Ashtavakra Gita - 2

 

Verse 2

The second verse talks about what needs to be done if you seek Liberation. We need to give up the attachment towards worldly objects, we should not indulge ourselves in acquiring material objects and say I own a this or that. Any attachment to external world takes us away from our true nature and Liberation. What is Liberation it is freedom from bondage and bondage arises when we get attached to objects. The person attached to objects will feel pain when he is not able to acquire it, this pain is totally avoidable. The cause of such attachment is the uncontrolled mind, moreover we should understand we are neither the body or mind but the true consciousness which is blissful by itself any happiness that the mind or body experiences is the happiness of the self and not from the objects acquired. So if one understands this then attachment towards objects will also go away. All these are possible when we control our urges of the mind and senses

We should seek for forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, contentment and truth which lays a strong foundation to aspire liberation.

When we talk about forgiveness, we should be able to forgive others and ourselves, we should also be ready to ask for forgiveness when required. When one is unable to pardon these feels starts forming impressions in the mind which is rear its head out eventually putting us in difficult situation. Without forgiveness the self is still identified with mind and body as pain is felt only by these and not by the atman. Our true self is indifferent to all these emotions and looks at everything as a witness, but if we identify ourselves with mind and body then pain is inevitable.

Being sincere is an important quality as this will avoid the hassles of ever vigilant, an honest person does not have to worry about his actions as he knows that he has genuinely put in his efforts or he does not have to remember everything does  or says as against a dishonest person who would expect repercussions of his actions. Being true to thought, speech and action helps in creating a worry-free mind which is very helpful for progression in spiritual life

Being happy with what we have is one level of contentment, other way of looking at is when are doing something that we are not happy with it creates hundreds of problems in our mind and there by makes us miserable. If we develop the attitude of contentment, we can see divinity that activity or with what we have. Contentment does not make us inert but rather helps us to overcome the sadness that is derived out of unattainable goals. If we have an attitude of being happy irrespective the success or failure or be indifferent to the outcomes, it will make us not to get attached to objects. We can keep trying to achieve the goal again and again till we succeed but failures will not affect us we are contented with what we have with us. We can keep progressing in life without irrespective of obstacles or failure when contented.

Finally we should seek truth and be truthful in our life, this is an important quality as if one is not truthful then it denoted attached towards body and mind, by being truthful we can transcend the same

Ashtavakra Gita - 1

 

Ashtavakra Gita 

 

Verse 1

The Verse starts with a question by Janaka to Ashtavakra, on how one can acquire knowledge? How do I get liberated? and What leads to renunciation?

The verse has three question which needs to be discussed in detail. The first question is to know how to acquire knowledge. But first, what is this Knowledge that is being discussed here?

Knowing about Who am I? What am I? How am I related to the universe around me? Who is God and How am I related to God? Knowing about this is the knowledge that is being discussed here.

The above point comes with two broad categories being Who am I and Who is God? and how these two are interlinked?

Coming to the first part of the question i.e. Who am I? we usually tend associate ourselves to the body mind complex. But we are neither the body nor the mind, but the silent witness of these two. This is what is called as Atma and Paramatma (God) is all pervasive existence, consciousness and Bliss.

The true knowledge here is to know that Atma and Paramatama is one and the same. Realization of this is true knowledge. To acquire this knowledge, we can read various scriptures, like Bhagvat Gita, Upanishads etc.

Atma is our true self which witnesses everything that is happening. When something stings us, the body feels the pain and we say My body is paining. When I say my body is paining, it means that I’m different from my body and it is the body that is in pain and this is observed by me, hence I’m not the body.

Then we think that the I’m the mind, mind and thought go hand in hand and they are the same, mind does not exist if there is no thought and hence when the body gets sting it feels sad and the thoughts comes up that it is suffering. But again here we say that my mind is disturbed due to pain and therefore I’m not the mind, as it is my mind that is disturbed and I’m witnessing it, in-turn I’m the true witness of mind and body or the one who illuminates the this event is the true self or Atma (Consciousness).

This true self is neither afflicted by the pains and pleasures of the body mind complex and remains the same irrespective of the situation that its body and mind undergoes, for this Self the body/mind is just like an illusion that appears in-front of it. Meaning for the Atma the pains of the body and mind appears in it and hence it’s an appearance, pain is either an appearance.

The existence of body and mind is dependent on Atma and Atman is independent of the these two. Atma can exist without these two but mind and body can’t (Imagine existence of anything without consciousness, it is not possible, without consciousness nothing cannot exist, how can one quantify of existence of something without existence itself without consciousness). By this way we can understand the Atman has the quality of Existence, consciousness and Bliss (bliss because there is nothing other than atman when everything is in atman, then it means that everything is perfect, you don’t need anything, as source of pleasure for everything everything is atman, hence it’s bliss, as atman is independent and body mind is an appearance to itself, it is perfect and hence blissful by itself)

God is traditionally described as Existence, consciousness and bliss and by above interpretation of Atman, both are one and the same

The second point touched upon in the verse after Knowledge is Liberation, the logical conclusion of the right knowledge leads to liberation, which freedom from bondage, misery, Liberation completely eradicates misery. A Jeevanmuktha (Liberated while living) does not experience any misery irrespective of any situation that he experience, it is important to note that realization does not take away the Karma that needs to be experienced but rather removes the pain (mind level/ no mind state) associated to it.

Finally, the third point which is spoken here is about renunciation, this is an important quality that one needs to develop for acquiring knowledge about Brahman (God) and obtain Liberation. A person who is attached to world or otherwise enjoyment will never be able to go beyond it as Brahman is beyond all these things, if one wants to attain liberation (beyond all bondages and limitations) can happen only with renunciation and associated qualities