commences with such aphorisms as:
O Friend! If thy aim in life is liberation then shun sense objects as poison, and pursue as nectar, forgiveness, simplicity of life, compassion, contentment and truth. —Ch. I, 2
(Note: "Sense objects" are passing, and the good in them is a characteristic of the all-pervading Truth; devotion to them impoverishes the resources of the soul and becomes a binding factor. The word "truth" in this verse means truth-speaking.)
He who thinks himself to be free, is free, and he who thinks himself to be bound, is bound. True is the saying, "as a man thinks, so he becomes." —Ch. I, 11
A distaste for the objects of sense is liberation; attachment to those objects is bondage. This is wisdom; now act as thou wilt. —Ch. XV, 2
before transcending them in only seeming contradiction:
For the man who is no longer bound by ignorance, the cause of birth and death, there is neither a desire to inflict injury nor to demonstrate compassion. He experiences neither arrogance nor humility, wonder nor agitation. —Ch. XVII, 16
The liberated man has no aversion for sense-objects, nor does he crave for them. With his mind ever detached, he is unconcerned with what is attained and with what remains unattained. —Ch. XVII, 17
He whose delight is in the Self, and who is consequently serene and pure, has no desire to renounce anything, nor does he feel any lack anywhere. —Ch. XVIII, 23
Passages from the 1972 reprint of Ashtavakra gita, translated by Hari Prasad Shastri and published by Shanti Sadan (an updated edition is available from the publisher).
/misc | Jul 15, 2020