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ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର ଗୀତା ପଂଚଦଶୋଽଧ୍ୟାୟଃ ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର ଗୀତା is a 20-chapter Advaitic dialogue that keeps returning to one liberating correction: you are the awareness that knows experience, not the body-mind that is experienced. The text is direct because it speaks from the standpoint of freedom. Its purpose is not to give you a new identity called "spiritual," but to dissolve the old identity that feels bound by craving, fear, and constant self-management. In the previous chapters, this freedom has been prepared and stabilized. Chapter 11 emphasized ନିଶ୍ଚୟ - settled conviction that ends inner argument. Chapter 12 described ଜନକ's natural abiding beyond distraction and forced concentration. Chapter 13 showed freedom as ordinary ease (ୟଥାସୁଖମ୍) where gain/loss and good/bad do not hijack the mind. Chapter 14 described a mind in which ସ୍ପୃହା (longing) has melted and even anxiety about liberation can fade once the witness is known as the supreme reality. Chapter 15 is a return to the teacher's voice with a powerful cascade of direct pointers. Many of these verses are among the most quoted in the entire text: "You are not the body," "desire and aversion are mind-properties," "the world is like waves in an ocean," "drop ସଂକଲ୍ପ and ଵିକଲ୍ପ." The chapter functions like a concentrated dose of medicine: it restates the core insight in many forms so that the mind cannot easily escape into subtle doubt. The chapters ahead will keep unfolding these themes through longer portraits, especially in the large Chapter 18 which explores freedom from many angles. But Chapter 15 is already complete in one sense: it offers the essential Advaita diagnosis (mis-identification) and the essential remedy (recognize yourself as ଚିଦ୍ - awareness - and let the mind's compulsions settle). Seen as a whole, Chapter 15 is the chapter of "direct instruction." It insists that freedom is not postponed and not dependent on a special lifestyle. It repeatedly asks you to relocate identity from the body-mind to the witness, and to live from that recognition with simplicity, humility, and calm. The summary is simple: recognize what you are, stop feeding mental projections, and let peace be natural. ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର ଉଵାଚ ॥ Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This is not a criticism of sincere practice; it is a warning about the seeker-ego. Practice is necessary when the mind is restless, but the purpose of practice is to dissolve ignorance, not to build a permanent career of seeking. Chapter 15 begins by clarifying the attitude needed: simplicity, honesty, and readiness to see what is already true. When this readiness is missing, the mind turns the teaching into debate, pessimism, or avoidance. Practice by checking whether you are addicted to becoming. Notice one place where you keep postponing peace: "After I understand more," "After I fix myself," "After life changes." Then do a short experiment: for one minute, stop trying to improve anything and simply notice awareness is present. That awareness is not a future achievement. After the minute, return to responsible action, but keep the taste of "already present." This trains the ସତ୍ତ୍ଵ that can receive direct instruction without confusion. ମୋକ୍ଷୋ ଵିଷୟଵୈରସ୍ୟଂ ବଂଧୋ ଵୈଷୟିକୋ ରସଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The final line, "do as you wish," is not indifference. It is a mirror. If you truly understand this, your choices will change. If you still prefer bondage, you will keep feeding ରସ. The teaching respects your agency. It also reveals the core practice: weaken the addictive taste. This aligns with earlier chapters: ତୃଷ୍ଣା and ଵାସନା are the engine; freedom is their fading. Practice by identifying one ଵିଷୟ that has become ରସ: phone-checking, food, praise, control, romance, being right. For one week, reduce feeding it by a small, measurable amount (e.g., delay phone by 10 minutes, skip one argument, reduce one indulgence). Observe the mind's protest. That protest is the taste. Each time it arises, pause and remember: peace is not inside the object. Over time, the taste weakens, and you begin to feel the ଵୈରସ୍ୟ that the verse calls liberation. ଵାଗ୍ମିପ୍ରାଜ୍ଞାମହୋଦ୍ୟୋଗଂ ଜନଂ ମୂକଜଡାଲସମ୍ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): That is why those who are still ବୁଭୁକ୍ଷୁ - hungry for pleasure, power, and recognition - abandon this teaching. It threatens their source of motivation. This verse is a mirror: if you find yourself resisting these teachings, ask what hunger is being protected. The purpose is not to shame hunger, but to see it clearly so it can mature into ନିର୍ଵେଦ and ଵୈରାଗ୍ୟ. Practice by observing how much of your activity is driven by display. Where do you over-talk to look smart? Where do you over-work to feel worthy? Choose one small area and practice "quiet competence": do the work well, but reduce the performance layer. Speak less, listen more, and let results speak. Then use the freed energy for what truly matters: health, kindness, and steady practice. Over time, you become less hungry for the world's applause and more interested in inner freedom, which is exactly what this verse points to. ନ ତ୍ଵଂ ଦେହୋ ନ ତେ ଦେହୋ ଭୋକ୍ତା କର୍ତା ନ ଵା ଭଵାନ୍ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This is not a license for irresponsibility. It is a way to remove inner strain. When you stop carrying doer-identity, you act more cleanly. When you stop carrying owner-identity, you relate with less anxiety. The verse ends with practical instruction: ସୁଖଂ ଚର - live at ease. Ease does not mean avoidance; it means action without inner bondage. Practice by using this verse in micro-moments. When you feel triggered, locate the identity-claim: "I am being disrespected," "my security is threatened," "my image is at stake." Then ask: "What is aware of this claim?" Rest as that for two breaths. After that, respond wisely: speak, set a boundary, or take a step. Also practice body-relationship: care for the body as an instrument, not as the Self. This shifts life from constant defense to grounded responsibility, which is the living meaning of the verse. ରାଗଦ୍ଵେଷୌ ମନୋଧର୍ମୌ ନ ମନସ୍ତେ କଦାଚନ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This does not mean the mind never prefers or avoids. It means preference is not compulsive and avoidance is not hatred. You can choose what is wholesome without inner violence. The verse says you are ବୋଧ-ଆତ୍ମା - awareness-nature - and therefore ନିର୍ଵିକାର in essence. Experiences change, but awareness is not damaged by them. That is the basis for calm living. Practice by working with one rAga/dvESha pattern. When you feel strong attraction or aversion, pause and label it: "ମନୋ-ଧର୍ମ." Feel it in the body and notice it is being known. Then ask: "Who is the knower?" Rest as that for two breaths. After that, choose a clean action: if attraction is unhealthy, delay; if aversion is unkind, soften. Over time, this turns emotional life from compulsion into discernment, which is the practical meaning of this verse. ସର୍ଵଭୂତେଷୁ ଚାତ୍ମାନଂ ସର୍ଵଭୂତାନି ଚାତ୍ମନି । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): In daily relationships, this is transformative. Much conflict is fueled by egoic ownership: "my way," "my credit," "my partner must behave," "my child must reflect my identity." When the sense of "mine" softens, love becomes less controlling. You can still set boundaries, but you do not need to dominate. You can still achieve, but you do not need to crush others. This is how Advaita becomes practical: it changes the emotional posture behind action. Practice by choosing one relationship and reducing one form of possessiveness. It could be letting someone disagree without taking it personally, giving credit freely, or allowing others to live their own pace. Also practice one minute of non-dual contemplation: look at a person and remember, "The same awareness knows both this body-mind and that body-mind." Then act from that remembrance: speak truthfully without cruelty, listen without preparing your defense, and do one small kindness without needing recognition. Over time, this makes the verse lived rather than theoretical. ଵିଶ୍ଵଂ ସ୍ଫୁରତି ୟତ୍ରେଦଂ ତରଂଗା ଇଵ ସାଗରେ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The instruction ଵିଜ୍ଵରଃ ଭଵ is practical. ଜ୍ଵର is fever - not only physical, but the inner fever of restlessness, anxiety, and craving. The fever comes from taking waves as ultimate and taking yourself as a fragile wave among waves. When you remember you are the ocean, the fever drops. This is not escapism; it is clarity. You still meet the waves, but with less panic. Practice by using the ocean reminder in one stressful moment per day. When you feel heated, pause and ask: "Am I identifying as a wave right now?" Notice the wave-thought: "This must go my way." Then remember: awareness is the ocean. Take two slow exhales and let the body cool. After that, take the appropriate action - speak, plan, or step back - but from the cooler place. Over time, this trains ଵିଜ୍ଵର: not absence of life, but absence of inner fever. ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧସ୍ଵ ତାତ ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧସ୍ଵ ନାତ୍ର ମୋହଂ କୁରୁଷ୍ଵ ଭୋଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The verse also reminds you of your dignity: ଆତ୍ମା is ଜ୍ଞାନ-ସ୍ଵରୂପ - awareness-nature - and it is ପ୍ରକୃତି-ପର, beyond the changing field. This is the source of courage. Without this dignity, the mind may cling to familiar suffering because it is known. Faith here means: be willing to let go of old identities and trust the possibility of inner freedom. Practice by strengthening SraddhA in a grounded way. Choose one simple daily contemplation: read one verse, then sit quietly for five minutes, and look for the witness. When doubt arises, do not argue with it; return to experience: awareness is present. Also connect faith to ethics: practice one act of truthfulness or non-harm each day, because a mind that lies to itself cannot receive clarity. Over time, this builds the kind of ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧା that is stable and practical, not sentimental. ଗୁଣୈଃ ସଂଵେଷ୍ଟିତୋ ଦେହସ୍ତିଷ୍ଠତ୍ୟାୟାତି ୟାତି ଚ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This does not deny the human experience of loss. It clarifies what is lost: a form changes, a relationship changes, a body changes. But the witness is unchanged. When you remember this, grief can be held without panic. It also changes how you care for the body: you care for it responsibly, but you stop worshipping it as the Self. That shift reduces anxiety and makes life more dignified. Practice by applying this when you face bodily insecurity: illness, aging, fatigue, appearance anxiety. Notice the fear and ask: "What exactly is changing?" Name it: sensation, diagnosis, image, function. Then ask: "What is aware of this?" Rest as that awareness for two breaths. After that, do the practical care: doctor visit, rest, exercise, conversation. This integrates wisdom with responsibility. Over time, you feel what the verse is saying: the body is in motion; awareness is not a traveler. ଦେହସ୍ତିଷ୍ଠତୁ କଲ୍ପାଂତଂ ଗଚ୍ଛତ୍ଵଦ୍ୟୈଵ ଵା ପୁନଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This does not mean you become careless about life. It means you stop treating life-span as your ultimate identity. When you remember the witness, you can cherish life without clinging. That reduces fear and makes you live more honestly. Many people waste years in anxiety about losing years. The verse invites the opposite: recognize what is not lost, then live well. Practice by bringing this to the fear of endings. When you fear an ending - a project ending, a relationship phase changing, a life stage closing - notice the contraction and ask: "What exactly is threatened?" Often it is an identity-image. Then remember ଚିନ୍-ମାତ୍ର: awareness remains. After two breaths, take one action aligned with meaning: speak what is true, spend time with someone you love, do the work that matters, or rest. This turns the verse into lived courage: you stop postponing life due to fear of losing it. ତ୍ଵୟ୍ୟନଂତମହାଂଭୋଧୌ ଵିଶ୍ଵଵୀଚିଃ ସ୍ଵଭାଵତଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This is one of the most useful perspectives for modern stress. Many people treat every wave as a referendum on their worth: one bad meeting feels like "I am failing"; one success feels like "I must keep this forever." Both are agitation. The ocean view creates room: you can learn from failure without collapse and enjoy success without clinging. It is a psychological training, not just metaphysics. Practice by using waves consciously. When a "good wave" comes, enjoy it but do not build identity on it; end it deliberately (stop at a planned time, step away, rest). When a "bad wave" comes, respond to it but do not catastrophize; take one sensible step, then return to the witness. You can also train with transitions: before opening email or social media, take one breath and remember the ocean. This makes the verse a living tool for steadiness. ତାତ ଚିନ୍ମାତ୍ରରୂପୋଽସି ନ ତେ ଭିନ୍ନମିଦଂ ଜଗତ୍ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This verse also guards against a common misunderstanding: thinking Advaita erases discernment. It erases compulsion, not intelligence. In fact, discernment becomes cleaner when fear is reduced. You can say no without hatred, and yes without clinging. That is a sign that the teaching has landed beyond concept. Practice by noticing one "must reject/must obtain" story today. When it arises, ask: "Is this discernment or compulsion?" Discernment is quiet; compulsion is urgent. Return to the witness for two breaths, then choose the wise action without drama. Over time, the mind learns to operate without feverish sorting, and the verse becomes lived: choices happen, but bondage does not. ଏକସ୍ମିନ୍ନଵ୍ୟୟେ ଶାଂତେ ଚିଦାକାଶେଽମଲେ ତ୍ଵୟି । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The phrase "space of consciousness" is helpful because space is not stained by what appears in it. A room can contain perfume or smoke, yet space itself is untouched. Similarly, awareness can contain thoughts of ego, stories of karma, fear of birth and death - but awareness itself is ଅମଲ, unstained. This is the heart of the teaching: you are not the contents; you are the context. Practice by separating content from context. When you feel caught in a story ("I am doomed," "I am bound," "I am guilty"), recognize it as content. Then ask: "What is the context in which this content appears?" Rest as that context for a few breaths. After that, take the next practical step in life. Over time, this reduces the hypnotic power of the ego-story and makes the verse more than poetry: you begin to feel freedom as context. ୟତ୍ତ୍ଵଂ ପଶ୍ୟସି ତତ୍ରୈକସ୍ତ୍ଵମେଵ ପ୍ରତିଭାସସେ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This metaphor also helps with emotional reactivity. When you treat forms as separate realities, you get threatened by them. When you see them as expressions of a deeper substance, fear reduces. It does not eliminate practical distinctions - you still treat a bracelet differently from an anklet - but the inner panic reduces because you stop treating difference as separation. That is why the metaphor is so widely used in Advaita. Practice by applying this in a charged situation. When someone criticizes you, or when you fear loss, notice how quickly the mind makes the form feel like an enemy. Then do a two-breath reminder: "This too is an appearance in awareness." You can even visualize it as gold taking a temporary shape. After two breaths, respond intelligently: clarify, apologize, or set a boundary. The point is not to deny the form; it is to stop being psychologically enslaved by it. ଅୟଂ ସୋଽହମୟଂ ନାହଂ ଵିଭାଗମିତି ସଂତ୍ୟଜ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): "All is the Self" is the non-dual decision (ନିଶ୍ଚୟ). But the verse immediately adds ନିଃ-ସଂକଲ୍ପ: freedom from projection. Without this, "all is Self" remains a slogan while the mind continues to project fears and desires. When projection drops, the same world can be lived without inner war. The first step is seeing the identity-making habit in real time. Practice by catching one identity-division today. Notice when you say, "I am the kind of person who..." or "I am not the kind of person who..." Pause and ask: "Who is aware of this label?" Rest as that awareness for two breaths. Then act from clarity rather than from label-defense. Over time, labels become lighter, relationships become less defensive, and the verse becomes true: you live with fewer projections. ତଵୈଵାଜ୍ଞାନତୋ ଵିଶ୍ଵଂ ତ୍ଵମେକଃ ପରମାର୍ଥତଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This teaching can be misused if taken intellectually. The right effect is humility, not arrogance. If there is only one reality, there is no basis for egoic superiority. There is also no basis for despair. The verse removes both pride and self-hatred by relocating the whole drama to ignorance, not to the Self. The practical takeaway is: stop feeding the story of separateness. Practice by noticing where you reinforce separateness. It might be in blame ("they are the problem"), in pride ("I am better"), or in self-hatred ("I am broken"). Each reinforces a separate "me." When it arises, return to the witness for two breaths and remember: the story is known, therefore it is not the knower. Then take a clean, humane action: set a boundary, apologize, or rest. This is how the verse becomes lived: separateness loses fuel, and life becomes simpler. ଭ୍ରାଂତିମାତ୍ରମିଦଂ ଵିଶ୍ଵଂ ନ କିଂଚିଦିତି ନିଶ୍ଚୟୀ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): It is important to hear this without turning it into denial. The world appears; you still act responsibly. But the world is not your identity. This is what allows the "as if nothing" peace: events may still occur, but the inner obsession reduces. The chapter keeps returning to the same practical fruit: reduced craving and reduced inner fever. Practice by applying the rope-snake method to one fear. When fear arises, ask: "What am I misreading?" Often the misreading is an identity-claim: "If this happens, I will not be okay." Return to the witness for two breaths, then act. Also train ନିର୍ଵାସନତା by reducing one habitual feeding: less doom-scrolling, less rehearsal of old hurt, less checking for validation. Each reduction weakens the illusion's fuel. Over time, the mind naturally settles more often. ଏକ ଏଵ ଭଵାଂଭୋଧାଵାସୀଦସ୍ତି ଭଵିଷ୍ୟତି । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The phrase କୃତ-କୃତ୍ୟ is also important. It means "done with doing" - not lazy, but complete. When the mind is no longer trying to earn wholeness, it becomes simpler. This is the peace that Chapter 15 keeps pointing to: the Self is already whole, and therefore you can live without inner negotiation. Practice by noticing where you treat liberation as a future prize. Perhaps you think, "After I fix my mind, then I will live." Experiment with reversing it: live now from the witness and let the mind settle as consequence. Each day, take five minutes to rest as awareness without goal. Then do your ordinary duties with less self-importance and less self-attack. This turns the verse into a lifestyle: less striving to become, more clarity in being. ମା ସଂକଲ୍ପଵିକଲ୍ପାଭ୍ୟାଂ ଚିତ୍ତଂ କ୍ଷୋଭୟ ଚିନ୍ମୟ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The positive instruction is ଉପଶମ: calm the mind. In Advaita, this calming is not achieved by violence; it is achieved by seeing the root mistake and withdrawing fuel. When identity is shifted to the Self, the mind's projections lose urgency. Then abiding in the Self is experienced as ଆନଂଦ - not necessarily excitement, but deep okayness. Practice by choosing one daily window to reduce ସଂକଲ୍ପ-ଵିକଲ୍ପ. For example: during a commute, a meal, or a walk, do not plan or rehearse. Notice thoughts arise and let them pass. If the mind insists, ask: "Is this a projection or a useful step?" If useful, write it down later; if projection, drop it now. Then rest as awareness for a few breaths. This practice makes the verse practical: the mind becomes less agitated, and the Self becomes more obvious as the stable ground. ତ୍ୟଜୈଵ ଧ୍ୟାନଂ ସର୍ଵତ୍ର ମା କିଂଚିଦ୍ ହୃଦି ଧାରୟ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This instruction must be received with maturity. If your mind is restless, practice is useful. But the purpose of practice is to dissolve ignorance, not to become a permanent project. When recognition is clear, practice becomes lighter and more natural. The verse is pointing to effortless living from the witness: not holding, not chasing, not needing to "do" liberation. Practice by turning meditation into recognition rather than achievement. Sit for five minutes and do not try to produce a special state. Simply notice awareness is already present. If thoughts arise, let them arise; do not wrestle. After five minutes, return to your day and practice non-clinging: do one action without seeking validation, and let one craving pass without feeding it. Over time, meditation becomes less of a project and more of a reminder of what you already are. That is the peace the chapter ends with.
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