The real man stands innocently naked, free of all virtues || Acharya Prashant, on Ashtavakra (2014)

Question: Ashtavakra talks about being desireless, dispassionate, and egoless. A wise man is defined to possess all these virtues. But how?

Acharya Prashant: See, look at the wordings. You are saying Ashtavakra talks about being Desireless, Dispassionate, and Egoless. Mind these three words. The conclusion being drawn by the questioner is – A wise man is defined to POSSESS all these virtues. Now, when is Ashtavakra saying that?

All that Ashtavakra is saying that the wise one is desireless, dispassionate, and egoless. When is the Ashtavakra saying that the wise man possesses all these virtues?

You can possess something when it is; you cannot possess desire-lessness.

You cannot possess dis-passion.

You cannot possess ego-lessness.

He is talking in negativa. He is saying that the wise man is not all this. And yet the question is that the wise man possesses all these virtues. Is he possessing something or is he non-possessing something?