AVG 9.1

Chapter 9 (On Detachment and Equanimity) Verse 1
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
कृताकृते च द्वन्द्वानि कदा शान्तानि कस्य वा ।
एवं ज्ञात्वेह निर्वेदाद्भव त्यागपरोऽव्रती ॥ ९-१॥

PURPORT:
When does and which person has had respite
from pairs of dualities: states where personal
obligations were deemed complete and other states
where they were not? Knowing thus, be resolved
on renunciation with a secular mindset; always
applying an unbiased approach to the world.

TRANSLITERATION:
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca ॥ 
कृताकृते च द्वन्द्वानि कदा शान्तानि कस्य वा ।
kṛtākṛte ca dvandvāni kadā śāntāni kasya vā । 
एवम् ज्ञात्वा इह निर्वेदात् भव त्यागपरः आव्रती ॥ ९-१॥
evam jñātvā iha nirvedāt bhava tyāgaparaḥ āvratī ॥ 9-1॥ 

MEANING:
aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) = Aṣṭāvakra
uvāca (उवाच) = said ॥
kṛtākṛte (कृताकृते) = the performed and the not performed [as in done and not done duties/obligations] (compound of kṛta (कृत) meaning 'done/performed/completed' and ākṛte (आकृते) meaning 'not done/not complete')
ca (च) = and
dvandvāni (द्वन्द्वानि) = dyad of antipodes/pairs of opposites
kadā (कदा) = when
śāntāni (शान्तानि) = concluded/ameliorated/mitigated
kasya (कस्य) = whose
vā (वा) = or ।
evam (एवम्) = thus
jñātvā (ज्ञात्वा) = having known
iha (इह) = here
nirvedāt (निर्वेदात्) = through an unbiased approach/from impartiality
bhava (भव) = be
tyāgaparaḥ (त्यागपरः) = intent on repudiation/resolved on renunciation
āvratī (आव्रती) = desireless in a secular non-religious manner of undertaking (literally āvratī (आव्रती) translates to 'not a vratin(व्रतिन्)' i.e. not someone who engages in religious observance)॥ 9-1॥

COMMENT:
One of the key objectives in the opening lines of the ninth chapter is to remind the seeker that ultimately (whether one likes it or not), we live in a world filled with dualities - work deemed done and tasks deemed incomplete, desires satiated and those not fulfilled, expectations achieved or prospects falling short - the list is as long as the desires that we are confronted with in the world we are brought into - one cannot escape these fundamental dichotomies we face. We do not control* nor dictate any of these and other similar dichotomies presented. It is for this reason that Ashtavakra informs that knowing this truth, the seeker resolves on achieving a state of renunciation through a secular mindset utilizing an unbiased approach to the dualities presented to the seeker by the world.
From a larger perspective, the ninth chapter talks about an important, but sometimes overlooked concept - the concept of detachment - the process and the state of allowing oneself to separate themselves from their own thoughts and opinions with a perspective as to not be swayed overly at a mental and emotional level. This state of awareness (also referred to as non-attachment), allows for a seeker to clearly discriminate their thoughts as it applies to desire for things, people or concepts of the world and thus attain a perspective rooted within choiceless awareness.

At a fundamental level, our existence can be construed as living and navigating a framework of options that potentially involve choosing between one of the following states that always seem to be in opposition to each other. The dualities presented within the states of pleasure and pain, loss and gain, failure and success and criticism and praise. The verses in this chapter talk about the need on the part of the seeker to allow to foster within themselves the mental equanimity to accept and work with ether side of any one of these pairs of opposites in harmony with whatever vitality has arisen at that present moment. The vitality of each moment is modulated and tuned by the understanding that flows from awareness that we bring to that particular moment as we navigate any one of the pairs of opposites confronted. This will allow us to move from a mindset of picking and choosing any one of the pairs of opposites to a mindset of witnessing/allowing that particular aspect of the duality to pass by (fully immersed in the understanding that each of the dualities presented are impermanent, devoid of any specific essence and subject to the flow of dependencies that all of us are subjected to). A mindset that allows for the seeker to seek that middle ground where one understands that clinging to concepts, appearances and worldly projections will only tend to increase the sense of confusion and delusion. A state of being unattached to outward appearances while in the midst of appearances and being inwardly detached with concepts like emptiness while being  surrounded by emptiness all around.

NOTE:
*We talked about things 'not being within our control' at the beginning of this comment section. From my meager understanding, what I have gleaned is that all of the manifest phenomena that we are confronted with in this world in and of itself have arisen in a dependent manner and owe their brief existence due to being propped up by a causal framework that is itself inter-dependent, impermanent and devoid of any inherent essence. We and the 'things' that we interact with are part of this same glorious interplay - an interplay where parts are arising and coming into existence as we speak, portions of which abide and assume some semblance of permanence (however brief or prolonged as it might be) and some other portions of which are ceasing because the causal framework supporting the same has also ceased to be. Between the illusory self-model within our minds that constantly craves for permanence moment to moment amongst dualities and our culture-based-conditioning, we want to believe that we posses agency - the will to freely choose as we please - when, in reality, we have none..