Svatantryat Sukham Apnoti - Freedom and the Supreme State
स्वातन्त्र्यात् सुखमाप्नोति स्वातन्त्र्याल्लभते परम्। स्वातन्त्र्यान्निर्वृतिं गच्छेत् स्वातन्त्र्यात् परमं पदम्॥
svātantryāt sukham āpnoti svātantryāl labhate param । svātantryān nirvṛtiṃ gacchet svātantryāt paramaṃ padam ॥
PM's MessageToday, Constitution Murder Day reminds us of that dark period when Indian democracy was brutally crushed. It inspires us to remain forever committed to protecting democracy, the Constitution and citizens' rights. Respectful salutations to all the distinguished individuals who opposed the Emergency.
Meaning of Svātantryāt Sukham Āpnoti Svātantryāl
It is through freedom alone that man attains happiness; it is through freedom that he achieves the highest accomplishment. Through freedom, he attains a state of tranquility, and it is through freedom that he reaches the supreme state.
Word by word
- स्वातन्त्र्यात्svātantryāt
from independence
स्व + तन्त्र
- सुखम्sukham
happiness
सुख
- आप्नोतिāpnoti
one obtains
√आप्
- लभतेlabhate
one gains
√लभ्
- परम्param
the highest
पर
- निर्वृतिम्nirvṛtim
contentment
निस् + √वृ
- गच्छेत्gacchet
one would reach
√गम्
- परमम् पदम्paramaṁ padam
the supreme state
परम + पद
Commentary
The verse repeats svātantrya, freedom, in every quarter to make it the single foundation of happiness, tranquillity, and the highest attainment. In the Ashtavakra Gita, this is primarily inner freedom: release from attachment, ego, compulsive desire, and the imagined limitations that bind the self. Nirvṛti is profound repose or contentment, while paramaṃ padam points to the supreme state of self-realization in which freedom is no longer dependent on external circumstances. The post applies this spiritual vocabulary to public life. Political liberty, constitutional safeguards, and citizens' rights are not identical to the liberation described by the text, but they create the conditions in which human dignity and responsible freedom can flourish. Remembering the Emergency through this verse therefore joins an inward truth with a civic responsibility: freedom must be understood, protected, and renewed through vigilance.
Original Post
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bhasmīkṛtasvārthasaukhyaparicarcitavigrahāḥ । svarājyayoganirmagnā dhanyās te vīrayoginaḥ ॥
The verse praises heroic practitioners who renounce personal comforts and devote themselves fully to self-rule.
सुखोपविष्टास्ते तत्र पुण्यां चक्रुः कथामिमाम्। धर्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामारोग्यं मूलमुत्तमम्॥
sukhopaviṣṭās te tatra puṇyāṃ cakruḥ kathām imām । dharmārthakāmamokṣāṇām ārogyaṃ mūlam uttamam ॥
Charaka Samhita presents good health as the foremost foundation for pursuing dharma, prosperity, desire and liberation.
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत्। स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते॥
anudvegakaraṁ vākyaṁ satyaṁ priyahitaṁ ca yat । svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva vāṅmayaṁ tapa ucyate ॥
The Bhagavad Gita describes truthful, pleasant, beneficial, and non-agitating words, together with regular study, as austerity of speech.