Chapter-3, Verse 2

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 3.2

आत्माज्ञानादहो प्रीतिर्विषयभ्रमगोचरे। शुक्तेरज्ञानतो लोभो यथा रजतविभ्रमे॥२॥

2. Alas! Just as, due to ignorance, a seashell is sought, mistaking it for silver, even so, due to the ‘ignorance’ of the Self, there is attachment to the illusory world of the senses. 

Amplifying the previous verse Aṣṭāvakra here explains that only in the ‘ignorance’ of the Self can the deluded ego get fascinated by the enchanting world of illusory sense objects. If Janaka is a Man of Realisation, there should not have been in him any fascination for the world of sense objects. He claims that he is a Man of Self-Realisation. Yet, as a king, he pursues wealth. Is not worldly activities and service of the society contradictory to the state of Self-realisation? 

Only in the non-apprehension of the seashell can one apprehend a silvery shine, and stoop to pick it up! To taunt Janaka, Aṣṭāvakra is pointing out that the king's attachment to the throne and its power are all eloquent symptoms of his spiritual ‘ignorance’!