Ashtavakra Gita

From Vero - Wikipedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Hindu scriptures Template:Contains special characters The Ashtavakra Gita (Sanskrit: अष्टावक्रगीता; IAST: aṣṭāvakragītā)Template:Sfn or Song of Ashtavakra is a classical Advaita text in the form of a dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and Janaka, king of Mithila.Template:Sfn

Dating

Radhakamal Mukerjee, an Indian social scientist, dated the book to the period immediately after the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita (600 BCE according to Mukerjee; commonly dated to ca. 2nd century BCE), at c. 500–400 BCE.Template:Sfn J. L. Brockington, emeritus professor of Sanskrit at the University of Edinburgh, places the Ashtavakra Gita much later, supposing it to have been written either in the eighth century CE by a follower of Adi Shankara, or in the fourteenth century during a resurgence of Shankara's teaching.<ref>Byrom, Thomas (1990). The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita. Shambhala Publications. Page xxiii.</ref><ref>Brockington, J. L. (1990). Foreword to The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita, trans. Thomas Byrom. Shambhala Publications. Page xi.</ref> Sri Swami Shantananda Puri suggests that since the book contains the seed of the theory of non-creation Ajata Vada developed later by Gaudapada in Mandookya Karika, this book comes from a period prior to that of Gaudapada (6th century CE) and hence prior to Shankara.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Identification of Ashtavakra

Ashtavakra is probably identical to the holy sage with the same name who appears in Mahabharata, though the connection is not clearly stated in any of the texts.Template:Sfn Mukherjee identifies Janaka as the father of Sita and disciple of the sage Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn Janaka is also depicted as a king who has attained perfection in vedas.

Contents

Overview

Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between Ashtavakra and Janaka on the nature of Self/Atman, reality and bondage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It offers a radical version of non-dualist philosophy. The Gita insists on the complete unreality of the external world and absolute oneness of existence. It does not mention any morality or duties, and therefore is seen by commentators as 'godless'. It also dismisses names and forms as unreal and a sign of ignorance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In a conversation between Janaka and Ashtavakra, pertaining to the deformity of his crooked body, Ashtavakra explains that the size of a temple is not affected by how it is shaped, and the shape of his own body does not affect himself (or Atman). The ignorant man's vision is shrouded by names and forms, but a wise man sees only the Self:<ref>Chinmayananda 1997:n.p.</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Template:Blockquote

Structure

The book comprises 15 chapters:Template:Sfn

  • I Saksi - Vision of the Self as the All-pervading Witness
  • II Ascaryam - Marvel of the Infinite Self Beyond Nature
  • III Atmadvaita - Self in All and All in the Self
  • IV Sarvamatma - Knower and the Non-knower of the Self
  • V Laya - Stages of Dissolution of Consciousness
  • VI Prakrteh Parah - Irrelevance of Dissolution of Consciousness
  • VII Santa - Tranquil and Boundless Ocean of the Self
  • VIII Moksa - Absolute and Eternal Freedom from all kinds of self assumed Bondages.
  • IX Nirveda - Indifference
  • X Vairagya - Dispassion
  • XI Cittrupa - Self as Pure and Radiant Intelligence
  • XII Svabhava - Ascent of Contemplation
  • XIII Yathasukham - Transcendent Bliss
  • XIV Isvara - Natural Dissolution of the Mind
  • XV Tattvam - Unborn Self or Brahman
  • XVI Svasthya - Self-Abidance through Obliteration of the World
  • XVII Kaivalya - Absolute Aloneness of the Self
  • XVIII Jivanmukti - State of the being where the individual has attained salvation while being alive
  • XIX Svamahima - Majesty of the Self
  • XX Akincanabhava - Transcendence of the Self

Appreciation

The work was known, appreciated and quoted by Ramakrishna and his disciple Vivekananda, as well as Ramana Maharshi. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan refers to it with great respect.<ref>s:Ashtavakra Gita#Translator's Notes</ref> Osho called Ashtavakra Gita as Mahageeta.

Ashtavakra Gita continues to inspire people. The first musical form of Ashtavakra Gita Saksi I (Chapter 1) was set in the raga Svadhya by Composer Raleigh Rajan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Translations and commentaries

  • Lala Baij Nath(1907) opened the discourse of this Gita into the English language.<ref>Baij Nath (Lala.) (1907). The Ashtavakra Gita: being a dialogue between King Janaka and Rishi Ashtavakra on Vedanta. Office of the Vaishya Hitkari.</ref>
  • Swami Nityaswarupananda has written a word by word translation from 1929 to 1931.<ref>Template:Cite book.</ref>
  • Radhakamal Mukerjee (1889–1968) continued the discourse into English with his work posthumously published in 1971.<ref>Radhakamal Mukerjee (1971). The song of the self supreme (Aṣṭāvakragītā): the classical text of Ātmādvaita by Aṣṭāvakra. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. Template:ISBN. Source: [1] (accessed: Friday March 19, 2010).</ref>
  • Scott R. Stroud (2004), wrote on the Astavakra Gita as a work of multivalent narrative.<ref>Stroud, Scott R. (2004). "Narrative as Argument in Indian Philosophy: The Astavakra Gita as Multivalent Narrative." Philosophy and Rhetoric - Volume 37, Number 1, 2004, Template:ISSN, pp. 42-71.</ref>
  • The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Shambhala Dragon Editions) translated by Thomas Byrom, 1990.
  • Swami Chinmayananda<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> wrote a commentary on the Ashtavakra Gita, which has references to the Upanishads to help convey the meaning of the text.
  • John Richards published an English translation of the Ashtavakra Gita in 1997.<ref>Richards, John H. (1997). Ashtavakra Gita. Source: [2] (accessed: July 10, 2021).</ref>
  • Osho has given commentary on Ashtavakra Gita in a long series of 91 discourses named as Ashtavakra Mahageeta,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> given in his Pune Ashram.
  • Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has given commentary on Ashtavakra Gita in Hindi<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and English.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
  • Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai has given commentary on Ashtavakra Gita through 60 discourses totalling more than 116 hours.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
  • The Book has also been translated into Urdu language with the title of Mehak-e-Agahi, 2021.
  • Alexandra David-Néel, translated the text from Sanskrit into French, title Astavakra Gîtâ, 1951.

See also

Template:Div col

Template:Div col end

Notes

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

Sources

Template:Refbegin

Template:Refend

Original text

Translations

Audio books

Retrieved from "https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=Ashtavakra_Gita&oldid=382110"