Ashtavakra Gita 18.37Chapter 18, Verse 37
Ashtavakra Gita 18.37 is a verse from chapter 18 (Peace in a hundred verses). The sage Ashtavakra speaks it to King Janaka. In plain English it says: "The confused do not reach Brahman because they want to become it. The steady one, without even wanting it, has the nature of the supreme Brahman."
मूढो नाप्नोति तद् ब्रह्म यतो भवितुमिच्छति ।अनिच्छन्नपि धीरो हि परब्रह्मस्वरूपभाक् ॥
mūḍho nāpnoti tad brahma yato bhavitumicchati |anicchannapi dhīro hi parabrahmasvarūpabhāk ||
The confused do not reach Brahman because they want to become it. The steady one, without even wanting it, has the nature of the supreme Brahman.
Ashtavakra, to King Janaka
Word meanings and a note for this verse are still being written. Read it in context on the chapter 18 page, or start with the verses in where to begin.
Chapter 18, Peace in a hundred verses: The longest chapter, a third of the text, contrasting the confused who strive with the steady who are already at rest.
Read all 100 verses in this chapter →Seven mornings of short readings from the Bhagavad Gita, chosen for what you're going through, by email.
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