Chapter-17, Verse 10

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 17.10:

न जागर्ति न निद्राति नोन्मीलति न मीलति ।

अहो परदशा काऽपि वर्तते मुक्तचेतसः ॥ १० ॥

He neither wakes nor sleeps, neither opens nor closes his eyes. Ah, what a wonder! The Realized one behaves as he pleases.

The meaning of this verse is that the one who has attained liberation from the bondage of ignorance and desire is free from the duality of waking and sleeping, seeing and not seeing. He is not affected by the changes of the body and the mind, nor by the stories of the world. He is always in a state of Pure Awareness, which is beyond the limitations of time, space and causation. He acts spontaneously and naturally, without any attachment or aversion, according to his own will. He is not bound by any rules or conventions, nor by any fear or expectation. He is the Master of himself and the Witness of all.

Similar verses from Vedic texts are:

- Rigveda 1.164.20: 

द्वा सुपर्णा सयुजा सखाया समानं वृक्षं परिषस्वजाते । तयोरन्यः पिप्पलं स्वाद्वत्त्यनश्नन्नन्यो अभिचाकशीति ॥

Two birds, united always and known as inseparable, cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit; the other looks on without eating.

This verse describes the two aspects of the Self: the individual soul (jiva) and the Supreme Soul (atman). The individual soul is entangled in the tree of samsara, enjoying or suffering the fruits of its actions. The Supreme Soul is detached and unaffected, merely observing the play of maya. The individual soul can realize its true nature by turning away from the worldly pleasures and looking towards the Supreme soul, who is its eternal friend and guide.

- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.21: 

अहं ब्रह्मास्मि

I am Brahman.

This verse is one of the four mahavakyas or great sayings that express the identity of the individual Self with the universal Self. Brahman is the Ultimate Reality, the Source and substratum of everything. The individual Self is not different from Brahman, but only appears to be so due to ignorance and illusion. By realizing this Truth through direct experience, one attains liberation from all bondage and suffering.

- Bhagavad Gita 2.20: 

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि न्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः । अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे ॥

He is never born nor dies at any time. Nor does he come into being again when he is created.

He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.

This verse describes the Nature of the Self or atman, which is distinct from the body and mind. The Self is not subject to birth and death, creation and destruction, change and decay. It is eternal, unchanging, indestructible and ancient. It is not affected by the death of the body, which is only a temporary vehicle for its expression. The Self is the essence of life and Consciousness, which pervades all beings.