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Yadi Deham Prithak Kritya (Ashtavakra Gita 1.3)

यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य (अष्टावक्र गीता १.३) in English · English

🕉️ hindu·📿 11× repetitions·🕐 Early morning meditation, or whenever the mind is agitated and seeks rest·📜 Ashtavakra Gita (Ashtavakra Samhita), Chapter 1, Verse 3

Read in your language / script

हिन्दी / देवनागरी తెలుగు தமிழ்ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം ગુજરાતી বাংলা ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀEnglishසිංහල 𑌗𑍍𑌰𑌨𑍍𑌥

✦ Meaning

In this celebrated verse from the Ashtavakra Gita, the sage tells King Janaka that liberation is not a distant future attainment but an immediate possibility. The moment one ceases to identify with the body and rests in one's true nature as pure Consciousness (Chit), one becomes happy, peaceful and free — right here, right now. It is one of the boldest declarations of instant liberation in all of Advaita Vedanta.

Origin & Story

Ashtavakra Gita (Ashtavakra Samhita), Chapter 1, Verse 3 · Sage Ashtavakra (traditional) · Ancient (text compiled in classical period)

Early in the dialogue, when King Janaka asks how liberation is to be attained, the sage Ashtavakra responds with a series of direct, uncompromising teachings. This verse is among the first, declaring that the seeker who disidentifies from the body and rests in pure Consciousness is liberated at once — setting the radical, immediate tone of the entire scripture.

✦ As told in scripture

It is traditionally said that King Janaka, hearing such direct teachings from Ashtavakra, awakened to his true nature then and there and became a jivanmukta — liberated while living — ruling his kingdom thereafter as the very model of an enlightened sovereign.

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The Mantra

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yadi dehaṃ pṛthak kṛtya citi viśrāmya tiṣṭhasi | adhunaiva sukhī śānto bandha-mukto bhaviṣyasi ||

Meaning:If, having set the body apart, you rest reposing in pure Consciousness, then this very moment you will become happy, peaceful and free from all bondage.

Word-by-Word Meaning

Click any word to hear its pronunciation

yadi🔊if

deham🔊the body

pṛthak🔊separate, apart, distinct

kṛtya🔊having made, having set apart (i.e. detaching identity from)

citi🔊in pure consciousness, in the Self (Chit)

viśrāmya🔊having rested, reposing, abiding

tiṣṭhasi🔊you remain, you abide, you stay established

adhunā🔊now, at this very moment

eva🔊indeed, verily (emphatic — right now itself)

sukhī🔊happy, full of bliss

śāntaḥ🔊peaceful, tranquil, at rest

bandha-muktaḥ🔊freed from bondage, liberated

bhaviṣyasi🔊you will become, you shall be

Benefits of Chanting यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य (अष्टावक्र गीता १.३)

✦

Reveals that liberation is available here and now, not only after long effort

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Directly points the mind to its true nature as witnessing Consciousness

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Loosens the deep-rooted identification with the body that causes suffering

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Brings immediate peace and contentment when contemplated sincerely

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A powerful seed-verse for self-inquiry (atma-vichara) and meditation

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Inspires confidence that freedom is one's own ever-present reality

How to Chant यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य (अष्टावक्र गीता १.३)

Repetitions11times

Best TimeEarly morning meditation, or whenever the mind is agitated and seeks rest

Sit quietly and recite the verse, then dwell on its instruction: gently let go of the sense of being the body, and rest as the silent awareness in which all experience appears. This is a contemplative verse meant for nididhyasana (deep abiding meditation); repeating it 11 or 21 times helps fix it in the heart, but its real fruit comes from resting in the Consciousness it points to.

Frequently Asked Questions

This page shows the complete यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य (अष्टावक्र गीता १.३) written in the English script — the same Sanskrit/Hindi verses, transliterated character-by-character so you can read and chant comfortably. Tap any line (or the ▶ button) to hear it recited aloud.

Yes — only the script changes; the words and their meaning are the original. The verse-by-verse meaning, benefits and how-to-chant guidance on this page apply exactly the same.

It is verse 1.3 of the Ashtavakra Gita (Ashtavakra Samhita), the Advaita Vedanta dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka of Mithila.

It means to stop identifying yourself with the body and senses, and instead recognize yourself as the pure awareness (Chit) that witnesses the body. The body is seen as an object appearing within consciousness, not as what you essentially are.

In Advaita Vedanta, liberation (moksha) is the recognition of what one already is. Since the Self is ever-free, the moment false identification drops away, freedom is revealed instantly — 'adhunaiva,' this very moment. The verse is encouraging the seeker to claim that ever-present freedom now.

It is used as a contemplation in self-inquiry: read it, then turn attention away from the body-mind toward the awareness that knows them, and abide there in peace. It is also chanted to keep its uplifting reminder fresh in daily life.