Chapter 18 · Verse 36

नाप्नोति कर्मणा मोक्षं विमूढोऽभ्यासरूपिणा

nāpnoti karmaṇā mokṣaṃ vimūḍho'bhyāsarūpiṇā | dhanyo vijñānamātreṇa muktastiṣṭha

In chapter 18 (Janaka’s liberation), verse 36 deepens the teaching of non-duality. Mokṣa or liberation is not a future state but the recognition of what always has been. In Advaita Vedānta philosophy, this verse of the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā reveals that freedom is inherent to the Self and requires no acquisition.