Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.42
भावस्य भावकः कश्चिन्न किञ्चिद्भावकोऽपरः ।
उभयाऽभावकः कश्चिदेवमेव निराकुलः ॥ ४२ ॥
Some think that ‘existence’ is real and others that ‘nothing’ is real. Rare is the one who thinks neither. He is perfectly serene, free from all distractions.
The verse contrasts three types of people: those who believe in the reality of the phenomenal world (bhāvasya bhāvakaḥ), those who deny it and assert the voidness of everything (na kiñcidbhāvako' paraḥ), and those who transcend both views and remain indifferent to them (ubhayā'bhāvakaḥ).
The first type of people are attached to the objects of the senses and the mind, and are deluded by the appearance of multiplicity and diversity. They are ignorant of their True Nature as the non-dual Self, and are subject to suffering and bondage.
The second type of people are detached from the world, but in a negative way. They reject the existence of anything, and fall into the extreme of nihilism. They are also ignorant of their True Nature as the non-dual Self, and are subject to fear and despair.
The third type of people are the rare ones who have realized their True Nature as the non-dual Self, and are free from both attachment and aversion. They do not think of anything as existing or non-existing, but see everything as a manifestation of the Self. They are free from distraction and agitation, and abide in peace and bliss.
The verse is similar to some other verses from Vedic texts, such as:
- Bhagavad Gita 2.71
विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान्पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः ।
निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥ ७१ ॥
He who abandons all desires and moves about without longing,
without the sense of mine and without egoism — he attains peace.
This verse from the Bhagavad Gita also describes the state of a person who is free from attachment and egoism, and who attains peace by realizing the Self.
- Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9
एतदालम्बनं श्रेष्ठमेतदालम्बनं परम् ।
एतदालम्बनं ज्ञात्वा ब्रह्मलोके महीयते ॥ ९ ॥
This is the best support; this is the highest support. He who knows this support is magnified in the world of Brahman.
This verse from the Mundaka Upanishad also extols the knowledge of the Self as the supreme support, which leads to the Highest State of Brahman.
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