AVG 15.6

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 6
सर्वभूतेषु चात्मानं सर्वभूतानि चात्मनि ।
विज्ञाय निरहंकारो निर्ममस्त्वं सुखी भव ॥ १५-६॥

PURPORT:
Realizing the fundamental unity in all sentients
and that each being abides within their own
innate beauty (which can be discovered upon
introspection), may you be free of egotistic
dispositions and from the tendency to claim
actions and entities as ‘mine’. Thus realized,
may you live free within tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
सर्वभूतेषु च आत्मानम् सर्वभूतानि च आत्मनि ।
sarvabhūteṣu ca ātmānam sarvabhūtāni ca ātmani ।
विज्ञाय निरहंकारः निर्ममः त्वम् सुखी भव ॥ १५-६॥
vijñāya nirahaṃkāraḥ nirmamaḥ tvam sukhī bhava ॥ 15-6॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
1. sarvabhūteṣu (सर्वभूतेषु) = in all sentient beings
2. ca (च) = and
3. ātmānam (आत्मानम्) = oneself
4. sarvabhūtāni (सर्वभूतानि) = all beings
5. ca (च) = and
6. ātmani (आत्मनि) =  in oneself ।
7. vijñāya (विज्ञाय) = knowing/understanding
8. nirahaṃkāraḥ (निरहंकारः) = free from ego
9. nirmamaḥ (निर्ममः) = free from the sense of ‘mine’/emancipated of feelings of ‘my’
10. tvam (त्वम्) = you
11. sukhī (सुखी) = happily
12. bhava (भव) = be ॥ 15-6॥

COMMENT:
This verse has a very direct message - and that is to look within yourself to understand one’s own inner awareness to find a sense of freedom from the ego as well as freedom from the sense of 'mine'. The practice and path of realizing such a state lies within an outlook that looks to divest oneself of all aspects of knowledge that one has absorbed from books or religions or culture or preceptors. These only serve to further complicate and preoccupy the mind and only serves to feed the ego with more material to cling onto and provide a sense of assertion and solidity to the ego. This process of looking within oneself without the trappings of knowledge and culture will show the seeker that there is nothing called an 'ego' and a 'self' to be destroyed - one can only destroy something if the 'something' is present in the first place - therefore, the seeker starts to realize that it is the mental perception of an ego and a self that resides within the individual that needs to erased and dissolved within oneself.
Prayers or supplications may not help in this particular regard - as the process of praying presupposes two entities - a lesser entity that is making the request and pursuing the windfall and a higher entity that is postulated to magnanimously grant such a windfall. Prayer and the connoted aspects of lesser entities and higher entities itself is a projection of the ego. The content, structure and ceremony associated with the process of ritual entreaty is one way with which the beginning seeker can substantiate to themselves the clear manifestation of the ego lurking within. The process of erasure and dissolution is punctuated by the repeated tugs of the ‘ego/self’ complex to keep the mirage going within oneself; the seeker undergoes various stages of emotional states such as uneasiness, annoyance, regret, pity, nostalgia and sometimes frustration in this process of evolution. Understand that all of these and other like states are mental points of view bolstered with appropriate neuronal connections that block the path to insight. When the time comes for awareness to clarify and seep in, it will happen. One does not hurry the process, search outside oneself nor rest on any accumulated knowledge - the clarity that seeps through will be subtle yet profound in its implications for the seekers self and that form of clarity can only come from a mind that is still and peaceful.

AVG 15.5

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 5
रागद्वेषौ मनोधर्मौ न मनस्ते कदाचन ।
निर्विकल्पोऽसिबोधात्मा निर्विकारः सुखं चर ॥ १५-५॥

PURPORT:
Attachment and aversion are really
characteristics of the mind. The mind
itself was never yours ever; you are
free of conceptually fabricated thoughts;
you are a manifestation of that candid
awareness whose durability corresponds
to the clarity of your innate tranquility.
Remain happy and go about the world.

TRANSLITERATION:
रागद्वेषौ मनोधर्मौ न मनः ते कदाचन ।
rāgadveṣau manodharmau na manaḥ te kadācana ।
निर्विकल्पः असि बोधात्मा निर्विकारः सुखम् चर ॥ १५-५॥
nirvikalpaḥ asi bodhātmā nirvikāraḥ sukham cara ॥ 15-5॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
1. rāgadveṣau (रागद्वेषौ) = attachment and aversion (compound of rāga (राग) meaning ‘attachment/possessiveness/hankering’ and dveṣau (द्वेषौ) meaning ‘dislike/abhorrence/aversion’)
2. manodharmau (मनोधर्मौ) = aspects of the mind (compound of mano (मनो) meaning ‘mind’ and dharmau (धर्मौ) meaning ‘aspects/characteristics)
6. na (न) = not
3. manaḥ (मनः) = mind
5. te (ते) = your
4. kadācana (कदाचन) = ever/at any time ।
7. nirvikalpaḥ (निर्विकल्पः) = free from conceptions/free from thoughts
10. asi (असि) = you are
8. bodhātmā (बोधात्मा) = awareness itself/intelligence itself
9. nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः) = changeless
11. sukham (सुखम्) = happily/in tranquility
12. cara (चर) = move/go about/wander॥ 15-5॥

COMMENT:
Ashtavakra reminds us that the possessiveness we harbor and  the aversion that may arise within us are ultimately states of mind that are perceived – fabrications from cultural conditioning that gives form, shape and substance not only to states of aversion and possessiveness, but also to that other fanciful entity – the self. Desire manifests within the seeker as forms of physical or mental pain when they are perceived to remain unfulfilled. The pain results from the frustration of ones desires not being realized or obtained. Pleasure results when one perceives that the desires have been satisfied. The seeker understands that there can be a very large number of entities and states that can be desired; whereas, the things necessary for resting in satisfaction and finding a still life is a small portion of those things desired. In this sense, happiness is easier achieved by the elimination of the sense of want that we evince towards large numbers of things while simultaneously understanding that the other option - achieving satisfaction by amassing more and more of these desired things/states - is a never ending quest without any hope of fulfillment. The seeker understands that the fulfillment associated with desire results in an immediate (albeit momentary) surge in pleasure that seems exponentially decay only to be replaced by a new desire for something else. One may discern this as yet another mechanism for the model of the self to remain relevant within all of our activities. 

In this context, the seeker is also reminded of the universal words common across many spiritual traditions - if you want to make someone wealthy, the way to that state is not by adding to their wealth and riches; rather, the way would be to subtract and take away their desires. 

This does not mean that seeker look to eliminate some desires that are natural to our species - the desire for food, clothing, shelter and company - the nature of these make them impossible to eliminate and one attains each of these in moderation. The are other desires that one understands to be empty of any essence - power, wealth, fame, material accumulations – these, the seeker understands, that even in moderation does not give any sense of peace. 

The nature of these desires is similar to that adage about ‘power’ - power corrupts the individual and absolute power corrupts the individual absolutely; substitute the word ‘power’ here for any one of the following 'wealth/fame/acquisitions' and the adage still rings true. As the ancients wisely said, they who are not satisfied with a little is satisfied with nothing.

AVG 15.4

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 4
न त्वं देहो न ते देहो भोक्ता कर्ता न वा भवान् ।
चिद्रूपोऽसि सदा साक्षीनिरपेक्षः सुखं चर ॥ १५-४॥

PURPORT:
You are not the body, nor is the body yours,
nor are you the performer of actions nor
the one who enjoys those actions. You are
the essence of awareness itself; appearing
as that impartial observer who strives to
remain unattached to the unfolding.
As a choiceless witness of things,
remain happy and go about the world.

TRANSLITERATION:
न त्वम् देहः न ते देहः भोक्ता कर्ता न वा भवान् ।
na tvam dehaḥ na te dehaḥ bhoktā kartā na vā bhavān ।
चिद्रूपः असि सदा साक्षी निरपेक्षः सुखम् चर ॥ १५-४॥
cidrūpaḥ asi sadā sākṣī nirapekṣaḥ sukham cara ॥ 15-4॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
3. na (न) = not
1. tvam (त्वम्) = you
2. dehaḥ (देहः) = body
6. na (न) = not
4. te (ते) = yours
5. dehaḥ (देहः) = body
9. bhoktā (भोक्ता) = merrymaker/reveler/one who enjoys
8. kartā (कर्ता) = doer
11. na (न) = not
10. vā (वा) = nor
7. bhavān (भवान्) = you ।
12. cidrūpaḥ (चिद्रूपः) = awareness itself/intelligence itself
16. asi (असि) = you are
13. sadā (सदा) = ever/always
14. sākṣī (साक्षी) = witness/observer
15. nirapekṣaḥ (निरपेक्षः) = unattached/independent/free of encumbrance
17. sukham (सुखम्) = happily
18. cara  (चर) = wander/roam/go about॥ 15-4॥

COMMENT:
The path to awareness and the outward radiating of such awareness first begins with the self. Learning to respect oneself, taking the time to reconcile with oneself and moving to love oneself are the essential first steps. The individual who has perceived of themselves as hurt and disadvantaged finds themselves enveloped within a state of mental or physical anguish (sometimes both). Prolonged exposure to such anguish prompts the body to manifest the feeling of fear (a homeostatic mechanism that was evolutionarily fine-tuned to protect itself). A repeated and relentless application to such a homeostatic state of fear hardens itself into a default self-posture that always evokes the memory of the same fear or disadvantage within the individual. The response of this inner fear within the seeker exhibits itself outwardly as aggravation and anger.

The resultant aggravation causes alienation and antipathy for the other (the ‘other’ can be any sentient being or even a non-existent entity). If the individual feels that they cannot seem to break away from the constant sense of alienation and antipathy, the individual suffers. Even if the suffering is an internally manifested state of being, the external manifestations of suffering tends to radiate out from the individual pessimistically (in much the same way as its foil, awareness, radiates in an optimistic manner). This suffering only tends to cyclically regurgitate and reinforce the homeostatic reaction of fear that leads to aggravation to alienation leading back to more suffering.

In this regard, the first step towards the finding of awareness is the process of reconciling and rehabilitating oneself so that the symptoms that might lead the individual to fearfully invaginate into oneself and thus close themselves off to the sentient world outside is dispelled. This inquiry starts with the idea that the potential for the individual to observe without judgment or preconceived biases needs to be cultivated initially as an addition to one’s daily activities which, slowly over time, becomes a state of heightened awareness. The resultant awareness shines not only within the individual, but, in equal measure, radiates outward towards the witnessed. Of course, this manner of observation and witnessing happens in a space where the individuals mental realm is free of clinging to thoughts, ideas, concepts, designations and such classifications. The understanding that the search for such a state of awareness transpires without the dependence upon conceptual tools of any nature will culminate in happiness.

AVG 15.3

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 3
वाग्मिप्राज्ञमहोद्योगं जनं मूकजडालसम् ।
करोति तत्त्वबोधोऽयमतस्त्यक्तो बुभुक्षुभिः ॥ १५-३॥

PURPORT:
This insight into the real nature of things
transforms a person who is perceived to be
impassioned, intelligent and industrious
into someone who is devoid of the senses,
indolent and quiet. This is the reason
why such insight is shunned by those
who intend to enjoy the world.

TRANSLITERATION:
वाग्मिप्राज्ञमहोद्योगम् जनम् मूकजडालसम् ।
vāgmiprājñamahodyogam janam mūkajaḍālasam ।
करोति तत्त्वबोधः अयम् अतः त्यक्तः बुभुक्षुभिः ॥ १५-३॥
karoti tattvabodhaḥ ayam ataḥ tyaktaḥ bubhukṣubhiḥ ॥ 15-3॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
3. vāgmiprājñamahodyogam (वाग्मिप्राज्ञमहोद्योगम्) = eloquent, intelligent and industrious (compound of vāgmi (वाग्मि) meaning ‘passionate/eloquent/impassioned’ and prājña (प्राज्ञ) meaning ‘intelligent’ and mahodyogam (महोद्योगम्) meaning time ‘hardworking/industrious/conscientious’)
4. janam (जनम्) = person (literally translates to the masculine)
5. mūkajaḍālasam (मूकजडालसम्) =  mute, inert and inactive (compound of mūka (मूक) meaning ‘aphasic/mute’ and jaḍa (जड) meaning ‘devoid of senses/inert’ and alasam (अलसम्) meaning ‘idle/inactive/indolent’)।

6. karoti (करोति) = makes
2. tattvabodhaḥ (तत्त्वबोधः) = knowledge of the truth (compound of tattva (तत्त्व) meaning ‘truth/real state’ and bodhaḥ (बोधः) meaning ‘understanding/cognizance/knowledge’)
1. ayam (अयम्) = this
7. ataḥ (अतः) = so
9. tyaktaḥ (त्यक्तः) = is rejected/is shunned
8. bubhukṣubhiḥ (बुभुक्षुभिः) = by those who want to and intend to enjoy ॥ 15-3॥

COMMENT:
It is understood that this verse should not be construed in its most literal manner (i.e. a person of awareness turning from someone who is passionate, seemingly wise and hard-working into someone who is devoid of the senses, ostensibly lazy and mute). When a state of awareness as deep and as lasting as the one being described here is realized, then the need for any more talking or doing or thinking is purported to cease as there is nothing more to think or talk or perform. The outward appearance of one who has achieved such a state may seem inert and hushed. This is an outward appearance only – a mistaken perception for someone looking in on this state from the outside.
Awareness and realization can occur in many forms and in many cases the instances are fleetingly few and far between for the seeking beginner. There are tales of mystics who have had psychic experiences that border 'awareness' which may have been induced either by an involuntary mental state or was chemically stimulated. This might have temporarily altered their mental state for a short-lived period; it can be inferred that these experiences (chance mental states or aided chemically) may have been of some help at certain points along their seeking paths, but can prove to be a distraction as they seek to further their way forward. It is understood that the search and seeking is no less difficult for those who have been aided by such experiences as those who are starting without these extraneous initiations.

As commented upon a couple of chapters back, the quality of the awareness that is being sought is like love (one knows it when one is immersed within the state, but, the state itself cannot seem to be described accurately and figuratively). The state of being aware is unlike other ‘states’ where one may get ‘there’ just because they are instinctually more gifted than the other (like some may be more gifted at math than others and thus math seem to come to them naturally). Awareness is the understanding and seeking of that inner sense of stillness and the sense of egoless non-identity that flows from such stillness. Neither qualifications nor genetic predisposition nor intellectual expertise can serve as an easy means to get from here to there.

While difficult to articulate, a rank amateur like me will want to state that the kind of awareness described in the verses herein is that realization where the nature of truth that we encounter can be looked at conventionally as well as from the perspective of emptiness. A realization that all manifest phenomena including conventional and ultimate experiences are fundamentally impermanent and subject to a constant process of change and decrepitude. That the form of conventional reality that we interact with is a constant mental reinforcement of our culturally accepted (and allowed) appellations. A path that moves from banalities and stilted understanding to stillness.

In this sense, it is understood that thinking and thought itself is a form of ego defense and a form of entertainment for the ego where the more elaborate, impressive and complex the construction of the thought edifice, the more the ego seems to obtain a measure of fixity and satisfaction. A state of being where thinking and thought does not vacillate between choices that can be exercised in a future (that is not yet clear) or regrets embedded in a past (that is removed from the present). A place where the straining and the flexing of thought is so reduced that the complexity of internal and external frameworks that have been elaborately fabricated within us (that allows for the ego to climb, hide and roam free) is extinguished. That is the state described by Ashtavakra herein.

AVG 15.2

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 2
मोक्षो विषयवैरस्यं बन्धो वैषयिको रसः ।
एतावदेव विज्ञानं यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ १५-२॥

PURPORT:
A sense of clarity in discernment and
a distaste for objects of the senses is
liberating; similarly, evincing a sense of
attachment towards these objects is bondage.
Knowing such is insight. Having known this,
do exactly as you so please.

TRANSLITERATION:
मोक्षः विषयवैरस्यम् बन्धः वैषयिकः रसः ।
mokṣaḥ viṣayavairasyam bandhaḥ vaiṣayikaḥ rasaḥ ।
एतावत् एव विज्ञानम् यथा इच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥ १५-२॥
etāvat eva vijñānam yathā icchasi tathā kuru ॥ 15-2॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
2. mokṣaḥ (मोक्षः) = liberation/emancipation
1. viṣayavairasyam (विषयवैरस्यम्) = distaste/aversion for entities senses by our sensoria (compound of viṣaya (विषय) meaning ‘sense-objects’ and vairasyam (वैरस्यम्) meaning ‘distaste’)
5. bandhaḥ (बन्धः) = bondage/attachment
3. vaiṣayikaḥ (वैषयिकः) = related to sense objects
4. rasaḥ (रसः) = taste [for pleasurable attachments] ।
6. etāvat (एतावत्) = of such kind
7. eva (एव) = indeed/truly
8. vijñānam (विज्ञानम्) = knowledge
9. yathā (यथा) = of such kind/such as this
10. icchasi (इच्छसि) = you wish
11. tathā (तथा) = thus/so
12. kuru (कुरु) = do/perform ॥ 15-2॥

COMMENT:
If one cannot initially understand the nature of one’s own native self (which in and of itself sits peaceful), a path to start off the journey may be that where the trail-markers along the path are vividly painted. Trail-markers that are defined by creations of our own best hopes, high aspirations and thoughtful objectives - such markers can range from meditation to finding a preceptor to enrolling in a monastery to devotional worship to ritual chanting* (the list of modalities available is long as there are many forms of such inspirational avenues** that we as a culture have developed not only for our mental sustenance but, also towards answering age-old questions that science may or may not have answered). These markers help the seeker to steady themselves along the path and obtain that initial clarity that is necessary to look closer into themselves.
In further reaching out toward self-awareness, the seeker reaches a state of inner clarity that will allow for the seeker to understand themselves better. The seeker also intuits that crutches like meditation, devotional worship, ritual chanting etc. while initially supportive, may now be discarded as the seeker confidently moves along the path towards understanding themselves.
In a certain sense, the seeker who is free at large is that one who have divested themselves of the following - the unreasonable fear of death, the irrational fear of god and the ability to release themselves from their own desires. In addition, the seeker who is internally aware is that one who is able to choicelessly observe the arising, enduring and the creation of every thought within themselves with a practiced ability to examine that free space that emanates between thoughts without actively seeking to suppress the next set of thoughts. A great clarity and stillness settles to one who is both free in the first sense and aware as in the second sense.


*One is reminded of the following words of Dajian Huineng (a central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Buddhism) in this context: "A finger points at the moon, but the moon is not at the tip of the finger. Words points at the truth, but the truth is not in words".


**some find that a balanced combination of these modalities is also useful; a modality that involves some parts shared community, some parts teacher-student relationship, a part that includes a cultivated relationship with some god-like omniscient being and a part that provides meditative introspection. At the end of the day, understand that while these modalities or a combination of such modalities only serve to light up the way for the seeker initially, ultimately, the walk remains ones very own.

AVG 15.1

Chapter 15 (A Celebration of the Seekers Native Self): Verse 1
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
यथातथोपदेशेन कृतार्थः सत्त्वबुद्धिमान् ।
आजीवमपि जिज्ञासुः परस्तत्र विमुह्यति ॥ १५-१॥

PURPORT:
A seeker demonstrating a choiceness
outlook to life gains clarity in awareness
even with guidance that is casually imparted
and instructed in the simplest of ways.
The other (who relies on conceptual
knowledge and rote formalities) may
remain perplexed and confused despite
an earnest willingness to learn
and enquire throughout their lives.

TRANSLITERATION:
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca ॥
यथातथा उपदेशेन कृतार्थः सत्त्वबुद्धिमान् ।
yathātathā upadeśena kṛtārthaḥ sattvabuddhimān ।
आजीवम् अपि जिज्ञासुः परः तत्र विमुह्यति ॥ १५-१॥
ājīvam api jijñāsuḥ paraḥ tatra vimuhyati ॥ 15-1॥

MEANING (concordance as numbered):
1. aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) = Aṣṭāvakra
2. uvāca (उवाच) = said ॥
4. yathātathā (यथातथा) = in whatever manner (compound of yathā (यथा) meaning ‘however it might be’ and tathā (तथा) meaning ‘it is so’)
5. upadeśena (उपदेशेन) = by guidance/by instruction
6. kṛtārthaḥ (कृतार्थः) = attains their goal/objective
3. sattvabuddhimān (सत्त्वबुद्धिमान्) = one whose intellect is pure and unsullied (compound of sattva (सत्त्व) meaning ‘pure/transperent’ and buddhimān (बुद्धिमान्) meaning ‘one who is intelligent by way of awareness’). As in someone who demonstrates a choiceness attitude to the vicissitudes in life।
8. ājīvam (आजीवम्) = throughout life
10. api (अपि) = even
9. jijñāsuḥ (जिज्ञासुः) = desirous to enquire/curious to search and understand
7. paraḥ (परः) = the other/the one not so (as in the one not a jijñāsuḥ (जिज्ञासुः))
11. tatra (तत्र) = there
12. vimuhyati (विमुह्यति) = is perplexed/is bewildered॥ 15-1॥

COMMENT:
This chapter is a celebration of the self that we innately possess and the various ways by which we find joy within the self as well as find stillness in ourselves. The verse reminds us that finding solace within oneself can be undertaken via multiple paths so long as the path does not strike the seeker as being unreasonable in its demands on their frame of reference nor incoherent in its approach. The simplest form of the message being that the path to stillness starts with the fondness and respect that one feels for their own selves. Anytime the seekers get angry, frustrated, jealous or undervalued, understand forthwith that the seekers ego has climbed back on the drivers seat. Gently work to unseat that driver - not by force (for nothing truly enduring and tranquil is achieved by force) - but, by understanding the deeper reasons (the Sanskrit word for this is vichara*) for such emotions like anger or frustration or jealousy to arise within themselves. In most cases, after the process of introspection (vichara), the underlying cause is found for such an arising, the drivers seat becomes suddenly empty and one feels a distinct measure of liberation enveloping oneself. The verse itself cautions the seeker against those who overly rely on the amassing of conceptual knowledge and the practicing of rote doctrinal procedures handed down and followed without the application of reason nor rationality. For such seekers, the danger remains in them remaining within a state of perplexity and confusion despite demonstrating a sincere eagerness and enthusiasm to ascertain and enquire all through their seeking lives.


*Vichāra or the deliberative reasoning about cause and effect and the process of arriving at clarity in awareness. The process of vichara is antithetical to faith, doctrine or religion (which are more involved with the essence of something rather than rational reasoning). Vichara is rational reasoning that clearly allows the seeker to discriminate the conventional nature of things as opposed to their ultimate natures and thus helps dissipate biases that are rooted within irrationality, preconceptions and personally conditioned tendencies to scrutinizing the truth.

AVG 14.4

Chapter 14 (The Seekers Sense of Serenity): Verse 4
अंतर्विकल्पशून्यस्य बहिः स्वच्छन्दचारिणः ।
भ्रान्तस्येव दशास्तास्तास्तादृशा एव जानते ॥ १४-४॥

PURPORT:
The disparate conditions and circumstances
of one who within themselves are devoid of
doubts and uncertainties but whose ways
on the outside may seem like someone
deluded can only be understood by
those who have seen a similar sense of serenity.

TRANSLITERATION:
अंतः विकल्पशून्यस्य बहिः स्वच्छन्दचारिणः ।
aṃtaḥ rvikalpaśūnyasya bahiḥ svacchandacāriṇaḥ ।
भ्रान्तस्य इव दशाः ताः ताः तादृशा एव जानते ॥ १४-४॥
bhrāntasya iva daśāḥ tāḥ tāḥ tādṛśā eva jānate ॥ 14-4॥

MEANING (concordance is as numbered):
1. aṃtaḥ (अंतः) = within/inside
2. vikalpaśūnyasya (विकल्पशून्यस्य) = devoid of thoughts and doubt (compound of vikalpa (विकल्प) meaning ‘thoughts/doubts’ and śūnyasya (शून्यस्य) meaning ‘of one devoid of’)
3. bahiḥ (बहिः) = outside
6. svacchandacāriṇaḥ (स्वच्छन्दचारिणः) = moving at their own pleasure (compound of sva (स्व) meaning ‘own’ and chanda (छन्द) meaning ‘pleasure/alluring’ and cāriṇaḥ (चारिणः) meaning ‘of one who moves’) ।
4. bhrāntasya (भ्रान्तस्य) = confused/deluded
5. iva (इव) = like
8. daśāḥ (दशाः) = conditions
7. tāḥ (ताः) tāḥ (ताः) = such and such (as in different, disparate and distinctive conditions manifested by someone who has a sense of awareness)
8. tādṛśā (तादृशा) = someone like that
9. eva (एव) = surely
10. jānate (जानते) = knows ॥ 14-4॥

COMMENT:
In the final verse of this chapter, Janaka talks about the mind of the one who is aware and the process by which one obtains that aspect of awareness. The ability for one to get out of the autonomous manner by which we differentiate between the perceived and ourselves is the objective, but the process begins with an appreciation of the material objects that seem to occupy space and time ‘out there’ in the 'real world' and the ways by which we think we perceive them.

The 'perception of contact' insofar as such 'contact' is construed as sound, touch, taste, smells and corporeal sensations is really the appearance of such a perception in terms of frequencies of light or sound vibrations or electrical impulses that are then converted into appropriate electrical or chemical potentials within our bodies and interpreted as 'contact of a material object' within our minds. The material object thus sensed by our minds are then channeled into appropriate classifications and assemblages that take the form of names that include atoms, molecules, compounds, trees, sentient being, earth, water, planet, star, galaxy, galactic clusters etc. All of such names and the perceived sensations from such name-and-form associations appears within our consciousness as an imprint of a pre-existing idea or concept or as a new template upon which future imprints can be patterned. Outside of one’s consciousness, these ideas, imprints and concepts do not exist in the exact state that we perceive them to be - this does not mean to say that they do not exist and the world is illusory - all this means, is that the way we see that wavelength of color or that frequency of sound vibration or that particular electrical impulse which led to the feeling (for example) that we are tasting ’salt' is specific and particular only to us and no one else - in that sense, the world and the appearances and objects are illusory at best.

Thinking about this some more, one understands that there is no difference between the perception (the function of perceiving by our sense faculties) and the experiencing consciousness. The perception (which is like any other idea or concept within consciousness) and consciousness itself are one and the same - there is a complete absence of any duality within our minds if one thinks about this thoroughly. They are non-dual. What we experience as sound, touch, taste, smells and corporeal sensations all appear and exist within our being conscious and is consciousness itself. It is only the addition of thought labels like 'this is entity “A' and should conform to properties that are assigned and belong to entity A' and so on for entities “B”, “C”, “D”, etc., that we start to develop a sense of separation between the perceived entity ('out there' in the external world) and ourselves (‘in here’ within our heads separate and apart from such a perceived entity). The separation of experiences and sensations from the experiencing itself is not possible. Thus it can be said that experiences not only occurs within our consciousness, but also, cannot be differentiated apart from that experiencing consciousness. Therefore, all appearances equates to consciousness. The phenomenal world that presents as sounds, smells, tastes, sensations and colors is consciousness*. Understanding this aspect within leads to liberation. Janaka in these verses only goes on to extend this thinking by stating that it takes one seeker to know another seeker. The disparate conditions and circumstances of those who have the realization within themselves and demonstrate a clarity devoid of doubts and uncertainties are visible to those who have a similar sense of serenity. But, to those on the outside, those disparate conditions and circumstances may seem like the ways of someone deluded.

*Unless the illusory nature of the perception of the world as an objective reality ceases, awareness is not obtained. If the mind, which is the instrument of knowledge and is the basis of all activity, subsides, the objective reality ceases. - Ramana Maharishi

AVG 14.3

Chapter 14 (The Seekers Sense of Serenity): Verse 3
विज्ञाते साक्षिपुरुषे परमात्मनि चेश्वरे ।
नैराश्ये बन्धमोक्षे च न चिन्तामुक्तये मम ॥ १४-३॥

PURPORT:
As a choiceless observer and through
spiritual inspiration, I have realized the
highest measure of individual self-awareness
and therefore have laid to rest any latent
inclinations towards possessiveness or
any desire towards finding deliverance.
Thus, I do not ponder internally for
any kind of renunciation whatsoever.

TRANSLITERATION:
विज्ञाते साक्षिपुरुषे परमात्मनि च इश्वरे ।
vijñāte sākṣipuruṣe paramātmani ca iśvare ।
नैराश्ये बन्धमोक्षे च न चिन्ता मुक्तये मम ॥ १४-३॥
nairāśye bandhamokṣe ca na cintā muktaye mama ॥ 14-3॥

MEANING (the concordance is as numbered):
5. vijñāte (विज्ञाते) = in having realized
1. sākṣipuruṣe (साक्षिपुरुषे) = self-awareness that is the observing witness (compound of sākṣi (साक्षि) meaning ‘witness/observer/spectator’ and puruṣe (पुरुषे) meaning ‘[awareness of the] self’)
4. paramātmani (परमात्मनि) = highest measure of individual self-awareness (compound of param (परम) meaning ‘’ and ātmani (आत्मनि) meaning ‘individual self’). Note: From an absolutist perspective, paramatman (परमात्मन्) is the Absolute or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology. The paramatman is the "primordial-self" or the "self-beyond" that is purported to be spiritually identical with one's concept of the Absolute. Selflessness is the attribute of this conceptual designation wherein all personality/individuality is supposed to vanish.
3. ca (च) = and
2. iśvare (इश्वरे) = spiritual inspiration (please see relevant note on this conceptual designation in verse 11.2)।
8. nairāśye (नैराश्ये) = in desirelessness
6. bandhamokṣe (बन्धमोक्षे) = in bondage and liberation (compound of mokṣe (बन्ध) meaning ‘bondage/fettered’ and mokṣe (मोक्षे) meaning ‘in liberation/ in a state of emancipation’)
7. ca (च) = and
12. na (न) = not
11. cintā (चिन्ता) = worry/thought/rumination/anxiety
9. muktaye (मुक्तये) = for emancipation
10. mama (मम) = my ॥ 14-3॥

COMMENT:
Janaka here proclaims that he does not feel any anxiety on the path to finding liberation and has uncovered a sense of clarity and freedom of outlook. The tone that Janaka conveys indicates that he has understood the nature of the bindings that have held his awareness back. The source of those bindings seems to lie within his own sense faculties that generate perceptions of existent entities. He understands that the faculties of perception and the objects that they have thus perceived come from the same source and are fundamentally complementary.

Janaka understands that in response to the objects perceived there is the matter of perception via sense faculties, and in response to the sense faculties that are perceiving, there are objects perceived; the vital aspect that connects the both being that neither one of the objects perceived nor the perceptions of the same have a nature that can be thought of as enduring and permanent. In fact, without the object perceived, there are no sense faculties that can be explicitly defined or isolated; and similarly, without sense faculties, there are no objects explicitly defined or isolated - they are bicamerally dependent upon each other for any one of their existence and being.

With this understood, Janaka stands at a place where he is secure in the knowledge that the biased perceptions are the essential reason for the delusion and confusion that seekers experience. When the perceived objects are not seen as independent and sovereign from ones awareness (and sense perception), but instead, are understood as dependent co-arisings that have no basis within any established underpinnings (underpinnings that we typically associate with names, forms, designations, categories and classifications), the path to awareness and clarity follows.

AVG 14.2

Chapter 14 (The Seekers Sense of Serenity): Verse 2
क्व धनानि क्व मित्राणि क्व मे विषयदस्यवः ।
क्व शास्त्रं क्व च विज्ञानं यदा मे गलिता स्पृहा ॥ १४-२॥

PURPORT:
When my cravings have dissolved away,
where are my riches, where are my
confidantes, where are the thieves
in the form of sense-objects that rob me
of my awareness? Of what use are
scriptural injunctions once I have the
clarity of awareness of self? Of what
use is secular knowledge derived from
the phenomenal world?  Just what of value
can remain when my desires have melted?

TRANSLITERATION:
क्व धनानि क्व मित्राणि क्व मे विषयदस्यवः ।
kva dhanāni kva mitrāṇi kva me viṣayadasyavaḥ ।
क्व शास्त्रम् क्व च विज्ञानम् यदा मे गलिता स्पृहा ॥ १४-२॥
kva śāstram kva ca vijñānam yadā me galitā spṛhā ॥ 14-2॥

MEANING:
kva (क्व) = where
dhanāni (धनानि) = riches
kva (क्व) = where
mitrāṇi (मित्राणि) = friends/confidantes
kva (क्व) = where
me (मे) = my
viṣayadasyavaḥ (विषयदस्यवः) = thieves in the form of sense-objects (compound of viṣaya (विषय) meaning ‘objects/entities’ and dasyavaḥ (दस्यवः) meaning ‘thieves/robbers’); the reference to sense-objects as robbers or thieves is because objects of the senses tend to deprive us of our innate awareness ।
kva (क्व) = where
śāstram (शास्त्रम्) =  scripture/objects of learning (as in doctrinal injunctions that one collects from religious texts and books)
kva (क्व) = where
ca (च) = and
vijñānam (विज्ञानम्) = reasoning/knowledge (as in secular knowledge obtained from ones dealings within the phenomenal world)
yadā (यदा) = when
me (मे) = my
galitā (गलिता) = dissolved/perished
spṛhā (स्पृहा) = desire/cravings ॥ 14-2॥

COMMENT:
This alliterative verse builds upon the previous one by noting that with the dissolution of the self and the resultant empty-mind, the desire and attachments towards objects of sensory pleasure (whose nature itself is inherently transitory) has vanished from within Janaka. In this respect, he refers to the objects of the senses towards which we anchor our desires using the Sanskrit word 'dasyu' (दस्यु) - meaning a bandit or an outlaw - implicating that objects of desire are those that are responsible for dispossessing from us our sense of true awareness that always lies within.

The verse also eloquently clarifies that when these impressions of desire has been extinguished from the mind, one does not need to rely on scriptures nor lean on knowledge to illuminate the seekers path. In this sense, scriptural mandates and such exhortations are useful for those who are still finding the way. They serve a function insofar as being a waypoint for seekers in clearing paths, but once the extinguishment of desires has been wholly accomplished as a result of being on the path long enough, the need for such scriptural, religious, doctrinal or theological accessories fade away. The verse also makes it clear that in addition to not finding any use for scriptural knowledge, one also does not seem to entertain a need for knowledge that is of the secular kind - the materialistic variety that relies on conceptual designations derived from worldly experience and temporal phenomenology.

AVG 14.1

Chapter 14 (The Seekers Sense of Serenity): Verse 1
जनक उवाच ॥
प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तो यः प्रमादाद्भावभावनः ।
निद्रितो बोधित इव क्षीणसंस्मरणो हि सः ॥ १४-१॥

PURPORT:
They whose mind is (by nature) empty of desires
and conditioning indeed have their recollections
of culture, attendant dualities and societal impingements
extinguished. They think of objects and things
without indulging in motive, malice or bias;
as if they had an inner awareness that stays
awake even when they are sound asleep.

TRANSLITERATION:
जनक उवाच ॥
janaka uvāca ॥
प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तः यः प्रमादात् भावभावनः ।
prakṛtyā śūnyacittaḥ yaḥ pramādāt bhāvabhāvanaḥ ।
निद्रितः बोधितः इव क्षीणसंस्मरणः हि सः ॥ १४-१॥
nidritaḥ bodhitaḥ iva kṣīṇasaṃsmaraṇaḥ hi saḥ ॥ 14-1॥

MEANING:
janaka (जनक) = Janaka
uvāca (उवाच) = said ॥
prakṛtyā (प्रकृत्या) = by nature
śūnyacittaḥ (शून्यचित्तः) = empty-minded: as in a mind that is empty of desires and conditioning (compound of śūnya (शून्य) meaning 'empty/zero/null' and cittaḥ (चित्तः) meaning 'mind/thought')
yaḥ (यः) = who
pramādāt (प्रमादात्) = through dispassion/through an approach grounded without motive or choices
bhāvabhāvanaḥ (भावभावनः) = thinking of entities (compound of bhāva (भाव)  meaning 'entities/things/objects' and bhāvanaḥ (भावनः)  meaning 'thinking/ruminating')।
nidritaḥ (निद्रितः) = asleep/dormant/inactive
bodhitaḥ (बोधितः) = awake/cognizant
iva (इव) = as if
kṣīṇasaṃsmaraṇaḥ (क्षीणसंस्मरणः) = one whose recollections and memories (of worldly events, attendant dualities and cultural impingement) have been extinguished/one who is not under the influence of cultural conditioning (compound of kṣīṇa (क्षीण) meaning 'exhausted/extinguished' and saṃsmaraṇaḥ (क्षीणसंस्मरणः) meaning 'recollections')
hi (हि) = truly/verily/indeed
saḥ (सः) = them (literally translates to 'he')॥ 14-1॥

COMMENT:
The fascinating opening verse of this chapter delves into our own inherently peaceable natures; it opens with two simple concepts that are at the heart of this poem - the first is that a peaceable mind is one that is extinguished of any recollections of the dualities that confront each one of us and the second refrain is that the peaceable individual is that one whose mind is empty by nature.

The extinguishment of recollections of dualities refers to the gradual erosion of the backlog of conceptual designations that have slowly accumulated and built their homes within our minds - collected over the years of living with and working with societally approved monikers and culturally agreed upon name-assignments; this is the mass of name-and-form appellations and the associated dualities that come along for the ride. The seeker understands that the collected store of knowledge that has been amassed, classified and assigned is used to describe the nature of the conventional reality that confronts us. The erosion of this conceptual foundation happens within a mindset that is centered around awareness balanced with an outlook that is fundamentally unbiased and not predetermined. Given the all-pervasive nature of the designated name-and-form ocean that we are immersed within, one is mistaken into thinking that the awareness that sets in (and the subsequent concept/name-erosion that happens) is here to stay and has finality and permanency within the individual. It is noted that the awareness that sets in is also impermanent and one's mind will need to be continuously nurtured and coaxed into keeping that mindset of open awareness.

The second aspect that Janaka mentions is the pure state of mind and clarity that is engendered by the absence of any flirtations of the ego or fluctuations of an abiding self. An empty mind is not likened (colloquially speaking) to a mind that is bereft of knowledge; on the contrary, an empty mind is that mind that is brimming and full - a mind that is fully present, completely open and liberated. It is empty in the distinct sense that all latent distractions, wandering preoccupations, inherent fears, periodic worries and other fluctuations of a like nature are not present within and do not become obstacles to ones path forward. A mind where one does not assign nor find any abiding essence in the form of a soul or a self or a spirit. A mind that does not assign form nor value to the word 'empty' as the one who is thus aware knows that the word empty itself is a conceptual designation employed as a useful means for the seeker to find that middle path that is free of dualities or extremes of demeanor.


NOTE:
A fascinating poem titled 'Things' written by poet Lisel Mueller that delves right into this very topic (and, our unconscious, but, ever-present urge to recast reality within our own image of name-and-form):
What happened is, we grew lonely
living among the things,
so we gave the clock a face,
the chair a back,
the table four stout legs
which will never suffer fatigue.
We fitted our shoes with tongues
as smooth as our own
and hung tongues inside bells
so we could listen
to their emotional language,
and because we loved graceful profiles
the pitcher received a lip,
the bottle a long, slender neck.
Even what was beyond us
was recast in our image;
we gave the country a heart,
the storm an eye,
the cave a mouth
so we could pass into safety.

AVG 13.7

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 7
सुखादिरूपानियमं भावेष्वालोक्य भूरिशः ।
शुभाशुभे विहायास्मादहमासे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-७॥

PURPORT:
Their very nature being unstable, the
appearances of pain and pleasure are
understood to be finite and contingent
within the probabilistic events of the world.
Observing this again and again, I have
renounced all my convictions of the
agreeable and the unseemly;
and thus, I live in tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
सुखादिरूपानियमम् भावेषु आलोक्य भूरिशः ।
sukhādirūpāniyamam bhāveṣu ālokya bhūriśaḥ ।
शुभाशुभे विहाय अस्मात् अहम् आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-७॥
śubhāśubhe vihāya asmāt aham āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-7॥

MEANING:
sukhādirūpāniyamam (सुखादिरूपानियमम्) = limitations and restrictions on the forms of pleasure and like states (compound of sukhādi (सुखादि) meaning 'comfort/pleasure etcetera'  and rūpā (रूपा) meaning 'forms/appearances' and niyamam (नियमम्) meaning 'limited/restrictions/curbs/stipulations')
bhāveṣu (भावेषु) = in varying conditions and circumstances
ālokya (आलोक्य) = observing
bhūriśaḥ (भूरिशः) = abundantly/amply ।
śubhāśubhe (शुभाशुभे) = agreeable and unseemly
vihāya (विहाय) = from renouncing
asmāt (अस्मात्) = so/therefore
aham (अहम्) = I
āse (आसे) = live
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily ॥ 13-7॥

COMMENT:
Pleasure, pain and other similar emotions whose basis stem from our dualistic framework are at the end of the day what they are - perceptions of reality arising from our sense organs - continuously discerning the occurrences of ones life as being subjectively 'good' (leading to a quality of life that is considered pleasant) and subjectively ‘not-good’ (leading to a quality of outlook and demeanor that is tinged with unhappiness and want). The removal of intrinsic notions of duality from our perceptions as well as from the overall framework of ones interactions and thoughts leads to a mindset where one understands that experiences are neither 'good' nor 'not-good'. They are experiences and nothing more - one observes, interacts and moves on with the experience indulging oneself fully within the experience.

In closing this chapter, one goes back to the overall themes within these verses; the first being the fact that the seeker understands that pleasure leads to an innate desire within the seeker for more of the pleasure-giving-aspect leading to emotional attachments. Perceptions that are construed as pleasurable leave behind an imprint within the seekers psyche that constantly feed on thoughts related to the object of one's pleasure that ultimately lead to desire. The seeker also understands that the cause of suffering is the association and identification of the seeker with the object that is thus perceived. In a world punctuated by circumstantial events and happenings, the judgments and biases associated with any pair of dualities must be left behind - this applies to any of the common examples that one might run into including serenity/sadness or acceptance/disgust or apprehension/hostility or certainty/ambiguity. In addition, it is understood that the true test of an awakened and aware spirit is not found within internal meditative bliss - although some aspects of the same can be found insofar as it relates to self-healing for the seeker - but the true spirit and test of a human who is self-aware is in their contact, character and bearing with the world at large and their empathy and demeanor towards other sentient beings (of which humans are a part). This shows clearly that self-healing is not enough - although it might be a necessary first step in achieving this aspect of understanding.

AVG 13.6

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 6
स्वपतो नास्ति मे हानिः सिद्धिर्यत्नवतो न वा ।
नाशोल्लासौ विहायास्मदहमासे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-६॥

PURPORT:
I do not face misfortune when I remain
inactive nor do I achieve success by
striving actively. Forgoing thoughts
related to any misgivings on account
of me not acquiring possessions or
feelings of elation due to my
acquisition of material possessions,
I, therefore, live in blissful serenity.

TRANSLITERATION:
स्वपतः न अस्ति मे हानिः सिद्धिः यत्नवतः न वा ।
svapataḥ na asti me hāniḥ siddhiḥ yatnavataḥ na vā ।
नाशोल्लासौ विहाय अस्मात् अहम् आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-६॥
nāśollāsau vihāya asmāt aham āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-6॥

MEANING:
svapataḥ (स्वपतः) = sleeping (as in remaining inactive)
na (न) = not
asti (अस्ति) = there is
me (मे) = my
hāniḥ (हानिः) = loss/deficit/misfortune
siddhiḥ (सिद्धिः) = achievement/success
yatnavataḥ (यत्नवतः) = striving
na (न) = not
vā (वा) = or ।
nāśollāsau (नाशोल्लासौ) = destruction and delight (compound of nāśaḥ (नाशः) meaning 'destruction/annihilation' and ullāsaḥ (उल्लासः) meaning 'cheerfulness/happiness/splendor')
vihāya (विहाय) = forgoing/from abandoning
asmāt (अस्मात्) = so/thus
aham (अहम्) = I
āse (आसे) = live
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily ॥ 13-6॥

COMMENT:
This follows from the previous verse where gain or loss is not attributed to the seeker of awareness and the seeker does not acquire nor is deprived of things either by standing up or lying down or by moving to someplace else.

This line of thinking is extended here within this verse where the metaphor of sleep is used to refer to the state where the seekers senses are quiescent and are deemed inactive. Therefore the loss of pleasure on the account of the seeker not achieving anything during this period of quiescence or the elation that the seeker experiences as a result of striving to acquire possessions has been extinguished.

The overall message being that within quiescence, the state of presence is not lost and the individual is left undiminished; and, in the same vein, within action and movement, the seeker is attended upon with the same state of presence as is during times of quiescence.

A seeker intent on developing and fostering a heightened state of awareness understands three recurring motifs that keep coming up with astonishing regularity within these chapters - the motif of concentration within the present, a pattern of presence that is uplifting in spirit and a theme of equanimity of character. Attending to any one of these to the exclusion of the others will not result in clarity. For example, if one where to solely attend to concentration within the present moment, then it is possible that the mind becomes oblivious of the context of the present moment and the seeker is lost. If the seeker were solely employing all of their energies intent on a pattern of spirit that is uplifting in character, it is possible that their outlook tends to restless nervousness and the seeker again is lost; and thirdly, if the seeker were solely focused with just an emphasis on equanimity, it is possible that their intellect tends to banality and yet again, the seeker is lost. The key is to apply oneself to the present with equal aspects of each and every one of these three without being overly fixated on any one facet to the exclusion of the rest - this way, one applies a middle path that look to focus in the present, a presence that is uplifting in character and equanimity of bearing so that the seeker is pliable yet not compliant, adaptable yet not impressionable and radiates outwardly yet not incandescent - a middle way of clarity.

AVG 13.5

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 5
अर्थानर्थौ न मे स्थित्या गत्या न शयनेन वा ।
तिष्ठन् गच्छन् स्वपंस्मादहमासे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-५॥

PURPORT:
No good or wickedness accumulates
within me. I do not gain nor do I lose
by staying put, going off someplace
else or in dormant slumber. Therefore,
I live in serenity whether I am staying
still or in movement and migration
or in the depths of dreamless sleep.

TRANSLITERATION:
अर्थानर्थौ न मे स्थित्या गत्या न शयनेन वा ।
arthānarthau na me sthityā gatyā na śayanena vā ।
तिष्ठन् गच्छन् स्वपन् तस्मात् अहम आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-५॥
tiṣṭhan gacchan svapan tasmāt ahama āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-5॥

MEANING:
arthānarthau (अर्थानर्थौ) = merit or ill-repute/good or wickedness
na (न) = not
me (मे) = mine
sthityā (स्थित्या) = by staying
gatyā (गत्या) = by going
na (न) = not
śayanena (शयनेन) = by sleeping
vā (वा) = or ।
tiṣṭhan (तिष्ठन्) = staying
gacchan (गच्छन्) = going
svapan (स्वपन्) = sleeping
tasmāt (तस्मात्) = therefore/so
ahama (अहम) = I
āse (आसे) = live
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily  ॥ 13-5॥

COMMENT:
The import of this verse is very simple and very profound; it talks about the consummation of the experience of being aware within the present moment of reality into all aspects of our waking lives - sitting, eating, staying, waking, sleeping - all of the activities that we undertake over the course of our days and the necessity to be integrated and subsumed with mindful awareness (which, even if initially fleeting when one starts the search, gradually, becomes second nature within all interactions as one progresses). In this sense, Janaka does not intend to use any techniques that invoke activities like 'concentration' or 'focus' or 'achievement through single-pointedness' or any other such goal-setting performances; leading the seeker away from milestones and getting to a place where one is easy and gentle with oneself is a path that can be followed. Being gentle with oneself paves for the way for gentleness to flow out from oneself out to the environment that we inhabit, to the sentients that we interact with and to the sentiments that one brings to bear upon both of the above.

Awareness of this nature is not about entering another dimension of time and space where the one who is aware is sacrosanct, untouched and beyond the ken of the common human; awareness is simply a celebration of life as it happens and coming slowly to understand, empathize and observe 'things as they really are'.

AVG 13.4

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 4
कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावा देहस्थयोगिनः ।
संयोगायोगविरहादहमासे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-४॥

PURPORT:
Those seekers who are attached to the
body insist upon attributing anything
related to action or inaction to their
own bodies. I live in happiness owing to
my awareness in not associating the body
with actions performed and my understanding
that allows me to (also) not dissociate the
body from actions performed by me.

TRANSLITERATION:
कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावाः देहस्थयोगिनः ।
karmanaiṣkarmyanirbandhabhāvāḥ dehasthayoginaḥ ।
संयोगायोगविरहात् अहम् आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-४॥
saṃyogāyogavirahāt aham āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-4॥

MEANING:
karmanaiṣkarmyanirbandhabhāvāḥ (कर्मनैष्कर्म्यनिर्बन्धभावाः) = states of attributing anything to action or inaction (compound of karma (कर्म) meaning 'action' and naiṣkarmya (नैष्कर्म्य) meaning 'inaction' and nirbandha (निर्बन्ध) meaning 'insisting upon/attributing anything to' and bhāvāḥ (भावाः) meaning 'state of being')
dehasthayoginaḥ (देहस्थयोगिनः) = the yogis (spiritual seeker) who are attached to the body (compound of dehastha (देहस्थ) meaning 'attached to the body/standing within the body' and yoginaḥ (देहस्थ) meaning 'of the yogi/of the spiritual seeker')।
saṃyogāyogavirahāt (संयोगायोगविरहात्) = attributable to the absence of association and dissociation (compound of saṃyogāyoga (संयोगायोग meaning 'association and dissociation' and virahāt (संयोगायोगविरहात् meaning 'attributable to the abandoning of/owing to the absence of')
aham (अहम्) = I 
āse (आसे) = live  
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily ॥ 13-4॥

COMMENT:
Janaka's message here is similar to the message that we saw in verse 12.6 when Janaka mentions that doing / 'engaging in action' and non-doing / 'willful non-engagement' are both ways by which the ego actively manages to control the outcomes of ones activities. Janaka is only building upon the wisdom developed in 12.6 when he mentions that one needs to transcend both karma* (the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect)) and naishkarma (not undertaking activities that will produce good or bad effects). In effect, the transcending of these two dualities is really the achievement of a state where the ego is truly eclipsed.

Now one should not assume that transcendence of the ego and other like concepts is the reaching of a plane where one can 'look-down' on planes lower where the ego was center-stage. Instead, the analogy is similar to the way one transcends ones formative years - one can never rise above and reach a new plane, instead one only develops and grows oneself internally - emotionally, physically and spiritually - to transcend ones formative years. Another example might better clarify what Janaka means by the transcendence of the ego -  if one is prone to sudden fits of uncontrolled rage then it can be thought there are two ways to potentially get to a place where one is not so governed by the vagaries of such emotional states - the first will be to completely withdraw from all aspects of society and interaction that can have the potential to produce such patterns of emotions or the second approach will be to clarify to oneself the root cause of such emotions and work to manage the same through a process of self-control and better situational awareness that one brings to bear upon any sequence of events that produces such an emotional change. It is clearly understood that while the former is a means of escape without awareness of the issue, the latter is a means of transcending the emotional state and understanding oneself better to manage better. Janaka is in a happy state of stillness where he does not  associate the body any more with actions performed (by his body/mind complex nevertheless) and, at the same time, the same stillness also allows for him to not dissociate the body/mind complex from actions (that regardless will need to be performed).

*The idea of karma is simply that actions of human beings have consequences. The related claim that every human action is itself a consequence of actions from some purported past life is a notion that needs to be disabused from the mind of the seeking individual. Therefore, the idea of karma does not implicate a fatalistic perspective on life (a perspective that one’s past deeds foreordain all of one’s actions and it is all thus 'fated'). The significance of karma is simply that the seekers mind/life will be better so long as the seeker acts in ways that are compassionate and humane; and correspondingly, and the quality of one's mind and life significantly poorer if one interacts in manners considered unscrupulous and malevolent.

AVG 13.3

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 3
कृतं किमपि नैव स्यादिति संचिन्त्य तत्त्वतः ।
यदा यत्कर्तुमायाति तत्कृत्वाऽऽसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-३॥

PURPORT:
Thoroughly appreciating that what is
done is done by the ego in concert with
the mind, body and senses and that no
one can truly claim achievement to work
done eo ipso, the ego remains unattached
in the work that the body and the mind
does and thus I live in happiness.

TRANSLITERATION:
कृतम् किम् अपि न एव स्यात् इति संचिन्त्य तत्त्वतः ।
kṛtam kim api na eva syāt iti saṃcintya tattvataḥ ।
यदा यत् कर्तुम् आयाति तत् कृत्वा आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-३॥
yadā yat kartum āyāti tat kṛtvā āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-3॥

MEANING:
kṛtam (कृतम्) = done
kim (किम्) = anything what
api (अपि) = ever
na (न) = not
eva (एव) = indeed
syāt (स्यात्) = is
iti (इति) = thus
saṃcintya (संचिन्त्य) = fully thinking
tattvataḥ (तत्त्वतः) = in reality ।
yadā (यदा) = when
yat (यत्) = what
kartum (कर्तुम्) = to do
āyāti (आयाति) = comes
tat (तत्) = that
kṛtvā (कृत्वा) = having done
āse (आसे) = live
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily ॥ 13-3॥

COMMENT:
The lines that resonate within this verse is the wisdom contained within the words "I keep doing what needs to be done, as and when things needs to be done". This reminds me of that tiny line attributed to zen teachings that simply states that before one sees aspects of awareness, they chop wood and carry water; and, after awareness is part of ones being, they continue to chop wood and carry water.
In this sense one does not grasp nor cling onto anything, one does not get attached even to awareness, awareness seeps in while we continue to perform our regular activities that life asks of us and one does not reach some kind of an exalted state where one has to proclaim truths nor feel any need to evangelize - one just carries on doing the same actions - the mindfulness involved in all activities brings peace naturally without trying too hard.

The key takeaway that Janaka offers to the seeking individual is that while it does not seem like things have changed externally (and things should not change so), just about everything about the intrinsic makeup of the seeker will have changed after seeing aspects of clarity and awareness. I always use the word 'aspects', because the stilling of thoughts and the tamping down of mental fluctuations within our minds starts off by one seeing only 'aspects' of such an inner tranquility. The moment comes by, one understands the moment and in many cases, it passes on; it is only by a sustained maintenance of being mindful within every moment and situation that one can look to prolong and actualize this particular state of being.

This might be one reason why psychedelics like LSD and soma (there is a theory that soma* was magic mushrooms) played a initiation-to-aspects-of-awareness role among seekers - the psychedelic worked within the appropriate neural pathways (that are little understood) to allow for the sense of ego and self-model to dissolve allowing for the user/seeker to gain 'aspects of such an awareness'. The glimpse of such an awareness and the resultant feeling of contentment might sometimes have been enough to gently nudge the seeker into looking into techniques by which this awareness slowly becomes their natural state of being (and that path should not be the repeated use of such mind altering substances, but, instead should be the start of a journey of looking inwards and understanding the answers within oneself).

Therefore, coming back to the verse at hand, the implication being that one does what they are doing fully engaged in the activities while they are doing the same. Never do what you are not doing when you are not doing it. One never considers states like 'awareness' and words like 'enlightenment' to be destinations like the tops of mountains that one has climbed nor as goals or milestones that one has achieved; rather one sees these way-points as opportunities where one gets to align and reorient their inner clarity with the external world.


*In Vedic tradition, soma (सोम) is a ritual drink of importance among the early Indians. Within Hindu and Zoroastrian heritage and teachings, this ritual drink is thought to have been a robust psychedelic, and it was used in religious ceremonies. It was said to be a plant extract known for enhancing awareness, conveying idealistic mystical experiences, and helping the imbiber with mental sensations of beatitude, artistic inspiration, and deeper insight. Gordon Wasson, the published 'Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality' in which the author put forward an argument that the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria as the source of the soma in the Hindu and Zoroastrian tradition. Recent research has however shown that the authors theory may not be fully watertight as soma was explicitly described as plant based with the leaves, flowers, and stalks that are juiced to create the drink whereas the description of a mushroom is different.

AVG 13.2

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 2
कुत्रापि खेदः कायस्य जिह्वा कुत्रापि खेद्यते ।
मनः कुत्रापि तत्त्यक्त्वा पुरुषार्थे स्थितः सुखम् ॥ १३-२॥

PURPORT:
There is distress in the body somewhere,
elsewhere disheartening speech and
somewhere else, there is dejection with
the mind. One understands that the cessation
of such distress associated with these crutches
only comes on realization of full awareness;
the seekers journey until then continues
bolstered thusly. Having renounced these crutches,
I am rooted happily within the understanding of life.

TRANSLITERATION:
कुत्र अपि खेदः कायस्य जिह्वा कुत्र अपि खेद्यते ।
kutra api khedaḥ kāyasya jihvā kutra api khedyate ।
मनः कुत्र अपि तत् त्यक्त्वा पुरुषार्थे स्थितः सुखम् ॥ १३-२॥
manaḥ kutra api tat tyaktvā puruṣārthe sthitaḥ sukham ॥ 13-2॥

MEANING:
kutra (कुत्र) = somewhere
api (अपि) = or other..
khedaḥ (खेदः) = is in distress/depression/dejection
kāyasya (कायस्य) = of the body (as in the use or abuse of the body in the search for awareness)
jihvā (जिह्वा) = tongue (refers to speech - as in the application of speech to the study of scriptures)
kutra (कुत्र) = somewhere
api (अपि) = or other..
khedyate (खेद्यते) = is distressed/in depression/in dejection ।
manaḥ (मनः) = mind (as in constraining thought and thinking in a labored manner within the seekers mind in the hopes of achieving awareness)
kutra (कुत्र) = somewhere
api (अपि) = or other..
tat (तत्) = this
tyaktvā (त्यक्त्वा) = having abandoned [the foregoing]. Note: 'the foregoing' as in the application of the body, speech and mind in realizing stillness presupposes a lack that still persists on the part of the seeker, and hence the seeker continues to rely on the crutches of the body (presumably in the exercise thereof), mind (presumably in the control over the same in a constrained and labored manner) and speech (presumably referring to the reciting of scriptures in the hope of understanding and reaching stillness). The thinking is that the cessation of these crutches only comes on the realization of full awareness - until then the seeker continues to use these crutches in the journey there.
puruṣārthe (पुरुषार्थे) = in the goals of life
sthitaḥ (स्थितः) = rooted/established/grounded
sukham (सुखम्) = happily ॥ 13-2॥

COMMENT:
This verse is a tacit admission of the realities that intersect the seeker's path as they continue to understand and find peace within themselves. The reality is that we are a product of biological evolution and our instincts and reactions were honed from the results of millions of years of evolution. In that sense, the constant wandering thoughts that occupy our minds, the actions that our bodies undertake to maintain a sense of homeostasis, the functions performed by our sense-organs in sampling, measuring and classifying phenomena around us will continue unabated - whether one wills it or not - we are a fortuitous collection of cells and structures that are dependently constituted to perform these autonomous functions.

The point being made here is that the extent to which we reify objects that are the results of our sense perceptions is the deciding factor in having us perceive that sensory object as 'real' or 'illusory'. Perceiving them as 'real' in a conventional sense is fine; this way, one can carry on with the business of living life - our bodies perform their prescribed actions, our brains help us navigate our surroundings mindfully and our sense organs recognize objects of perception and life goes on as we know it to be - the confusion stems from our inclination to overly identify and actualize any or all aspects of such sense objects that we come into contact with. Such identification leads to a pattern of being bound to characteristics and properties that we perceive and then associate with the object.
In addition, such binding leads to superimposition of personally favored characteristics onto these sense-objects that in turn channel appropriate emotions within us. The superimposition and binding commingle to produce an essentialism that we associate with the sense-object. This essentialism accrued over time leads to a complete reification of the object itself where one starts to believe that the object so reified possesses characteristics that allow for the same to endure through the end of time.

The gentle advice Janaka points us to here is that one needs to seek awareness realizing that while our senses, thoughts and bodies perform their biologically evolved functions, identification with any of the targets of these functions (like emotion or taste or thought or material possessions) must be undertaken within their conventional context while avoiding any inclination to assign any ultimate or absolute status to the same. Notice that Janaka also explicitly mentions (in this verse) that the seeker will continue to seek using their bodies, their minds and the sense-perceptions (from sense-organs) until such time the seeker understands that they will not need these crutches any more (in the presence of a full and complete awareness of their own selves).

Thus, one learns not to react or judge the world via thoughts nor the outputs of our sense organs, but instead to observe and witness the same from a standpoint that does not involve choices or biases or inclinations. One understands that while conditioning still lurks somewhere in the background, one is not channeled by the same anymore. In due course, the ego melts and fades away in equal measure.

One learns to be quiet internally; and, in that quietude, one grows. The feeling "I am a human being and I have a self and it resides within my head and heart" is sheer thought. It is a manifestation of the ego. In the same manner, one understands that other formulations of the same thought that take the following forms "I am made in the image of He" or "I am that Supreme Reality" or "I am <insert MysticalCreation here>" is also sheer thought. It is yet another manifestation of the same ego as in the first case. The ultimate form of quietude is to settle into the idea of the eventual cessation of identities like "my/I/you/your". While at first blush what seems to be a slightly morbid idea cannot be closer to truth; for, only in the complete cessation and the death of what we term the ‘self’ can a measure of peace be found that lasts.

AVG 13.1

Chapter 13 (The Seekers Sense of Well-Being): Verse 1
जनक उवाच ॥
अकिञ्चनभवं स्वास्थ्यं कौपीनत्वेऽपि दुर्लभम् ।
त्यागादानेविहायास्मादहमासेयथासुखम् ॥ १३-१॥

PURPORT:
The distinct sense of tranquility that emanates
from one who wants for nothing and owns
nothing is difficult to obtain. Even the
possession of a loin-cloth whose ownership
gets construed as 'my loin-cloth' is sufficient
to dispel this rare sense of tranquility.
Therefore, by giving up concepts and
thoughts attached to accepting and
renunciation, I am content with how I am.

TRANSLITERATION:
जनक उवाच ॥
janaka uvāca ॥
अकिञ्चनभवम् स्वास्थ्यम् कौपीनत्वे अपि दुर्लभम् ।
akiñcanabhavam svāsthyam kaupīnatve api durlabham ।
त्यागादाने विहाय अस्मात् अहम् आसे यथासुखम् ॥ १३-१॥
tyāgādāne vihāya asmāt aham āse yathāsukham ॥ 13-1॥

MEANING:
janaka (जनक) = Janaka
uvāca (उवाच) =  said ॥
akiñcanabhavam (अकिञ्चनभवम्) = emanating from within one who is without anything (compound of akiñcanabhavam (अकिञ्चनभवम्)  meaning 'without anything/utterly depleted' and bhavam (भवम्) meaning 'coming into being')
svāsthyam (स्वास्थ्यम्) = contentment/tranqulity/wellness
kaupīnatve (कौपीनत्वे) = in having a loincloth (Kaupinam, Kowanagam or Langoti is a cotton loincloth or undergarment with religious symbolism attached to asceticism for the Hindus)
api (अपि) = even
durlabham (दुर्लभम्) = difficult to obtain ।
tyāgādāne (त्यागादाने) = renunciation and acceptance
vihāya (विहाय) = giving up
asmāt (अस्मात्) = therefore
aham (अहम्) = I
āse (आसे) = live
yathāsukham (यथासुखम्) = thus happily (compound of yathā (यथासुखम्) meaning 'thus/hence' and sukham (सुखम्) meaning 'happy/content') ॥ 13-1॥

COMMENT:
Janaka continues his journey of inner exploration and this chapter is a deeper dialogue on the eventual attainment of a state of being internally content and externally tranquil. The kind of imagery that Janaka brings to bear within these line are vivid - mentioning that one does not understand or glimpse this state of contentedness by decamping to the mountains or by secluded living within a deep cave or by wearing the barest of clothing and going through aspects of ritual self-flagellation handed down from books and scripture written many centuries ago.

While some of these techniques might allow for the mind to attain a semblance of focus, the seeker understands that in resorting to these methods of sense-denial, the mind still remains active, alert and in a state of conscious control. In that sense, the mind is still conflicted with desires and memories of such desires. Awareness and internal stillness may not be obtained this way.

Awareness itself has a strange quality - in some respects it is like love - simply put, one knows it if one has it or is in it - the case is similar with love as well as awareness. The quality of being and the mental nature of awareness for one seeker is different from the quality of being and the resultant experience for another seeker. In that sense, awareness cannot be prescribed nor specified in terms of qualifiers that one measures up to - one finds a state of calm tranquility internally where one is engaged within the present and allows for the same quality to be fostered around them - this kind of fostering is achieved by a measure of empathy, kindness and a deep appreciation for the other - where one understands that the other (whoever it be), is, at the end of the day, only doing their very best under their own actualized circumstances. This understanding for the other (sentient human or animal) is key to finding that state of contentment within ones inner self. Janaka understands that this cannot come by detaching oneself from possessions nor family nor even one’s own self (nor, as he implies in this verse, by any form of self-flagellation). The understanding and the state of awareness and the process of reaching there should not be forced nor hurried in any manner - the path should be seamless. To use an analogy, the path should be similar to the manifestation of a ripple or a wave that forms on a body of water - the ripple or splash does not contradict nor is disparate from the source (water) - the ripple is a part of the same water that it springs from; the ripple is the splash is the water.

In closing this beautiful verse, it should be added that the pursuit of awareness should not be taken up as a form of a goal of any kind; especially not of the soteriological kind where the aim of 'attaining' such a state of awareness is predicated with the result of achieving some form of salvation, moksha or freedom from saṃsāra (the cycle of death and rebirth) and thus needing and seeking "deliverance" or "redemption". Such goals only tend to muddy the mind and confuse the seeker further. Awareness needs to be understood and taken up solely for itself and what it has to offer the seeker within themselves. No goals, no achievements and no milestones. In the end, the seeker behooves to renounce even concepts like awareness that culture had created and thus the seeker finds the same.
 

AVG 12.8

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 8
एवमेव कृतं येन स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ ।
एवमेवस्वभावो यः स कृतार्थो भवेदसौ ॥ १२-८॥

PURPORT:
Whosoever has fulfilled that, has
effected what needed to be effected,
is said to have now come to the
place they seek. Having arrived,
they live there naturally, finding 
awareness within that place they
now call home. Settling into such
awareness, all that was needed to
have been done by them is now done.

TRANSLITERATION:
एवम् एव कृतम् येन सः कृतार्थः भवेत् असौ ।
evam eva kṛtam yena saḥ kṛtārthaḥ bhavet asau ।
एवम् एव स्वभावः यः सः कृतार्थः भवेत् असौ ॥ १२-८॥
evam eva svabhāvaḥ yaḥ saḥ kṛtārthaḥ bhavet asau ॥ 12-8॥

MEANING:
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = even/indeed
kṛtam (कृतम्) = done/is accomplished
yena (येन) = by whom
saḥ (सः) = they (literally translates to masculine 'he')
kṛtārthaḥ (कृतार्थः) = one who has fulfilled an end or object or has accomplished a purpose or desire
bhavet (भवेत्) = becomes
asau (असौ) = that ।
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = truly
svabhāvaḥ (स्वभावः) = of such nature
yaḥ (यः) = who
saḥ (सः) = they
kṛtārthaḥ (कृतार्थः) = same as above (one who has fulfilled some objective)
bhavet (भवेत्) = becomes
asau (असौ) =  that ॥ 12-8॥

COMMENT:
The final lines of this fascinating chapter ends with a simple message from Janaka - the import being that those who find awareness within themselves attain stillness of mind by engaging in a constant process of observing, witnessing and staying within the present moment in a choiceless manner. They try not to allow for wandering thoughts to linger and for those wandering thoughts to find a home within their minds and therefore discover a sense of stillness.

Variations of this message reinforced throughout this chapter also warrants an understanding that while quelling thoughts leads to stillness, the phenomenon of the wandering mind did have an evolutionary advantage for our kind of sentients. Our species must have evolved the physiology that accommodated for mind wandering to ultimately help us plan and strategize better - in the parlance of neurology, this is also referred to as Random Episodic Silent Thought (REST). In our resting states (states where we think our minds are quiescent), our minds do not rest at all - in fact, the mind is a beehive of activity that plays out multiple scenarios involving past and future timelines even as we go about our lives. These scenarios, the planning and associated preparation around events might have been the only thing that made us different and separate from the other sentients that populate our earth. In short, it is now understood that our minds readily engages in (for lack of  a better phrase) time-travel!.

The arrangement and progression of thoughts that combine imagined futures with hard-wired instinctual responses mixed along with the individuals' experience (from their past) alloyed with appropriate cultural conditioning make for a heady mix within ones mind leading to a situation where we seem to be constantly having an inner chatter within ourselves that take us away from our present tense. This evolved aptitude for what can be termed as 'cognitive time-travel' may be the seat of our intelligence - insofar as intelligence is understood as the contemplation of future scenarios based upon past memory and the instinctual calculations of value and benefits accrued to such what-if scenarios as they play out within our heads.

We seem to be constantly considering our prospects so much so that we always are lost to the current moment and appear befuddled within the thought clouds that engulf our minds. While this aspect of mind-wandering has allowed for numerous advantages including the willingness to forfeit present value benefits in anticipation of a future state that will purportedly hold benefits for the individual (and the community), the disadvantages inherent within this evolutionary makeup include the loss of our presence within the immediate juncture.

Within the context of the present day, the words of Janaka in this chapter ring ever so true - where the rapid advent of technological change and the ready availability of information whose rate of modification and transformation has far outpaced the rate of evolutionary processes our brains are used to over millennia - the anchoring of oneself within the present moment is far more important now than ever. While in the past, mind wandering and REST performed a critical and essential evolutionary function in moving our species forward, the phenomenon of REST has become somewhat akin to a curse. Tamping down and mitigating the fluctuations of the mind and the thoughts therein is really the objective behind most (if not all) of our great spiritual traditions. In that sense, one may use any tradition or method as a way to get to a place where the fluctuations within the mind are stilled - it does not matter which method or technique or practice - all that really matters is the cessation of wandering thoughts and our reaching a state of stillness that leads to the eventual extinguishment of the fluctuations that arise spontaneously within our brains.

NOTE:
On a related note, a thought experiment that comes to mind insofar as it relates to REST can be understood as follows: Imagine for a moment that your mind is akin to a fast food drive-through. A customer who goes by the name of 'Thought' comes by and stops at the drive-through microphone to create an order. One is considered more fortunate if the drive-through ignores all orders from customers named 'Thought' for any of the proffered items on the menu. One instead stays with the stillness and the peace offered by the drive-through building. It is seen that the stillness within the drive-through is enhanced every time such customers with the same name drives up and their orders are summarily ignored. One only pays careful attention to these customers as they drive in, pay attention (but not act on) while these kind of customers tarry at the drive-through line shouting out the order (and demands to be paid attention to) and, of course, notice the eventual departure of the customer when the customer understands that their order had not been heeded to.

AVG 12.7

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 7
अचिन्त्यं चिन्त्यमानोऽपिचिन्तारूपं भजत्यसौ ।
त्यक्त्वा तद्भावनं तस्मादेवमेवाहमास्थितः ॥ १२-७॥

PURPORT:
Even in thinking of what is purportedly designated
as ‘the unthinkable one’, one nevertheless
participates in some variety, shape or form
of thought. Therefore, I understand that
I must extinguish even that last vestige of
thought. Thus, truly, do I abide in still tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
अचिन्त्यम् चिन्त्यमानः अपि चिन्तारूपम् भजति असौ ।
acintyam cintyamānaḥ api cintārūpam bhajati asau ।
त्यक्त्वा तद्भावनम् तस्मात् एवम् एव अहम् आस्थितः ॥ १२-७॥
tyaktvā tadbhāvanam tasmāt evam eva aham āsthitaḥ ॥ 12-7॥

MEANING:
acintyam (अचिन्त्यम्) = the unthinkable*
cintyamānaḥ (चिन्त्यमानः) = thinking of
api (अपि) = even
cintārūpam (चिन्तारूपम्) = a form of thought (compound of cintā (चिन्ता) meaning ‘thought’ and rūpam (रूपम्) meaning ’shape/form’)
bhajati (भजति) = take part in
asau (असौ) = that one (as in ‘even in thinking of something purportedly designated as the ‘unthinkable’, one is nevertheless participating in the shape or a form of thought) ।
tyaktvā (त्यक्त्वा) = giving up
tadbhāvanam (तद्भावनम्) = that thought (compound of tat (तत्) meaning ‘that’ and bhāvanam (भावनम्) meaning ‘mode of thought’)
tasmāt (तस्मात्) = from there
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = indeed
aham (अहम्) = I
āsthitaḥ (आस्थितः) = abide/exist ॥ 12-7॥

COMMENT:
This beautiful verse has a subversive message that is relevant for the ages - the basic import being that even when the seeker is thinking about that 'one' which is purportedly unthinkable (as a lot of the religious traditions make it out to seem), at the end of the day, the mind is still engaged in the process of thinking. The aspect of conscious awareness that one is striving to attain still remains elusive when one is exhorted to think about supernatural beings or concepts that are supposedly 'unthinkable'. Therefore Janaka rightly points out that it may foster additional confusion to engage in the contemplation of ‘the unthinkable’ and he would rather abide in awareness as he presently is - in still tranquility.

The more general message is that abiding within a state of conscious awareness has very little to do with remembering or meditating or chanting or becoming an expert on doctrine, rites or rituals. All of these are forms of either remembering or thinking or thinking to remember or remembering to think - in total, a fairly insipid mental activity in recollecting the artifacts of culture that one as accumulated.
Being aware on the contrary is construed as focusing our attentional agency within the present moment - without the intrusion of the incessant back and forth of the play of thoughts that flit across ones past actions and ones future unanchored scenarios without any grounding within what is happening in the present moment. Awareness in the current activity allows for you to be watchful and paves a way for the choiceless witnessing of those thoughts that occupy your mind. It allows for the understanding of the emotions that they engender and a better appreciation for the underlying conditioned belief systems might have given rise to such emotions.

Over the course of time, this form of conscious awareness transcends remembering and thinking - one either abides within such awareness or one does not - there is little middle ground here. Within that state, one has stopped searching and looking and paring down, one does not need to engage in the 'how' or the 'why' or the 'what', one only engages in the 'now' - like the way one breathes.
In these lines and within this chapter in general, we see Janaka starting to see that awareness of the present moment is really an appreciation of the essentially changing structure and patterns of our lives and developing the composure, discipline and rigor to still oneself in the midst of such change. The wisdom that life and the constant metamorphosis thereof happens on its own volition. One is not working to make ones heart ‘beat’, one is not consciously impelling oneself to take in lungfuls of air and expel the same, one does not will to make ones hair to grow... these are the movements and changes inherent that happen as life happens. All of these activities are experiencing itself and none of them are willed into being. The body operates and life moves. Understanding this becomes essential to the idea and concept of awareness.


*The form of the 'unthinkable' as espoused by many of the religious traditions has had many meanings. Many use it to as a designation for the ultimate reality; somehow understood to be the life blood of the entire universe as it were. The 'unthinkable' purportedly as being composed of everything there is to contain. Elsewhere, the 'unthinkable' becomes a synonym for the unfathomable - a mysterious entity or a construct attributed with the qualities of a creator, preserver and destroyer. At other times, construed as a supreme entity with numerous divine qualities that does not seem to identify with activities nor with qualities. The exhortation within these verses is to transcend even such thinking and just be.

AVG 12.6

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 6
कर्माऽनुष्ठानमज्ञानाद्यथैवोपरमस्तथा ।
बुध्वा सम्यगिदं तत्त्वमेवमेवाहमास्थितः ॥ १२-६॥

PURPORT:
Restraining and desisting oneself from
action comes as much from misconception
as the performance of those specific actions
directed to seeking objects of ones desire.
Performance or non-performance of
actions notwithstanding, this principle
of truth is fully recognized and thus truly,
do I abide in still tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
कर्माऽनुष्ठानम् अज्ञानात् यथा एव उपरमः तथा ।
karmā'nuṣṭhānam ajñānāt yathā eva uparamaḥ tathā ।
बुध्वा सम्यक् इदम् तत्त्वम् एवम् एव अहम् आस्थितः ॥ १२-६॥
budhvā samyak idam tattvam evam eva aham āsthitaḥ ॥ 12-6॥

MEANING:
karmā'nuṣṭhānam (कर्माऽनुष्ठानम्) = performance of action (compound of karmā (कर्मा) meaning 'action/duty' and anuṣṭhānam (अनुष्ठानम्) meaning 'performance/execution/undertaking'). This meaning taken to be as follows: performance of such actions as those directed to accrue sense objects of ones desire.
ajñānāt (अज्ञानात्) = from ignorance/from misconception
yathā (यथा) = even
eva (एव) = as
uparamaḥ (उपरमः) = desisting/ceasing/cessation/restraining
tathā (तथा) = so also ।
budhvā (बुध्वा) = having known this/knowing this
samyak (सम्यक्) = fully/correctly/exactly/accurately
idam (इदम्) = this
tattvam (तत्त्वम्) = principle/truth
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = indeed
aham (अहम्) = I
āsthitaḥ (आस्थितः) = abide/exist ॥ 12-6॥

COMMENT:
One of the reasons behind the manifestation of suffering, sorrow and pain is the continuous conflict between the fixity that we assign based upon conditioning to concepts, ideas and structures that have become part of our identity during our formative years amidst the fundamentally ephemeral nature of worldly phenomena. The transitoriness that manifests itself based upon the arising, enduring and cessation of conditions always results in the morphing of ideas, concepts and structures every second. While some of the changes and the effects thereof are immediate and quickly apparent, other changes take time to evolve and manifest itself - the underlying truth being that the change is always a present and a clear factor within the phenomenal world.

The ego looks to maintain fixity within our consciousness spanning time and space and this results in humans tending to want to hold onto concepts, ideas and structures so that the fixity desired by the ego is satisfied and fulfilled. We start to become unhappy and experience suffering whenever there is the lack of resonance between the vibrations offered by the phenomenal world that is steeped in change and the inner vibrations from the intricate fabrications of our intrinsic worlds that resists change. As we start to grow older and our lives in general get more serious around the process of living, the suffering and the resultant misery only increases (as the concepts, ideas and structures morph even more over time and our egos are mired within the original conceptions). We keep struggling to hold onto those concepts that our ego finds acceptable resulting in an increase in the mismatched resonances over time.

In this sense, Janaka here mentions that either performance of actions (directed towards holding onto concepts, ideas and structures) or the cessation of the same (calculated to dispel any concepts, ideas or structures) presuppose the ego acting primarily in response to forces (from an external perspective or from an internal standpoint) that impel such action or suppress such action. Therefore, wantonly restraining oneself from action or willingly performing the action are both, in a larger sense, premeditated behavior whose origins are attributed to the ego.

'Do not be driven by the ego to act or not-act' is the liberating principle that Janaka beautifully exemplifies within this fascinating verse.

AVG 12.5

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 5
आश्रमानाश्रमं ध्यानं चित्तस्वीकृतवर्जनम् ।
विकल्पं मम वीक्ष्यैतैरेवमेवाहमास्थितः ॥ १२-५॥

PURPORT:
A conventionally designated stage of life
or none of such customarily nominated
stages or a sense of inward rumination
or a repudiation of what has been endorsed
by the mind; I discern all of these to be
contrivances that obscure my inner clarity.
Thus, I truly abide in still tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
आश्रमानाश्रम् ध्यानम् चित्तस्वीकृतवर्जनम् ।
āśramānāśram dhyānam cittasvīkṛtavarjanam ।
विकल्पम् मम वीक्ष्य एतैः एवम् एव अहम् आस्थितः ॥ १२-५॥
vikalpam mama vīkṣya etaiḥ evam eva aham āsthitaḥ ॥ 12-5॥

MEANING:
āśramānāśram (आश्रमानाश्रम्) = stage of life or no stage of life (compound of āśrama (आश्रम) meaning 'designated way/denominated stage of life' and anāśram (अनाश्रम्) meaning 'no stage of life/devoid of a designated stage in ones life'). Please see verse 1.5 for a brief description of the 'stages' of one's life that is referenced herein.
dhyānam (ध्यानम्) = meditation/introspection/rumination
cittasvīkṛtavarjanam (चित्तस्वीकृतवर्जनम्) = repudiation of what has been endorsed and accepted by the mind (compound of citta (चित्त) meaning 'mind' and svīkṛta (स्वीकृत) meaning 'accepted/welcomes/endorsed' and varjanam (वर्जनम्) meaning 'abandon/reject/renounce')।
vikalpam (विकल्पम्) = false notion/contrivance/distraction/artifice
mama (मम) = my
vīkṣya (वीक्ष्य) = having discerned/having seen
etaiḥ (एतैः) = by these
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = indeed
aham (अहम्) = I
āsthitaḥ (आस्थितः) = abide/exist ॥ 12-5॥

COMMENT:
Janaka here looks at his past happenings and draws our attention to his conflicted sense of renunciation where he is unsure whether he is supposed to fit into certain culturally appropriate phases that one is 'supposed' to fit into wherein perceptions constrain the person to act in a prescribed manner that is supposed to heed to mores, standards and 'pre-approved' behavior. A state where one is in a perturbed mode of seeking and is constantly attended to by doubts that relate to belonging or not belonging.

This mental turmoil in the seeker results when the mindset of the seeker is tuned and channeled by two phenomena that constantly reinforce each other - the external phenomena of name-and-form that the seeker is constantly immersed in and the internal phenomena of consciousness within the seeker. Name-and-form from cultural exposure gives shape, substance and expression to the consciousness while the mental processes that account for consciousness allows for the integration of disparate name-and-form impingements to be channeled into a world-view that molds the developing ego. It can almost be imagined as the duo of name-and-form and consciousness as equivalent to two bricks standing vertically on their edges propped up and balanced out by each other.  It is then seen that from name-and-form as a requisite condition, consciousness springs and from consciousness as a requisite condition, name-and-form springs - constantly fortifying and boosting each other. Propped upon these bricks is the entire sensory world whose inputs are modulated and conditioned by these twin towers (name-and-form and consciousness).

Janaka mentions that his previous conflicts stemmed from name-and-form and conditioned consciousness reinforcing and resonating - this foundational buttress did not allow the seeker to experience clarity inherent in the awareness that comes from oneself. This vacillation produced a sense of conflict within Janaka that was not overcome until now. Janaka now realizes that all phenomena are without any form of concrete identity nor named fixity, and clearly understanding and perceiving the inherent malleability of experienced reality, Janaka is slowly starting to garner the skill necessary so that he may project what he chooses to project into the canvas of consciousness. Nothing more, nothing less.

In this sense, the choiceless nature of observance and the non-biased state of witnessing of phenomena become the steps by which one gets to that aspect of awareness. Through the practice of awareness, the one who becomes aware manages to mold and shape the underlying foundation from which volitional activity arises, thereby transforming their own inherent consciousness and clarity itself.

AVG 12.4

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 4
हेयोपादेयविरहादेवं हर्षविषादयोः ।
अभावादद्य हे ब्रह्मन्नेवमेवाहमास्थितः ॥ १२-४॥

PURPORT:
From the casting away of the acceptable
and the rejectable and thus repudiating
distinctions, I do not display excitement
nor misery and am hence impassive to
internal and external turbulence.
Thus, here and now, I rest easy; within
the stillness of the true nature of reality
as experienced and felt by me.
Truly, thus, do I abide in calm tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
हेयोपादेयविरहात् एवम् हर्षविषादयोः ।
heyopādeyavirahāt evam harṣaviṣādayoḥ ।
अभावात् अद्य हे ब्रह्मन् एवम् एव अहम् आस्थितः॥ १२-४॥
abhāvāt adya he brahman evam eva aham āsthitaḥ॥ 12-4॥

MEANING:
heyopādeyavirahāt (हेयोपादेयविरहात्) = from the casting away of the sense of the acceptable and the rejectable (compound of heyo (हेयो) meaning 'to be avoided/to be subtracted' and upādeya (उपादेय) meaning 'to be accepted/to be included/not to be refused' and virahāt (विरहात्) meaning 'from the abandonment/from the casting away of')
evam (एवम्) = thus
harṣaviṣādayoḥ (हर्षविषादयोः) = of excitement and sorrow (compound of harṣa (हर्ष) meaning 'happiness/excitement' and viṣādayoḥ (विषादयोः) meaning 'sorrow/dejection/misery')।
abhāvāt (अभावात्) = from not happening/from not taking place
adya (अद्य) = now/today
he (हे) = oh! (as in an exclamation of veneration)
brahman (ब्रह्मन्) = nature of reality of the universe (please see verse 1.20 for a more expansive interpretation)
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = indeed
aham (अहम्) = I
āsthitaḥ (आस्थितः) = abide/exist ॥ 12-4॥

COMMENT:
The phrase harṣaviṣādayoḥ abhāvāt (हर्षविषादयोः अभावात्) translated as ‘not entertaining any feelings of joy or sorrow’ has the potential for a narrow reading where the import can be construed as playing down that manifestation of our conscious being that is both useful and exceptional. Feelings of joy and sorrow are truly an expression of the creative forces of our intelligent being and Janaka does not in any way want to negate these extraordinary expressive outputs of our being. Awareness is sometimes deduced (on narrower reading) as the passive observance of thoughts and emotions in the form of an ‘unflappable witnesser of the flow of thoughts without the essential being involved in the manner’, where all of the activities and action around is deemed irrelevant when viewed through a dispassionate, impersonal lens. This is far from what Janaka has in mind with this verse.

Life before becoming aware and holding oneself onto the peaceable nature of being aware should have been one of participating, cooperating, engaging and sharing and it remains that life after understanding and realizing awareness must also continue to be one of participating, cooperating, engaging and sharing. Nothing has changed. Nothing should change.

It is just that with awareness, the presence of mind  in the present moment and time spent within the moment becomes the center of one’s attention, actions and understanding. Thought fluctuations are observed and let go, they happen on the peripheries of such awareness. In this sense, awareness and our personableness (our personalities without any indication or interference of an ego component) that ideally manifest as choicelessly conscious entities merge into one. Put simply, they complement each other. Without awareness, the self-conscious aspects of being personable has the potential for being raw, befuddled and ego-centric. Without aspects of personableness and the attendant intelligence, organic awareness ipso facto would have been akin to just plentiful rain falling into the middle of the ocean - neither helping nor hurting nor filling nor draining.

Awareness and the sense of personableness that mindfully channels the joy, grief, anguish, hurt, cheer, elation and glee into a unified elemental whole without the imparting of self-imposed and self-constructed biases nor choices is key and it is this aspect that needs to be borne in mind when reading the verse.