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This is a profound verse from the Ashtavakra Gita (Chapter 1, Verse 12), a classical Advaita Vedanta text that deals with the nature of the self, freedom, and reality.
Here is a proper transliteration, word-by-word breakdown, and the core meaning of this powerful verse.
The Sanskrit Verse (Corrected Transliteration)
आत्मा साक्षी विभुः पूर्ण एको मुक्तश्चिदाशयः ।
असङ्गो निःस्पृहः शान्तो भ्रमसंसारवारिवाहः ॥ १२ ॥
Ātmā sākṣī vibhuḥ pūrṇa eko muktaścīdāśayaḥ |
Asaṅgo niḥspṛhaḥ śānto bhramasaṁsāravārivāhaḥ || 12 ||
Word-by-Word Meaning
Ātmā: The Self.
Sākṣī: The witness (detached observer).
Vibhuḥ: All-pervading / Omnipresent.
Pūrṇa: Perfect / Full / Complete.
Ekaḥ: One / Non-dual.
Muktaḥ: Ever-free / Liberated.
Cidāśayaḥ: Pure Consciousness itself (the locus of consciousness).
Asaṅgaḥ: Unattached / Unassociated.
Niḥspṛhaḥ: Desireless / Free from craving.
Śāntaḥ: Peaceful / Serene.
Bhrama-saṁsāra-vārivāhaḥ: (Bhrama = illusion/delusion + Saṁsāra = worldly existence + Vārivāhaḥ = cloud). The one for whom the worldly existence is merely a cloud of illusion (or, the witness of the cloud of worldly illusion).
Translation
"You are the Self—the Witness, all-pervading, perfect, one, free, consciousness itself, unattached, desireless, and peaceful. Worldly existence is merely an illusion, like a passing cloud."
Core Philosophy
In this verse, Sage Ashtavakra is reminding King Janaka of his true identity ($Atman$). It acts as a direct mirror to strip away false ego and conditioning:
The Witness ($Sakshi$): You are not the body or the mind experiencing the world; you are the silent observer of them.
The Passing Cloud ($Varivaha$): The struggles, identities, and cycles of the world ($Samsara$) are described as temporary clouds. They appear in the vast sky of your consciousness, but they do not stain or change the sky itself.
It is a call to immediate awakening—not through practice or time, but through the simple recognition of what you already are.
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