The sixth chapter, on ‘cit,’ rests on the principle of consciousness. In Sanskrit, ‘cit’ is a root verb that means ‘to know’ or ‘to be aware.’ In modern English the word consciousness comes closest, though ‘cit’ carries an active quality that ‘consciousness’ leaves more passive. In the philosophy of science, David Chalmers put forward the idea of the ‘hard problem of consciousness’ in 1995, and it remains an unsolved question in neuroscience today. Ashtavakra’s principle of ‘cit’ is an ancient attempt at solving this hard problem, though the two stand on different philosophical ground.Textual context
Consciousness
Consciousness · 4 shlokas
Janaka speaks four shlokas. Each one ends with the same phrase, “न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः”, “no renouncing, no grasping, no dissolving.” This is the declaration of a knowing that now leaves nothing to do.
The sixth chapter centers on “cit,” that is, pure consciousness. Five hundred years before Shankaracharya, Ashtavakra already recognizes consciousness as the middle unit of sat-cit-ananda (being, consciousness, bliss). This three-word principle became the foundational formula of later Advaita Vedanta, and its earlier form appears in the second valli of the Taittiriya Upanishad.
So far
After dissolution, the clarity of cit (consciousness). The background of the mind.
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः॥
iti jñānaṁ tathaitasya na tyāgo na graho layaḥ
Meaning“I am endless, like space; this world of prakriti (primal nature) is like a pot. This is knowledge. For such a knower there is no renouncing, no grasping, no dissolving.”
For the reader“न त्यागो न ग्रहो”. This is the most beautiful position of all. A seeker either “renounces” or “grasps.” That is a half-strangled effort. The knower stands outside both. He simply is. Things come, things go, and he stays the same.
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः॥
iti jñānaṁ tathaitasya na tyāgo na graho layaḥ
Meaning“I am like a vast ocean; that prapancha (the manifest world) is like a wave. This is knowledge. For such a knower there is no renouncing, no grasping, no dissolving.”
For the readerWe think that “after death” the atman (self) will merge into Brahman. This shloka breaks that idea. There is nothing to merge. It was merged all along.
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः॥
iti jñānaṁ tathaitasya na tyāgo na graho layaḥ
Meaning“I am like the shell, and the imagined world is like silver. This is knowledge. For such a knower there is no renouncing, no grasping, no dissolving.”
For the readerOut in the world, people “take” you to be this or that. Clever, foolish, good, bad. All of it is their “silver.” The shell stays what it is. Your reality does not rest on anyone’s opinion.
इति ज्ञानं तथैतस्य न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः॥
iti jñānaṁ tathaitasya na tyāgo na graho layaḥ
Meaning“Either I am within all beings, or all beings are within me. This is knowledge. For such a knower there is no renouncing, no grasping, no dissolving.”
For the readerChapter 6 ends. Four shlokas, one single declaration. “न त्यागो न ग्रहो लयः”. This is a stance for living. If a seeker takes hold of this position, the rest of the work will happen on its own.