අෂ්ටාවක්ර ගීතා is a 20-chapter Advaitic dialogue that keeps returning to one essential correction: you are the awareness that knows experience, not the body-mind that experiences. The work moves quickly because it speaks from the standpoint of freedom. Yet its aim is not to make you careless; it is to make you honest.
The previous chapters have steadily prepared the ground for Chapter 8's crisp definitions. Chapter 1 points ජනක to the witness (සාක්ෂී) and warns against attachment to විෂයs. Chapter 2 expresses recognition through metaphors like rope-snake and wave-ocean. Chapter 3 diagnoses the remaining knots of desire and identity, and Chapter 4 describes the texture of lived freedom.
Seen as a whole, Chapter 8 is a diagnostic tool you can use daily. It says: observe your mind - not to judge it, but to see what is actually happening. When the mind is busy with wanting, worrying, holding, pushing away, and reacting, that very movement is bondage.
අෂ්ටාවක්ර උවාච ॥
තදා බංධෝ යදා චිත්තං කිංචිද් වාංඡති ශෝචති ।
කිංචින් මුංචති ගෘහ්ණාති කිංචිද්ධෘෂ්යති කුප්යති ॥ 8-1॥
Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
Ashtavakra said: When the mind desires or grieves, when it clings or pushes away, when it becomes excited or angry - that is bondage.
තදා මුක්තිර්යදා චිත්තං න වාංඡති න ශෝචති ।
න මුංචති න ගෘහ්ණාති න හෘෂ්යති න කුප්යති ॥ 8-2॥
Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When the mind does not crave or grieve, does not cling or push away, does not get thrilled or angry - that is liberation.
තදා බංධෝ යදා චිත්තං සක්තං කාස්වපි දෘෂ්ටිෂු ।
තදා මෝක්ෂෝ යදා චිත්තමසක්තං සර්වදෘෂ්ටිෂු ॥ 8-3॥
Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When the mind clings to some perceptions, that is bondage. When the mind is unattached toward all perceptions, that is liberation.
යදා නාහං තදා මෝක්ෂෝ යදාහං බංධනං තදා ।
මත්වේති හේලයා කිංචින්මා ගෘහාණ විමුංච මා ॥ 8-4॥
Translation (භාවාර්ථ):
When there is no ego-sense "I", there is liberation; when there is "I", there is bondage. Understanding this, lightly: do not grasp anything, and do not reject anything.
Browse Related Categories:
