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.