Ashtavakra Samhita Chapter 10 Verse 5 - You are one pure intelligence
Summary: You are one pure intelligence. The material universe is lifeless and unreal. Avidya is also nothing. Therefore, what else do you desire to know? According to Ashtavakra, the entire creation holds no value in terms of knowledge or learning. Why? Because you are already pure intelligence, and all knowledge resides within you. This pure intelligence, your essential nature, grants you all knowledge, allowing you to instantly comprehend truths without the aid of the mind or senses. Therefore, what more is...
Verse 05
tvamekashchetanah shuddho jadam vishvamasattathaa
avidyaapi na kinchitsaa kaa bubhutsaa tathaapi te
Translation
You are one pure intelligence. The material universe is lifeless and unreal. Avidya is also nothing. Therefore, what else do you desire to know?
According to Ashtavakra, the entire creation holds no value in terms of knowledge or learning. Why? Because you are already pure intelligence, and all knowledge resides within you. This pure intelligence, your essential nature, grants you all knowledge, allowing you to instantly comprehend truths without the aid of the mind or senses. Therefore, what more is there to know? The universe is lifeless, unintelligent, inert, and unreal. The only knowledge worth pursuing is that of yourself. This self-realization is the ultimate goal of spiritual endeavor, leading to enlightenment that liberates you from the chains of ignorance and material limitations.
Chetana means consciousness, intelligence, aliveness, and the quality of being alive and active. The Self is eternally alive, active, intelligent, conscious, and aware. It is independent of the mind and body. Therefore, it is wrong to believe that one is alive only when the body is alive. The body (the universe) is alive only because of the Self. Therefore, it should not be mistaken for the Self. In other words, you are always alive, conscious, intelligent, aware, and active, and do not depend upon your body for being so. Indeed, your body limits your knowledge, intelligence, consciousness, and awareness. It is a limiting factor. Therefore, to regain your freedom and original and absolute state of pure intelligence, you must become detached from it.
Avidya means ignorance, inferior knowledge, false knowledge, illusory knowledge, or knowledge of untruths or inconsequential things such as the knowledge of rites and rituals, the material universe, the mind and body, or knowledge that becomes an obstacle to knowing yourself. In short, Vidya is the knowledge of the Self, and Avidya is the knowledge of the not-self, which includes the knowledge of all the material things, including the mind and body, the world, and the universe. Even the knowledge of creation, sacrificial rites and rituals, gods, and goddesses come under Avidya only. Vidya leads to Jnana, true knowledge, and Moksha, or liberation. Avidya leads to ignorance, delusion, egoism, desire-ridden actions, bondage, and suffering.
Knowing these distinctions, the wise cultivate detachment and indifference toward everything and remain established within themselves, withdrawing their minds and bodies. As they realize the illusory nature of the whole material existence, they do not desire to know or own anything and remain content with whatever they have. Unlike the duty-bound householders, they do not pursue Dharma, Artha, or Kama. They pursue Moksha (liberation) only, with the realization that they are immortal and indestructible, and their lives, knowledge, intelligence, awareness, liveliness, or existence do not depend upon their bodies and do not end with their death.