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.