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ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର ଗୀତା ଚତୁର୍ଥୋଽଧ୍ୟାୟଃ ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର ଗୀତା is a 20-chapter dialogue of direct ଅଦ୍ଵୈତ, alternating between ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର's uncompromising instruction and ଜନକ's ripening recognition. Again and again it points to the same liberation: you are the awareness in which experience appears, not the body-mind that appears. As the chapters unfold, the teaching moves from questions to recognition to purification of residual knots, until freedom is described not as an idea but as a way of being. The previous chapters set up the arc that Chapter 4 now completes. In Chapter 1, ଜନକ asks about ଜ୍ଞାନ, ମୁକ୍ତି, and ଵୈରାଗ୍ୟ, and ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର points him to the witness (ସାକ୍ଷୀ) while warning against compulsive attachment to ଵିଷୟs and even to special experiences. In Chapter 2, ଜନକ speaks the "afterglow" of recognition through metaphors (wave-water, rope-snake, pot-clay), loosening fear and ownership by seeing the world as appearance in awareness. In Chapter 3, ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର sharpens the teaching into a diagnostic: he exposes how craving, ମମତ୍ଵ, and even fear of liberation can survive after insight, and he insists that freedom must show up as non-compulsion. Chapter 4 is brief but dense: ଜନକ describes the texture of freedom as it shows up in a person who has truly understood the Self. The verses are not theoretical; they describe a shift in how life is carried. The liberated person may still appear to be engaged in enjoyment and activity, yet inwardly there is no compulsion, no defensiveness, and no need to prove anything. Not elated even by high spiritual attainment, not tainted inwardly by merit and demerit, such a person is capable of abandoning desire and aversion, and therefore stands naturally fearless. From here the text continues to deepen the same insight through new angles. In Chapter 5, ଅଷ୍ଟାଵକ୍ର repeatedly urges ଲୟ - the dissolution of identification with aggregates - and Chapter 6 has ଜନକ reply that for one established in truth there is "no giving up and no grasping". Chapter 8 offers crisp definitions of bondage and liberation as movements of mind rather than as realities of the Self. The later chapters keep widening the perspective until the non-dual stance becomes effortless and natural. Seen as a whole, Chapter 4 is a portrait of ଜୀଵନ୍ମୁକ୍ତି in everyday texture. It clarifies that freedom is not the outward appearance of renunciation, but the inward absence of compulsion; not the possession of a spiritual badge, but the quiet humility in which ହର୍ଷ and despair lose their grip. The "sky and smoke" image echoes Advaita's insistence (in ଆଦି ଶଂକରାଚାର୍ୟ's teaching) that the Self is untouched even while actions and consequences unfold in life, and the chapter resonates with the ଭଗଵଦ୍ ଗୀତା's ସ୍ଥିତ-ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା ideal: steadiness amid praise and blame, pleasure and pain. The summary of this chapter is simple: when the Self is known as non-dual reality, fear has nowhere to stand, and life can be lived fully - engaged, responsible, and inwardly free. ଜନକ ଉଵାଚ ॥ Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This is an important antidote to both moralism and spiritual bypass. Moralism assumes that enjoyment is automatically bondage. Bypass assumes that "I know the Self" excuses compulsive behavior. ଜନକ is saying neither is true. The true measure is inner compulsion: do you need the enjoyment to be okay? Do you become restless without it? Do you become dishonest to get it? Freedom is seen in how lightly you can hold life, not in the appearance of renunciation. Practice by checking your relationship to enjoyment in a concrete way. Choose one pleasure (food, entertainment, shopping, praise) and observe three points: can you enjoy it and stop, can you be without it without resentment, and can you stay truthful and kind while engaging it? Notice where compulsion shows up in the body (restlessness, urgency, bargaining) and in the mind (stories like "I deserve this" or "I can't handle life without this"). When compulsion appears, pause for two breaths and return to the witness; then decide deliberately whether to continue. You can train this as "clean enjoyment": enjoy fully, without guilt and without excess, and end at a planned point. Then also train the complement: skip the pleasure once and watch the mind's protest as a wave. This is not self-denial; it is honesty. Over time, you become the kind of person who can "play" without being pulled - engaged in life, but not enslaved by craving. ୟତ୍ ପଦଂ ପ୍ରେପ୍ସଵୋ ଦୀନାଃ ଶକ୍ରାଦ୍ୟାଃ ସର୍ଵଦେଵତାଃ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): In modern life, this is especially relevant because spirituality can easily become a status project: being seen as wise, calm, advanced, pure. That project keeps the ego alive in refined form. ଜନକ is describing the opposite: true realization reduces the need to be admired. This aligns with the gItA's description of steadiness: the wise person is not shaken by sorrow and does not long for pleasure; similarly, they are not shaken by spiritual success and do not need to advertise it. Practice by noticing where you seek spiritual validation in subtle forms. Do you feel superior when you meditate well and inferior when you struggle? Do you want recognition for being "good", "wise", or "advanced"? Watch how the mind uses spirituality as a new costume for ego. When you notice it, do not punish yourself; simply label it "validation-seeking" and return to awareness for a few breaths. Then choose sincerity over performance: do the practice whether it feels inspiring or dry, and measure success by honesty and kindness, not by special experiences. You can also add one antidote action: do a small act of service without announcing it, or admit "I don't know" when you don't know. Over time, the quietness described here becomes natural: joy remains, but it is not the loud ହର୍ଷ of egoic inflation. This humility is not self-deprecation; it is freedom from needing a spiritual identity. ତଜ୍ଜ୍ଞସ୍ୟ ପୁଣ୍ୟପାପାଭ୍ୟାଂ ସ୍ପର୍ଶୋ ହ୍ୟଂତର୍ନ ଜାୟତେ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This is liberating because much suffering is moral self-attack. People carry lifelong shame: one mistake becomes a permanent identity. The verse is offering a more truthful view: handle actions responsibly, repair what you can, learn what you must - but do not confuse the Self with the episode. When the witness is remembered, guilt becomes functional (it prompts correction) rather than toxic (it becomes self-hatred). Similarly, virtue becomes functional (it supports clarity) rather than egoic (it becomes superiority). Practice by separating consequences from identity in a very practical way. If you did wrong, correct it: apologize, repair, change the habit, accept consequences. If you did right, be grateful and continue without building a superiority story. In both cases, watch the mind's extra layer: "I am polluted forever" or "I am pure and special." Notice that sense of stain or pride is an appearance in the mind - like smoke in the sky - and return to awareness for a few breaths. A helpful exercise is to write two columns: "action and consequence" (what happened, what needs to be done) and "identity story" (the self-attack or self-inflation). Handle the first column, drop the second. This is how ethical life and inner freedom coexist: responsibility without inner bondage. Over time, guilt becomes functional and short, not toxic and lifelong, and virtue becomes simple steadiness rather than egoic display. ଆତ୍ମୈଵେଦଂ ଜଗତ୍ସର୍ଵଂ ଜ୍ଞାତଂ ୟେନ ମହାତ୍ମନା । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): This also points to why moral policing can miss the point. From the outside, you can judge behavior; from the inside, the key question is bondage. A liberated person may follow norms or break them depending on context, but the inner motive is not egoic craving or aversion. This is why sages often appear unconventional: they are not performing identity. Still, this verse is not permission to justify impulses; it describes a mind that has dropped impulses as masters. Practice by noticing where you live from scripts: "I must be seen as this," "I must always avoid that," "I must control outcomes." When a script activates, ask, "Is this script wisdom or fear?" Wisdom has flexibility and care; fear has rigidity and urgency. If it is fear, soften the grip for two breaths and respond to the actual situation in front of you rather than to the imagined threat. You can train this with small disruptions: a plan changes, someone disagrees, something is delayed. Instead of forcing the old script, practice meeting what comes with presence. This is a small form of ୟଦୃଚ୍ଛା: living from responsiveness rather than anxiety. Over time, the mind becomes more adaptable and honest, and you stop wasting energy on performing an identity; you become simpler, clearer, and more capable of meeting life as it is. ଆବ୍ରହ୍ମସ୍ତଂବପର୍ୟଂତେ ଭୂତଗ୍ରାମେ ଚତୁର୍ଵିଧେ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): In daily life, desire and aversion show up as endless mental bargaining: "If only this happens, I'll be okay" and "If that happens, I can't be okay." This bargaining drives anxiety, addiction, and conflict. The verse says the deeper cure is not perfecting the outer world; it is seeing the Self as whole. When that is seen, craving and resistance reduce because they were trying to fix an imagined lack. Practice by working with one desire and one aversion consciously for a week. Pick one desire (approval, scrolling, sweets, control) and one aversion (a person, a task, an emotion you avoid). When either arises, notice the bodily tension that comes with it and name it: "wanting" or "resisting." Then return to awareness for two breaths and ask, "What is the lack I am trying to fill, or the threat I am trying to escape?" Often it is an identity need: wanting to feel secure, important, loved, in control. Meet that need with understanding rather than with chase: give yourself rest, speak honestly, take one clean step, or allow discomfort to be present without drama. If action is required, act - but from steadiness, not compulsion. Over time, the mind becomes less reactive because it stops believing that fulfillment and safety are only in getting or avoiding. That is the ସାମର୍ଥ୍ୟ the verse praises: the ability to remain free inside, even while life continues to present attractive and unattractive experiences. ଆତ୍ମାନମଦ୍ଵୟଂ କଶ୍ଚିଜ୍ଜାନାତି ଜଗଦୀଶ୍ଵରମ୍ । Meaning (ପଦାର୍ଥ): Translation (ଭାଵାର୍ଥ): Commentary (ଅନୁସଂଧାନ): The phrase ଜଗତ୍-ଈଶ୍ଵର can be read as "the governing reality of the universe" - the ground that is present in all experience. In Advaita, the ultimate is not a distant deity; it is the very being of what is. When this is seen, many fears are recognized as mental overlays. This does not make life risk-free, but it makes life less dominated by dread. You can face uncertainty with more steadiness because your center is not an outcome. Practice by noticing where fear drives your decisions: people-pleasing, avoidance, controlling, overthinking, self-sabotage. When fear arises, bring it into awareness instead of treating it as an order. Ask, "What identity is this fear protecting?" Often it is an image: being liked, being safe, being perfect, being in control. Feel the fear in the body for a few breaths and return to the witness; notice that awareness is present and untouched even while fear is present. Then choose one small act of courage that matches your understanding: speak one honest sentence, set one clear boundary, do the task you keep avoiding, simplify one habit, release one grudge. Do it gently, without forcing drama. Each time you act from steadiness rather than from panic, fear loses authority. This is how insight becomes lived fearlessness - not dramatic heroism, but steady freedom in ordinary choices, with practical caution and deep inner confidence coexisting.
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