Aṣṭāvakra Saṃhitā
A Dialogue on Self-realization
Chapter 10, Verse 4
Order Now 
Ashtavakra Gita 10.4 -
तृष्णामात्रात्मको बन्धस्तन्नाशो मोक्ष उच्यते ।
भवासंसक्तिमात्रेण प्राप्तितुष्टिर्मुहुर्मुहु:
tṛṣṇā-mātrātmako bandhas-tan-nāśo mokṣa ucyate .
bhavāsaṃsakti-mātreṇa prāpti-tuṣṭir-muhur-muhuḥ .. 10-4.
Desirefulness itself is bondage. Its dissolution is said to be liberation. Only by not clinging to the world, the joy of having attained the goal prevails constantly.
Commentary by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Spiritual wisdom bestows liberation, meaning the freedom from the shackles the mind suffers from. The main shackle is the desire, the mind nurtures ceaselessly. Each desire when fulfilled, gives rise to another and yet another. And the chain continues endlessly. Ashtavakra Maharshi says that this chain should be broken and the desiring process must be totally dissolved.
Reflecting upon the Self, which is blissful to the core, is the only way to dispense with desires. Why desire an object, chase it and fulfil the desire, only to have a network of further desires again? Will the cycle end at all? Analysing thus, dispense with the desiring process itself. When such dissolution is had, the entire bondage will cease for ever.
Transitory world and its objects cannot be a goal for the seeker, if he aims at enduring happiness. Instead of external perishable objects, the discreet seeker should turn to the inner eternal, blissful Self. When by the strength of viveka and vairagya, the clinging, saṅga, to the world objects ceases for ever, one attains constant contentment, leading to fulfilment.
Krishna throughout his Kurukshetra dialogue has stressed the abandonment of delusional clinging. He equates it with true renunciation, sannyasa. The moment clinging is dropped, the mind becomes pure, transparent, radiating joy with no let or hindrance.
Select Chapter and Verse
