Introduction to Rishi Ashtavakra (from Mahabharata) and Astavakra Gita

Notes regarding Astavakra.

Svetaketu, the son of Gautama Aruni was the uncle of Astavakra. Astavakra and Svetaketu, nephew and uncle, are contemporaries who went to King Janaka to

defeat Vandin. Kahoda (Astavakra’s father) was Uddalaka's student to whom he gave his daughter Sujata in marriage. The child in Sujata s womb corrects his father while he was displaying his scholarship and is cursed to be astavakra, "eightfold crooked". Sujata (Astavakra’s mother) wants wealth, and requests Kahoda thus, for which he goes to King

Janaka’s court. There he is defeated by the court philosopher Vandin and is apparently drowned. Uddalaka tells his daughter to keep this fact from his grandson Astavakra. After twelve years Astavakra finds out about this father and goes with (his uncle who was of same age as him) Svetaketu to King Janaka’s court. There is amazes everyone with his intellect and eventually defeats Vandin. For more in this regard, please study Vana Parva – Teerthayatra Upaparva, in Mahabharata.

 

Astavakra Gita also known as Astavakra Samhita is a short treatise on Advaita Vedanta in the Upanisadic style i.e. in the form of a dialogue between Astavakra, the guru and his disciple, the king-seer Janaka. It contains 298 verses in the simple anustubh metre, spread over 20 chapters. Most of the chapters are very small. Except Chapter 18, which is about 100 verses.

Normally Jnana marga comprises of undertaking Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana (Bri.Up 2.4.5), after developing Sadhana Chatushtaya (Four-fold-prerequisite – Viveka, Vairagya, Shatsampathi (sama, dama etc) and Mumukshutvam – Vivekachudamani 17, Brahma Sutra Sri Sankara Bhaśyam 1.1.1). So, most people approach Vedanta/Jnana marga through introductory texts by Sri Sankara and/or through Bhagavad Gita. Scriptures like Gita has a much broader target audience, with different leanings in pravrtti and nivrtti, whereas Astavakra Gita is recommended for those who have internalized Brahmavidya over a period of time and are desirous of being in a state of nididhyasana (living out rest of the life, in accordance with the conclusions and teachings of Advaita/Brahmavidya). Hence Vedanta tradition holds this text as very advanced text on Advaita, in the sense – it spends very little time in rationalizing arguments and spends more time emphasizing the conclusion of such deliberations – namely that I am the self-evident, ever-revealed Infinite non dual Self of the nature of pure consciousness.

There is a beautiful description of the jnani in the 17th chapter. Supreme detachment is a special characteristic of His.

yastu bhogeṣu bhukteṣu na bhavatyadhivāsitā

abhukteṣu nirākāṁkṣī tadṛśo bhavadurlabhaḥ 17.4

 

The man who is not attached to the things he has enjoyed, and does not hanker after the things he has not enjoyed, such a man is hard to find.

 

bubhukṣuriha saṁsāre mumukṣurapi dṛśyate

bhogamokṣanirākāṁkṣī viralo hi mahāśayaḥ 17.5

 

Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both found in samsara, but the great souled man who desires neither pleasure nor liberation is rare indeed.

 

kṛtārtho'nena jñānenetyevaṁ galitadhīḥ kṛtī

paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśan jighrann aśnannaste yathā sukham – 17.8

 

Being fulfilled by this wisdom of the Self, and with his mind absorbed, and contented in the Self, the Wise-man lives happily—seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and eating

 

na mukto viṣayadveṣṭā na vā viṣayalolupaḥ

asaṁsaktamanā nityaṁ prāptāprāptamupāśnute – 17.

 

The liberated man is not averse to the senses and nor is he attached to them. He enjoys himself continually with an unattached mind in both achievement and non-achievement

 

But it is difficult to recognize Him since he often lives like an ordinary person. Only another man of knowledge can recognize him. This is true of Astavakra Himself, as we see with regard to how we was received in the court of Janaka, as described in Vana Parva.

The 18th chapter alone, however, contains 100 verses. Swami Chinmayanandaji while introducing this 18^th Chapter of Astavakra Gita says

QUOTE

All together this chapter serves as sacred-Sanctum, a cherished-chapel consecrated to the Self- Effulgent Universal Consciousness, the One-without-a- second! In it the universe is but a mere hallucination of the restless mind!!

UNQUOTE

The Chapter 20 (the last chapter), is pure ecstasy. Janaka says those verses after sustained sravanam (listening to) of teachings from Ashtavakra

kva śāstraṁ kvātmavijñānaṁ kva vā nirviṣayaṁ manaḥ

kva tṛptiḥ kva vitṛṣṇātvaṁ gatadvandvasya me sadā – 20.2

Where are the scriptures? Where is the knowledge of the Self? Where is the mind detachedfrom the sense- objects and where is contentment? Where is desireless-ness for me, who have transcended the duality of the pairs-of-opposites?

 

kva vidyā kva ca vāvidyā kvāhaṁ kvedaṁ mama kva vā

kva bandha kva ca vā mokṣaḥ svarūpasya kva rūpit – 20.3

Where is Knowledge and where is ‘ignorance’; where is 7’, where is ‘this’ and where is ‘mine’; where is bondage and where is liberation? Where is an attribute to the Essential Nature of my Infinite Self?

 

kva prārabdhāni karmāṇi jīvanmuktirapi kva vā

kva tad videhakaivalyaṁ nirviśeṣasya sarvadā – 20.4

Where are Prarabdha karma-s, where is liberation- in-life, and where is even liberation-at-death for me, the Ever-Undifferentiated!

 

kvopadeśaḥ kva vā śāstraṁ kva śiṣyaḥ kva ca vā guruḥ

kva cāsti puruṣārtho vā nirupādheḥ śivasya me 20.23

For me who am blessed and without limitation, there is no initiation or scripture, no disciple or teacher, and no goal of human life.

 

Astakvakra from Anusasana Parva (Section 19 of KMG)

In days of yore Ashtavakra of severe penances, desirous of marriage, begged the high-souled Rishi Vadanya of his daughter. The name by which the damsel was known was Suprabha. When Vadanya was approached for this the Sage decided to test the love which Astavakra had towards his daughter and said: "I am going to test you. You go to the north to the Himalayas. Pay homage to Siva and Parvati and go further north. There you will find a very beautiful damsel. You talk to her and return and when you come back I shall give you my daughter." Accepting this challenge Astavakra went north. When he went to the Himalayas Kubera entertained him. He remained there for a year enjoying the dances of celestial maidens and then, after worshipping Siva and Parvati went further north. There he came across seven very attractive women. At the command of Astavakra the eldest of the lot, Uttara, remained with him; all the rest left the place immediately she started making love with him and requested him to marry her. But Astavakra did not yield and told her about his promise to Vadanya. Pleased at this reply Uttara revealed that she was the queen of the north in disguise and was testing him. She then blessed Astavakra who fulfilling his mission successfully, returned and married the girl he wanted.

 

Astavakra was also present among the Rishis who partook in the coronation ceremony conducted after Rama's return to Ayodhya from Lanka. (Uttararamayana).