवश्व ंत्वभके ् ऩयभाथतभ ् ।
त्वत्तोऽन्यो नातस्त संसायी नासंसायी च कश्चन॥१५-१६
tavaivājñānato viśvaṁ tvamekaḥ paramārthataḥ
tvatto'nyo nāsti saṁsārī nāsaṁsārī ca kaścana

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.
भ्रातन्तभात्रतभदं तवश्वं न तकंतचतदतत तनश्चमी ।
तनवासभ न् स्फू ततभभ ात्रो न तकंतचतदव शाम्यतत ॥१५-१७॥
bhrāntimātramidaṁ viśvaṁ na kiṁciditi niścayī
nirvāsanaḥ sphūrtimātro na kiṁcidiva śāmyati
Knowing that all this is an illusion, one becomes free of desire,
pure receptivity and at peace, as if nothing existed.
एक एव बवांबोधावासीदतस्त बतवष्यतत ।
न त े फन्धोऽतस्त भोऺो वा कृत्यकृत्य् सखु ं चय ॥ १५-१८॥
eka eva bhavāṁbhodhāvāsīdasti bhaviṣyati
na te bandho'sti mokṣo vā kṛtyakṛtyaḥ sukhaṁ cara
Only one thing has existed, exists and will exist in the ocean of
being. You have no bondage or liberation. Live happily and
fulfilled.

भा सङ्कितवकिाभ्यां तचत्तं ऺोबम तचन्मम ।
उऩशाम्य सखु ं ततष्ठ स्वात्मन्यानन्दतवग्रह े ॥ १५-१९॥
mā saṅkalpavikalpābhyāṁ cittaṁ kṣobhaya cinmaya
upaśāmya sukhaṁ tiṣṭha svātmanyānandavigrahe
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.
त्यजवै ध्यान ं सवत्रभ भा तकंतचद ्हृतद धायम ।
आत्मा त्व ं भिु एवातस तकं तवभश्ृ म कतयष्यतस॥१५-२०
tyajaiva dhyānaṁ sarvatra mā kiṁcid hṛdi dhāraya
ātmā tvaṁ mukta evāsi kiṁ vimṛśya kariṣyasi
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?