Chapter-2, Verse 23

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 2.23

अहो भुवनकल्लोलैर्विचित्रैर्द्राक् समुत्थितम्। मय्यनन्तमहाम्भोधौ चित्तवाते समुद्यते॥२३॥

23. O Marvellous! In the limitless ocean of Me, when mental storms rise, diverse waves of worlds are instantly produced. 

Here we have an enthralling set of three extremely lyrical verses with which the chapter ends. Aṣṭāvakra dandles his favourite metaphor of the ocean in these three verses. 

Waves rise in the ocean due to the wild winds in the atmosphere, and those waves calm themselves down to become the ocean when the whistling winds become quiet and peaceful. Whenever the mind is quiet, as in deep sleep, there are no perceptions; the moment we wake up, the mind gets active and with the agitations of the mind, the pluralistic world rises up into our awareness. 

‘In the limitless ocean of Pure Consciousness which is my Real Nature’ confesses Janaka ‘when mental storms stir up tumultuous agitations, mountainous waves are created and they represent the endless variety of experiences.’ In short, when the mind is calm, the world of plurality rolls away. In reality there is nothing but the Self. The world of things and beings is an illusory superimposition maintained by our mind in agitation.