Ashtavakra Gita 4.5Chapter 4, Verse 5
Ashtavakra Gita 4.5 is a verse from chapter 4 (The knower at play). King Janaka speaks it to his teacher, the sage Ashtavakra. In plain English it says: "Among the four kinds of beings, from Brahma down to a clump of grass, only the wise have the strength to give up both wanting and not wanting."
आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्ते भूतग्रामे चतुर्विधे ।विज्ञस्यैव हि सामर्थ्यमिच्छानिच्छाविवर्जने ॥
ābrahmastambaparyante bhūtagrāme caturvidhe |vijñasyaiva hi sāmarthyamicchānicchāvivarjane ||
Among the four kinds of beings, from Brahma down to a clump of grass, only the wise have the strength to give up both wanting and not wanting.
King Janaka, to Ashtavakra
Word meanings and a note for this verse are still being written. Read it in context on the chapter 4 page, or start with the verses in where to begin.
Chapter 4, The knower at play: The one who knows the Self lives freely, untouched by merit and sin as space is untouched by smoke.
Read all 6 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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