Thursday, March 14, 2024

Chapter-18, Verse 74

Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.74

अक्षयं गतसन्तापमात्मानं पश्यतो मुनेः। क्व विद्या च क्व वा विश्वं क्व देहोऽहम् ममेति वा॥७४॥

To the Wise One who perceives the Self as both imperishable and free from grief, where is knowledge, and where is the universe? Where is the feeling that  'am I my body' or the feeling 'mine is the body?'

The meaning of this verse is that the enlightened Sage, who has Realized his True Nature as the eternal and blissful Self, has transcended the duality of subject and object, Knower and known, Self and world. He has no attachment, aversion, or identification with anything that is transient, illusory, or phenomenal. 

He is free from all suffering, ignorance, and bondage. He has no need for any knowledge, as he is the source of all Knowledge. He has no need for any world, as he is the substratum of all existence. He has no need for any body, as he is not limited by any form or name. He has no need for any ego, as he is not defined by any relation or possession.

Some similar verses from other Vedic texts are:

 - Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.2

ब्रह्मैवेदममृतं पुरस्तात् ब्रह्म पश्चात् ब्रह्म उत्तरतः । ब्रह्म दक्षिणतश्चोत्तरेण । अधश्चोर्ध्वं च प्रसृतं ब्रह्मैवेदं विश्वमिदं वरिष्ठम् ॥ २ ॥

Brahman is the immortal, before us, behind us, to the north, south, east, and west, below us, above us; all this is Brahman alone, the Supreme Reality.

 - Chandogya Upanishad 6.2.1

एकमेवाद्वितीयं ब्रह्म ।

Brahman is One without a second.

These verses express the same idea of the non-dual nature of Brahman, the Absolute Reality, which is identical with the Self of all Beings. They affirm the unity and indivisibility of Brahman, which is beyond all attributes, distinctions, and limitations. They declare the identity of the individual Self and the universal Self, which is the Highest Knowledge and the goal of all spiritual seekers. They negate the reality of any other entity apart from Brahman, which is the Source, sustenance, and dissolution of all phenomena.


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