Ashtavakra Gita 2.20Chapter 2, Verse 20
Ashtavakra Gita 2.20 is a verse from chapter 2 (Janaka's wonder). King Janaka speaks it to his teacher, the sage Ashtavakra. In plain English it says: "Body, heaven and hell, bondage and freedom, and fear as well: all this is only imagining. What have I, who am awareness, to do with any of it?"
शरीरं स्वर्गनरकौ बन्धमोक्षौ भयं तथा ।कल्पनामात्रमेवैतत् किं मे कार्यं चिदात्मनः ॥
śarīraṃ svarganarakau bandhamokṣau bhayaṃ tathā |kalpanāmātramevaitat kiṃ me kāryaṃ cidātmanaḥ ||
Body, heaven and hell, bondage and freedom, and fear as well: all this is only imagining. What have I, who am awareness, to do with any of it?
King Janaka, to Ashtavakra
Word meanings and a note for this verse are still being written. Read it in context on the chapter 2 page, or start with the verses in where to begin.
Chapter 2, Janaka's wonder: Janaka finds himself as awareness and bows to it in astonishment, testing the new view against the world, the body and the crowd.
Read all 25 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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