Chapter-18, Verse 2

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.2:

अर्जयित्वाखिलानर्थान्भोगानाप्नोति पुष्कलान् ।

न हि सर्वपरित्यागमन्तरेण सुखी भवेत् ॥ २ ॥

Having acquired all the objects of enjoyment, one attains abundance.

But one cannot be happy without renouncing everything. || 2 ||

The verse implies that the pursuit of worldly pleasures is futile and unsatisfying, as it does not lead to true happiness or peace of mind. The verse suggests that one who is attached to the sense objects is bound by desire, greed, and fear, and thus suffers from agitation, anxiety, and sorrow.

The verse also implies that the only way to attain happiness is to renounce all attachments and identifications with the body, mind, and ego, and realize one's true nature as Pure Consciousness, the Witness of everything. The verse suggests that one who is detached from the sense objects is free from desire, greed, and fear, and thus enjoys tranquility, contentment, and bliss.

The verse further implies that the renunciation of everything is not a physical act of giving up or abandoning, but a mental state of detachment and dispassion, where one sees the impermanence, illusoriness, and emptiness of the phenomenal world. The verse suggests that one who renounces everything is not averse to or indifferent to the world, but rather sees it as a manifestation of the Supreme Reality, and thus remains unaffected by its changes and fluctuations.

Similar verses from Vedic texts are:

- Yogavashishta:

यदा चित्तं तदा लोकः यदा नास्ति तदा शिवः ।

यदा चित्तं तदा बन्धः यदा नास्ति तदा मुक्तिः ॥

When there is mind, there is the world. When there is no mind, there is Reality. When there is mind, there is bondage. When there is no mind, there is Realization. ||

- Bhagavad Gita 15.4:

नास्ति भूतं न भाव्यं च न भूतं भाव्यमेव च ।

अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः ॥

There is no being, nor non-being, nor being and non-being. Knowledge is covered by ignorance, by that the creatures are deluded. ||

- Shvetashvatara Upanishad 3.8:

नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय । यस्माद्देवा अपश्यन्त आत्मानं स्वर्गे लोके ॥

There is no other path for this by which the gods realized the Self in the heavenly world. ||