Ashtavakra Gita 5.3Chapter 5, Verse 3
Ashtavakra Gita 5.3 is a verse from chapter 5 (Four ways to rest). The sage Ashtavakra speaks it to King Janaka. In plain English it says: "Though seen, the world is unreal, and it does not exist in you, the spotless one: it is like the snake in the rope. Know this, and so go to rest."
प्रत्यक्षमप्यवस्तुत्वाद् विश्वं नास्त्यमले त्वयि ।रज्जुसर्प इव व्यक्तमेवमेव लयं व्रज ॥
pratyakṣamapyavastutvād viśvaṃ nāstyamale tvayi |rajjusarpa iva vyaktamevameva layaṃ vraja ||
Though seen, the world is unreal, and it does not exist in you, the spotless one: it is like the snake in the rope. Know this, and so go to rest.
Ashtavakra, to King Janaka
Word meanings and a note for this verse are still being written. Read it in context on the chapter 5 page, or start with the verses in where to begin.
Chapter 5, Four ways to rest: Four short verses, each ending with the same instruction: let the sense of separation dissolve, and rest.
Read all 4 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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