Chapter-16, Verse 8

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 16.8:

प्रवृत्तौ जायते रागो निवृत्तौ द्वेष एव हि ।

निर्द्वन्द्वो बालवद्धीमानेवमेव व्यवस्थितः ॥ ८ ॥

Desire arises from activity, and aversion from abstention, indeed. Free from the pairs of opposites, like a child, the wise one remains thus established || 8 ||

The verse explains the cause and effect of attachment and detachment in the world. It says that when one engages in worldly actions, one develops desire for the fruits of those actions. And when one refrains from worldly actions, one develops aversion for the objects of those actions. Both desire and aversion are forms of attachment that bind one to the cycle of birth and death. 

The wise one, however, is free from both attachment and detachment. He or she is not affected by the pairs of opposites, such as pleasure and pain, success and failure, honor and dishonor, etc. He or she remains in a state of equanimity, like a child who is innocent and unaffected by the world. He or she is established in the Self, which is beyond all duality.

Similar verses from other Vedic texts, which convey the same message of transcending duality and attaining liberation.

Bhagavad Gita, Verse 16.8:

असत्यमप्रतिष्ठं ते जगदाहुरनीश्वरम् |

अपरस्परसम्भूतं किमन्यत्कामहैतुकम् ||

They say, “The world is without Absolute Truth, without any basis (for moral order), and without a God (who has created or is controlling it). It is created from the combination of the two sexes, and has no purpose other than sexual gratification.” ||

This verse describes the worldview of those who have demoniac natures. They deny the existence of God, truth, morality, and causality in the world. They believe that everything is a product of lust and nothing else. They are attached to sensual pleasures and have no regard for spiritual values.

Bhagavad Gita, Verse 8.16:

आब्रह्मभुवनाल्लोकाः पुनरावर्तिनोऽर्जुन |

मामुपेत्य तु कौन्तेय पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ||

In all the worlds of this material creation, up to the highest abode of Brahma, you will be subject to rebirth, O Arjun. But on attaining My Abode, O son of Kunti, there is no further rebirth. ||

This verse explains that all the material worlds are subject to repeated birth and death. Even if one attains the highest heavenly planet of Brahma, one has to come back to this world when one's merit is exhausted. The only way to escape this cycle of samsara is to attain God's Abode, which is beyond the material creation. There, one attains eternal Bliss and Freedom.

Mundaka Upanishad, Verse 2.1.10:

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते | तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ||

Two birds of beautiful plumage, who are inseparable friends, reside on the selfsame tree. Of these, one eats the fruits of the tree with relish, while the other looks on without eating. ||

This verse illustrates the relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme soul. They are both situated in the same body, which is compared to a tree. The individual soul is engrossed in the fruits of the tree, which are the pleasures and pains of the world. The supreme soul is detached from the world and witnesses the activities of the individual soul. The individual soul can attain liberation by realizing its identity with the supreme soul and giving up its attachment to the world.