AVG 12.3

Chapter 12 (The Seekers Understanding of Abiding in Awareness): Verse 3
समाध्यासादिविक्षिप्तौ व्यवहारः समाधये ।
एवं विलोक्य नियममेवमेवाहमास्थितः ॥ १२-३॥

PURPORT:
It is only because of distraction caused
by the  superimposition of ideas and ideals
within our mind that one needs to
consciously expend effort towards
concentrating the mind. Seeing this
to be a general rule and limitation,
thus, truly, do I abide in still tranquility.

TRANSLITERATION:
समाध्यासादिविक्षिप्तौ व्यवहारः समाधये ।
samādhyāsādivikṣiptau vyavahāraḥ samādhaye ।
एवम् विलोक्य नियमम् एवम् एव अहम् आस्थितः ॥ १२-३॥
evam vilokya niyamam evam eva aham āsthitaḥ ॥ 12-3॥

MEANING:
samādhyāsādivikṣiptau (समाध्यासादिविक्षिप्तौ) = in distraction caused by superimpostion etc*. (compound of samādhyāsā (समाध्यास) meaning 'superimposition' and adi (आदि) meaning 'and the rest/etcetera' and vikṣiptau (विक्षिप्तौ) meaning 'in distraction/in confusion' ) *note that the word 'etcetera' here refers to that mass of ideas and ideals that variously are connected with the ego, behavior, reciprocity and such things that have been superimposed upon our minds from culture that continue to distract and confound a seeker)
vyavahāraḥ (व्यवहारः) = activity
samādhaye (समाधये) = for concentration/for immersion।
evam (एवम्) = thus
vilokya (विलोक्य) = be seen/be noticed
niyamam (नियमम्) = rule/general limitation
evam (एवम्) = thus
eva (एव) = indeed
aham (अहम्) = I
āsthitaḥ (आस्थितः) = abide/exist ॥ 12-3॥

COMMENT:
This verse has a beautiful turn of phrase in samādhyāsādivikṣiptau (समाध्यासादिविक्षिप्तौ) or the mental preoccupation and perplexity caused by the superimposition of ideas like body, ego, fear of death, wrath of supernatural forces etc. upon our ability to focus. Each of these impositions form a sheath covering our innate awareness that not only clouds out clarity, but also entangles the seeker within multiple overlays of thought fluctuations.

The seed of many of these fluctuations is the non-instinctual harboring within ourselves of the fear of death of the being itself. The fear itself is a manifestation of the mental recognition of our eventual passing on from this universe. This manifestation is a dualistic discernment where life is pitted against death and the denial of the latter is how the ego asserts its primacy via continued recurrence of thoughts pertaining to sustaining the former. The fixation with life and denial of any thought or aspect of our impending demise is how the ego aggregates and establishes itself.

In contrast to the sense of the specific form of awareness of impending demise unconsciously experienced by human sentients, it is doubtful that animals have the same sense of imminent trepidation about their own eventual death - even though it is clear that they do work and act against death and pain, they do not worry about the prospect of death. It is this aspect - the 'worry about the prospect of death' that gives life, sustenance and energy to the generated ego - the intimidating horror of death is not an aspect of the ego, but, is the ego itself.

The constructed ego created and nurtured out of the superimposition of worry about the prospect of death onto the imaginary self-model results in our identification with tokens, totems, titles, symbols, appellations and the eventual translation of these identities and identifications to possessions that engender attachment and possessiveness. These are appurtenances used by the ego to ward off (for lack of a better word) the 'death-dread'. The sense of self thus is always couched within an inexplicable sense of inadequacy manifested by thought fluctuations, constant speculation of what-if scenarios, a worry about the future and yearning for what has been perceived as missing in the past - leading to a lack of presence within the current moment in time. The fear cloaked within the egoic self-model thus operates within a strict dualism of 'itself' versus the 'other' and frames all world views and experiences in the context of this dualism.

Janaka here understands that affirming and professing life also affirms and welcomes death - the same way the foil to creation is destroying, arising is to ceasing, success to failure and life to death. They are part of the single seamless unity and to discriminate one against the other and affirm one while denying the other blinds us to the fundamental interdependence between any two perceived polarities. There cannot be creation without destruction, arising without ceasing and life without death.