Chapter-1, Verse 14

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 1.14

देहाभिमानपाशेन चिरं बद्धोऽसि पुत्रक। बोधोऽहं ज्ञानखड्गेन तन्निष्कृत्य सुखी भव॥१४॥ 

14. My dear son, you have been bound by the rope of your body consciousness. Rend it asunder with the sword of the Knowledge ‘I am Consciousness’ and be happy. 

You have been for thousands of years moving along the path of your biological evolution, from the unicellular existence, steadily progressing on to gain this noble human birth and to learn to assert the human intelligence. In all these long periods of evolution we have been living the delusion of our ‘body consciousness’. Naturally, the idea ‘I am the body’ is very strong in us. The deep paternal anxiety and concern of the Teacher for the student is indicated here when he addresses the student as ‘dear son’ (putraka). 

Having explained to the student the nature of the Reality and having indicated the path of realising It, now the Teacher can do nothing more. The delusion is in the student’s mind and none can help him save himself. He must awake himself to his own real nature. Therefore, the Teacher with anxious urgency insists, ‘Rend asunder’ the noose of your body consciousness, in which you are at this moment caught unaware, by your own spiritual ‘ignorance’. This can be done only with the sharp sword of one’s own direct realisation ‘I am Consciousness’.

Thus redeem yourself from your own delusion of body and mind. Get away from the illusory sorrows of life and ‘be happy’. Intuitive illumination occurs the very instant when ‘ignorance’ is dispelled. Realising ‘I am the Consciousness’, abide in the Self and ‘be happy’.