संत साहित्य · Aṣṭāvakra · Verse by verse
Chapter 7 — The Tranquil Ocean of Self
Verse by verse
जनक उवाच॥
मय्यनंतमहांभोधौ विश्वपोत इतस्ततः।
भ्रमति स्वांतवातेन न ममास्त्यसहिष्णुता॥७- १॥
janaka uvāca||
mayyanamtamahāmbhodhau viśvapota itastataḥ|
bhramati svāmtavātena na mamāstyasahiṣṇutā||7- 1||
Janaka said: In me, the boundless great ocean, the ship of the world drifts here and there, driven by the wind of its own nature — I feel no impatience with this.
Janaka, now identifying as awareness itself (the infinite ocean), watches the entire world — the "ship" of events, relationships, and circumstance — drift by, propelled by its own momentum (svabhāva); he feels no urgency to steer it or complain of its course.
Let today's chaos at work or home drift like a ship on its own wind for a minute before you rush to fix it.
मय्यनंतमहांभोधौ जगद्वीचिः स्वभावतः।
उदेतु वास्तमायातु न मे वृद्धिर्न च क्षतिः॥७- २॥
mayyanamtamahāmbhodhau jagadvīciḥ svabhāvataḥ|
udetu vāstamāyātu na me vṛddhirna ca kṣatiḥ||7- 2||
In me, the boundless great ocean, the wave of the world rises by its own nature and subsides — for me there is neither increase nor loss.
Events rise and fall in awareness the way waves rise and fall in the sea, and just as the sea neither gains nor loses volume from its own waves, awareness is neither enriched by gain nor depleted by loss.
Whether today's news is a win or a setback, notice that the part of you receiving it hasn't actually gotten bigger or smaller.
मय्यनंतमहांभोधौ विश्वं नाम विकल्पना।
अतिशांतो निराकार एतदेवाहमास्थितः॥७- ३॥
mayyanamtamahāmbhodhau viśvam nāma vikalpanā|
atiśāmto nirākāra etadevāhamāsthitaḥ||7- 3||
In me, the boundless great ocean, the so-called world is merely a mental construct; utterly still, formless, this is how I remain established.
What we call "the world" is simply a construction of thought (vikalpa) appearing within an utterly still, formless awareness — real as appearance, but the awareness underneath stays untouched by it.
When a mental story about your future starts to feel solid and urgent, remind yourself it's a construct passing through something that itself never moves.
नात्मा भावेषु नो भावस्तत्रानन्ते निरंजने।
इत्यसक्तोऽस्पृहः शान्त एतदेवाहमास्तितः॥७- ४॥
nātmā bhāveṣu no bhāvastatrānante niramjane|
ityasakto'spṛhaḥ śānta etadevāhamāstitaḥ||7- 4||
The Self is not in objects, nor are objects in that infinite, stainless one; thus unattached, desireless, at peace, this is how I remain established.
Awareness (ātman) does not reside inside particular states or objects, nor do objects reside within the infinite, unstained awareness in any way that could implicate it — this mutual non-involvement is what makes detachment and peace natural rather than effortful.
Practice holding a strong craving today without letting it convince you it lives inside you — watch it pass through instead.
अहो चिन्मात्रमेवाहं इन्द्रजालोपमं जगत्।
इति मम कथं कुत्र हेयोपादेयकल्पना॥७- ५॥
aho cinmātramevāham indrajālopamam jagat|
iti mama katham kutra heyopādeyakalpanā||7- 5||
Ah, I am pure consciousness alone; the world is like a magician's illusion — so how, or where, could there be for me any notion of accepting or rejecting?
Recognizing himself as pure consciousness (cit) alone, Janaka sees the world as no more substantial than a magician's illusion (indrajāla) — and once the trick is seen through, there's nothing left to grasp for or push away.
Before chasing the next thing you think will fix your life, ask whether you're falling for a magic trick you already know the mechanics of.