Ashtavakra Gita-8

 

Chapter 8, The Mind, Bondage, and Liberation, બન્ધમોક્ષપ્રકરણ

Ashtavakra Gita

aṣṭāvakra uvāca

tadā bandho yadā cittaṁ kincid vāṁchati śocati kiṁcin muṁcati gṛṇhāti kiṁcid dṛṣyati kupyati

II 8.1 II Ashtavakra: Bondage is when the mind longs for something, grieves about something, rejects something, holds on to something, is pleased about something or displeased about something.

8.1 The mind desires this, And grieves for that. It embraces one thing, And spurns another. Now it feels anger, Now happiness. In this way you are bound.

અષ્ટાવક્ર કહે છે: જ્યારે ચિત્ત કાંઇ ઇચ્છે , શોક કરે , કાંઈ છોડી (કાંઈ)

ગ્રહણ કરે , કાંઈ હર્ષ પામે , (કે) કોપ કરે ત્યારે બંધન થાય છે. ૧

tadā muktiryadā cittaṁ na vāṁchati na śocati na muṁcati na gṛṇhāti na hṛṣyati na kupyati

 II 8.2 II Liberation is when the mind does not long for anything, grieve about anything, reject anything, or hold on to anything, and is not pleased about anything or displeased about anything.

8.2 But when the mind desires nothing And grieves for nothing, When it is without joy or anger And, grasping nothing, Turns nothing away. . . Then you are free.

8.2 When the mind does not

desire or grieve,

accept or reject,

become pleased or displeased,

liberation is at hand.

જ્યારે ચિત્ત ઈચ્છા નથી કરતું , શોક નથી કરતું , છોડી

નથી દેતું . ગ્રહણ નથી કરતું , હર્ષ નથી . પામતું (કે) કોપ નથી

કરતું ત્યારે મોક્ષ થાય છે. ર

tadā bandho yadā cittaṁ saktaṁ kāśvapi dṛṣṭiṣu tadā mokṣo yadā cittamasaktaṁ sarvadṛṣṭiṣu

II 8.3 II Bondage is when the mind is tangled in one of the senses, and liberation is when the mind is not tangled in any of the senses.

8.3 When the mind is attracted. To anything it senses, You are bound. When there is no attraction, You are free. Where there is no I, You are free.

8.3 If the mind is attached to any experience,

this is bondage.

When the mind is detached from all experience,

this is liberation.

જયારે ચિત્ત કોઈ પણ દૃષ્ટિ (અર્થાત્ વિષયો)માં આસક્ત

થઈ જાય છે, ત્યારે બંધન થાય છે. જયારે ચિત્ત બધીય દૃષ્ટિ

(અર્થાત્ વિષયો) માંથી અનાસક્ત થઈ જાય છે, ત્યારે મોક્ષ થાય છે. ૩ 

yadā nāhaṁ tadā mokṣo yadāhaṁ bandhanaṁ tadā matveti helayā kiṁcinmā gṛhāṇa vimuṁca mā

II 8.4 II When there is no "me" that is liberation, and when there is "me" there is bondage. Consider this carefully, and neither hold on nor reject.

8.4 Where there is I, You are bound. Consider this. It is easy. Embrace nothing, Turn nothing away.

8.4 When there is no “I”

there is only liberation.

When “I” appears

bondage appears with it.

Knowing this,

it is effortless to refrain

from accepting and rejecting.

જ્યારે “અહં” નથી ત્યારે મોક્ષ છે જ્યારે “અહં” છે ત્યારે

બંધન છે, એમ સહજ વિચારી આશાનું પણ ગ્રહણ કે ત્યાગ કર નહિ. ૪

Synopsis of Chapter-8

Ashtavakra carefully listens to Janak in chapters 6 and 7 of the Ashtavakra Gita. As he listens, he tells his student that in his knowledge and logic, there is an abundance of me. This implies that he has been unable to completely let go and holds on to some aspects. Ashtavakra first defines bondage forms and links them to Janak's ‘I’ word.\