Random Verses From Ashtavakra Gita Verse 18.83

 धीरो न द्वेष्टि संसारमात्मानं न दिदृक्षति ।

हर्षामर्षविनिर्मुक्तो न मृतो न च जीवति ॥ ८३ ॥

IF i am an physical entity, a physical object can collide with me. if i am a body, a stone can hit me. if i space, no stone hits me and i  can accommodate all stones as they fly along untouched. 

Same way if i am a "mental form" , i may be affected by some events , there is a push and a pull for the mental entity ... mental shape. but if i am Awareness, the space of mind, the various events are all accommodated without any push or pull [raga-dvesha]

The wise one , who is the space of mind in which all events happen ... the space or the presence is unaffected and has no choices. the person has choice. the space has none. wisdom is to be the space, awareness. where there is no possibility of push or pull... even when the entity seems to be pushed and pulled. 

The vedantic teaching is not "be the witness". The vedantic teaching is you are the witness. there is no choice here. the entity in the movie continues to be pushed, pulled ... i am not that entity is the teaching. the entity on the screen has birth , death, suffering, excitement etc. the space has none !

निमित्तं मनश्चक्षुरादि प्रवृत्तौ

     निरस्ताखिलोपाधिराकाशकल्पः ।

रविर्लोकचेष्टानिमित्तं यथा यः

     स नित्योपलब्धिस्वरूपोऽहमात्मा ॥ ३॥

Random Verses From Ashtavakra Gita 18.26

अतद्वादीव कुरुते न भवेदपि बालिशः ।
जीवन्मुक्तः सुखी श्रीमान्संसरन्नपि शोभते ॥ २६ ॥

A Jīvanmukta is sukhī—inherently fulfilled, totally satisfied, and ever reveling as the Presence. We often speak of “living in the present moment,” but a better way of putting it is being the Presence. In fact, the two terms are redundant. Presence itself means Being or Abiding.

Such an abiding one, śrīmān—one endowed with inner richness—is a Jīvanmukta, ever liberated. Though such a one acts in the world (saṃsaran api), he or she is always reveling in one’s own ānanda-svarūpa. That is śobhā (śobhate), true beauty. For such a person, all actions are a form of revelry. Even while doing, such a one is really just Being.

Outwardly, it may appear that this person is performing various activities, but there is no seriousness about them. The world is understood to be unreal, like a dream. Actions become revelry because, in and through all activity, there is only the experience of Presence.

Why is this person doing anything at all? Why even get up from where one is? There is really no answer. Once Reality is understood, and the joy of Being oneself is discovered, everything else appears as a mere dream. Nothing can truly give happiness, and yet, like a wheel cut off from its engine, life rolls on for some time and then naturally comes to rest.

The activities of the body–mind equipment are seen as the person’s actions, but in reality, they are simply happening through the vehicle. There is no doer; things are just happening. And so, such a person may appear to be doing something—according to the mental makeup and circumstances—yet he simply is.

He may even appear dull (bāliśaḥ), because he seems to have no compelling reason to do anything, and yet there is a vast difference. This is a person so fulfilled that there is no need to act for fulfillment. Every act is a luxury. Even goals are luxuries. He simply enjoys everything, because wherever he goes there is only the same Presence. In fact, he does not really go anywhere—there is nowhere else to go.

There is a story of a Swami who was walking in one direction. People who saw him passing offered their namaskār to him. After some time, the same Swami was seen walking back in the opposite direction. One of the people asked him, “Swami, why are you returning now?”

The Swami replied, “There is no particular reason. I was walking that way, but the breeze caused my long hair to fall across my face. So I am now walking in the opposite direction.”

Random Verses From Ashtavakra Gita : 17.9

 शून्या दृष्टिर्वृथा चेष्टा  विकलानीन्द्रियाणि च।

न स्पृहा न विरक्तिर्वा क्षीणसंसारसागरे॥१७- ९॥

Sunyaa : empty, vacant

drushtihi : look

vruthaa: purposeless

cheshta : actions

vikalaani: inoperative

indriyanni : senses

ca: and

na: not 

spruhaa : attachment

na : not

viraktih : aversion

va or

kshina samsara sagare = for one whom the ocean of world as dried down

There is no attachment or aversion for one in whom the ocean of the world has dried up. His gaze becomes vacant.his bodily actions are purposeless and his senses inoperative.

                                       --> Translation taken from Swami Chinmayananda's 

                                              Ashtavakra Gita 

====================================

The body has no purpose or destination in this life. The senses also are the same. Its the mind which drives the body towards a destination. When a person understands one's True nature, one no more seeks fulfillment through the objects of the world. Such a person is not "seeking" anything from the world for his own fulfillment. He is ever reveling in total satisfaction. This verse explains the life of a  person when he experiences total satisfaction and fulfillment and therefore stops looking at the world as a means to make himself happy. 

Even while acting in the world , there is no attachment or aversion. Money, pleasures, name and fame etc can at best give us comforts. Ill health may cause discomfort while a healthy body gives comfort but a Jnani clearly sees that discomfort cannot take away his happiness and comforts cannot add to it. There is total acceptance and so what ever IS, is totally accommodated. Just as space accommodates various objects but is neither attached to an object nor is averse to anything. 

You are not the mind !

OM!

 

Realization of Truth does not take place until one stops believing that manas is me. Unless one starts to look at the manas as a shadow ... it continues to appear real! It is like a shadow taken to be a ghost. The shadow continues to lurk in the darkness as a ghost unless i decide to stop believing that it is a ghost.

Annamalai Swami, a direct disciple of Ramana, says :

Quote:

How to give up this false idea that mind is real ? Annamalai Swami Answers: the same way that you give up any wrong idea. you simply stop believing in it. if this does not happen spontaneously when u hear the truth from a teacher, keep telling yourself "i am not the mind, i am not the mind. There is no mind; there is no mind. consciousness alone exists". if you have firm conviction that this is the truth, one day this firm conviction will mature to the point where it becomes your direct experience.

We perpetuate the idea that world is real, mind is real by believing it. They thrive upon over interest and attention. I give them the reality on the one hand and i myself want to see it as unreal! On the one hand i tell myself that i am mind and on the other hand i look for a way to "Transcend mind" !!
Do we see this please ?

When there are thoughts of agitation ... we say I am agitated.
when there is a relative calm in mind ... we say I am calm.
And we want to keep mind calm always ...
or kill the mind , as if its something Real.

and since we believe it to be so, it appears to be so. If you believe that the shadow is a ghost and see it as a ghost ... it appears like a ghost. if one stops believing its a ghost ... it eventually would be seen as a shadow. There is no ghost.

Mind is not you ... mind is "Witnessed By You" ... Leave it alone ... give it no attention ... it is helpless !! To withdraw attention its helpful to divert the attention to "I AM" and "Dissolve there"! Not identifying with the mind made notion of "I"

You are Purna (Complete)

 OM ! 

Vedanta teaches us that we are of the nature of Ananda, that we are ever Purna, Complete. We have to realize this in our day to day lives. There is a beautiful Slokha in Ashtavakra Gita:

सुखमास्ते सुखं शेते

सुखमायाति याति च।

सुखं वक्ति सुखं भुंक्ते

व्यवहारेऽपि शान्तधीः॥१८- ५९॥

Happy [Fully Satisfied] he stands, happy he sits, happy sleeps and happy he comes and goes. Happy he speaks, and happy he eats. Such is the life of a man at peace.॥18.59॥

We need to live this revel thus 24 7. But what stops us from realizing this Truth ? Why is it that we suffer and feel that we are incomplete despite the fact that we have studied in the shastras that we are Complete? One of the reasons for our not being successful in making this a reality in our lives is our attitude towards this teaching. The shastras are not saying "you shall be Purna" or "you can achieve purnatvam". They are clearly stating that you are purnaha here and now. You are ananda-svarupa here and now. This is what the Shastras are saying and yet, somehow we seem to be avoiding it (postponing it). We seem to be telling ourselves the reverse story: "Though the shastras claim that I am complete, this cannot be True or it does not apply to me ...". We have a tendency to find reasons to judge ourselves as "incomplete, insufficient etc" ! 
Lets take an example, Suppose I get angry. What this means is that in my own mind i have somehow taken myself to be an incomplete person. My anger stems out of an unfulfilled desire - a desire which can make me complete. This is the source of my anger. Ideally, I am supposed to take the scriptural teaching (with all its logic) within and correct this flaw. I am supposed to use the knowledge provided by vedanta to correct the mistake I have committed. Instead of doing this, I would tell myself that since I got angry I am incomplete and unfulfilled. My own inner dialogue is "How can I be purna when i get angry ?" Please see the problem here: I am angry because I think I am unfulfilled (and a desired object will make me complete) and since I am angry I declare myself as incomplete". This is precisely our problem. We seem to feed the wrong idea (that I am incomplete) instead of using the understanding from vedanta to correct it. So Vedantic knowledge is not used , or it does not "seep into me". If the vedantic knowledge is like a torch, I am not switching it on and perpetuating the darkness. Somewhere this links to lack of mumukshatvam. 
Annamalai Swamiji says it beautifully:
Q.: It is all very clear but I feel I need some help. I am not sure that i can generate this conviction by myself.
AS.: The desire for assistance is part of your problem. Don't make the mistake of imagining that there is a goal to be reached or attained. If you think like this you will start looking for methods to practice and people to help you. This just perpetuates the problem you are trying to end. Instead, cultivate the strong awareness, 'I am the Self. I am That. I am Brahman. I am everything.'.. The best way to (stop believing the wrong ideas about yourself) is to replace them with ideas which more accurately reflect the real state of affairs. ...
The Self is always attained, it is always realized; it is not something that you have to seek, reach or discover. Your vasanas and all the wrong ideas you have about yourself are blocking and hiding the experience of the real Self. If you don't identify with these wrong ideas, your Self-nature will not be hidden from you.
 
Here is one more:

Giving up the identity with the body and the mind is tapas, samadhi, dhyana and nishta.
Spiritual seekers have a very strange habit: they are always looking for a way to reach, attain,discover,experience, or realize the Self. They try many things because they cannot comprehend that they are already the Self. This is like running around looking for one's eyes with one's own eyes.
Why should you imagine that it is some new experience to be discovered or found ? You are the Self right now, and you are aware of it right now. Do you need a new experience to prove that you exist? The feeling "I am existing" is the Self. You pretend that you are not experiencing it, or cover it up with all kinds of false ideas, and then you run around looking for it as if it were something external to be reached or found. There is a story about someone like thus.
Once a king imagined that he was a poverty-striken peasant. He thought , "if I go and meet the king he may be able to help me by giving some money"
He searched for the king in many places but he could not find him anywhere. Ultimately he became very depressed because his search was not yeilding any results. One day he met a man on the road who asked him why he was so depressed.
He answered, " I am searching for the king. I think that he can solve all my problems and make me happy but I cant find him anywhere".
The man, who already recognized him, said with some astonishment, "But you yourself as the king!"
The king came to his senses and remembered who he was. His problems all ended the moment he remembered his real identity.
You may think that the king was fairly stupid but he had at least enough sense to recognize the truth when it was told to him.
The guru may tell his disciples a thousand times "You are the self, you are not what you imagine youself ot be", they all keep asking the guru for methods and routes to reach the place they are already are.

 
 The problem really is this: we are running after the objects of the world because we think they will make us complete. Since we are running after the objects of the world we consider ourselves incomplete. We also have some standards we have set for ourselves. A friend once told me "I shall consider myself liberated when neem leaves and ice cream taste the same to me" and thus he has condemned himself to incompleteness for ever ! We need to differentiate bodily conditions and mental states from our true nature. Discomfort need not mean unhappiness, when acceptance is complete. On a hot day a glass of cold water is comfortable and not getting water to drink is uncomfortable. When tired if we can not sleep that is discomfort. But discomfort need not mean unhappiness. When discomfort is not accepted and when we fight with it, we create unhappiness. We fight with an uncomfortable situation because we feel that the discomfort is going to make us incomplete. Its not discomfort but dissatisfaction with ourselves that is a problem. Thus we suffer. The solution is really to understand the upanishads and "Relax into our own being". Stop Running. We do not need to make any efforts for making ourselves fulfilled. We can be totally satisfied with ourselves as we are

Ashtavakra Gita says: 

मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि
बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि।
किवदन्तीह सत्येयं
या मतिः सा गतिर्भवे त् ॥१-१ १ ॥
The one who considers himself to be free is free, and the one who considers himself bound is bound. The popular saying "one becomes what one believes" is true indeed. 

The story of Mind, From Yoga Vasishta:

There is a formidable and desolate forest in which there was a man. He was with a thousand hands and eyes. Apparently very confused, he would strike himself violently with iron bars and run about crying. Running about like that he fell in a dark well with a hidden way out.

It took him some time to find his way out and then he slowly got out of the well into a thorny forest. Then again, departing and beating himself often, running and laughing he managed to enter a cool forest of plantain trees. 

but he did not remain there for long. There also he started beating himself and running, he fell into the same well again ! He was as though drunk or semi conscious!!

Vasishta ji says: Having seen this for a long time , i held him by force ... and jolted him to consciousness. I then asked him " What is this ? Who are you? Why do you run in vain ?", thus asked, he said:
"I am no body, i do nothing. You are my enemy. Having seen by you, i am lost! Then , laughing, he gave up his limbs all around"
Thus in that forest, many men like him dwell, wandering about. That forest is there even today.

Sri Rama: Sage! What is that great forest ? What is it that they are intent on doing ?

Vasishta replies:

In this great forest of worldly existence, minds indeed wander about. They are lead by me , by discrimination, to supreme tranquility. Some, by disregarding me, fall down into hells. The forest of plantains is heaven. the affliction by sorrow is the thorn. "I am lost", when he said this, it was the cry of ego ... the feeling of me and mine ! The beatings are the blows of fancies or imaginations. They are indeed caused by oneself. The mind is reduced to a state of bondage only by its own imaginations and impressions. Like a silk worm in the cocoon one binds oneself by one's own imaginations and super-impositions.
This story of mind has been narrated to you. Contemplate on it with the mind , using this discrimination observe the mind and reject the fancies or imaginations of mind.

prahaaraaH kalpanaaghaataaH kriyante svayameva hi |
sa.NkalpavaasanaajaalaiH svairevaayaati bandhanam|
mano liilaamayaiH bandhaiH koshakaarakR^imiryathaa ||

प्रहाराः कल्पनाघाताः क्रियन्ते स्वयमेव हि।
सँकल्पवासनाजालैः स्वैरेवायाति बन्धनम्।
मनो लीलामयैः बन्धैः कोशकारकृमिर्यथा॥

The beatings are the blows of fancies (or imaginations). They are indeed caused by oneself. The mind is reduced to the state of bondage only by its own net of impressions of imaginations, just as the silk worm in the cocoon confines itself by bonds with ease.

THE STORY OF THE CHILD - YOGA VASISHTA

prapa~ncotpattireva.N hi baalakaakhyaayikaakramaat |
raajaputraaH trayaH santi shuuraa asati pattane ||

प्रपञ्चोत्पत्तिरेवँ हि बालकाख्यायिकाक्रमात्।
राजपुत्राः त्रयः सन्ति शूरा असति पत्तने॥

The origin of the world is indeed like this, in the manner of a tale narrated to a child (by the mother). There are three brave princes in a non-existent city).

Of these three, two were never born and the other one never indeed was stationed in a womb.

dadR^ishuH gagane vR^ixaan bhuktvaa svaadu ca tatphalam |
sarittritayamaaseduH pathi kallolamaalitam ||

ददृशुः गगने वृक्षान् भुक्त्वा स्वादु च तत्फलम्।
सरित्त्रितयमासेदुः पथि कल्लोलमालितम्॥

Once having gone out with the object of acquiring the best, they saw in the sky trees possessing fruits and having eaten those sweet fruits they reached three rivers crowned by large waves , on the way.
There [amongst those riverse], one was completely dry and there was not even a little water in the other two. Having bathed there and sported in the water, and having drunk the water... The three reached a city about to be (of the future), and the end of the day. There they saw three beautiful mansions. One was without walls and pillars, the other two houses were non-existent. There they obtained three pans (vessels) made of molten gold. In those pans they prepared food and served it to brahmanas who were without mouths ! Then they themselves ate the remnants and stayed there happily.

dhaatryaa hi kathitaametaa.N nirvicaaradhiyaa yathaa |
baalo nishcayamaayaati vicaarojGYitacetasaam |
iya.N sa.Nsaararacanaa.apyavasthitimupaagataa ||

धात्र्या हि कथितामेताँ निर्विचारधिया यथा।
बालो निश्चयमायाति विचारोज्ज्ञितचेतसाम्।
इयँ सँसाररचनाऽप्यवस्थितिमुपागता॥

Just as a child attains conviction in this tale narrated by the mother due to a thoughtless [unreflecting] mind, this creation of the worldly life too has assumed existence to those from whose minds reflection (or enquiry) has left (or dropped).