Ashtavakra Gita —
9. Detachment
Indifference
Seeing to this,
Neglecting that,
Setting one thing against another. . .
Who is free of such cares?
When will they ever end?
Consider.
Without passion,
With dispassion,
Let go. (9.1)
My child,
Rare is he, and blessed,
Who observes the ways of men
And gives up the desire
For pleasure and knowledge,
For life itself. (9.2)
Nothing lasts.
Nothing is real.
It is all suffering,
Threefold affliction!
It is all beneath contempt.
Know this.
Give it up.
Be still. (9.3)
When will men ever stop
Setting one thing against another?
Let go of all contraries.
Whatever comes, be happy
And so fulfill yourself. (9.4)
Masters, saints, seekers:
They all say different things.
Whoever knows this,
With dispassion becomes quiet. (9.5)
The true master considers well.
With dispassion
He sees all things are the same.
He comes to understand
The nature of things,
The essence of awareness.
He will not be born again. (9.6)
In the shifting elements
See only their pure form.
Rest in your own nature.
Set yourself free.
The world is just a set of false impressions.
Give them up.
Give up the illusion.
Give up the world.
And live freely. (9.7)
* Translated by Thomas Byrom