Chapter-13, Verse 4

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 13.4

कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावा देहस्थयोगिनः। संयोगायोगविरहादहमासे यथासुखम्॥४॥

4. The spiritual seekers (yogins), who are attached to the body, insist upon action or inaction. Divorced from both association and dissociation, I live in true happiness.

Even among the great Masters there are some who definitely seem to emphasise a dynamic life of dedicated service to the society. There are other Masters who address the student pleading for a life of retirement and utter quietude – inaction at the body, mind and intellect levels. 

Then there is Bhagavad-Gītā, which wants us to see ‘action in inaction and inaction in actions’. Each one of these great advices is addressed to the students at varying levels of their own body consciousness. 

Tāmasika people must undertake vigorous programmes of work, prompted by extreme selfish motives, in order to generate in them the dynamism of rajas. 

The rājasika sādhakas should learn to act vigorously, in a spirit of selfless dedication, in order to generate the brilliance of ‘sattva’ in their bosom. 

The fully developed sāttvika students, in alert and vigilant moments of ‘actionless action’ must heave themselves to reach the larger awakening into the higher Consciousness in them. 

Janaka at the peak of his Realisation has given up both, his association with the body and has relinquished all his efforts in dissociating himself with his body. His ego has ended and he sees nobody to accept or to reject. Thus, ‘I live in true happiness’, confesses the royal saint.