Chapter-18, Verse 3

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.3:

कर्तव्यदुःखमार्तण्डज्वाला दग्धान्तरात्मनः।

कुतः प्रशमपीयूषधारा- सारमृते सुखम्॥१८- ३॥

For one whose Inner Self is burnt by the blazing fire of sorrow caused by duty; How can there be happiness from the nectar-stream of peace without essence?॥18-3॥

The verse describes the plight of a person who is bound by the sense of duty and obligation, and who suffers from the pain and stress of fulfilling them. Such a person is constantly tormented by the fear of failure, the guilt of omission, and the anxiety of expectation. He or she is unable to enjoy the True Bliss of the Self, which is beyond all duties and actions.

The verse also questions the possibility of attaining peace and happiness from external sources, such as rituals, scriptures, or teachings, which are devoid of the essence of the self. Such sources may offer temporary relief or consolation, but they cannot quench the thirst of the soul, which is seeking its own nature. They are like a mirage, which appears to be water, but is actually dry and barren.

The verse implies that the only way to overcome the sorrow of duty and to experience the happiness of the Self is to renounce the notion of doer-ship and agency, and to realize that one is not the performer or the enjoyer of any action, but the Witness and the Awareness of all. By doing so, one can free oneself from the bondage of karma and the cycle of birth and death, and attain the state of Realization, which is the Supreme Goal of life.

Similar verses from Vedic texts are:

- Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.24:

न कर्मणा न प्रजया धनेन त्यागेनैके अमृतत्वमानशुः। परेण नाकं निहितं गुहायां विभ्राजते यद्यतयो विशन्ति॥

Not by action, nor by progeny, nor by wealth, but by renunciation alone some attained immortality.

That which is hidden in the Highest place shines forth, into which the seers enter.

This verse emphasizes the importance of renunciation as the means to attain immortality and the vision of the Supreme Self, which is hidden in the Heart of all beings.

- Bhagavad Gītā 3.17:

यस्त्वात्मरतिरेव स्यादात्मतृप्तश्च मानवः।

आत्मन्येव च सन्तुष्टस्तस्य कार्यं न विद्यते॥

But one who rejoices in the Self, who is satisfied with the Self, and who is content in the Self alone,

For him, there is no duty to be done. 

This verse describes the state of a Self-Realized person, who has no attachment or aversion to any action, and who is free from the sense of doership and enjoyership. Such a person has no obligation or compulsion to perform any action, as he or she is fulfilled in the Self alone.

- Yogavāsiṣṭha 6.2.34:

नास्ति बन्धः कुतो मोक्षः कुतो वा बन्धवासना।

आत्मैवात्मनि तिष्ठन्नात्मानं विद्धि निर्मलम्॥

There is no bondage, nor is there liberation, nor is there any desire for bondage. Remaining in the Self, know the Self to be Pure.

This verse negates the duality of bondage and liberation, and asserts the non-dual nature of the Self, which is ever Pure and free. It advises one to abide in the Self, and to realize one's true identity as the Self.