Chapter-3, Verse 11

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 3.11

मायामात्रमिदं विश्वं पश्यन् विगतकौतुकः। अपि सन्निहिते मृत्यौ कथं त्रस्यति धीरधीः॥११॥

11. Realising this universe as a mere illusion and having lost all zest in life, how can even such a man of poised intellect fear the approach of death? 

‘The zest to live’, here means the continuous hunger to seek happiness and fulfilment in sense gratifications, which is the continuous motive force which propels the individual entities to continue the race. From the womb to the tomb, individuals are goaded to move through the ups and downs of life’s paths, tantalised by the empty hope that they would ultimately find complete happiness, in the immediately following set of experiences, although they realise that they have been completely cheated by the world till their present moment! 

A Man of Wisdom in his newly awakened Inner Consciousness realises the universe as a mere illusion projected by his own mind and, naturally, this self-defeating ‘zest in life’ is totally lost for him. The fascinating objects outside alone bring all the storms that disturb the mental tranquillity and the intellectual equipoise in man. A man reinforced with this great wisdom of the Self, becomes impervious to all such worldly agitations. Even the approaching death can have no fear for him! Death is only the end of the body, the destruction of the perishable; the saint has realised that he is the deathless, imperishable Self. Hence, he is not threatened even by the approaching challenge of death.