aSTAvakra said :
- How can you, an intelligent knower of the self have any interest in the acquisition of wealth, having known the true essence of the One Indestructible Self?
- Aho! Since you don’t know your Self, you have a liking for viSaya-bhrama-gOcara, the field of illusory perceptions. Just as greed arises from the illusion of silver in mother-of-pearl, due to ignorance.
- Why run around like a weak person, having understood, “I am that, in which the universe appears like waves in a sea”.
- Also, having heard about the extremely beautiful and pure caitanya (state of cit – the conscious part of your mind), a person attains dirtiness on being deeply attached to that which is near (उपस्थ).
- It is surprising. A मुनि (muni), who knows his Self is in all beings and all beings are in his Self, follows mamatvam, mine-ness!
- It is surprising. A person who is in the state of parama-advaita (ultimate oneness), persevering in the goal of mOkSa, is under the control of kAma, and made imperfect by kElisikSA, the study of play.
- It is surprising. An extremely weak person, approaching his last days has desires, even having become certain that the desire that has sprung is a bad friend of gnyAna (knowledge).
- It is surprising. A person who has no interest in इहामुत्र, this world or the next, who knows the difference between what is eternal and what is not eternal, who desires mOkSa, is scared of mOkSa itself.
- A धीर, an intelligent person, sees the Self alone always and does not become pleased when fed and angry when tormented.
- One of great ideals, sees his moving body as another’s body. How will he be disturbed by praise or blame?
- How can one of steady intelligence (dhIradhI), who regards this universe as illusion and has lost all curiosity about it, even fear approaching death?
- Who can be compared with that great person (mahAtma), who is satisfied by the knowledge of the Self, who is untouched even by the desire of nairAs’ya, नैराश्य, desire-less-ness.
- Why would a dhIradhI see something as to be grasped and something as to be given up, when he knows that in its real essence, it is nothing.
- One who has given up his passions/attachments (कषाय, kaSaya), who is free from the dvandvas (pairs – like good-bad, happiness-sadness, etc), who has no wishes treats events that happen on their own as experiences, neither for sorrow nor for happiness.
Just as s’uka (Suka, the son of Vyasa, शुक महर्षि) questioned rAjA janaka’s involvement in kingly life even after attaining gnyAna, aSTAvakra too is challenging Janaka to explain how he can be a ज्ञानिन् and still participate in the illusory world.
- Suka meets Janaka to clear his doubts about the Vedic Way : Devi Bhagavatham
- Janaka convinces Suka. Suka accepts the Vedic Way. And gets married : Devi Bhagavatham
satyA
