You Are Not What You Think You Are

We’ve seen Janaka ask his ultimate spiritual question, and Ashtavakra respond with a thunderbolt of truth. But in case you thought that was intense, Verse 1.3 hits even harder.

Ashtavakra doesn’t slowly walk you to freedom. He flings open the door and says, “You were never locked in.”

📜 The Verse That Dismantles Your Identity

Sanskrit (1.3):

na te saṅgo'sti kenāpi na te deho'si kaścana |
cid-rūpo'si sadā sākṣī nirapekṣaḥ sukhaṁ cara ||

Simple Modern Translation:

“You are not bound by anything. You are not the body. You are pure consciousness—eternally the witness. So live joyfully, free from attachment.”

Boom.
That’s not just a mic-drop—it’s the whole stage collapsing.

🎬 Scene Three: Identity Theft—The Good Kind

Picture Janaka standing there, expecting a slow spiritual journey. Maybe a ritual. A mantra. A timeline.

But Ashtavakra, cool as ever, looks him dead in the eye and says:

“You’re not the king.
You’re not the body.
You’re not even the mind.
You’re consciousness itself.”

Janaka blinks. “Wait… what? You mean I’ve been living a lie?”

Ashtavakra doesn’t even flinch.

“Not a lie. Just... a case of mistaken identity.”

🧠 Identity Flip: The Big Spiritual Plot Twist

We spend our lives trying to improve the “self”:
🧠 Smarter mind
💪 Fitter body
📈 Better reputation
❤️ More love
💰 More stability

But Ashtavakra steps in like a cosmic detective and says:

“Buddy, your case is closed.
The ‘self’ you’ve been working on? That’s your costume.
You’re the actor, not the role.”

🎭 Analogy Time: The Actor and the Avatar

Imagine an actor so deep into their movie role, they forget the cameras are rolling.

Now imagine the camera crew (consciousness) tapping them on the shoulder and going,

“Hey, remember? You’re not the grieving king or the romantic hero. You’re just acting.”

That’s what this verse does. It reminds you that you’ve been method-acting through life—thinking you’re the pain, the pride, the personality.

But you’re not.

You're the screen, not the scenes.

☁️ Real-World Tie-In: The Witness

We’ve all had moments where we watched our thoughts spiral.

That time you were furious… and still knew you were overreacting.
That moment of anxiety… where part of you was calmly observing, “This will pass.”

That observer? That calm space in the background?

That’s you. The real you.

The rest—your body, your job title, your morning moods—is like weather. You’re the sky.

🔥 The Line-by-Line Breakdown

🪢 “You are not bound by anything.”

Not your past. Not your fears. Not your roles.
Freedom isn’t something you gain—it’s something you remember.

Think of it like a VR headset. You’re immersed, panicked, dodging digital dragons. But at any time, you can take the headset off and go… “Oh. I’m on my couch.”

💀 “You are not the body.”

We identify so hard with our body: our looks, our health, our aging. But Ashtavakra reminds us—it’s a temporary rental.

You don’t scream when your Uber gets scratched. You just get out when the ride’s over.

Your body is your ride—not your identity.

✨ “You are pure consciousness.”

Not your name. Not your narrative. Not your neuroses.

You’re the light in the projector, not the movie.

This isn’t abstract philosophy. It’s a direct invitation to shift your center of gravity.

👁️ “You are always the witness.”

The Sākṣī—the ever-watching presence.

The thoughts come and go.
The emotions rise and fall.
But YOU? You’re the awareness that sees it all, untouched.

🧘‍♂️ “Therefore, live happily, unattached.”

This is where it gets juicy.
He’s not saying “detach like a monk in a cave.”
He’s saying: “Be in the world. Just don’t cling to it like it’s your lifeline.”

Live. Love. Create. Laugh. But don’t grip.

🧪 Micro Experiments – Try This Today:

🎮 1. “I Am Not This” Game

Every time you react today—anger, pride, joy—say in your mind:

“This is happening in the mind. I am the witness.”
Play with this. It’s like debugging your own thoughts in real time.

🪞 2. Mirror Challenge

Look in the mirror for 60 seconds.
Observe the face.
Now repeat slowly: “This is not me. I am the one who sees.”

Feel the shift? That’s consciousness waking up.

📱 3. Detach from One Role

Pick one identity you hold tightly—“the helpful one,” “the achiever,” “the victim,” “the parent.”
For a few hours, practice being awareness only. No role. Just presence.

💡 Final Reflection: Who Are You Without the Labels?

Let’s be honest—most of our suffering comes from defending an identity we made up.

“I’m not good enough.”
“I must be seen as successful.”
“People must respect me.”

But who would you be if you dropped all of that—even just for a few moments?

That’s what this verse offers: not new knowledge, but a return to what’s always been true.

You are not your story.
You are the silence behind the words.
You are the witness behind the world.

🔮 What’s Coming Next:

Ashtavakra isn’t done dropping spiritual nukes. In the next verse, he goes even deeper into how effortless liberation can be—if you’re ready to stop clinging.

Next up: Ashtavakra 1.4 – When the mind rests, freedom is instant.

Ready to keep unraveling?

Chapter 1

Content

Verse 3

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