Ashtavakra geeta OSHO part 1

King spoke [Music] How is knowledge attained? How will liberation be achieved? And how is detachment attained? Tell me, my Lord. The liberated Ashtavakra said: Liberation is attained through consciousness. Sense objects are like poison. Forgiveness, patience, compassion, contentment, truth are like nectar. Not earth, not water, not fire, not air. This is the witness, the self. [Music] Know the self as consciousness. If you consider the body as separate, you will be happy, free from bondage. You are not a Brahmin, not a Kshatriya, not a Vaishya, not a Shudra. You are not a householder, not a celibate, not a forest dweller, not a renunciate. You are not an object of the senses. You are unattached, formless, the witness of the universe. Be happy. Dharma and adharma, happiness and sorrow, mind and intellect are not yours. You are not the doer, nor the enjoyer. You are always liberated.

We embark on a unique journey. Humanity possesses many scriptures. But there is no scripture like the Ashtavakra Gita. The Vedas are pale. The Upanishads speak in a very low voice. Even the Gita does not possess the glory that Ashtavakra's Samhita has. Some aspects are truly unique. The most significant aspect is that neither society, nor politics, nor any other system of life has influenced Ashtavakra's words. Such a pure, transcendental statement, beyond time and space, is unparalleled. Perhaps this is why Ashtavakra's Gita, Ashtavakra's Samhita, did not have much impact. Krishna's Gita had a great impact. The first reason is that Krishna's Gita is about synthesis. It is not as concerned with truth as it is with synthesis. The insistence on synthesis is so deep that if truth is slightly lost, Krishna is content. Krishna's Gita is like a khichdi (a mixed dish). Therefore, everyone likes it because everyone finds something of their own in it. It is difficult to find a sect that does not find its voice in the Gita. It is difficult to find a person who does not find some support for themselves in the Gita. For all these reasons, Ashtavakra's Gita would be very difficult. Ashtavakra is not a synthesiser; he is a truth-teller. He has spoken the truth as it is, without any embellishment. He is not concerned whether the listener understands or not. It is such a pure statement of truth, never before and never again. Krishna's Gita is dear to people because it is very easy to extract one's own meaning from it. Krishna's Gita is poetic. Two plus two can be five. Two plus two can be three. With Ashtavakra, no such play is possible. There, two plus two is always four. Ashtavakra's statement is a statement of pure mathematics. There is no room for poetry at all. There is no scope for poetry. It is said as it is. There is no compromise of any kind. If you read Krishna's Gita, the devotee extracts their own meaning because Krishna has also spoken of devotion. The Karma Yogi extracts their own meaning because Krishna has also spoken of Karma Yoga. The wise person extracts their own meaning because Krishna has also spoken of knowledge. Krishna sometimes calls devotion supreme, sometimes knowledge supreme, sometimes action supreme. Krishna's statement is very political. He was a politician. A skilled politician. It is not appropriate to say he was just a politician. He was a cunning politician. A diplomat. Many things were taken into account in his statements. That is why everyone is drawn to the Gita. That is why there are thousands of commentaries on the Gita. No one worries about Ashtavakra. Because to be at peace with Ashtavakra, you have to leave yourself behind. Only if you cannot take yourself with you, if you remain behind, can you go. With Krishna, you can take yourself along. With Krishna, there is no need to change yourself. With Krishna, you can be present. That is why all sects have written commentaries on Krishna's Gita. Shankar, Ramanuj, Narak, Vallabh, all of them have extracted their own meanings. Krishna has said something that is multifaceted. That is why I say it is poetic. Any meaning can be extracted from poetry. Krishna's statement is like clouds gathering in the rain. See whatever you wish. Someone sees Ganesh with an elephant's trunk. Someone sees nothing at all. They say, what nonsense are you talking? It's clouds. What shapes are you seeing in this smoke? In the West, scientists drop ink blots on blotting paper for psychological testing and ask the person to see what they see. The person looks carefully and sees something. There is nothing there. Just ink blots scattered randomly on the blotting paper. They are not even thrown thoughtfully. It's like a bottle has been emptied. But the viewer finds something. What the viewer finds is in their mind. They project it. You must have seen it too. When rainwater falls on a wall, lines are drawn. Sometimes a human face appears, sometimes a horse's face. You project what you want to see. In the darkness of night, a piece of cloth is hanging. Ghosts and spirits appear. Krishna's Gita is like this; whatever is in your mind will appear. So Shankar sees knowledge. Ramanuj sees devotion. Tilak sees action. And everyone returns home happy, thinking that Krishna says exactly what our belief is. Emerson wrote that once a neighbor borrowed Plato's books. Now, Plato lived 2000 years ago and was one of the world's most unique thinkers. After a few days, Emerson asked for the books back. The neighbor returned them. Emerson asked, "How did you like them?" The man said, "Plato's ideas are very similar to mine. Many times, I felt as if this man knew my thoughts. But he lived 2000 years ago. I suspect he might have stolen my ideas." Such suspicion often arises with Krishna. That is why centuries have passed, and commentaries on Krishna continue. Every century finds its own meaning. Every person finds their own meaning. Krishna's Gita is like ink blots, the statement of a skilled politician. In Ashtavakra's Gita, you will not find any meaning. Only if you leave yourself behind will Ashtavakra's Gita become clear. Ashtavakra's message is crystal clear. You cannot insert your own interpretation into it at all. That is why people have not written commentaries. There is no room for writing commentaries. There is no way to twist or distort it. There is no convenience for your mind to insert something. Ashtavakra has given his statement in such a way that centuries have passed, and no one has been able to add or subtract anything from that statement. It is very difficult to give such a statement. Such skill with words is very difficult. That is why I say you are starting a unique journey. There is no interest in Ashtavakra among politicians. Neither Tilak, nor Arvind, nor Gandhi, nor Vinoba. No interest from anyone. Because you cannot play your own game. If Tilak wants to incite patriotism, to raise the tide of action, Krishna's Gita becomes helpful. Krishna is ready to give a shoulder to everyone. Anyone can fire a bullet with their shoulder on him, he is willing. You have the convenience of hiding behind him, and if you shoot from behind him, even the bullet seems precious. Ashtavakra does not even let anyone put a hand on his shoulder. That is why Gandhi has no interest, Tilak has no interest. Arvind and Vinoba have nothing to do with it. Because you cannot impose anything. There is no political convenience. Ashtavakra is not a political man. This is the first thing that must be kept in mind. Such a clear, open-sky statement, in which there are no clouds. You will not be able to see any shape. You will leave all shapes behind. You will become formless. Only by connecting with the formless will you understand Ashtavakra. If you want to understand Ashtavakra, you must descend into the depths of meditation. Interpretation will not work. And for meditation, Ashtavakra does not say to sit and chant "Ram, Ram." Ashtavakra says whatever you do, it will not be meditation. Where there is a doer, how can there be meditation? As long as there is doing, there is delusion. As long as the doer is present, ego is present. Ashtavakra says meditation is becoming a witness. Where the doer is left behind, you remain only the seer. Only the seer. In becoming only the seer lies vision. In becoming only the seer lies meditation. In becoming only the seer lies knowledge. Before we descend into the sutras, it is necessary to understand a few things about Ashtavakra. Not much is known because he was neither a social man nor a political man, so there is no mention in history. Only a few incidents are known, and they are also very strange and not entirely believable, but if you understand them, very deep meanings will unfold. The first incident is before Ashtavakra was born. Nothing is known of his past. An incident in the womb. His father was a great scholar. Ashtavakra, in his mother's womb, heard his father reciting the Vedas daily. One day, suddenly, a voice came from the womb, "Stop! This is all nonsense. There is nothing in this knowledge. It is just a collection of words. Where is knowledge in words? Where is truth in words? Truth is in oneself." His father was naturally angry. A father, and a scholar at that, and his hidden son in the womb saying such things. He was not even born yet. In anger, he became furious. The father's ego was hurt. Then the scholar's ego. He was a great scholar, a great debater, a scholar of scriptures. In anger, he cursed him, saying, "When he is born, he will be crooked in eight limbs." Hence the name Ashtavakra. He was born with deformities in eight places. Crooked like a camel in eight places. The father, in his anger, distorted the body. There are other such stories. They say that when Buddha was born, he was born standing. His mother was standing under a tree, and he was born standing. He did not fall to the ground. He took seven steps. At the eighth step, he stopped and declared the Four Noble Truths: life is suffering, there is an end to suffering, there is a way to end suffering, and there is the state of liberation from suffering, the state of Nirvana. There is a story about Lao Tzu that he was born old. He was born at 80 years of age. He remained in the womb for 80 years. He had no desire to do anything, so he had no desire to come out of the womb. He had no desires, so he had no desire to come into the world. When he was born, he had white hair. He was an 80-year-old man. There is a story about Zarathustra that when Zarathustra was born, he laughed heartily from the moment of his birth. But Ashtavakra surpassed all of them. This is after birth. Ashtavakra gave his entire discourse before birth. These stories are important. In these stories lies the entire essence, the distilled wisdom of these individuals' lives. What Buddha said throughout his life is distilled in these stories. Buddha preached the Eightfold Path, took seven steps, and stopped at the eighth. There are eight limbs in total. The final state is Samyak Samadhi. In that state of Samadhi, the entire truth of life is revealed. It declares the Four Noble Truths. Lao Tzu was born old. People take 80 years, and still, they don't attain such understanding. Even when old, how do people become wise? Being old and being wise are not synonymous. Hair can be bleached in the sun. Lao Tzu's story simply says that if there is speed, intensity in life, then what happens in 80 years can happen in a moment. If there is intensity of wisdom, it can happen in a moment. If the intellect is clouded, it doesn't happen even in 80 years. Zarathustra laughed from birth. Zarathustra's religion is the only religion in the world that can be called a laughing religion. It is an otherworldly religion, a religion of the earth. That is why Parsis do not consider other religious people to be religious. Dancing and singing, happy. Zarathustra's religion is a laughing religion, a religion of acceptance of life, not negation, not renunciation. Have you ever seen a Parsi sadhu standing naked, leaving everything, sitting in the sun, or sitting comfortably? No. In Zoroastrianism, there is no system of tormenting or causing suffering to life. Zarathustra's entire message is that when the laughing God can be found, why find him weeping? When we can reach that temple dancing, why sow thorns unnecessarily? When we can go with flowers, why this pessimism? Therefore, it is right that the symbol is right that Zarathustra was born laughing. Do not search for history in these stories. It did not happen like this. But there is a very deep meaning in these stories. You have a seed. When you see a seed, you get no inkling of the flower that will arise from it. What can this be? You don't even get a hint. It will become a lotus, it will bloom. It will remain in the water and be untouched by the water. It will dance on the sun's rays, and the sun itself will be jealous of its beauty, its tenderness, its unparalleled dignity, its grace. Its fragrance will spread in the sky. Seeing the seed, you cannot even know this. You cannot imagine or guess anything from seeing the seed. But one day, it happens. So we can think in two ways. Either we hold the seed tightly and say, what was not visible in the seed cannot happen in the flower. This is an illusion. This is a deception. This is a lie. Those whom we call rational, skeptical, have this as their basis. They say, what was not visible in the seed cannot be in the flower. There is some delusion. That is why the skeptical person cannot accept the Buddha. Cannot accept Mahavir. Cannot accept Jesus. Because they say, "We knew them." Jesus came to his village, and they were very surprised. The villagers did not care at all. Jesus's statement is that a prophet is not honored in his own village. What could be the reason? Why is the prophet not honored in the village? The villagers had seen him since childhood. They saw him as the son of Joseph, carrying wood, sawing wood, splitting logs, covered in sweat, playing in the streets, fighting. The villagers knew him from childhood. They saw him as a seed. How can it suddenly be that he has become the son of God? No. Those who have seen the seed cannot believe in the flower. They say, it must be a deception. It must be dishonesty. This man is a hypocrite. When Buddha returned to his home, his father did not see what the whole world was seeing. The whole world was experiencing a light. News was spreading far and wide. People were starting to come from distant lands. But when Buddha returned home after 12 years, his father said, "I can still forgive you. Although you have done wrong, you have troubled us, you have committed a crime, but I have a father's heart, I will forgive you. The doors are open for you, but throw away this begging bowl, this monk's attire, all this will not do. Return. This kingdom is yours. I have grown old. Who will manage it? Enough of this childishness. Stop all this play now." Buddha said, "Please look at me. The one who left has not returned. This is someone else who has come. Someone else has come who was born in your house. The one who was born is not the one who has returned. This is someone else who has come. The seed has come as a flower. Look closely." His father said, "You are trying to teach me. From the first day you were born, I have known you. Deceive someone else. Convince someone else. Confuse them. You cannot confuse me. I tell you again. I know you very well. Do not try to teach me anything. I am willing to forgive." Buddha said, "You know me and yourself. I did not even know myself. Rays have just descended, and I know myself. Forgive me. But I must say that the one you saw is not me. And where you saw is not me. You saw from the outside. Where did you see from the inside? I was born of you. But you did not create me. I have come from you. Just as a traveler comes from a road. But what does the road have to do with the traveler? Tomorrow the road might say, 'I recognize you. You came through me.' Similarly, you are saying. I existed before you. My journey has been going on for lifetimes. I certainly passed through you. I have passed through others like this, and I have had other fathers, and other mothers, but my existence is very isolated. It is very difficult, extremely difficult. If you saw the seed, you cannot believe in the flower. One way is that of the unbeliever, the rationalist, the skeptic. They say, "We recognize the seed, so the flower cannot be." We know the mud. How can a lotus come from that mud? It must all be a false dream. Delusion. They must have fallen into some illusion. Someone must have deceived them. Some magic, some spell." This is one way. Another way is that of the believer. The lover. The compassionate heart. They see the flower and travel backward from the flower. They say, "When there was such fragrance in the flower, when such radiance appeared in the flower, when such brilliance, when such innocence was seen in the flower, it must have been in the seed too. Because what is in the flower cannot not be in the seed." All these stories happened, not that they happened. Those who saw Ashtavakra's flower realized that what happened today must have happened yesterday too. It was hidden, veiled, lying behind a curtain. What is today, what is at the end, must have been at the beginning too. What is visible at the moment of death must have been present at the moment of birth, otherwise, how would it have been born? So, one way is to look backward from the flower, and another is to look forward from the seed. Look closely, and in both, the underlying principle is the same. The foundation of both is the same. But the difference becomes as vast as the sky. The one who sees the seed is also saying, "What is not in the seed cannot be in the flower?" This is their logic. The one who sees the flower is also saying the same. They are saying, "What is in the flower must also be in the seed." The logic of both is the same, but their way of seeing is different. I often face a great difficulty. Someone asks me, "Many people studied with you in childhood, in school, in college. They are not visible. How can they be visible?" They have great difficulty. They cannot believe. It is very difficult for them. Just yesterday, someone sent me a newspaper from Raipur. Shri Harishankar Parsai wrote an article against me. He knows me. He has known me since college days. He is a foremost Hindi satirist. I admire his works. In the article, he wrote that there is something wrong with the air of Jabalpur. Deceivers and tricksters are born here, like Rajneesh, Mahesh Yogi, Mundra. He listed three names. Thank you, at least he listed my name as number one. He remembered that much. He did not completely forget me. But it is natural. It is straightforward. I can understand his point. It is impossible to see the seed and believe in the flower. Then, for those who have seen the flower, believing in the seed becomes difficult. So, the life stories of all great men are written in two ways. Those who are against them start their journey from childhood. Those who are in their favor start from the end and go towards childhood. In meaning, it is correct. But those who travel from childhood towards the end are deprived. Their correctness is self-destructive for them. Those who travel from the end, going backward, are blessed. Because they gain much effortlessly, which the rationalists do not get at first. Now, not only do I seem wrong, but because of me, even the air of Jabalpur seems wrong to them. There must be some fault in the air and water. If I were to say to them, Jabalpur has no right to determine the air and water concerning me as good or bad. I have no great connection with Jabalpur. I was there for a short time. Mahesh.

The yogis were also there for a few days. They too have no connection. Our connection is from somewhere else. The people of that place are so asleep that they are not yet aware. Mahesh Yogi and I were born close to each other. Both were born around Gadarwada. He was born in Chichli. I was born in some place. If the air and water are bad, then it must be from there. Gadarwada should feel sad about this. It should never be happy, and Jabalpur should not be in the middle of this. But how the mind creates logic. Now, anyone who looks at the story of Ashtavakra will immediately say it's wrong. Impossible. Even those who wrote this story know that if someone proudly says something, they are only saying that what finally manifested must have been present in the womb, and the words that finally bloomed must have been present at some deep level in the womb, otherwise, where would they have bloomed from, where would they have come from? Does anything come from just listening? We haven't been able to see the reason behind everything, but it was present. All these stories indicate this. The second thing known about Ashtavakra is that he was 12 years old. Only two things are known. The third is his Ashtavakra Gita, or some people say Ashtavakra Samhita. When he was 12 years old, Janak organized a great philosophical debate. Janak was an emperor, and he invited scholars from all over the country. He lined up 1000 cows at the palace gate. Gold was melted and applied to their horns, and jewels were hung on them. He said whoever wins can take these cows away. There was a great dispute. Ashtavakra's father also went to that dispute. By evening, news came that the father was losing. He had won against everyone else. He was losing to a scholar named Vandin. Hearing this news, Ashtavakra also reached the palace. The assembly was convened. The debate was at its peak. The decisive moment was approaching. The situation of the father losing was completely certain. It was a matter of when he would lose. Ashtavakra entered the court. The scholars saw him. Great scholars were gathered. His body, crooked in eight limbs, moved. Even then, people laughed seeing him. His walk was also very comical. The entire assembly started laughing. Ashtavakra also laughed heartily. Janak asked, "I understand why everyone else is laughing. Why are you laughing?" Ashtavakra said, "I am laughing because in this assembly of cobblers, a decision of truth is being made. A great man must have been unique. What are these cobblers doing here?" Silence fell. The emperor asked, "What do you mean?" He said, "It's simple. They only see the skin. They don't see me. It's hard to find a straightforward person like me. They just don't see me. They see a crooked body. These are cobblers. They are connoisseurs of skin. O king, does the sky become crooked because the temple is crooked? Does the sky break because the pot is broken? The sky is unaffected. My body is crooked, but I am not. Look at what resides within. You won't find anyone more straightforward than this." This was a very shocking declaration. There must have been silence. Janak was impressed. He was jolted. Surely, he thought, he is sitting with a crowd of cobblers. He also felt remorse and guilt for laughing. Nothing could be said that day. But the next morning, when the emperor went for a walk, Ashtavakra appeared on the road. He dismounted from his horse and fell at his feet. He couldn't gather the courage in front of everyone. Yesterday, yesterday he had asked, "Son, why are you laughing?" He was a 12-year-old boy, his age was considered. Today, age was not considered. He got off his horse, fell at his feet, prostrated himself, and said, "Please come to the palace and resolve my curiosities. O Lord, come to my home. I understood. I couldn't sleep all night. You said it right. Those who only recognize the body, how deep is their understanding? They are debating about the soul, and still, attraction and repulsion arise from the body. Hate and attraction arise. They are looking at death and discussing immortality. Blessed am I that you came and surprised me. You broke my sleep. Now please come." He had made great arrangements in the palace. This 12-year-old Ashtavakra was seated on a golden throne, and he asked his questions. The first verse is Janak's curiosity. Janak asked, and Ashtavakra explained. Nothing more is known about Ashtavakra than this. There is no need to know anything more. It is enough. This is more than enough. Diamonds are not abundant. Pebbles are abundant. Even one diamond is enough. These are two small incidents. One is the voice from the womb before birth and the declaration, "What madness are you caught in? You are entangled in scriptures, entangled in words. Wake up! This is not knowledge. This is all borrowed. This is all a web of intellect. It is not experience. There is not an iota of essence in it. How long will you deceive yourself?" And the second incident is the laughter in the palace by the scholars and Ashtavakra's statement that there are two ways of seeing in life: self-vision and skin-vision. The cobbler sees the skin. The wise sees the soul. Did you notice? Cobblers don't look at your face; they only look at your shoes. In reality, by looking at the shoes, the cobbler identifies everything about you: your financial situation, whether you are succeeding or failing, how your luck is running. It's all written in the shoes. The creases of the shoes, the condition of the shoes tell everything. The shoes have written your autobiography. The cobbler can read it. The shine of the shoes, the newness of the shoes. The cobbler meets you with pleasure. The shoe is proof of your soul to him. The tailor sees the clothes. Your coat, seeing the fabric, understands your situation. Everyone has their fixed perspectives. Only the self-realized sees the soul. He has no perspective; he has vision. One small incident that is not related to Ashtavakra's life, but to the lives of Ramakrishna and Vivekananda. But it has a connection with Ashtavakra. Then we will enter the verses. Vivekananda came to Ramakrishna. His name was then Narendra Nath. Vivekananda was called later by Ramakrishna. When he came to Ramakrishna, he was very argumentative, an atheist, and a rationalist. He wanted proof for everything. There are some things for which there is no proof. It's a necessity. There is no proof for God. There is, and yet there is no proof. There is no proof for love, and yet there is no proof. For beauty, there is no proof, and yet there is no proof. If I say, "Look how beautiful these date palm trees are," and you say, "I don't see any beauty." It would be difficult to prove the trees as beautiful. How to prove that they are beautiful? To be beautiful, one needs the discernment of beauty, and there is no other way. One needs eyes, and there is no other way. It is said that Majnu said, "To know Laila, you need Majnu's eyes." He said it right. There is no other way to see Laila. The king of Majnu's village had called Majnu and said, "You are mad. I know your Laila. She is an ordinary girl, dark and not special. I pity you. These 12 girls from my palace, the most beautiful women in this country, choose any one of them. My heart aches seeing you cry." He looked and said, "None of these are Laila. They are not even dust from Laila's feet, let alone Laila herself." The emperor said, "Majnu, you are mad." Majnu said, "It's possible. But I want to tell you one thing. To see Laila, you need Majnu's eyes." Majnu said it right. If you want to see the beauty of trees, you need the eye of art, and there is no other proof. If you want to recognize someone's love, you need the heart of a lover, and there is no other proof. And God is the collective name for all beauty, all love, and all truth in this world. For Him, such an unaffected mind is needed, such a witness consciousness where no word remains, no thought arises, no wave stirs, where no dust remains. The mirror of the mind and consciousness must be perfectly pure. Where is the proof? Vivekananda said to Ramakrishna, "I need proof." Ramakrishna saw Vivekananda. The potential of this young man was immense. His future journey was vast. Much was to happen within him. He carried a great treasure, unaware of it. Ramakrishna looked into this young man's past lives. He was bringing a great wealth, a wealth of great merit. He shouldn't remain suppressed by such arguments. Ramakrishna's heart must have ached with pain and compassion. He said, "Leave the proofs, we'll think about them later. I've gotten a bit old. I have trouble reading. You are young, your eyes are still sharp. Read this book. It was the Ashtavakra Gita. Read it to me." It is said that Vivekananda found no difficulty in this. This man is not asking for anything special. He read a few verses, and a tremor ran through him, and his hair stood on end. And Vivekananda said, "I can't read this." Ramakrishna said, "Read it. What harm can it do? What will this book do to you? You are young, your eyes are fresh, and I have become old and have difficulty reading. And I need to read this book, so you read it to me." It is said that while reciting that book, Vivekananda was immersed. Ramakrishna saw that there was great potential within this person, great pure potential, like that of a Bodhisattva whose enlightenment is destined sooner or later, no matter how much he wanders. Why did Ramakrishna ask Vivekananda to read the Ashtavakra Gita? Because there is no purer statement than this. Even these words, if they reach within you, will awaken your sleeping soul. These words will stir you. These words will exhilarate you. These words will shake you. A revolution can happen with these words. I have not chosen the Ashtavakra Gita just like that. I did not choose it quickly. I chose it after much thought. There were days when I spoke on Krishna's Gita because I had a crowd. The Ashtavakra Gita had no meaning for the crowd. I have freed myself from the crowd with great effort. Now there are a few Vivekanandas here. Now I have to talk to them who have great potential. I have to work with those few people with whom hard work can yield results. Now I have to carve diamonds. I don't want to waste my chisel on pebbles. That's why I have chosen the Ashtavakra Gita. You have become ready, that's why I have chosen it. Janak said, "O Lord, how does a person attain knowledge, and how will liberation come, and how will detachment be attained? Tell me, O Lord, explain to me, O Lord." Janak, the emperor, says to the 12-year-old boy, "O Lord, God, explain to me. Give some understanding to this ignorant me. Awaken this ignorant one." He asked three questions: Katham Jnanam? How will knowledge come? Ordinarily, we would think this is something to ask about, it's all in books. Janak also knew. It's all in books, but that is not knowledge. That is just the dust of knowledge. It is the ash of knowledge. When the flame of knowledge burns, ash is left behind. Ash keeps accumulating and becomes scripture. The Vedas are ash. They were once burning embers. Sages burned them in their souls. Then they remained as ash. Then the ash was collected, preserved, and organized. Just as when a person dies, we collect their ashes. We call them flowers. People are very funny. The one they didn't call a flower in life, they collect his bones and ashes. They say they have preserved the flowers. They keep them carefully in a casket. The one they never respected as a flower in life, whom they never saw as a flower in life. When a person dies, they are mad. Then they call his bones and ashes flowers. Similarly, when a Buddha is alive, you don't listen. When a Mahavir passes through your midst, you get angry. You feel this person is shattering your dreams or disturbing your sleep. This is a time for awakening. The dream had just begun. You had just started a little in life. The arrows were just starting to hit the right place. And this gentleman arrived. He says all this is meaningless. You just won an election. The path to reaching power was being made, and this great soul arrived. He says all this is a dream. There is no essence in it. Death will come and take everything away. Leave it. We'll see when death comes. Don't bring up such things in the meantime. But when Mahavirs die, when Buddhas die, then we collect their ashes. Then we create the Dhammapada, the Vedas, then we offer flowers for worship. Janak also knew that scriptures are full of information. But he asked, Katham Jnanam? How will knowledge come? Because no matter how much you know, knowledge doesn't come. Keep knowing, keep knowing. Memorize scriptures, become parrots. Remember every verse. Let the entire Vedas be imprinted in your memory. Even then, knowledge doesn't come. Katham Jnanam? How does knowledge come? Katham Mukti? How will liberation come? Because what you call knowledge binds you. How does it liberate? Knowledge is that which liberates. Jesus said, truth is that which liberates. Knowledge is that which liberates. This is the test of knowledge. Scholars don't appear liberated. They appear bound. They talk of liberation but don't appear liberated. They seem bound by a thousand bonds. Have you ever noticed that your so-called saints appear even more bound than you? You might be a little bit free. Your saints are more bound than you. They are slaves to convention. They can neither get up nor sit down nor live freely. A few days ago, I received news that some Jain nuns wanted to meet me. But the lay followers wouldn't let them. This is also very amusing. The meaning of a monk is one who has left worldly worries, who has set out on a journey into the wilderness, who has said, "I neither need your respect nor your honor." But the monks and nuns say the lay followers don't let them in. They say, "Don't go there even by mistake. If you go there, this door will be closed." Is this monasticism? This is dependence. This is slavery. This is a very strange thing. It's as if the monk is replacing the lay follower, or the lay follower is replacing the monk. A friend came and told me that a Jain nun reads your books, but secretly. She wants to listen to your tapes, but secretly. And if she ever mentions your name in front of anyone, she acts as if she has never heard your name. Is this liberation? Janak asked, Katham Mukti? How does liberation come? What is liberation? Explain to me that knowledge which liberates. Freedom is man's most important aspiration. You can have everything, but if you remain enslaved, you have nothing. If you get everything but not freedom, you have gained nothing. Man desires an open sky, no boundaries. That is man's innermost, deepest aspiration, where there are no limits, no obstacles. Call this the aspiration to be God, call it the aspiration for Moksha. We have chosen the right word. Moksha. There is no word as beautiful as this in any language in the world. Heaven, paradise are such words, but those words lack the melody of Moksha. The music of Moksha is unique. Its meaning is simply this: ultimate freedom, which is unhindered. Freedom so pure that it has no boundaries. Janak asked, how will liberation come, and how will detachment come? O Lord, explain to me and tell me. Ashtavakra must have looked intently at Janak because the first task for a guru is to look intently when someone asks a question. From what source does the curiosity come? Why has the questioner asked? The answer can only be meaningful if the reason for the question is understood and clarified. Remember, a person who has attained true knowledge, a true guru, does not answer your question. He answers you. Less concern is given to what you ask. Why have you asked? What is the hidden web in your subconscious behind your asking? What aspiration is actually hidden behind the guise of your questions? There are four types of people in the world: the wise, the seeker of liberation, the ignorant, and the deluded. And there are only four types of curiosity in the world. The curiosity of the wise is silent, one might say. The wise person's curiosity is not curiosity at all. They have known. There is nothing left to know. They have reached their destination. Their consciousness has become pure and calm. They have returned home, to rest and peace. So, the wise person's curiosity is not like curiosity at all. This doesn't mean the wise person is not ready to learn. The wise person becomes like a simple little child, always ready to learn. The more you learn, the more your readiness to learn increases. The simpler and more guileless you become, the more open you are to learning. The winds find your doors open. The sun finds your doors. It doesn't have to knock. God finds you always ready. The wise person does not accumulate knowledge. The wise person simply attains the capacity for knowledge. Understand this clearly, because it will be useful later. The wise person simply means one who is completely open to knowing, who has no bias, no veil for knowing, no preconceived plan or structure for knowing. The wise person means the meditative one, who is full of meditation. So, Ashtavakra must have looked intently at Janak. This person is not wise. He has not attained meditation, otherwise his curiosity would be silent. It would not have words. The life of Buddha mentions a fakir who came to meet him. A sadhu came, a wandering ascetic. He came to Buddha and said, "I have no words to ask. I have no skill to bind what I want to ask into words. You know everything. Understand what is relevant to me." This is the curiosity of the wise. Buddha remained silent. He said nothing. After an hour, something happened. The man who had been sitting silently looking at Buddha, tears started streaming from his eyes. He bowed at Buddha's feet, offered salutations, and said, "Thank you. I am very fortunate. You have given me what I came to receive." He got up and left. There was an extraordinary radiance on his face. He went dancing. The disciples around Buddha were very surprised. Ananda asked, "Bhagavan, it's a puzzle. First, he said he didn't know how to ask, didn't know what words to use, didn't even know what he wanted to ask. Then you know everything, so please see what is necessary for me and tell me. First, this man himself was a bit of a puzzle. What kind of way is this to ask? And if you don't even know what to ask, then why ask? What to ask? It was a lot. Then this didn't end. You sat silently, and you remained silent. I have never seen you like this. If someone asked, you would answer. Sometimes, even if no one asked, you would answer. Your compassion always flowed. What happened suddenly that you became silent and closed your eyes? And then what a mysterious thing happened that the man began to transform. We saw him changing. We saw him immersed in a different hue. We saw him filled with ecstasy. He went dancing, filled with tears, overjoyed, exultant. He bowed at your feet. His fragrance touched us too. What happened? You said nothing. How did he hear? And we, who have been with you for years, are we not blessed by your grace? Why don't we receive this offering that he received? But remember, you receive only as much as you can take." Buddha said, "Listen, Ananda." He spoke to Ananda because Ananda was a Kshatriya, Buddha's cousin, and had a great fondness for horses since childhood.

The horseman was a famous horseman, a competitor, a great one. He said, "Listen, Anand." Buddha said, "There are four types of horses. One type, even if you beat them, they don't budge. The worst of horses, the more you beat them, the more stubborn they become. They stand with absolute obstinacy. If you beat them, they make it a contest of wills, to see who wins."

Then there are the second type of horses. If you beat them, they move; if you don't beat them, they don't. At least they are better than the first. Then there are the third type of horses. Crack the whip. Hitting is not necessary. Just cracking the whip, the sound is enough. They are even more noble than the second. Then, Anand, you must know, there are also horses that run away just by seeing the horse's shadow. You don't even have to crack the whip. This was such a horse; the shadow was enough.

Ashtavakra must have observed closely. When you come and ask me something, you are more important than your question. Sometimes you might feel that I have answered what you did not ask. And sometimes you might feel that perhaps I evaded your question, protected it, and gave some other answer. But your inner need is always more important. What you ask is not as important because you yourself do not know exactly what you are asking or why you are asking it. The answer is given to what you needed. Your asking does not determine anything.

You must have seen, Ashtavakra is not a sage, Janaka is ignorant. Then he is not even ignorant, because the ignorant are stiff, full of arrogance. The ignorant do not know how to bow. This one bowed at the feet of this 12-year-old boy. He prostrated himself. This is impossible for the ignorant. The ignorant think, "I already know. Who will teach me?" If the ignorant ever ask, they ask to prove you wrong, because the ignorant assume, "I already know. Let's see if they know too." The ignorant ask for a test.

But Janaka's eyes are very pure. To this unknown 12-year-old boy, even though he is an emperor, he said, "My Lord, O Lord, explain to me." He did not say this. He is humble. He is not ignorant. [Music] Is he foolish? Then fools do not ask. [Music] Fools do not even know that there is a problem in life. I consider fools and wise men to be the same. For wise men, no problem remains. For fools, the problem has not yet arisen. Wise men have transcended problems. Fools are still outside the problem. Fools were so deluded. What questions would they ask? "How to gain knowledge?" A fool would ask. "How to attain liberation?" A fool would ask. "How to achieve detachment?" A fool would ask. Impossible. If a fool asks, he asks, "How to succeed in worldly attachments?" If a fool asks, he asks, "How to live a little longer in the world?" Not liberation. A fool asks, "How to make bonds of gold?" "How to embed diamonds and jewels in bonds?" A fool asks such things.

A fool does not even believe that knowledge is possible. He does not accept possibilities. He says, "What knowledge?" A fool lives like an animal. No, this Janaka is not a fool. He is a *mumukshu*. Understanding the word *mumukshu* is important. The aspiration for liberation is *mumuksha*. He has not yet reached liberation. He is not a sage. He is not standing with his back to liberation. He is not a fool. He is not holding onto any notions about liberation. He is not ignorant. He is a *mumukshu*. The meaning of *mumukshu* is simple. His curiosity is not defiled by foolishness, nor distorted by ignorant notions. His curiosity is pure. He asked with a simple heart.

Ashtavakra said, "O dear, if you desire liberation, then abandon worldly pleasures like poison, and consume forgiveness, straightforwardness, compassion, contentment, and truth like nectar." Liberation means abandoning worldly pleasures like poison. The word "pleasure" is very valuable. It is made from "poison." Poison means something that kills a person when eaten. Pleasure means something that causes us to die repeatedly. Repeated indulgence, repeated eating, repeated ambition, envy, anger, jealousy. We have died repeatedly by eating these. We have died repeatedly because of these.

Until now, what have we known of life in life? We have only known death. Where is the burning flame of our life until now? It is the smoke of death. From birth to death, we are only dying. When are we truly living? We die every day. What we call life is a continuous process of dying. We do not even know what life is yet, so how can we live? This body deteriorates every day. This strength is lost every day. These pleasures and worldly desires drain us every day. They wear us down. These worldly desires and ambitions are like holes; our energy and soul flow out through them every day. In the end, the pot becomes empty. We call that death. Have you ever seen? If you put a leaky pot in a well, it appears full as long as it is submerged in water. Lift it out of the water, pull the rope, and it begins to empty. There is a loud noise. That is what you call life. Streams of water fall. That is what you call life. And as the pot comes closer to the hand, it keeps emptying. When it reaches the hand, it is an empty pot, not even a drop of water.

Our life is like this. A child is not yet born. He seems full. He is born, and he begins to empty. The first day of birth is the first day of death. He begins to empty. He dies one day, dies two days, dies three days. What you call birthdays. It would be better to call them death days, as that would be more truthful. You die for a year, and you call it a birthday. You die for 50 years and call it living 50 years, celebrating a golden jubilee. You have died for 50 years. Death is approaching, life is moving away. The pot is emptying. Do you think of life based on what is moving away, or on what is approaching? What kind of reverse calculation is this? We are dying every day, death is drawing closer. Ashtavakra says, worldly pleasures are like poison because by consuming them, we only die; they never give us life.

If you desire liberation, O dear, O beloved, then abandon worldly pleasures like poison, and consume forgiveness, straightforwardness, compassion, contentment, and truth like nectar. Nectar means that which gives life, that which gives immortality, that which reveals that which will never die. So, forgiveness is the opposite of anger, a worldly pleasure. Forgiveness is nectar. Straightforwardness is the opposite of crookedness, a worldly pleasure. Straightforwardness is nectar. Compassion is the opposite of harshness and cruelty, a worldly pleasure. Compassion is nectar. Contentment. The worm of discontent eats away. The worm of discontent spreads like cancer in the heart. It spreads poison. Contentment means not aspiring for what is not there, for satisfaction. What you have is more than enough. It is indeed more than enough. Open your eyes and see. Contentment is not something to be imposed. Look at life carefully. What you have received is always more than your need. What you need has always been given to you. What you have desired has always been fulfilled. If you desired suffering, you received suffering. If you desired happiness, you received happiness. If you desired wrong, you received wrong. Your desire has created your life. Desire is the seed, then life is its harvest. In lifetimes, you have received what you have desired. Many times you think, "I am desiring something else." When it is received, something else is received. So, there was no mistake in your desire. You just chose the wrong word for desiring. For example, you desire success, and you get failure. You say, "I am getting failure, but I desired success." But the one who desired success has already accepted failure. He is already afraid of failure within. He desires success only because of failure. And every time he desires success, the thought of failure will come. The thought of failure will keep strengthening. Success will never be achieved, but the journey will be spent in failure, failure. The feeling of failure will accumulate. It will accumulate so much that it will manifest one day. Then you say, "I desired success." But in desiring success, you desired failure.

Lao Tzu said, "If you desire success, you will get failure. If you truly want success, do not desire success at all." Then no one can make you fail. You say, "I desired respect. I am receiving insult." Only a person who has no self-respect desires respect. Such a person desires respect from others. The one who is insulted within themselves wants to fill that insult from others, to snatch it. The aspiration for respect is a sign that you feel insulted within yourself. You feel, "I am nothing. Let others make me something. Let them seat me on a throne. Let them wave banners. Let them raise flags in my name. Let others do something." You are a beggar. You have insulted yourself by desiring respect. And this insult will deepen. Lao Tzu says, "No one can insult me because I do not desire respect." This is to attain respect. Lao Tzu says, "No one can defeat me because we have given up the talk of victory." How will you defeat me now? You can only defeat someone who wants to win.

Now, this is a bit confusing. In this world, respect is given to those who did not desire respect. Success is given to those who did not desire success. Because those who did not desire success have already accepted that they are successful. What more is there to desire? Respect is inherent in our soul. What more is there to desire? God has given you respect by creating you. Whose respect do you seek now? God has given you enough glory. He gave you life. He gave you the fortune to open your eyes and see green trees, flowers, birds. He gave you ears to hear music, the murmur of waterfalls. He gave you the intellect to become enlightened. What more do you want? You are already honored. God has given you a certificate. Why are you asking for a certificate like a beggar from those who are asking for certificates from you? This is a very amusing situation. Two beggars are standing in front of each other, begging. How will they get alms? Both are beggars. Whom are you asking for respect? In front of whom are you standing? You are insulting yourself. And this insult will deepen.

Contentment means, look at what you have. Look with open eyes at what you have received. This is a very valuable key of Ashtavakra. It will become clear to you gradually. Ashtavakra's vision is very revolutionary, a revolution from the root. Consume contentment and truth like nectar. Because one who lives with untruth will become untruthful. One who speaks untruth, lives untruth, will naturally fall into untruth. His connections in life will be severed. His roots will be broken. If you want roots in God, they can only be through truth. Only through authenticity and truth can you connect with God. To break away from God, create the smoke of untruth. Create clouds of untruth around you. The more untruthful you become, the farther you will move away from God.

You are not earth, nor water, nor air, nor sky. For liberation, know your soul as the witnessing consciousness of all these. These are straightforward matters. Not even an introduction. Not even two words have been spoken. Ashtavakra's attention turned to meditation. The knower has nothing else to convey besides meditation. He spoke those two words too, because if the talk of meditation came suddenly, you might be startled. You might not understand. But two words and then directly the talk of meditation. Ashtavakra does not even take seven steps. Buddha walked seven steps. Meditation is at the eighth step. Ashtavakra takes the very first step of meditation. "You are not earth, nor water, nor air, nor sky." Stabilize yourself in this perception. For liberation, know your soul as the witnessing consciousness of all these. This is the sutra of witnessing. There is no more important sutra than this. Become a witness. Let what is happening happen. There is no need to obstruct it. This body is water, earth, fire, sky. You are the light within it, by which all this water, fire, earth, sky, air is illuminated. You are the seer. Accept this. "Witnessing means the form of consciousness, know the self." This is the most valuable sutra in this world. Be a witness. Knowledge will come from this. Detachment will come from this. Liberation will come from this.

There were three questions, the answer is one. "If you separate the body from yourself and rest in consciousness, then you will immediately be happy, peaceful, and free from bondage." Therefore, I say this is a revolution from the root. Patanjali does not say this with such courage. Patanjali says, "Practice, discipline, control breath, withdraw senses, purify posture. It will take lifetimes to achieve perfection." Mahavir says, "Five great vows, and then it will take lifetimes to achieve liberation, to cut the net of karma." Listen to Ashtavakra: "If you separate the body from yourself and rest in consciousness, then you will immediately be happy, peaceful, and free from bondage." *Adhva* - immediately. Right now. If you separate the body from yourself and rest in consciousness. If you begin to see one thing: "The body is not me. I am not the doer and enjoyer." This seer hidden within me, who sees everything. There was childhood, then I saw childhood. Then youth came, then I saw youth. Then old age came, then I saw old age. Childhood is gone, so I cannot be childhood. It came and went, but I am. Youth is gone, so I cannot be youth. It came and went, but I am. Old age is coming and going, so I cannot be old age. Because that which comes and goes, how can I be that? I am eternal. Stations keep changing: childhood, youth, old age. The traveler keeps moving. Do you mistake yourself for the station? Just as you do not mistake yourself for Pune station, thinking, "I am Pune." Then you reach Manma, and do you mistake yourself for Manma? You know that Pune came and went, Manma came and went. You are the traveler. You are the seer who saw Pune. Pune came. Who saw Manma, Manma arrived. You are the one who sees. So, the first thing is to separate the seer from what is happening. Separate the body from yourself and rest in consciousness. And there is nothing to be done. Just as Lao Tzu's sutra is surrender, Ashtavakra's sutra is rest. There is nothing to be done.

People come to me, they say, "How to meditate?" That question itself is wrong. They ask the wrong question, so I tell them, "Do something." Then I tell them, "You have to do something." You have an itch to do something, so that has to be fulfilled. If you have an itch, what will you do? You can't help scratching. But slowly, by making them do it, I tire them out. Then they say, "Now get me rid of this. How long will I keep doing this?" I say, "I was ready from the beginning. But it took you some time to understand. Now, rest." The ultimate meaning of meditation is rest. "Resting in consciousness." One who rests in consciousness, who remains in mere being, does not need to do anything. Because what you are searching for is already found. Because what you are searching for has never been lost. It cannot be lost. That is your nature. "O Mahatma, you are Brahman. I am the truth." Where do you search? Where do you run? Where do you run to search for yourself? Stop. Wait. God is not found by running. Because God is hidden in the runner. God is not found by doing something. Because God is hidden in the doer. To be God, there is no need to do anything. You already are. Therefore, Ashtavakra says, "Rest in consciousness. Rest. Relax yourself. Release this tension. Where are you going? There is nowhere to go, nowhere to reach." And resting in consciousness, you will immediately be happy, peaceful, and free from bondage. This is a unique saying. No other scripture can match it.

"You are not a Brahmin or any other caste, nor are you of any order of life, nor are you an object of the senses like eyes. Unattached and formless, you are the witness of the entire world. Knowing this, be happy." Now, how will a Brahmin write a commentary? "You are not a Brahmin." How will Hindus uphold this scripture? Because their entire religion stands on caste and order of life. And Ashtavakra is already cutting the roots from the beginning. He says, "You are not a Brahmin, nor a Shudra, nor a Kshatriya. All this is nonsense. These are all superficial impositions. This is all politics and social games. You are simply Brahman." Not Brahmin, not Kshatriya, not Shudra. "You are not a Brahmin or any other caste, nor are you of any order of life." And it is not that you are in the Brahmacharya ashram, or Grihastha ashram, or Vanaprastha, or Sanyasa. You are not of any order of life. You are the seer, the witness passing through all these stages. Ashtavakra's Gita is everyone's. Hindus cannot claim it. Ashtavakra's Gita belongs to everyone. If there were Muslims, Hindus, Christians in Ashtavakra's time, he would have said, "You are not a Hindu, not a Christian, not a Muslim." Who will build a temple for such an Ashtavakra? Who will uphold his scripture? Who will claim ownership? Because he negates everything. But this is a direct declaration of truth. "Unattached and formless, you are the witness of the entire world. Knowing this, be happy." Ashtavakra does not say, "If you know this, then you will be happy." Listen to the words carefully. Ashtavakra says, "Be happy knowing this." *Nātmā viprādiko varṇo nāśramī nākṣagocarāḥ | asaṅgo'si nirākāro viśvasākṣī sukhī bhava* - "Be happy." "Be happy now."

Janaka asks, "How will there be happiness? How will there be liberation from bondage? How will there be knowledge?" Ashtavakra says, "It can happen now. There is no need to delay even for a moment. There is no reason to postpone it for tomorrow. This event does not happen in the future. It either happens now, or it never happens. When it happens, it happens now. Because there is no time other than now." Where is the future? When it comes, it comes like now. So, all knowledge that has arisen has arisen now. Never postpone it. That is the cunning of the mind. The mind says, "How can it happen so quickly? Let me prepare." People come to me. They say, "I want to take sanyasa." "Will you take it sometime?" "Never." If you postpone it for later, you postpone it forever. Later never comes. If you want to take it, it is now. There is no time other than now. Life is now. Liberation is now. Ignorance is now. Knowledge is now. Sleep is now. Awakening can be now. Why is awakening difficult for the mind? Because the mind says, "Let me prepare." The mind says, "How can any work happen without preparation?" If a person wants to get a certificate from a university, it takes years. To do a doctorate, it takes 20-25 years. By working hard, a person can become a doctor. How can it happen now? Ashtavakra also knows. If you want to open a shop, it won't open now. You have to gather, organize, bring goods, build the shop, find customers, send advertisements. It takes years. In this world, nothing happens now; it happens sequentially. Right? Ashtavakra also knows, I also know. But one event here happens now, and that is God. It is not your shop. Nor your examination hall, nor your university. God does not happen sequentially. God has already happened. It is a matter of opening your eyes. The sun has already risen. The sun has not waited for your eyes. It will rise when you open your eyes. The sun has already risen. Light is everywhere. The sound of *ahimsa* is echoing. The sound of *Omkar* is echoing everywhere. The continuous, unstruck sound is echoing all around. Open your ears, open your eyes. How much time does it take to open your eyes? It doesn't even take that much time to attain God. It takes a moment, the blink of an eye. A moment means the time it takes to blink an eye. But it doesn't even take a moment to attain God.

"Witness of the world, unattached, formless, be happy." Be happy now. Ashtavakra's religion is not credit; it is cash. [Music] "How? O all-pervading one, virtue and vice, happiness and suffering are of the mind. They are not for you. You are neither the doer nor the enjoyer. You are always liberation itself." Liberation is our nature. Knowledge is our nature. God is our way of being. Our center. The breath of our life. Our existence. *Dharmō'dharmo sukham duḥkham mānasāni na te vibho | na karttāsi na bhoktāsi mukta evāsi sarvadā* - Ashtavakra says, "O all-pervading one, O glorious one, O endowed with power, virtue and vice, happiness and suffering are of the mind. These are all waves of the mind. Did good, did bad, committed sin, gave charity, built a temple, donated. All are of the mind. You are neither the doer nor the enjoyer. You are always liberated. You are always liberated." Liberation is not an event that we have to make happen. Liberation has already happened in our being. Existence is made of liberation. Every particle of it is made of liberation. Liberation is the metal from which all existence is made. Freedom is nature. Just understand this proclamation, and a revolution will happen. There is nothing to do besides understanding. Let this sink into your mind. Listen to it with all your heart. So, I will say only this much today. Just try to understand Ashtavakra. There is no scope for doing anything in Ashtavakra. So, do not think that some trick will emerge that we will do. Ashtavakra does not ask you to do anything. So, listen with rest. There is nothing to be done. Therefore, do not bring notebooks or copies, thinking you will jot down some sutras and try them out. There is nothing to do here. Therefore, listen, leaving behind worries about the future. Just listen. Just sit with me and listen with a calm mind. Listen in rest. By listening, you can become liberated. That is why Mahavir said, "A disciple can be liberated." Just by listening. Disciple means one who becomes liberated by listening. A monk's meaning is only this much: one who could not become liberated by listening. He is of slightly weaker intellect. Something had to be done. Just the shadow of the whip was not enough. The horse was a bit stubborn. The whip was cracked, then it moved a little. Or it was beaten, and it moved a little. The shadow is enough. You listen, and you will see the shadow of the horse. So, remember one thing with Ashtavakra: there is nothing to do. Therefore, you can listen with joy. There is nothing to extract from this to try later. Whatever happens will happen in listening. *Samyak shravana* is the sutra. "Be happy, peaceful, and free from bondage now." Be liberated now. Be liberated this very moment. No one is stopping you. No obstacle. No need to even move. Be liberated right where you are. Because you are already liberated. Wake up and be liberated. "Unattached, formless, witness of the world, be happy." Be happy. [Music] There is no need to delay even for a moment. It is a leap, a quantum leap. There are no stairs in Ashtavakra. No gradual development. It can happen suddenly, this very moment. [Music] Hari Om Tat Sat. That's all for today. Today.