Ashtavakra Gita Verse 17.4:
यस्तु भोगेषु भुक्तेषु न भवत्यधिवासितः ।
अभुक्तेषु निराकाङ्क्षी तादृशो भवदुर्लभः ॥ ४ ॥
He who is not attached to the things he has enjoyed; And does not crave for the things he has not enjoyed; Such a one is hard to find. || 4 ||
The verse describes the characteristics of a rare and enlightened person who is free from attachment and desire. He is not bound by the past or the future, but lives in the present moment with contentment and detachment.
The verse implies that most people are either attached to the pleasures they have experienced, or crave for the pleasures they have not experienced. They are constantly seeking satisfaction from external objects, but never find lasting happiness. They are trapped in the cycle of birth and death, driven by their karma.
The verse also suggests that the way to Realization is to renounce attachment and desire, and to Realize one's True Nature as the Self, which is beyond the duality of pleasure and pain. The Self is the source of Bliss, which does not depend on anything else. The Self is also the Witness of all phenomena, which are transient and illusory.
Similar verses from Vedic texts are:
- Bhagavad Gita 2.55:
प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् ।
आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्टः स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥
When he completely renounces all desires that have entered his mind, and remains satisfied in his own Self by his own Self; He is called a man of steady wisdom.
- Katha Upanishad 2.3.10:
यदा पञ्चावतिष्ठन्ते ज्ञानानि मनसा सह ।
बुद्धिश्च न विचेष्टते तामाहुः परमां गतिम् ॥
When the five senses and the mind are still, and the intellect does not stir; That, they say, is the Highest State.
- Yoga Sutra 1.15:
दृष्टानुश्रविकविषयवितृष्णस्य वशीकारसंज्ञा वैराग्यम् ॥
Non-attachment is mastery over oneself. Free from craving for what is seen or heard.
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