Shloka 18
अव्यक्त–पुरुष–विवेकः (Discrimination of Avyakta/Prakṛti and Puruṣa) — Yājñavalkya’s Anvīkṣikī to Viśvāvasu
निर्$वाते हि यथा दीप्यन् दीपस्तद्वत् प्रकाशते । निर्लिड्रोडविचलश्नोर्ध्व न तिर्यग् गतिमाप्रुयात्
nirvāte hi yathā dīpyan dīpas tadvat prakāśate | nirlīḍo 'vicalaś cordhvaṁ na tiryag gatim āpnuyāt ||
瓦西什塔说道：“譬如灯盏在无风之处点燃，光明恒定不摇；如是，自性亦于寂静中朗然显现。它不再执著于细身（liṅga-śarīra），而成不动——既无上升之趋，亦无下沉之势，更无旁逸之漂。其伦理旨趣在于：真正的自由并非世间新增一桩作为，而是内在扰动的止息；当欲望与躁动平息，澄明与自照之光便自然呈现。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that when the mind is free from disturbance (like a lamp in a windless place), the self’s clarity shines naturally. Liberation is marked by non-clinging to the subtle body and the ending of restless tendencies—no upward, downward, or sideways ‘movement’ of craving and fluctuation.
Vasiṣṭha is instructing on the state of inner steadiness associated with liberation. He uses the image of a steady lamp to describe a consciousness that has become unattached and motionless, no longer driven by subtle impulses or identifications.