The Heart of Awareness Quotes

“If something can bring you great pleasure, it can also bring you pain.”
― His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“All things arise,
Suffer change,
And pass away.

This is their nature.

When you know this,
Nothing perturbs you,
Nothing hurts you.

You become still.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“You do not consist of the elements - earth, water, fire, air or even ether. To be liberated, know yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“If you are seeking liberation, my son, shun the objects of the senses like poison. Practise tolerance, sincerity, compassion, contentment and truthfulness like nectar.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely of the mind and are no concern of yours. You are neither the doer nor the reaper of the consequences, so you are always
free.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“For God is infinite,
Within the body and without,
Like a mirror,
And the image in a mirror.

As the air is everywhere,
Flowing around a pot
And filling it,
So God is everywhere,
Filling all things
And flowing through them forever.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“My child,
Because you think you are the body,
For a long time you have been bound.

Know you are pure awareness.

With this knowledge as your sword
Cut through your chains.
And be happy!

For you are already free,
Without action or flaw,
Luminous and bright.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“You are really unbound and actionless, self-illuminating and spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to stilling the mind.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“The observed is true as long as there is an observer.”
― Astavakra Bart Marshal, Astavakra Gita

“The third one is culturing the mind. One who has never meditated has no right to even touch the book of Ashtavakra.”
― Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“Three things change your prakriti: your food, your atmosphere, your association. Without making any fuss about it, be in it. Sāttvic food, limited and timely food is good. The body is in the right shape. If too many desires come in your mind, or too much restlessness and agitation then food, atmosphere and association have been the cause. Without a fuss, just observe and do whatever is needful. Forget about it. Relax. Ahō niranjanaha shāntō bōdhō’ham prakrateh paraha. Some unpleasant feeling comes and you feel that it should not come. By doing that, you are resisting it. When you resist, it persists. Just observe and go deep into it. Dance, stand up and dance. Be intoxicated, move intoxicated. यथा”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“To someone who is sleeping, it doesn’t matter whether he’s in a prison or in a palace. One who is asleep doesn’t even feel the bondage.”
― Sri Sri Ravishankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“Recognise that the apparent is unreal, while the unmanifest is abiding. Through this initiation into truth you will escape falling into unreality again.”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“For God is infinite,
Within the body and without,
Like a mirror,
And the image in a mirror.

As the air is everywhere,
Flowing around a pot
And filling it,
So God is everywhere,
Filling all things
And flowing through them forever.”
― Thomas Byrom, The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita

“My child,
Because you think you are the body,
For a long time you have been bound.

Know you are pure awareness.

With this knowledge as your sword
Cut through your chains.
And be happy!

For you are already free,
Without action or flaw,
Luminous and bright.”
― Thomas Byrom, The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita

“Someone who does not have any responsibility can feel very detached, ‘Oh, I am doing nothing. I am free.’ But that freedom has no value. If someone who is responsible for the whole of society, the whole kingdom can say, ‘I am not doing anything’ in spite of this responsible job; then that ‘not doing’ something is great. That is enlightenment.”
― Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“discipline in words and speech. Do not speak any word (from your side) that would create turbulence and turmoil in the minds of others. Even if you don’t speak, some people get turbulent. That you are not responsible for, but from your side, do not speak. This is an oath you will take to begin with, for the next five days. Do not speak any harsh word. Don’t let any harsh word come out of your mouth to anyone. Do not hurt with your words, for the Divine dwells in every heart.”
― Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“day’s with the next sun... If you only had ten days to live on the planet, what would you want to do? Sit”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita

“Arjava [sincerity] is the second thing. There are people who can go on forgiving themselves but they are not sincere. So they can be where they are and continue doing the same thing. Forget the past. ‘Yes, I did something wrong, I am also preparing to do something wrong today and I’ll continue with something tomorrow.’ There’s”
― Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“Think about a world which never irritated you. You’d be stuck with it forever.”
― Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Ashtavakra Gita

“It is surprising indeed that the one existing for and aspiring to liberation through supreme non-duality should be defeated by the twisted skillful play of lust! ||3-6”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita: A Word-for-Word Translation

“The animal of lust is the enemy of knowledge, and is like a thunderbolt making you exceedingly weak. It is astonishing indeed to let it take possession of you and obey it right up to the end of time! ||3-”
― Ashṭāvakra, Ashtavakra Gita: A Word-for-Word Translation