Here are Āṣṭāvakra Gītā 18.4–7 with Sanskrit, IAST transliteration, and commentary. (Note: minor variations exist across manuscripts; this is the commonly cited recension.)
Verse 18.4
Sanskrit
मृषैव भावो न हि भाव एव
नाभाव एवास्ति न च भाव एव ।
यथार्थतत्त्वं परमार्थसिद्धं
तत्त्वं विदित्वा न पुनर्भवः स्यात् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
mṛṣaiva bhāvo na hi bhāva eva
nābhāva evāsti na ca bhāva eva |
yathārthatattvaṃ paramārthasiddhaṃ
tattvaṃ viditvā na punarbhavaḥ syāt ||
Commentary
This verse dismantles the ordinary categories of “real” and “unreal.” It says the perceived world (bhāva) is ultimately mṛṣā—a mistaken appearance. Yet it is not absolute non-existence either, because it appears in experience.
The key shift is epistemic: once the true nature (yathārtha tattva) is known as the absolute reality (paramārtha), the cycle of rebirth (punarbhava) ceases—not by changing the world, but by correcting perception.
Verse 18.5
Sanskrit
न दूरं न च संनिधौ तत्त्वमात्मा स्वभावतः ।
अव्ययोऽयमचिन्त्यश्च नित्यशुद्धो निरञ्जनः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
na dūraṃ na ca saṃnidhau tattvamātmā svabhāvataḥ |
avyayo’yamacintyaś ca nityaśuddho nirañjanaḥ ||
Commentary
The Self (Ātman) is not spatially distant or near—it is not located in space at all. It is ever-present by its very nature (svabhāva).
It is described as:
- Avyaya: undecaying, unchanging
- Acintya: beyond conceptual thought
- Nitya-śuddha: eternally pure
- Nirañjana: unstained, untouched
This verse directly negates the idea that liberation is a journey. It is a recognition of what is already the case.
Verse 18.6
Sanskrit
सर्वं कल्पनया सृष्टं आत्मा शुद्धोऽसि निर्मलः ।
मोहं त्यक्त्वा सुखी भव न दुःखं किञ्चिदस्ति ते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
sarvaṃ kalpanayā sṛṣṭaṃ ātmā śuddho’si nirmalaḥ |
mohaṃ tyaktvā sukhī bhava na duḥkhaṃ kiñcid asti te ||
Commentary
Everything experienced is described as kalpanā—mental construction or conceptual superimposition.
The Self is already pure and untouched. The instruction is not to become pure, but to abandon moha (delusion/misidentification). Sorrow exists only within the framework of mistaken identity.
The tone here is practical: freedom is immediate once false identification drops.
Verse 18.7
Sanskrit
यथा मृगतृष्णायां सलिलं नैव दृश्यते ।
तथा विश्वमिदं सर्वं आत्मन्येवावभासते ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
yathā mṛgatṛṣṇāyāṃ salilaṃ naiva dṛśyate |
tathā viśvam idaṃ sarvaṃ ātmanyevāvabhāsate ||
Commentary
This uses the classic analogy of mirage water (mṛgatṛṣṇā): just as water appears in a desert but is not truly there, the universe appears as objective reality but is actually only appearance within consciousness.
Importantly, this is not nihilism. The appearance is not denied; its independent reality is denied. Everything is seen as manifestation within the Self alone.
Overall Essence (18.4–7)
Across these four verses, Ashtavakra is pointing to a single insight:
- The world is not absolutely real, yet it appears.
- The Self is not distant, but ever-present.
- Bondage is not real change, but mistaken identity.
- Liberation is immediate recognition, not gradual attainment.
If you want, I can also map these verses directly to Advaita Vedānta (Śaṅkara’s terminology like mithyā, adhyāsa, sākṣin) or compare them with Bhagavad Gītā 2.16–2.30, which carries a very different pedagogical tone.
