I LIVE AS I PLEASE

The Ashtavakra Gita, a dialogue between Sage Ashtavakra and Sage King Janaka, explores the nature of Atman (Self), self-realisation and liberation. It teaches the oneness of existence and the non-duality of Atman (Self) and Brahman (Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence, or Ultimate Reality). At the heart of the Ashtavakra Gita is the belief that Atman is beyond the body, mind, intellect and senses. It presents the idea that human suffering stems from identifying with the transient aspects of existence, ego and the phenomenal world, rather than realising the eternal, uncaused, unchanged, unmoved, unfettered, and undecayed nature of Atman. It focuses on the nature of Atman, the illusory nature of the external world, and the path to Moksha,  or liberation. Atman, or Self, is the all-pervading, unchanging Brahman. It is the subject that remains constant, but the objects are subject to changes due to birth, growth and decay. It emphasises the oneness of all beings and the interconnectedness of everything, highlighting that the universe is a manifestation of the Unmanifest Reality. The Ashtavakra Gita's perspective is non-dualism and oneness in existence. It suggests that liberation comes from Self-abnegation, Self-abstinence, Self-consciousness, Self-knowledge, and Self-realisation. Self is luminous, eternal, and transcendent, but the world is illusionary, evanescent, and transient. It is of firm view that Existence is one and Absolute. The text emphasises the importance of being aware of one's true self and letting go of identification with the body, mind, and intellect complex.

1. Outline

The statement line, "I live as I please" in the Ashtavakra Gita (13), means a state of liberation where one is free from the dualities and opposites of Tyāga, or renunciation, and Ādāna, or acquisition, and not in anyway imply a sphere of hedonism or indulgence. This state of "I live as I please" is characterised by inner freedom, abandonment of dualities, and living spontaneously or with nothing to achieve, even in minimal material conditions, like wearing just a loincloth. It asserts that inner well-being is not dependent on external possessions but on realising the Atman's true nature. "I live as I please" underlines making oneself transparent by getting out from dualities and opposites. It involves renouncing the fundamental aspects of both renunciation and acquisition, as well as transcending the need to either cling to or reject material possessions. The statement reflects a state beyond attachment and aversion, where actions are spontaneous and not driven by egoistic desires. "I live as I please" indicates living spontaneously in alignment with one's own self, bereft of egocentric desires emanating from the body-mind-intellect complex, societal norms, personal desires, or from the phenomenal world. It is about to move, rest, wake up, and sleep with Atman (Self). "I live as I please" in the Ashtavakra Gita (13) describes a state of ultimate freedom and contentment, achieved through self-realisation. The Ashtavakra Gita (13.1-7) tersely says, "The inner freedom of having nothing is difficult to achieve, even with just a loincloth, but I live as I please, abandoning both renunciation and acquisition. Sometimes one experiences distress because of one's body, sometimes because of one's tongue, and sometimes because of one's mind. Abandoning all of these, I live as I please in the goal of human existence." The statement line suggests living freely, unbound by the need to acquire or renounce material things, reflecting a life aligned with Atman, free from external pressures.This idea aligns with Advaita Vedantic (Existence is one, Reality is one, Atman and Brahman one) philosophy, where Atman is beyond the body-mind-intellect complex. Living as one pleases means being indifferent to worldly dualities like pleasure-pain, hot-cold, happiness-distress, joy-sorrow, etc., and living spontaneously without being driven by desires or aversions. It’s about resting in the eternal, unchanging nature of Atman, as highlighted in other verses of the Ashtavakra Gita (19.2–8), which dismisses societal aims and focuses on inner rest. It declares that for me, established in my own glory, there is no religion, sensuality, possessions, philosophy, duality, non-duality, no past, future or present, no space or eternity,  no self or non-self, no good or evil, no thought or even absence of thought, no dreaming or deep sleep, no waking nor fourth state beyond them, certainly no fear, nothing far away and nothing near, nothing within or without, nothing large and nothing small, no life or death, no worlds or things of the world, no distraction and no stillness of mind, no need for talk of the goals of life (Dharma, or righteousness, Artha, or wealth, Kama, or desire, and Moksha, or liberation), of yoga or of knowledge. The clarion call of this Gita is why there is a need for desire, or aspiration, or possession, or shuttling between opposites or dualities when you (Atman) are in eternity, complete, full, uncaused, unfettered, unattached, undecayed and uncircumscribed by time, space and causation. The Ashtavakra Gita (20.1-14) makes itself conclusively concise and clear. In my unblemished nature, there are no elements, no body, no faculties, no mind, no void and no anguish; free from the sense of dualism, there are no scriptures, no self-knowledge, no mind free from an object, no satisfaction and no freedom from desire, no knowledge or ignorance, no 'me', 'this' or 'mine', no bondage, no liberation and no property of self-nature; no antecedent causal action, no liberation during life, and no fulfilment at death; Free from individuality, there is no doer and no reaper of the consequences; no cessation of action, no arising of thought, no immediate object, and no idea of results; no world, no seeker for liberation, no yogi, no seer, and no one who is bound or liberated; I remain in my own non-dual nature, no emanation or return, no goal, means, seeker or achievement, no judge, no standard, nothing to judge, and no judgement; I am forever actionless; there is no distraction or one-pointedness of mind, no lack of understanding, no stupidity, no joy and no sorrow; I am always free from deliberations; there is neither conventional truth nor absolute truth, no happiness and no suffering; I am forever pure; there is no illusion, no Samsara (birth, death and rebirth cycle), no attachment or detachment, no living being and no God; I am forever immovable and indivisible, established in myself; there is no activity or inactivity, no liberation and no bondage; I am blessed and without limitation; no initiation or scripture, no disciple or teacher and no goal of human existence; and no being or non-being, no unity or dualism. What more is there to say? Nothing arises out of me.

2. Scriptures

The concept of living freely—"I live as I please," as described in the Ashtavakra Gita— can be compared to other Vedantic texts in the scriptures, like the Upanishads or the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, which also discuss liberation and non-attachment. However, the Ashtavakra Gita is unique in its stark simplicity and directness because it focusses on self-realisation and encourages leading a life in harmony with the Self. For example, while the Bhagavad Gita often emphasises devotion and action (Karma Yoga), the Ashtavakra Gita focuses on pure consciousness and detachment.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Verse 3.4.2) asserts that Brahman, which is immediate and direct, is the self that exists within all beings. ‘This is your self that is within all.’ ‘Which is within all, Yājñavalkya?’ ‘You cannot see that which is the witness of vision; you cannot hear that which is the hearer of hearing; you cannot think that which is the thinker of thought; you cannot know that which is the knower of knowledge. This is your self that is within all; everything else but this is perishable.’

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (2.69) teaches that there is night for all beings; in it, the sage is awake; what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective sage.

yā niśhā sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti sanyamī

yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśhā paśhyato muneḥ (Bhagavad Gita 2.69)

The Bhagavad Gita reiterates through verses in another chapter (5.8-9):

naiva kiñchit karomīti yukto manyeta tattva-vit

paśhyañ śhṛiṇvan spṛiśhañjighrann aśhnangachchhan svapañśhvasan

pralapan visṛijan gṛihṇann unmiṣhan nimiṣhann api

indriyāṇīndriyārtheṣhu vartanta iti dhārayan

Those steadfast yogis always believe, "I am not the doer," even while they are engaged in activities such as seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, moving, sleeping, breathing, speaking, excreting, grasping, and opening or closing their eyes. With the light of divine knowledge, they see that the senses move among the objects of the senses. Swami Vivekananda, in his commentary, explains that for the common man, the Self-state appears like night because he can see nothing beyond the senses and the sense world. What the common man calls day and wakefulness is simply the functioning of the senses in the material world. But it is not so for the yogi who is one with the light of Atma. He is awake to the Self, but the senses and the sense-world are absent. So what is a night for the common man? Real wakefulness for the self-controlled. Similarly, being awake only in the infinite light of Atma, seeing nothing of the objective world, the yogi finds night in the day when all beings are awake to the diversity of the objective world. Swami Vivekananda, commenting on this part of the Bhagavad Gita, says that Atma is the witness of all phenomena. Atma is a witness to the body's, senses', and mind's activities, just as the sun and lamp witness human actions in their light. It remains untainted by them, forever pure and perfect.The Brihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.22) emphasises that the great, birthless self, which is identified with the intellect and is in the midst of the organs, lies in the ether that is within the heart. It is the controller of all, the lord of all, the ruler of all. It does not become better through good work nor worse through bad work. It is the lord of all. It rules all beings. It is the protector of all beings. It is the bank that serves as a boundary to keep the different worlds apart. The Brāhmaṇas seek to know it through the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, charity, and austerity, which consist in a dispassionate enjoyment of sense objects. Knowing it alone, one becomes a sage. Desiring this world (the Self) alone, monks renounce their homes. This is (the reason for it): The ancient sages, it is said, did not desire children (thinking), ‘What shall we achieve through children, we who have attained this Self, this world (result)?’ It is said they renounced their desires for sons, wealth, and the world and lived a mendicant life. The desire for sons is the desire for wealth, and the desire for wealth is the desire for the world; both are desires. This self is That which has been described as ‘Not this, not this.’ It is imperceptible, for It is never perceived; undecaying, for It never decays; unattached, for It is never attached; and unfettered—It never feels pain and never suffers injury. (It is but proper) that the sage is never overtaken by these two thoughts, ‘I did an evil act for this’ and ‘I did a good act for this’. He conquers both of them. Things done or not done do not trouble him.

3. Remarks

The phrase "I live as I please" in the Ashtavakra Gita, encapsulates a state of ultimate liberation and contentment through self-realisation. It posits that Atman is identical to Brahman, and all apparent duality is Maya (illusion). It emphasises that true liberation comes from recognising Atman as beyond the body, mind, and senses. This is echoed in the text's emphasis on self-inquiry, where liberation is not something to be gained but realised as already present within, dissolving ignorance and attachment. This aligns with the idea of living as one pleases, unburdened by external constraints, and living in harmony with one's true nature.

-Asutosh Satpathy