Chapter-15, Verse 4

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 15.4

न त्वं देहो न ते देहो भोक्ता कर्ता न वा भवान्। चिद्रूपोऽसि सदा साक्षी निरपेक्षः सुखं चर॥४॥

You are not the body, nor is the body yours. You are neither the ‘doer’ nor the ‘enjoyer’. You are Consciousness itself, the eternal, indifferent witness. You go about happily.

This verse is a practical instruction for the seeker of Realization, who is advised to detach himself from the identification with the body and rest in the Awareness of his True Nature. The verse implies that the cause of suffering and bondage is the false identification with the body, which is a product of ignorance and attachment. The body is not the Self, but only an instrument for the Self to experience the world. The Self is not limited by the body, but is Pure Consciousness, which is independent, eternal and blissful.

The verse also suggests that Realization is not something to be attained in the future, but is already the natural state of the Self. The seeker does not need to do anything to achieve Realization, but only to stop doing what obscures it. By renouncing the identification with the body and resting in consciousness, the seeker Realizes his True Nature and becomes free from all bondage and suffering. Realization is not a change in one's condition, but a change in one's perception.

The verse echoes the teachings of other Vedic texts, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, which also emphasize the distinction between the Self and the body, and the importance of detachment and self-knowledge for Realization. 

In the Katha Upanishad (2.1.2), it is said:

न जायते म्रियते वा विपश्चिन्नायं कुतश्चिन्न बभूव कश्चित् ।

अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥

The wise one is not born nor dies; this one has never come into Being nor will ever come into Being.

This one is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient; this one is not killed when the body is killed.