Ashtavakra continues, A person who contemplates on the Self, the Atman, the core of the substance will soon realize that, "All that one sees is the gross and has manifest from a subtler and subtler force". This makes him go deep into one's own self and realize that he is not the physical body, not the mind, or buddhi, or the ahankara. He realizes that all that, one has to remove all that has covered the soul as its sheaths. When all appendages and blemishes are cleansed off the soul, the soul shines in its true light. This light is the light is self-effulgent and needs no external support. It has no pot, wick, oil or need a match as tick to light! This is the stellar matter which is sustained by the supreme Lord, parabrahman. Those who have realized this will become the same Light, the parabrahman.
So Ashtavakra continues,"There is nothing to do here once a person realizes who he/she is!" Further, he goes on to say, "You are not this, not this, not this! Whatever you say, is not that! When all that is said and done as 'not the truth', the remaining is 'That', the truth. So find out the truth? The ultimate truth is the 'Self', the unborn, eternal, immortal.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand what the Sage Ashtavakra says here. He suddenly asks us a pertinent question: "What is it you want? What is it you do not already have? When everything is nothing but your 'Self' only, what else is there to aspire? Why are you so perturbed? What ever you think, you desire, you strive for do not exist at all outside of you. The perceiver and the perceived are one only. there is nothing outside of you. It is your own creation!".
Now, the realization comes only after experiencing the reality, the true nature of existence, the true nature of the objective world and the true nature of the Self. But this realization is not forthcoming at the beginning. So, one has to strive for that realization of the true nature of the fleeting, transient, and phenomenal objective world. Moreover, the concept of 'knowledge of Self' , 'the Atma jnyan', is a very delicate, subtle-most one. Moreover, it is not something, other than the self. It is one and there exists nothing besides it. concept. Hence, Sage Ashtavakra says, "know this truth and be happy". He advocates the philosophy of 'quietude, 'bhuman', the brahman. Just 'exist' in that; be the witness! There is nothing one needs to do!
There are about twenty chapters each having a dozen or two verses. These are gems of wisdom. Since these are already available on the web sites we will not elaborate on each and every verse. We will highlight some interesting ones only in the following. It may be reiterated here that the Samskruta shloka are more impressive and effective than the transliteration or translations.
So Ashtavakra continues,"There is nothing to do here once a person realizes who he/she is!" Further, he goes on to say, "You are not this, not this, not this! Whatever you say, is not that! When all that is said and done as 'not the truth', the remaining is 'That', the truth. So find out the truth? The ultimate truth is the 'Self', the unborn, eternal, immortal.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand what the Sage Ashtavakra says here. He suddenly asks us a pertinent question: "What is it you want? What is it you do not already have? When everything is nothing but your 'Self' only, what else is there to aspire? Why are you so perturbed? What ever you think, you desire, you strive for do not exist at all outside of you. The perceiver and the perceived are one only. there is nothing outside of you. It is your own creation!".
Now, the realization comes only after experiencing the reality, the true nature of existence, the true nature of the objective world and the true nature of the Self. But this realization is not forthcoming at the beginning. So, one has to strive for that realization of the true nature of the fleeting, transient, and phenomenal objective world. Moreover, the concept of 'knowledge of Self' , 'the Atma jnyan', is a very delicate, subtle-most one. Moreover, it is not something, other than the self. It is one and there exists nothing besides it. concept. Hence, Sage Ashtavakra says, "know this truth and be happy". He advocates the philosophy of 'quietude, 'bhuman', the brahman. Just 'exist' in that; be the witness! There is nothing one needs to do!
There are about twenty chapters each having a dozen or two verses. These are gems of wisdom. Since these are already available on the web sites we will not elaborate on each and every verse. We will highlight some interesting ones only in the following. It may be reiterated here that the Samskruta shloka are more impressive and effective than the transliteration or translations.
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