Ashtavakra Gita · Verse 8.1 · Ashtavakra speaks

It is bondage when the mind desires or grieves at anything, rejects or accepts anything, feels happy or angry at anything.

तदा बन्धो यदा चित्तं किञ्चिद् वाञ्छति शोचति ।किञ्चिन् मुञ्चति गृह्णाति किञ्चिद्धृष्यति कुप्यति ॥ ८-१॥

tadā bandho yadā cittaṃ kiñcid vāñchati śocati |kiñcin muñcati gṛhṇāti kiñcid dhṛṣyati kupyati || 8-1||

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तदा

tadā

then, at that time

adverb of time

बन्धः

bandhaḥ

bondage, binding

noun, masculine, nominative singular

Bandha refers to the state of spiritual bondage — the identification of the Self with the fluctuating modifications of the mind. Ashtavakra here locates bondage not in any external circumstance but precisely in the mind's movement of desire, grief, acceptance, rejection, pleasure, and anger.

यदा

yadā

when

adverb, correlative conjunction

चित्तम्

cittam

mind, mind-stuff

noun, neuter, nominative singular

Citta is the mind-stuff or mental substance — the seat of all modifications (vṛttis). Patañjali defines yoga as the cessation of its fluctuations (Yoga Sūtras I.2). Here the citta is the locus of bondage.

किञ्चित्

kiñcit

anything, something

pronoun, neuter, accusative singular

वाञ्छति

vāñchati

desires, craves