A deep dive into the Ashtavakra Gita uncovers an elegant, no-nonsense path to Self-realization—no elaborate rituals or marathon retreats required. Key practices include:

• Self-inquiry (Atma Vichara): Keep asking “Who am I?” until every layer of identification—body, mind, emotions—dissolves. It’s like spring-cleaning the psyche, tossing out outdated beliefs to reveal the ever-present awareness beneath.

• Witness consciousness (Sakshi Bhavana): Watch thoughts, feelings and sensations from the sidelines, without judgment or attachment. In an age of endless TikTok scrolls, this is the mental “pause” button that lets inner stillness shine.

• Discrimination (Viveka): Learn to distinguish the changeless Self from fleeting experiences. With news cycles flipping faster than ever, this practice is a steady compass pointing to what truly lasts.

• Detachment (Vairagya): Release cravings and aversions as one would let go of a balloon—watch it float away with no strings attached. The weight of endless “likes” and notifications suddenly feels optional.

• Surrender (Ishvara Pranidhana): Relinquish the urge to micromanage life, trusting the flow of pure consciousness. Even tech-savvy headlines about AI breakthroughs can’t outshine the simplicity of this “hands-off” approach.

• Abidance in “I am” (Sthitaprajna): Rest effortlessly in the sense of being itself, like catching the calm after a storm. Modern neuroscience’s fascination with “resting-state” brain activity echoes this ancient insight: true intelligence blossoms in stillness.

Rather than viewing enlightenment as some distant summit, the Ashtavakra Gita invites a beachwalk mindset—footprints trailing off into the sand while awareness gazes toward the infinite horizon. Liberation isn’t a grand event but the moment mind and world stop tug-of-warring, and the timeless Self stands revealed, brighter than any pandemic-era Zoom glare.