Chapter XVII: The True Knower

#	Sanskrit Original	Translation by Bart Marshall	Translation by John Richards	Translation by Swami Nityaswarupananda
17.1	अष्टावक्र उवाच। तेन ज्ञानफलं प्राप्तं योगाभ्यासफलं तथा। तृप्तः स्वच्छेन्द्रियो नित्यमेकाकी रमते तु यः॥	Ashtavakra said: One has attained Knowledge and reaped the fruits of yoga who is content, purified of attachments and at home in solitude.	Ashtavakra said: He who is content, with purified senses, and always enjoys solitude, has gained the fruit of knowledge and the fruit of the practice of yoga too.	Ashtavakra said: He has gained the fruit of Knowledge as well as of the practice of Yoga, who, contented and with purified senses, ever enjoys being alone.
17.2	न कदाचिज्जगत्यस्मिन् तत्त्वज्ञो हन्त खिद्यति। यत एकेन तेनेदं पूर्णं ब्रह्माण्डमण्डलम्॥	The knower of Truth is never miserable in the world, for the whole universe is filled with Himself alone.	The knower of truth is never distressed in this world, for the whole round world is full of himself alone.	Oh, the knower of Truth is never miserable in this world, for the whole universe is filled by himself alone.
17.3	न जातु विषयाः केऽपि स्वारामं हर्षयन्त्यमी। सल्लकीपल्लवप्रीतमिवेभं निम्बपल्लवाः॥	As the foliage of the neem tree does not please an elephant who delights in sallaki leaves, so do sense objects not please he who delights in Self.	None of these senses please a man who has found satisfaction within, just as Nimba leaves do not please the elephant that likes Sallaki leaves.	No sense-objects ever please him who delights in Self even as the leaves of the Neem tree do not please an elephant who delights in the Sallaki leaves.
17.4	यस्तु भोगेषु भुक्तेषु न भवत्यधिवासिता। अभुक्तेषु निराकाङ्क्षी तादृशो भवदुर्लभः॥	Rare in the world is one who does not relish past enjoyments, nor yearn for enjoyments to come.	The man who is not attached to the things he has enjoyed, and does not hanker after the things he has not enjoyed, such a man is hard to find.	Rare in the world is he who does not covet things which he has enjoyed or does not desire things which he has not enjoyed.
17.5	बुभुक्षुरिह संसारे मुमुक्षुरपि दृश्यते। भोगमोक्षनिराकाङ्क्षी विरलो हि महाशयः॥	Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common in the world. Rare is the great soul who desires neither enjoyment nor liberation.	Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both found in samsara, but the great-souled man who desires neither pleasure nor liberation is rare indeed.	One desirous of worldly enjoyment and one desirous of liberation are both found in this world. But rare is the great-souled one who is not desirous of either enjoyment or liberation.
17.6	धर्मार्थकाममोक्षेषु जीविते मरणे तथा। कस्याप्युदारचित्तस्य हेयोपादेयता न हि॥	Rare is the right-minded person who neither covets nor shuns religion, wealth, pleasure, life or death.	It is only the noble-minded who is free from attraction or repulsion to religion, wealth, sensuality, and life and death too.	It is only some broad-minded person who has neither attraction for, nor aversion to, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha as well as life and death.
17.7	वाञ्छा न विश्वविलये न द्वेषस्तस्य च स्थितौ। यथा जीविकया तस्माद्धन्य आस्ते यथासुखम्॥	The man of Knowledge neither cares for the universe nor desires its dissolution. He lives happily on whatever comes his way. He is blessed.	He feels no desire for the elimination of all this, nor anger at its continuing, so the lucky man lives happily with whatever sustenance presents itself.	The man of Knowledge does not feel any desire for the dissolution of the universe or aversion to its existence. The blessed one, therefore, lives happily on whatever subsistence comes as a matter of course.
17.8	कृतार्थोऽनेन ज्ञानेनेत्येवं गलितधीः कृती। पश्यन् शृण्वन् स्पृशन् जिघ्रन्नश्नन्नास्ते यथासुखम्॥	Knowing Self, mind empty and at peace, the sage lives happily, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating.	Thus fulfilled through this knowledge, contented and with the thinking mind emptied, he lives happily just seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling and tasting.	Being fulfilled by this Knowledge and with his mind absorbed, and contented, the wise one lives happily, seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and eating.
17.9	शून्या दृष्टिर्वृथा चेष्टा विकलानीन्द्रियाणि च। न स्पृहा न विरक्तिर्वा क्षीणसंसारसागरे॥	There is no attachment or non-attachment for one in whom the ocean of the world has dried up. His look is vacant, senses still. His actions have no purpose.	In him for whom the ocean of samsara has dried up, there is neither attachment [n]or aversion. His gaze is vacant, his behaviour purposeless, and his senses inactive.	There is no attachment or non-attachment in one for whom the ocean of the world has dried up. His look is vacant, action purposeless and the senses inoperative.
17.10	न जागर्ति न निद्राति नोन्मीलति न मीलति। अहो परदशा क्वापि वर्तते मुक्तचेतसः॥	The sage is neither asleep nor awake. He neither closes nor opens his eyes. Thus, for the liberated soul, everywhere there is only This.	Surely the supreme state is everywhere for the liberated mind. He is neither awake nor asleep, and neither opens [n]or closes his eyes.	The wise one neither keeps awake nor sleeps, neither opens nor closes his eyes. Oh, the liberated soul anywhere enjoys the supreme condition.
17.11	सर्वत्र दृश्यते स्वस्थः सर्वत्र विमलाशयः। समस्तवासनामुक्तो मुक्तः सर्वत्र राजते॥	The liberated soul abides in Self alone and is pure of heart. He lives always and everywhere, free of desire.	The liberated man is resplendent everywhere, free from all desires. Everywhere he appears self-possessed and pure of heart.	The liberated person is always found abiding in Self and pure in heart, and he lives freed from all desires under all conditions.
17.12	पश्यन् शृण्वन् स्पृशन् जिघ्रन्नश्नन् गृह्णन् वदन् व्रजन्। ईहितानीहितैर्मुक्तो मुक्त एव महाशयः॥	Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking, the great soul exerts neither effort nor non-effort. He is truly free.	Seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting, speaking and walking about, the great-souled man who is freed from trying to achieve or avoid anything is free indeed.	Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking and walking, the great-souled one, free from all efforts and non-efforts, is verily emancipated.
17.13	न निन्दति न च स्तौति न हृष्यति न कुप्यति। न ददाति न गृह्णाति मुक्तः सर्वत्र नीरसः॥	The liberated soul does not blame or praise, give or take, rejoice or become angry. He is everywhere unattached and free.	The liberated man is free from desires everywhere. He neither blames, praises, rejoices, is disappointed, gives nor takes.	The liberated one neither slanders nor praises, neither rejoices nor is angry, neither gives nor takes. He is free from attachment to all objects.
17.14	सानुरागां स्त्रियं दृष्ट्वा मृत्युं वा समुपस्थितम्। अविह्वलमनाः स्वस्थो मुक्त एव महाशयः॥	The great soul remains poised and undisturbed, whether in the presence of a passionate woman or observing the approach of his death. He is truly free.	When a great-souled one is unperturbed in mind and self-possessed at either the sight of a woman full of desire or at approaching death, he is truly liberated.	The great-souled one is not perturbed and remains self-poised both at the sight of a woman full of love and of approaching death. He is indeed liberated.
17.15	सुखे दुःखे नरे नार्यां सम्पत्सु च विपत्सु च। विशेषो नैव धीरस्य सर्वत्रसमदर्शिनः॥	The sage sees no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman, adversity and success. Everything is seen to be the same.	There is no distinction between pleasure and pain, man and woman, success and failure for the wise man who looks on everything as equal.	The sage who sees the same everywhere, makes no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman, and prosperity and adversity.
17.16	न हिंसा नैव कारुण्यं नौद्धत्यं न च दीनता। नाश्चर्यं नैव च क्षोभः क्षीणसंसरणेऽनरे॥	In the sage there is neither violence nor mercy, arrogance nor humility, anxiety nor wonder. His worldly life is exhausted. He has transcended his role as a person.	There is no aggression nor compassion, no pride nor humility, no wonder nor confusion for the man whose days in samsara are over.	In the wise one whose worldly life is exhausted and who is no longer a man, there is neither any desire to harm nor compassion, neither insolence nor humility, neither wonder nor mental disturbance.
17.17	न मुक्तो विषयद्वेष्टा न वा विषयलोलुपः। असंसक्तमना नित्यं प्राप्ताप्राप्तमुपाश्नुते॥	The liberated one neither avoids experience nor craves it. He enjoys what comes and what does not.	The liberated man is not averse to the senses and nor is he attached to them. He enjoys hinself continually with an unattached mind in both achievement and non-achievement.	The liberated one neither abhors the objects of the senses nor craves them. Ever with a detached mind he enjoys the attained as well as the unattained.
17.18	समाधानासमाधानहिताहितविकल्पनाः। शून्यचित्तो न जानाति कैवल्यमिव संस्थितः॥	The sage is not conflicted by states of stillness and thought. His mind is empty. His home is the Absolute.	One established in the Absolute state with an empty mind does not know the alternatives of inner stillness and lack of inner stillness, and of good and evil.	The sage of vacant mind knows not the conflict of contemplation and non-contemplation, good and evil. He abides as it were in the state of Absoluteness.
17.19	निर्ममो निरहङ्कारो न किञ्चिदिति निश्चितः। अन्तर्गलितसर्वाशः कुर्वन्नपि करोति न॥	Though he may perform actions, the man of Knowledge does not act. Desires extinguished, free of thoughts of "I" and "mine", he knows with absolute certainty that nothing exists.	Free of "me" and "mine" and of a sense of responsibility, aware that "Nothing exists", with all desires extinguished within, a man does not act even in acting.	Devoid of the feeling of 'mine-ness' and 'I-ness', knowing for certain that nothing is, and with all his desires set at rest within, the man of Knowledge does not act though he may be acting.
17.20	मनःप्रकाशसम्मोहस्वप्नजाड्यविवर्जितः। दशां कामपि संप्राप्तो भवेद्गलितमानसः॥	The sage is free. His empty mind no longer projects delusion, dreaming, dullness. This state is indescribable.	He whose thinking mind is dissolved achieves the indescribable state and is free from the mental display of delusion, dream and ignorance.	An indescribable state is attained by the sage whose mind has melted away and who is free from the display of the mind, and from delusion, dream and dullness.