Ashtavakra Gita · Verse 10.5 · Ashtavakra speaks

चेतनः

cetanaḥ

consciousness, the conscious

noun/adjective, masculine, nominative singular

Cetana (consciousness) here identifies the Self (tvam) with pure sentience. According to Vedānta, the conscious principle in nature is the reflection of Brahman itself; all consciousness pertains to the Self, all non-self is jaḍa (inert).

शुद्धः

śuddhaḥ

pure

adjective, masculine, nominative singular

Śuddha (pure) indicates the Self is untainted by the modifications of mind and body. Combined with cetana and eka it is the classic Advaita triplet: the Self is one, conscious, and pure.

जडम्

jaḍam

inert, non-conscious

adjective, neuter, nominative singular

Jaḍa (inert) is the defining characteristic of everything that is not Self: body, senses, mind, and the entire manifest universe. Advaita holds that consciousness is not an emergent property of matter but the sole reality; matter is jaḍa and derives apparent sentience only by reflecting cit.

असत्

asat

unreal, non-existent

adjective, neuter, nominative singular

Asat (unreal) does not mean the universe does not appear; it means it lacks independent ontological reality. The universe has vyavahārika (empirical) existence but not pāramārthika (absolute) reality — a core Advaita distinction.

अविद्या

avidyā

ignorance

noun, feminine, nominative singular

Avidyā (ignorance) is the cosmological force that projects the appearance of multiplicity onto the non-dual Self. Here the text radically asserts that even avidyā is not a real entity — it is na kiñcit (nothing at all) — removing any foothold for the apparent problem of bondage.

बुभुत्सा

bubhutsā

desire to know

noun, feminine, nominative singular; desiderative formation from √budh

Bubhutsā is the desiderative noun from √budh (to know) — the very urge toward spiritual knowledge. The verse's climax is the negation even of this: since the Self is pure consciousness and nothing else truly exists, even the desire to know is superfluous. Knowledge is already one's nature.