Chapter IV: Glorification of Self-Realization

#	Sanskrit Original	Translation by Bart Marshall	Translation by John Richards	Translation by Swami Nityaswarupananda
4.1	अष्टावक्र उवाच। हन्तात्मज्ञस्य धीरस्य खेलतो भोगलीलया। न हि संसारवाहीकैर्मूढैः सह समानता॥	Ashtavakra said: Surely one who knows Self, though he plays the game of life, differs greatly from the world's bewildered burdened beasts.	Ashtavakra: The wise person of self-knowledge, playing the game of worldly enjoyment, bears no resemblance whatever to samsara's bewildered beasts of burden.	Ashtavakra said: Oh, the man of understanding, the knower of Self who plays the game of life has no similarity to the deluded beasts of the world.
4.2	यत्पदं प्रेप्सवो दीनाः शक्राद्याः सर्वदेवताः। अहो तत्र स्थितो योगी न हर्षमुपगच्छति॥	Truly the yogi feels no elation, though he abides in the exalted state yearned for by Indra and all the discontented gods.	Truly the yogi feels no excitement even at being established in that state which all the Devas from Indra down yearn for disconsolately.	Oh, the Yogi does not feel elated abiding in that state which Indra and all other gods hanker after and become unhappy.
4.3	तज्ज्ञस्य पुण्यपापाभ्यां स्पर्शो ह्यन्तर्न जायते। न ह्याकाशस्य धूमेन दृश्यमानापि सङ्गतिः॥	Surely one who knows That is not touched by virtue or vice, just as space is not touched by smoke, though it seems to be.	He who has known That is untouched within by good deeds or bad, just as the sky is not touched by smoke, however much it may appear to be.	The heart of one who has known That is not surely touched by virtue and vice, just as the sky is not touched by smoke, even though it appears to be.
4.4	आत्मैवेदं जगत्सर्वं ज्ञातं येन महात्मना। यदृच्छया वर्त्तमानं तं निषेद्धुं क्षमेत कः॥	Who can prevent the great soul, who knows the universe as Self, from living life as it comes?	Who can prevent the great-souled person who has known this whole world as himself from living as he pleases?	Who can prohibit that great-souled one who has known this entire universe to be the Self alone, from living as he pleases?
4.5	आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्ते भूतग्रामे चतुर्विधे। विज्ञस्यैव हि सामर्थ्यमिच्छानिच्छाविवर्जने॥	Of the four kinds of beings, from Brahma to a blade of grass, only the sage can renounce aversion and desire.	Of all four categories of beings, from Brahma down to the last clump of grass, only the man of knowledge is capable of eliminating desire and aversion.	Of the four kinds of created beings from Brahma down to the clump of grass, it is the wise one alone who is capable of renouncing desire and aversion.
4.6	आत्मानमद्वयं कश्चिज्जानाति जगदीश्वरं। यद्वेत्ति तत्स कुरुते न भयं तस्य कुत्रचित्॥	Rare is he who knows himself as One with no other - the Lord of the Universe. He acts as he knows and is never afraid.	Rare is the man who knows himself as the undivided Lord of the world, and he who knows this is not afraid of anything.	Rare is the man who knows the Self as One without a second as well as the lord of the universe. He does what he knows and has no fear from any quarter.