Chapter-18, Verse 40

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.40

क्वात्मनो दर्शनं तस्य यो दृष्टमवलम्बते ।

धीरास्तं तं न पश्यन्ति पश्यन्त्यात्मानमव्ययम् ॥ ४० ॥

Where is the vision of the Self to one who resorts to seeing the manifested world? The wise do not see this and that, but see only the immutable Self. (40)

The first line of the verse questions the possibility of Self-Knowledge for those who rely on the perception of the external objects for their knowledge. Such people are ignorant of their True Nature, which is beyond the senses and the mind. They are attached to the phenomenal world, which is constantly changing and illusory. They mistake the unreal for the real, and the non-self for the Self.

The second line of the verse contrasts the wise with the ignorant. The wise are those who have Realized their True Nature as the unchanging, eternal, and blissful Self. They do not depend on the perception of the external objects for their knowledge, but on the direct intuition of their own Self. They do not see this and that, which are the dualities and diversities of the phenomenal world, but see themselves as unending, which is the unity and identity of the Self with the Supreme Reality.

Similar verses from other Vedic texts are:

- Yogavasishtha 6.2.215.6:

मोक्षोपायानिमान्पुण्यान्प्रत्यक्षानुभवार्थदान् |

बालोप्यकर्ण्य तत्ज्ञात्वं याति का त्वादृशे कथा ||

Having learnt the methods of Realization, expounded in this work which brings about direct intuition,

even a child comes to realize the Self. What to speak of you who are like that? (6)

This verse from the Yogavashishta praises the efficacy of the teachings of the text, which are based on the non-dual philosophy of Advaita Vedanta. It asserts that anyone who learns and understands the methods of Realization, which are the means to attain the direct intuition of the Self, can Realize their True Nature, regardless of their age or status. It also encourages the listener, who is Rama, to follow the teachings, as he is already endowed with the qualities of a seeker.

- Bhagavad Gita 13.34:

यथा प्रकाशयत्येकः कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रविः |

क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ||

As the sun alone illumines the entire world, so does the Knower of the field (the Self) illumine the entire field (the body-mind complex), O Bharata. (34)

This verse from the Bhagavad Gita compares the Self to the sun, which is the source of light and life for the world. The Self is the source of Consciousness and Awareness for the body-mind complex, which is the field of experience. The Self is distinct from the field, and is not affected by its changes and modifications. The Self is the Witness of the field, and illumines it with its own light.

- Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.1:

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. (1)

This verse from the Mundaka Upanishad uses the metaphor of two birds on a tree to illustrate the relationship between the individual Self and the Supreme Self. The two birds are identical and inseparable, but one of them, the individual self, is engrossed in the enjoyment of the fruits of its actions, which are the results of its ignorance and attachment. The other bird, the Supreme Self, is detached and serene, and merely observes the actions of the first bird, without being affected by them. The Supreme Self is the True Nature of the individual Self, and when the individual Self realizes this, it attains Realization.