Ashtavakra Gita chapter 16: Forget it all

Chapter 16 of the Ashtavakra Gita, "Forget it all", has 11 verses. Ashtavakra speaks. No scripture or practice brings ease until everything learned is forgotten and effort drops away. Every verse is below in Sanskrit and in Wisdom's plain English.

All 11 verses

1. 16.1

   आचक्ष्व शृणु वा तात नानाशास्त्राण्यनेकशः ।तथापि न तव स्वास्थ्यं सर्वविस्मरणाद् ऋते ॥

   ācakṣva śṛṇu vā tāta nānāśāstrāṇyanekaśaḥ |tathāpi na tava svāsthyaṃ sarvavismaraṇād ṛte ||

   My child, you may recite many scriptures or hear them many times. Still you will not be at ease until you forget it all.

2. 16.2

   भोगं कर्म समाधिं वा कुरु विज्ञ तथापि ते ।चित्तं निरस्तसर्वाशमत्यर्थं रोचयिष्यति ॥

   bhogaṃ karma samādhiṃ vā kuru vijña tathāpi te |cittaṃ nirastasarvāśamatyarthaṃ rocayiṣyati ||

   Wise one, you may enjoy, work or sit in samadhi. Even so, your mind will long most of all for the place where every wish has ended.

3. 16.3

   आयासात्सकलो दुःखी नैनं जानाति कश्चन ।अनेनैवोपदेशेन धन्यः प्राप्नोति निर्वृतिम् ॥

   āyāsātsakalo duḥkhī nainaṃ jānāti kaścana |anenaivopadeśena dhanyaḥ prāpnoti nirvṛtim ||

   Everyone suffers from effort, and nobody sees it. By this teaching alone, the fortunate one finds rest.

4. 16.4

   व्यापारे खिद्यते यस्तु निमेषोन्मेषयोरपि ।तस्यालस्य धुरीणस्य सुखं नन्यस्य कस्यचित् ॥

   vyāpāre khidyate yastu nimeṣonmeṣayorapi |tasyālasya dhurīṇasya sukhaṃ nanyasya kasyacit ||

   The master idler, who finds even opening and closing his eyes a strain, has happiness. Nobody else has it.

5. 16.5

   इदं कृतमिदं नेति द्वन्द्वैर्मुक्तं यदा मनः ।धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु निरपेक्षं तदा भवेत् ॥

   idaṃ kṛtamidaṃ neti dvandvairmuktaṃ yadā manaḥ |dharmārthakāmamokṣeṣu nirapekṣaṃ tadā bhavet ||

   When the mind is free of opposites like 'this is done, this is not done', it stops caring about dharma, wealth, pleasure and even freedom.

6. 16.6

   विरक्तो विषयद्वेष्टा रागी विषयलोलुपः ।ग्रहमोक्षविहीनस्तु न विरक्तो न रागवान् ॥

   virakto viṣayadveṣṭā rāgī viṣayalolupaḥ |grahamokṣavihīnastu na virakto na rāgavān ||

   One who hates objects is dispassionate. One who craves them is attached. One who neither takes nor drops is neither dispassionate nor attached.

7. 16.7

   हेयोपादेयता तावत्संसारविटपाङ्कुरः ।स्पृहा जीवति यावद् वै निर्विचारदशास्पदम् ॥

   heyopādeyatā tāvatsaṃsāraviṭapāṅkuraḥ |spṛhā jīvati yāvad vai nirvicāradaśāspadam ||

   As long as wanting lives, which is a state without discernment, the sense of things to take and things to drop stays alive: the sprout of the tree of the world.

8. 16.8

   प्रवृत्तौ जायते रागो निर्वृत्तौ द्वेष एव हि ।निर्द्वन्द्वो बालवद् धीमान् एवमेव व्यवस्थितः ॥

   pravṛttau jāyate rāgo nirvṛttau dveṣa eva hi |nirdvandvo bālavad dhīmān evameva vyavasthitaḥ ||

   Activity breeds attachment, and holding back breeds aversion. So the wise one, free of opposites like a child, stays just as he is.

9. 16.9

   हातुमिच्छति संसारं रागी दुःखजिहासया ।वीतरागो हि निर्दुःखस्तस्मिन्नपि न खिद्यति ॥

   hātumicchati saṃsāraṃ rāgī duḥkhajihāsayā |vītarāgo hi nirduḥkhastasminnapi na khidyati ||

   The attached person wants to leave the world to escape sorrow. One without attachment is free of sorrow and is not troubled even while living in it.

10. 16.10

    यस्याभिमानो मोक्षेऽपि देहेऽपि ममता तथा ।न च ज्ञानी न वा योगी केवलं दुःखभागसौ ॥

    yasyābhimāno mokṣe'pi dehe'pi mamatā tathā |na ca jñānī na vā yogī kevalaṃ duḥkhabhāgasau ||

    One who takes pride even in freedom and still calls the body his own is neither a knower nor a yogi. He only shares in sorrow.

11. 16.11Word meanings and notes

    हरो यद्युपदेष्टा ते हरिः कमलजोऽपि वा ।तथापि न तव स्वाथ्यं सर्वविस्मरणादृते ॥

    haro yadyupadeṣṭā te hariḥ kamalajo'pi vā |tathāpi na tava svāthyaṃ sarvavismaraṇādṛte ||

    Even if Shiva, Vishnu or lotus-born Brahma were your teacher, you would not be at ease until you forget it all.