Chapter XX: Liberation-in-Life

#	Sanskrit Original	Translation by Bart Marshall	Translation by John Richards	Translation by Swami Nityaswarupananda
20.1	जनक उवाच। क्व भूतानि क्व देहो वा क्वेन्द्रियाणि क्व वा मनः। क्व शून्यं क्व च नैराश्यं मत्स्वरूपे निरञ्जने॥	Janaka said: Where are the elements, the body, the organs, the mind? Where is the void? Where is despair? My nature is transparent clearness.	Janaka: In my unblemished nature there are no elements, no body, no faculties, no mind. There is no void and no despair.	Janaka said: Where are the elements, the body, the organs, the mind, the void, or despair in my taintless Being?
20.2	क्व शास्त्रं क्वात्मविज्ञानं क्व वा निर्विषयं मनः। क्व तृप्तिः क्व वितृष्णत्वं गतद्वन्द्वस्य मे सदा॥	Where is scripture? Where is Self-knowledge? Where is no-mind? Where is contentment and freedom from desire? I am empty of two-ness.	For me, free from the sense of dualism, there are no scriptures, no self-knowledge, no mind free from an object, no satisfaction and no freedom from desire.	What is scripture, what is self-knowledge, what is mind bereft of objects, what is contentment, or what is desirelessness, to me who am ever devoid of the sense of duality?
20.3	क्व विद्या क्व च वाविद्या क्वाहं क्वेदं मम क्व वा। क्व बन्धः क्व च वा मोक्षः स्वरूपस्य क्व रूपिता॥	Where is Knowledge and ignorance? Where is "I"? Where is "this"? Where is "mine"? Where is bondage and liberation? Self has no attributes.	There is no knowledge or ignorance, no "me", "this" or "mine", no bondage, no liberation, and no property of self-nature.	What is knowledge or what is ignorance, what is 'I', what is 'this' or what is 'mine', what is bondage or what is liberation, what is definableness of the Self?
20.4	क्व प्रारब्धानि कर्माणि जीवन्मुक्तिरपि क्व वा। क्व तद्विदेहकैवल्यं निर्विशेषस्य सर्वदा॥	Where is the unfolding of karma? Where is liberation-in-life, or even liberation at death? There is only One.	For him who is always free from individual characteristics there is no antecedent causal action, no liberation during life, and no fulfilment at death.	What are Prarabdha ('commenced') Karmas, what is even liberation-in-life, or what is that liberation-at-death, to the ever Undifferentiated?
20.5	क्व कर्ता क्व च वा भोक्ता निष्क्रियं स्फुरणं क्व वा। क्वापरोक्षं फलं वा क्व निःस्वभावस्य मे सदा॥	Where is the doer or enjoyer? Where is the origin or end of thought? Where is direct or reflected knowledge? There is no person here.	For me, free from individuality, there is no doer and no reaper of the consequences, no cessation of action, no arising of thought, no immediate object, and no idea of results.	What is doer or enjoyer, what is cessation of activity (thinking) or the rising of thought, what is direct knowledge or its result, to me, the ever Impersonal?
20.6	क्व लोकः क्व मुमुक्षुर्वा क्व योगी ज्ञानवान् क्व वा। क्व बद्धः क्व च वा मुक्तः स्वस्वरूपेऽहमद्वये॥	Where is the world? Where is the seeker of liberation? Where is the contemplative? Where is the man of Knowledge? Where is the soul in bondage? Where is the liberated soul? My nature is Unity.	There is no world, no seeker for liberation, no yogi, no seer, no-one bound and no-one liberated. I remain in my own non-dual nature.	What is the world or what is the aspirant for liberation, what is the contemplative man or what is the man of Knowledge, what is the soul in bondage or what is the liberated soul, to me who am non-dual in my nature?
20.7	क्व सृष्टिः क्व च संहारः क्व साध्यं क्व च साधनम्। क्व साधकः क्व सिद्धिर्वा स्वस्वरूपेऽहमद्वये॥	Where are creation and destruction? Where is the end and the means? Where is the seeker? Where is attainment? I am One.	There is no emanation or return, no goal, means, seeker or achievement. I remain in my own non-dual nature.	What are projection and retraction, what are end and means, what are seeker and success, to me abiding in my nature which is non-dual?
20.8	क्व प्रमाता प्रमाणं वा क्व प्रमेयं क्व च प्रमा। क्व किञ्चित् क्व न किञ्चिद्वा सर्वदा विमलस्य मे॥	Where is the knower? Where is knowing? Where is the known, or knowledge itself? Where is anything? Where is nothing? I am pure Awareness.	For me who am forever unblemished, there is no assessor, no standard, nothing to assess, or assessment.	What is knower, the means to knowledge, the object of knowledge or knowledge, what is anything or nothing, to me who am ever pure?
20.9	क्व विक्षेपः क्व चैकाग्र्यं क्व निर्बोधः क्व मूढता। क्व हर्षः क्व विषादो वा सर्वदा निष्क्रियस्य मे॥	Where is distraction, concentration, knowledge or delusion? Where is joy or sorrow? I am Stillness.	For me who am forever actionless, there is no distraction or one-pointedness of mind, no lack of understanding, no stupidity, no joy and no sorrow.	What is distraction or concentration, dullness or delusion, joy or sorrow, to me who am ever actionless?
20.10	क्व चैष व्यवहारो वा क्व च सा परमार्थता। क्व सुखं क्व च वा दुखं निर्विमर्शस्य मे सदा॥	Where is the relative? Where the transcendent? Where is happiness or misery? I am empty of thought.	For me who am always free from deliberations there is neither conventional truth nor absolute truth, no happiness and no suffering.	What is relativity or transcendence, happiness or misery, to me who am ever devoid of thought activity?
20.11	क्व माया क्व च संसारः क्व प्रीतिर्विरतिः क्व वा। क्व जीवः क्व च तद्ब्रह्म सर्वदा विमलस्य मे॥	Where is illusion? Where is existence? Where is attachment or non-attachment? Where is person? Where is God? I am Awareness.	For me who am forever pure there is no illusion, no samsara, no attachment or detachment, no living being and no God.	What is ignorance or appearance, attachment or detachment, Jiva or Brahman, to me who am ever pure?
20.12	क्व प्रवृत्तिर्निवृत्तिर्वा क्व मुक्तिः क्व च बन्धनम्। कूटस्थनिर्विभागस्य स्वस्थस्य मम सर्वदा॥	Where is activity or inactivity? Where is liberation or bondage? I am timeless, indivisible. I am Self alone.	For me who am forever unmovable and indivisible, established in myself, there is no activity or inactivity, no liberation and no bondage.	What is activity or inactivity, liberation or bondage, to me who am ever immutable and indivisible and established in Self?
20.13	क्वोपदेशः क्व वा शास्त्रं क्व शिष्यः क्व च वा गुरुः। क्व चास्ति पुरुषार्थो वा निरुपाधेः शिवस्य मे॥	Where are principles and scriptures? Where is the disciple or teacher? Where is the reason for life? I am boundless, Absolute.	For me who am blessed and without limitation, there is no initiation or scripture, no disciple or teacher, and no goal of human life.	What is instruction or scriptural injunction, what is disciple or preceptor, what is the summum bonum of life, to me who am absolute good and free from limitation?
20.14	क्व चास्ति क्व च वा नास्ति क्वास्ति चैकं क्व च द्वयम्। बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन किञ्चिन्नोत्तिष्ठते मम॥	Where is existence or non-existence? Where is Unity or duality? Nothing emanates from me. No more can be said.	There is no being or non-being, no unity or dualism. What more is there to say? Nothing proceeds out of me.	What is existence or non-existence, unity or duality? What to say more, nothing emanates from me.