Chapter-2, Verse 7

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 2.7

आत्माज्ञानाज्जगद्भाति आत्मज्ञानान्न भासते। रज्ज्वज्ञानादहिर्भाति तज्ज्ञानाद्भासते न हि॥७॥

7. The universe appears from the ‘ignorance' of the Self, and disappears with 'knowledge’ of the Self just as the serpent, indeed, appears from the 'non-apprehension' of the rope and disappears with its 'apprehension'. 

Supplying the student with an explanation on why the creation of an illusory world of plurality and how this creation is maintained, we have here the oft-quoted example, as given in Vedānta, of the rope and the serpent. When the substratum, the rope, is not cognised, in this ‘non-apprehension’ (ignorance) of the rope, the restless mind imagines various ‘misapprehensions’. When the intellect is veiled, the mind projects. Then the illusion is sustained by the fanciful imagination of the mind. Thereafter follows all the confusions and sorrows. 

When the rope, is ‘apprehended’, the ‘non-apprehension’ of the rope is ended; naturally, therefore, all ‘misapprehensions’ also end. In our ‘ignorance’ of the Self, the experiencer experienced universe (jagat) manifests to supply the confusions and sorrows in the experiencing ego. When the miserable ego rediscovers itself to be nothing other than the pure Self, the plurality merges to disappear into the one, non-dual Reality. That Janaka here is employing the example as given in Upaniṣads, need not necessarily be a mere slavish repetition. 

The royal saint in the King Janaka, on realising the Self, has now the same experience as the saints of the Upaniṣads had in their mystic moments of their spiritual Realisation. Therefore, there can certainly be a similarity of expression. In that case what exactly is my Nature as Self? At this moment I have an identity, a location in space, an expression in time. But once this ego in me has ended, it would be the total destruction of my individuality and, thereafter, how do I survive? What would be my Nature? These questions are answered by Janaka, in the following verse, by defining his own spiritual nature as he directly experiences.