Chapter 16 begins with Aṣṭāvakra turning to the conduct of the sage in the world. The chapter’s opening question is implicit: if the Self is pure knowledge, pure and unlimited like space, what is there to know, renounce, accept, or reject? This opening statement places the sage beyond the conventional categories of spiritual discipline. The jñānin does not need to acquire anything, because the Self is already the fullness of awareness.