Ashtavakra Gita —
12. Happiness

Ascent of Contemplation

First I gave up action,
Then idle words,
And lastly thought itself.
Now I am here. (12.1)

Ridding my mind of distraction, single-pointed,
I shut out sound and all the senses,
And I am here. (12.2)

Meditation is needed
Only when the mind is distracted
By false imagining.
Knowing this,
I am here. (12.3)

Without joy or sorrow,
Grasping nothing, spurning nothing,
O Master, I am here. (12.4)

What do I care
If I observe or neglect
The four stages of life?
Meditation,
Controlling the mind,
These are mere distractions!
Now I am here. (12.5)

Doing, or not doing,
Both come from not knowing.
Knowing this fully,
I am here. (12.6)

Thinking
Of what is beyond thinking
Is still thinking.
I gave up thinking,
And I am here. (12.7)

Whoever fulfills this
Fulfills his own nature
And is indeed fulfilled. (12.8)

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* Translated by Thomas Byrom