Chapter 11 (Coherence on a choiceless witnessing of happenings) Verse 1
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
भावाभावविकारश्च स्वभावादिति निश्चयी ।
निर्विकारो गतक्लेशः सुखेनैवोपशाम्यति ॥ ११-१॥
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
भावाभावविकारश्च स्वभावादिति निश्चयी ।
निर्विकारो गतक्लेशः सुखेनैवोपशाम्यति ॥ ११-१॥
PURPORT:
One who has realized that the continuance
of things, the hindrance of other things and
the perturbations thereof are part of the
natural order of presence and are perceived
so by one's own nature, comfortably finds repose;
being unagitated and removed of all sorrows.
One who has realized that the continuance
of things, the hindrance of other things and
the perturbations thereof are part of the
natural order of presence and are perceived
so by one's own nature, comfortably finds repose;
being unagitated and removed of all sorrows.
TRANSLITERATION:
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca ॥
भावाभावविकारः च स्वभावात् इति निश्चयी ।
bhāvābhāvavikāraḥ ca svabhāvāt iti niścayī ।
निर्विकारः गतक्लेशः सुखेन एव उपशाम्यति ॥ ११-१॥
nirvikāraḥ gatakleśaḥ sukhena eva upaśāmyati ॥ 11-1॥
अष्टावक्र उवाच ॥
aṣṭāvakra uvāca ॥
भावाभावविकारः च स्वभावात् इति निश्चयी ।
bhāvābhāvavikāraḥ ca svabhāvāt iti niścayī ।
निर्विकारः गतक्लेशः सुखेन एव उपशाम्यति ॥ ११-१॥
nirvikāraḥ gatakleśaḥ sukhena eva upaśāmyati ॥ 11-1॥
MEANING:
aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) = Aṣṭāvakra
uvāca (उवाच) = said ॥
bhāvābhāvavikāraḥ (भावाभावविकारः) = continuance, hinderance and alteration (compound of bhāva (भाव) meaning 'existence/continuance of happening' and abhāva (अभाव) meaning 'not becoming/elimination/hinderance' and vikāraḥ (विकारः) meaning 'transformation/change/perturbation')
ca (च) = and
svabhāvāt (स्वभावात्) = from nature (as in part of the natural order of things)
iti (इति) = thus
niścayī (निश्चयी) = one who has known for certain/one who is sure of themselves/one who has realized for sure ।
nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः) = composed/unperturbed/one in repose/unagitated
gatakleśaḥ (गतक्लेशः) = free from affliction/removed of sorrows (compound of gata (गत) meaning 'gone from' and kleśaḥ (क्लेशः) meaning 'pain/affliction')
sukhena (सुखेन) = comfortably/conveniently
eva (एव) = indeed
upaśāmyati (उपशाम्यति) = comes to stillness/finds quietude॥ 11-1॥
aṣṭāvakra (अष्टावक्र) = Aṣṭāvakra
uvāca (उवाच) = said ॥
bhāvābhāvavikāraḥ (भावाभावविकारः) = continuance, hinderance and alteration (compound of bhāva (भाव) meaning 'existence/continuance of happening' and abhāva (अभाव) meaning 'not becoming/elimination/hinderance' and vikāraḥ (विकारः) meaning 'transformation/change/perturbation')
ca (च) = and
svabhāvāt (स्वभावात्) = from nature (as in part of the natural order of things)
iti (इति) = thus
niścayī (निश्चयी) = one who has known for certain/one who is sure of themselves/one who has realized for sure ।
nirvikāraḥ (निर्विकारः) = composed/unperturbed/one in repose/unagitated
gatakleśaḥ (गतक्लेशः) = free from affliction/removed of sorrows (compound of gata (गत) meaning 'gone from' and kleśaḥ (क्लेशः) meaning 'pain/affliction')
sukhena (सुखेन) = comfortably/conveniently
eva (एव) = indeed
upaśāmyati (उपशाम्यति) = comes to stillness/finds quietude॥ 11-1॥
COMMENT:
The opening line in the eleventh chapter is a beautiful mediation on the natural order of things - an order that has been cyclically set in motion since the very origins of the universe - nature (or any designated manifestation that we assign the phrase 'nature' to) does not interfere nor support the harmonious arising of things, alteration of things and the eventual cessation of things. All of the entities within this grand cycle are supported and brought to arise, endure and cease based upon appropriate conditions that are interdependently linked to produce or sustain or cease. This happens quite on its own accord and once this is absorbed within, Ashtavakra informs that latent confusion on the part of the seeker melts away.
Of course, the seeker may be left with the subjective question 'Who am I within this cycle?'. If the question is deeply interrogated, an answer that can resonate is 'Who is that who is having this particular line of question?'. If the answer is 'I am the human who is having this question', then one is forced to confront oneself with the original question of 'Who am I within this cycle?' and theretofore recursively.
The opening line in the eleventh chapter is a beautiful mediation on the natural order of things - an order that has been cyclically set in motion since the very origins of the universe - nature (or any designated manifestation that we assign the phrase 'nature' to) does not interfere nor support the harmonious arising of things, alteration of things and the eventual cessation of things. All of the entities within this grand cycle are supported and brought to arise, endure and cease based upon appropriate conditions that are interdependently linked to produce or sustain or cease. This happens quite on its own accord and once this is absorbed within, Ashtavakra informs that latent confusion on the part of the seeker melts away.
Of course, the seeker may be left with the subjective question 'Who am I within this cycle?'. If the question is deeply interrogated, an answer that can resonate is 'Who is that who is having this particular line of question?'. If the answer is 'I am the human who is having this question', then one is forced to confront oneself with the original question of 'Who am I within this cycle?' and theretofore recursively.
The answers ultimately point back to the source - firstly, the awareness which clarifies is a matter of looking within and secondly, the question really arises from our inherent sense of duality; especially our attempt to answer questions like 'Who am I' with answers like 'I am the human who is having this question' or 'I am a human' or 'I am a sentient being' imply that one feels a need to 'qualify' and 'designate'.
Somehow answers like 'I am the human who is having this question' or 'I am a human' or 'I am a sentient being' seem more normal to our conditioned mindset than an answer like 'I am'.
Answers that seek to qualify and designate indicate superimposition at work and where there is superimposition, there is duality - the focusing of being something rather than just being - a reification of the projected sense of identity rather than directly experiencing the nature of reality that Ashtavakra talks about - that harmonious cycle of arising, enduring and cessation; an awareness beyond the duality of even duality and non-duality, an awareness that transcends designations that classify this as 'one' and that as 'not-one' and this as 'self' and that as 'other', a knowledge that 'things are as it is without superposition or qualifications or designations'.
Somehow answers like 'I am the human who is having this question' or 'I am a human' or 'I am a sentient being' seem more normal to our conditioned mindset than an answer like 'I am'.
Answers that seek to qualify and designate indicate superimposition at work and where there is superimposition, there is duality - the focusing of being something rather than just being - a reification of the projected sense of identity rather than directly experiencing the nature of reality that Ashtavakra talks about - that harmonious cycle of arising, enduring and cessation; an awareness beyond the duality of even duality and non-duality, an awareness that transcends designations that classify this as 'one' and that as 'not-one' and this as 'self' and that as 'other', a knowledge that 'things are as it is without superposition or qualifications or designations'.
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