My child,

Because you think you are the body,

For a long time you have been bound.

Know you are pure awareness.

With this knowledge as your sword

Cut through your chains.

And be happy!

For you are already free,

Without action or flaw,

Luminous and bright.

― Ashtavakra Gita

This is a beautiful and powerful teaching, filled with profound wisdom. It speaks directly to the root of our suffering and offers a clear path to liberation.

The opening lines, "My child, Because you think you are the body, For a long time you have been bound," immediately identify what is seen as the primary source of our limitations: the mistaken identification with the physical form. This belief leads to countless other attachments, fears, and desires that keep us feeling confined.

The instruction "Know you are pure awareness" offers the key to freedom. It points to our true nature as the underlying consciousness that witnesses all experiences, yet is not limited by them. This pure awareness is the unchanging essence within us.

The metaphor of "With this knowledge as your sword Cut through your chains" is incredibly potent. It suggests that the realization of our true nature is the very tool that can sever the bonds of our false identifications and the suffering they create. This isn't a physical act, but a profound shift in understanding.

The concluding words, "And be happy! For you are already free, Without action or flaw, Luminous and bright," are a powerful affirmation of our inherent state. It emphasizes that freedom and joy are not something to be attained in the future, but are our natural condition once the illusion of being solely the body is dispelled. The description of our true nature as "without action or flaw, luminous and bright" speaks to a state of pure potentiality, untouched by the limitations of the physical world and radiating with inherent light and clarity.

This teaching beautifully encapsulates the essence of self-realization – the understanding that our true identity lies beyond the physical and mental constructs we often cling to. It's a timeless message of hope and liberation.