Chapter 1 - Who Am I

The seeker asks:

How self realization comes

How will freedom come

How detachment happens

Sir, Please tell me all this.  1.1

The Seer explains:

My Dear! If you wish to be free

Ignore wordly objects like poison;

Practice pardon simplicity compassion

contentment and truth like nectar. 1.2

You are none of the things made out of
earth water fire air or sky; To be really free
know yourself as the witness of all these. 1.3

If you can see yourself as separate from your body

and rest within your mind;

Immediately you will be happy peaceful and free. 1.4

You do not belong to any caste like Brahmin etc.

You do not belong to any age or stage like young, old

You are nothing that can be seen by the eyes;

You are unbound formless witness of this world

Therefore relax. 1.5

Good bad pain pleasure are of the mind not yours

You are ever present;

You are neither doer nor bearer of any action

You are always free. 1.6

You alone are the seer of everything

As such you are always free;

Your only bondage is that you see the Seer elsewhere. 1.7

You are stung by the snake like illusion
that “I do things”;

Drink this nectar like conviction 
that “I do nothing” and stay happy. 1.8

Burn your forest of ignorance
with the fire of conviction that

“I am One, Pure, Awareness”

Thus be relieved and relax. 1.9

You are that Awareness, that supreme bliss

in which this world is appears like snake in a rope

Therefore live relaxed. 1.10

He who considers himself free is indeed free,

He who considers himself bound is bound indeed,

This saying “As you feel so you are” is indeed true. 1.11

Your Self is Indivisble Complete and Everywhere

It is Passive Unattached Peaceful Desireless

It is just a Witness and beyond mind;

It is misunderstood due to ignorance only. 1.12

Know your-Self as Indivisible Changeless Witness;
And free your-Self from self-doubt and
other inner and outer doubts. 1.13

You are chained by pride in your body since long;

Cut this chain with the sword of realisation that

“I am just Awareness” and be Happy. 1.14

You are Self-Illuminating Unattached Spotless Silence;

Your only bondage is your efforts to achieve these. 1.15

This world exists because of you

Your existence makes it Real

Your identity is Pure Awareness;

Hence do not follow your petty mind. 1.16

You are Desireless Angerless Changeless Independent

and a cool spot of unlimited intelligence;

Stay inside as just Awareness. 1.17


Anything with a shape is perishable like body
Anything shapeless is eternal like Self;
With this understanding illusions do not recur. 1.18

Just as on object appears both in and outside a mirror
Similarly our Self exists both in and outside our body. 1.19

Just as the same space exists in and outside a pot
Similarly our Self continuously exists in each of us.
1.20

End of Chapter 1

Chapter 2 – The Seeker is Surprised

The Seeker narrates his first encounter with him Self :

It is surprising that I am Innocent Peaceful and

Just Awareness which is even beyond nature;

I was just befooled by attachment for so long. 2.1

Just as my body is illuminated by my Self

so is this world illuminated by my Self ;

Hence either this world is mine or nothing is mine. 2.2

It is amazing that by just seeing my Self

separate from my body and this world;

how clearly is Reality now visible to me. 2.3

Just as waves foam bubbles are not separate from water;

So is this world, emanating from me not separate from me. 2.4

Just as dissecting every cloth reveals thread as its base;

So are we all and this world just energy in different forms. 2.5 

Just as the sweetness in sugarcane juice exists

because of it and pervades it;

So does this world appears

because of me and is sustained by me. 2.6

As long as I do not know my Self so long the world seems real;

Just as a rope seems a snake as long as I do not know the rope. 2.7

Light is my form

I am not different from it;

When the world shines

It shines through me. 2.8

Surprisingly this imagined world appears in me due to ignorance only;

Just as silver appears in sea-shell due to colour,

a snake appears in a rope due to darkness and

water drops appear in desert due to sunrays. 2.9

This world, existing because of me will dissolve into me;

Just as a pot into clay, wave into water and ornaments into metal. 2.10

I am surprised! I bow to my Self which is indestructible in me;

As my Self survives even when the whole world is destroyed. 2.11

This is strange! I bow to my Self

which even with a body does not come or

go anywhere and pervades the world. 2.12

This is amazing! I bow to my Self

which has even without touching the body

sustained this world since long. 2.13

I am astonished! I bow to my Self

in which nothing exists or

everything that can be said or thought exists in it. 2.14

Knower knowledge and the known actually do not exist;

Inadvertently wherein they appear That transparent one I am. 2.15 

Surprisingly the root cause of suffering is seeing life as divided

and there is no remedy to it;

Everything visible is dreamlike

Only I am the one spotless essence of existence. 2.16

I am just awareness

inadvertently I have imagined many titles;

Continuously reflecting thus

I am in choiceless state. 2.17

Surprisingly the world appearing in me,

actually does not exist in me;

Neither my bondage nor freedom is real,

This illusion vanished on becoming support-less. 2.18

This is certain that the world alongwith this body is nothing;

My Self is pure existence;

Now where else can it be imagined. 2.19 

Body, heaven and hell,

freedom bondage and fear

are all just thoughts;

What I - the ever existing have to do with these thoughts.  2.20

Surprisingly even in crowd nothing seems separate to me;

Like a forest they all look alike,

To whom should I cling to.  2.21

Neither I am body nor this body is mine,

I am not any other body as well

I am just being existence;

My only bondage was my craving to stay alive. 2.22

Surprisingly in the endless ocean of my Self

when winds of mind blow;

They cause tremendous waves of dualties of life

but the ocean of my Self remains quite. 2.23 

In the endless ocean of my Self

when the winds of mind stop

unfortunately a person and its ship of life comes to an end. 2.24

How wonderful it is that

in the endless of ocean of my Self

by a natural process people, like waves

come into being, fight and play with each other

and finally cool down into my Self. 2.25

End of Chapter 2

Chapter 3 – Test of the Seeker

Sage Ashtavakra tests the seeker with several questions :

Having known the one indestructible your Self

how come you - the self-realised serene

are still interested in earning money ? 3.1

Surprisingly in absence of Self-Awareness

illusion causes desires in subjects

like in absence of sea-shell knowledge

greed causes it to look like silver. 3.2

Having known your Self as that

in which this world arises

as a wave in the ocean

Why do you run like a helpless person.  3.3 

Having listened about the Self

which is most beautiful, pure, awareness

those who are still interested in the subjects around

they move towards foolishness. 3.4

Having known the Self in all and all in Self

Surprisingly the sage is still possessive. 3.5

Surprisingly even after being in the non-dual state

and getting ready for freedom

Under lust you are disturbed

in understanding the love game. 3.6

It is strange that having become weak after indulging in

sex which is enemy of wisdom

a person is still wishing sexual pleasures

even at fag end of his life 3.7 

Surprisingly that who is not interested in this or another world

Who knows the difference between temporary and permanent

Who is interested in Mukti i.e. freedom from mind

is now afraid of Mukti itself. 3.8

A man of patience always bears

the enjoyment and sufferings alike;

He sees his Self only and

is neither happy nor angry. 3.9

Seeing his own body working

just as that of others;

How can that gentleman get upset

in praise or criticism ? 3.10

Having transcended all anxieties after

seeing this world as a mere mirage, dream

How can a man of patience

get perturbed while nearing death ? 3.11

With whom that great man can be compared

Who is so fulfilled and content with him-Self

That his mind is not interested even in freedom.  3.12

Knowing that whatever is visible here

has no base of its own ;

The wise man does not discriminate between

what is acceptable what is rejectable. 3.13

Whoever is free from internal doubts, dilemmas

Whoever is not dependent upon any thing;

For him whatever happens before him

neither troubles him nor satisfies him. 3.14

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4 – Qualities of a Seer

King Janak the Seeker says :

It is true that there is no comparison between

Those self-satisfied, serene seers who play this life drama; and

Those fools who carry problems of this world. 4.1

Surprisingly that tranquility for which even the angels are trying hard;

The Yogi staying in that tranquil state does not even rejoice about it. 4.2

Just as the Sky is not touched by any star though it appears so;

Similarly the Seer is not touched internally by any good or bad deed. 4.3

Nobody is capable of stopping that great soul

who moves wherever life takes him and

who has known that this world consists of the Self only. 4.4

From a blade of grass to the Creator of this universe

among the various types of living beings;

Only a Self-realised person is capable of

living with or without any desire. 4.5

Rarely someone knows him-Self and the world as One, Indivisible;

He does what he knows and is not afraid of anything. 4.6

End of Chapter 4

Chapter 5 – Reality of Your-Self

Seer Ashtavakra explains:

You, the Pure one are not attached with anybody

Then what do you want to detach from;

Merging your-Self with this world

Be one with it. 5.1

This world appears from within you

as waves rise from within sea;

Know your-Self as a sea

Dissolve into it

Be One with It. 5.2

This world though visible

actually does not exist on its own;

It appears in you the stainless

as a snake appears in a rope;

Thus be one with your-Self. 5.3

You are One, Same, Unchangeable and Complete

Whether in pain or pleasure, in hope or despair, in death or alive

Thus dissolve into your-Self. 5.4

End of Chapter 5

Chapter 6 – Neither Hold nor Leave

Janak the Seeker describes nature of the Self:

I am endless like the sky

while this apparent world is like a pot;

This is the truth

it can neither be held or dropped. 6.1

I am like the ocean and

this world is like the waves;

This is the wisdom

it can neither be stored or lost. 6.2

I am like that mother of pearl in which

this world appears like silver;

This is the knowledge

it can neither be embraced or thrown. 6.3

I am in everybody

just as everybody is in me;

This is the ultimate knowing and

it cannot be acquired or ignored. 6.4

End of Chapter 6

Chapter 7 – I Am like the Ocean

Janak the seeker explains him-Self further:

In the endless sea of my-Self

this world moves here and there like a ship

with the help of my mind as waves;

Like the sea this all is not unbearable to my-Self. 7.1

In the endless sea of my-Self

This world naturally appears and disappears

like the waves in the sea.

Like the sea all this neither harms nor helps my-Self. 7.2

In the endless sea of my-Self

this world is imagined and named;

Like the silent shapeless sea

I am established in my-Self. 7.3

Neither my-Self is in emotions

Nor emotions are in this endless innocent Self;

Therefore I am well established in this

Unattached desireless silent Self. 7.4

Surprisingly I am just Awareness (bodh) and

This world is imposed upon me like a dream

So how and where can I reject or accept it. 7.5

End of Chapter 7

Chapter 8 – Freedom and Bondage

The seer explains freedom and bondage :

Bondage happens whenever mind

Wants something, worries something

Accepts something, rejects something

Loves something, hates something. 8.1

Freedom happens whenever mind

Wants nothing, worries nothing

Accepts nothing, rejects nothing

Loves nothing, hates nothing. 8.2

Bondage happens when mind is interested in anything

Freedom happens when mind is indifferent to everything. 8.3

When there is ego there is bondage, 

when there is no ego there is freedom;

Knowing this never wilfully hold or leave anything. 8.4

End of Chapter 8

Chapter 9 – The World As It Is

The Seer explains the uncertain nature of this World :

What should be done or what should not be done;

Such dilemma never ends for anyone.

Knowing this, be indifferent to such dilemma

And never reject or aim for anything. 9.1

The desire for life, for success, for enlightenment

evaporates for some fortunate ones just after

seeing carefully the endless efforts of others for such things. 9.2

In this world everything is uncertain and

subject to miseries of body, mind and intellect;

This world is inconclusive, condemnable and rejectable,

Realising this certainty makes one quite and calm. 9.3

There is no time and place where

one cannot have any dilemma;

Ignoring this dilemma and living with whatever life gives

One certainly gets fulfilled. 9.4

Who does not get calm and quite after getting bored

upon seeing so many different views

of yogis intellectuals and ascetics. 9.5

Is this awareness / realization not our teacher who,

through the methods of detachment and equanimity

takes us through this world ? 9.6

Once you see this perishable world as really perishable;

You will be free from your doubts and settle in your Self. 9.7

Our world consists of our desires thus ignore all of them;

Ignoring them we settle down in whatever situation comes up. 9.8

End of Chapter 9

Chapter 10 – Desires are the Bondage

The Seer explains further to the Seeker:

Having ignored all desires whether good or bad;

Also ignore religious rituals done for such desires. 10.1

Just closely watch your wife, children, friends, house and

other wealth for three or five days continuously;

You will find them moving just like a dream or a drama.  10.2

Wherever your desires are your world is also there;

Be desireless with long practice of detachment and

Become Happy. 10.3

Your only bondage is your desires

Their end is called freedom;

Just becoming desireless brings

you repeated satisfaction. 10.4 

You alone are alive and pure

This world is false and sleepy

Your ignorance too is meaningless

What else you want to know? 10.5

A wishful person like you have gained and lost

this body, power, pleasures, children, ladies

so many times in so many lives. 10.6

Have you not had enough of wealth,

entertainment and even good works ?

Even these have not satisfied your mind

in this forest like complicated world. 10.7

Have you not done enough of painful hard work

with your body, mind and speech ?

Come on ! Atleast now relax, take some rest. 10.8

End of Chapter 10