“The light of a lamp does not flicker in a windless place: that is the simile which describes a yogi of one-pointed mind, who meditates upon the Atman. When, through the practice of yoga, the mind ceases its restless movements, and becomes still, he realizes the Atman. It satisfies him entirely. Then he knows that infinite happiness which can be realized by the purified heart but is beyond the grasp of the senses.”
~ Bhagavad Gita
O Arjuna,
the Yogi who is established in Me,
with his mind constantly fixed on Me, continually remembering Me,
can easily attain me.
Bhagvad Gita
Chapter 8, Shloka 14
“Devote yourself … to reaching union with Brahman. To unite the heart with Brahman and then to act: that is the secret of non-attached work. In the calm of self-surrender, the seers renounce the fruits of their actions, and so reach enlightenment. Then they are free from the bondage of rebirth, and pass to that state which is beyond all evil.”
~ Bhagavad Gita
ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः।
लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा।।
The man who acts, dedicating all his
actions to God and abandoning all
attachment, is untouched by sin
as a lotus leaf is untouched
by water.
The lotus grows in mud, but its leaf
floats above the water. Ripples pass
over it night and day, but if you look at
the leaf, it is always dry. Not a drop of
water clings to it. So the lotus growing
in mud and water is yet unsullied by
them. Just so, the man, all of whose
actions are merged into God, and
who acts with total detachment
because there is nothing beyond
to be desired, is unaffected by action.
Yet he is busy with the performance
of action for the guidance and good
of the ones who are behind him.
Bhagavadgita
The emancipated person,
the noble-minded one, as he
sees, hears, touches, smells,
eats, accepts, speaks and
moves, is free, indeed,
from attachment
or aversion.
Ashtavakra Gita
“When a man’s heart has reached fulfillment through knowledge and personal experience of the truth of Brahman, he is never again moved by the things of the senses. Earth, stone and gold seem all alike to one who has mastered his senses.”
~ Bhagavad Gita
Ashtavakra Gita
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The Ashtavakra Gita (Sanskrit in Devanagari: अष्टावक्रगीता; IAST: aṣṭāvakragītā)[1] or the Song of Ashtavakra is a classical Advaita Vedanta scripture. It is written as a dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and Janaka, king of Mithila.[2]
Dating
Radhakamal Mukerjee, an Indian social scientist, dated the book to the period immediately after the Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita (c. 500–400 BC).[3] 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 AC by a follower of Shankara, or in the fourteenth century during a resurgence of Shankara’s teaching.[4][5] 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 and hence prior to Adi Shankara.[6]
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.[7] Mukherjee identifies Janaka as the father of Sita and disciple of the sage Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.[7][note 1] Janaka is also depicted as a king who has attained perfection in the Bhagavad Gita (III,20,25).
Contents
Overview
Janaka debating with Ashtavakra. Art from the epic Ashtavakra (2010).
Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between Ashtavakra and Janaka on the nature of soul, reality and bondage.[9] It offers a radical version of non-dualistic philosophy. The Gita insists on complete unreality of 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.[10]
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 himself:[11][12]
You are really unbound and action-less, self-illuminating and spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are still resorting to stilling the mind. (I.15)
You are unconditioned and changeless, formless and immovable, unfathomable awareness, imperturbable- such consciousness is un-clinging. (I.17)
You are not bound by anything. What does a pure person like you need to renounce? Putting the complex organism to rest, you can go to your rest. (V.1) [13]
Structure
The book comprises 20 chapters:[14]
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 – Bondage and Freedom
IX Nirveda – Indifference
X Vairagya – Dispassion
XI Cidrupa – 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 – Way and Goal of Natural Samadhi
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.[15]
Translations and commentaries
Nath (1907) opened the discourse of this Gita into the English language.[16] Mukerjee (1889–1968) continued the discourse into English with his posthumous work published in 1971.[17] Stroud (2004) wrote on the Astavakra Gita as a work of multivalent narrative.[18]
Swami Chinmayananda wrote a commentary on the Ashtavakra Gita, which has references to the Upanishads to help convey the meaning of the text.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has given commentary on Ashtavakra Gita in Hindi[19] and English Language.[20]
Commentaries on this work, have been also been provided by Osho [21]
Notes
^ Janaka receives the teaching of the supreme Self from Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
●□■□●□■□●□■□●□■□
The Gita is the sixth book of the Mahabharata, one of India’s most famous epic poems. It’s unclear exactly when the Gita was composed—estimates vary widely, but a number of scholars suggest it was completed around 200 CE and then inserted into the larger work; many see it as the first fully realized yogic scripture. Curious though it may seem that such an ancient text from a foreign culture has been so enthusiastically received by Westerners, the Gita, like all truly great works of literature, can be read on many levels: metaphysical, moral, spiritual, and practical; hence its appeal.
For those who haven’t had the pleasure of reading it, the Gita recounts a dialogue between Arjuna, one of five Pandava princes, and the Hindu deity Krishna, who in this epic serves as Arjuna’s charioteer. Arjuna and his brothers have been exiled from the kingdom of Kurukshetra for 13 years and cut off from their rightful heritage by another faction of the family; the Gita takes up their struggle to reclaim the throne, which requires that Arjuna wage war against his own kinsmen, bringing his considerable military skills to bear.
The story begins on the dusty plains of Kurukshetra, where Arjuna, a famed archer, is poised to fight. But he hesitates. He sees arrayed against him friends, teachers, and kin, and believes that to fight—and likely kill—these men would be to commit a grievous sin and could bring nothing good even if he were to win the kingdom back. Krishna chides him for his cowardice—Arjuna is from the warrior caste after all, and warriors are meant to fight—but then goes on to present a spiritual rationale for battling his enemies, one that encompasses a discussion of the karma, jnana and bhakti yogas, as well as the nature of divinity, humankind’s ultimate destiny, and the purpose of mortal life.
Ashtavakra Gita –
Chapter 18 ‘Peace’
Ashtavakra said:
18.1
Praise That,
which is Bliss itself,
which is by nature stillness and light,
and which by Its knowing
reveals the world as a dream.
18.2
One may enjoy the abundant pleasures of the world,
but will never be happy
until giving them up.
18.3
How can one whose innermost heart
has been scorched by the sun of sorrow
that comes from duty
be happy until the sweet rain
of torrential stillness?
18.4
The universe is but a thought
in Consciousness.
In Reality it is nothing.
One who sees the true nature
of existence and non-existence
never ceases to exist.
18.5
The Self–which is
absolute, effortless, timeless, immaculate–
is without limits
and at no distance from you.
You are forever It.
18.6
For those whose vision becomes unclouded,
illusion evaporates
and the Self becomes known.
All sorrow is instantly dispelled.
18.7
Seeing everything is imagination,
knowing the Self as timelessly free,
the sage lives as a child.
18.8
Knowing himself as Absolute,
knowing existence and non-existence
to be imagination only,
what is there for the desireless one
to learn, say or do?
18.9
Knowing for certain that all is Self,
the sage has no trace of thoughts
such as “I am this” or “I am not that.”
18.10
The yogi who finds stillness
is neither distracted nor focused.
He knows neither pleasure nor pain.
Ignorance dispelled,
he is free of knowing.
18.11
Heaven or poverty,
gain or loss,
society or solitude,
to the yogi free of conditioning
there is no difference.
18.12
Religious merit,
sensory pleasure,
worldly prosperity,
discrimination between this and that—
these have no significance
to the yogi free of opposites
such as “I do this”
and “this I do not.”
18.13
The yogi who is liberated while living
has no duties in this world,
no attachments in his heart.
His life proceeds without him.
18.14
For the great soul
who abides beyond desire,
where is illusion?
Where is the universe?
Where is meditation on That?
Where even is liberation from them?
18.15
He who sees the world
may try to renounce it.
But what can the desireless one do?
He sees there is nothing to see.
18.16
He who has seen the Supreme Brahma
thinks, “I am Brahma.”
But he who has transcended all thought,
what can he think?
He knows no other than Self.
18.17
He achieves self-control
who sees his own distraction.
But the great soul is not distracted.
He has nothing to achieve.
He has nothing to do.
18.18
The man of Knowledge
may live as an ordinary man,
but he is not.
He sees he is neither
focused nor distracted,
and finds no fault with himself.
18.19
He who is beyond existence and non-existence–
who is wise, satisfied, free of desire–
does nothing,
though the world may see him in motion.
18.20
The wise one
is not troubled by action or inactivity.
He lives happily,
doing whatever gets done.
18.21
Like a leaf in the wind
the liberated one
is untethered from life–
desireless, independent, free.
18.22
For one who has transcended the world
there is no joy or sorrow.
With a stilled mind,
he lives on with no body.
18.23
One who knows Self,
whose mind is serene and spotless,
does not desire to give up anything,
nor does he miss what is not there.
18.24
His mind being in a natural state
of emptiness,
the wise one knows nothing
of honor and dishonor.
He does what comes to be done.
18.25
One who acts knowing
“This is done by the body, not by I, pure Self,”
indeed does nothing–
no matter how much acting takes place.
18.26
The liberated one
acts without claiming to be acting,
but he is no fool.
He is blessed and happy
even though in the world.
18.27
Having had enough
of the endless workings of the mind,
the wise one comes to rest.
He neither thinks, nor knows,
nor hears, nor sees.
18.28
Beyond stillness,
beyond distraction,
the great soul thinks nothing
of liberation or bondage.
Having seen the universe is void–
even though it seems to exist–
he is God.
18.29
He who believes he is a person
is constantly acting,
even when the body is at rest.
The sage knows he is not a person,
and therefore does nothing,
even when the body is in motion.
18.30
The mind of the liberated one
is neither troubled nor pleased.
It is actionless, motionless, desireless
and free of doubt.
18.31
The liberated one
does not exert effort
to meditate or act.
Action and meditation just happen.
18.32
Hearing ultimate Truth,
the dull-witted man is bewildered.
The wise man hearing Truth
retreats within and appears
dull-witted.
18.33
The ignorant practice
meditation and no-thought.
The wise,
like men in deep sleep,
do nothing.
18.34
The ignorant man finds no peace
either by effort or non-effort.
The wise man
by Truth alone is stilled.
18.35
Though they are by nature Self alone,
pure intelligence, love and perfection;
though they transcend the universe
and are clearness itself,
men of the world will not see this
through meditation and practices.
18.36
The ignorant man
will never be liberated
by his repetitious practices.
Blessed is he who
by simple understanding
enters timeless freedom.
18.37
Because he desires to know God,
the ignorant man can never become That.
The wise man is God
because he is free of desire
and knows nothing.
18.38
Unable to stand steady
and eager for salvation,
the ignorant perpetuate
the illusion of world.
Seeing the world
as the source of all misery,
the wise cut it off at the root.
18.39
The fool thinks peace comes
by controlling the mind.
He will never attain it.
The wise one knows Truth,
and is stillness itself.
18.40
For he who thinks knowledge
is things and ideas
how can there be Self-knowledge?
The wise do not see separate things–
only the timeless Self.
18.41
The fool tries to control the mind
with the mind—what folly!
The wise one delights in Self alone.
There is no mind to master.
18.42
Some believe in existence;
others believe nothing exists.
Rare is the one who believes nothing
and is never confused.
18.43
Weak intellectuals may believe
the Self is One without other.
But being mired in illusion
they do not actually know Self,
so live out their lives in misery.
18.44
The mind of one seeking liberation
depends on things for perception.
The mind of the liberated one
perceives no-thing
and is free of desire.
18.45
Timid men fear sensory experience
much as they do tigers.
They seek refuge in caves
and try to un-think the world.
18.46
Sensory experiences are like elephants who,
upon encountering a desireless man,
see him as a lion.
They immediately turn on their heels,
or if unable to escape,
stay on to flatter and serve him.
18.47
A man with no doubts,
who knows only Self,
has no need of practice
or liberation.
Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating—
he lives as he is, happily.
18.48
One whose mind is emptied and unconflicted
by the mere hearing of Truth
sees nothing to do,
nothing to avoid,
nothing to warrant his indifference.
18.49
The sage does whatever
appears to be done
without thinking of good or bad.
His actions are those of a child.
18.50
Depending on nothing,
one finds happiness.
Depending on nothing,
one attains the Supreme.
Depending on nothing,
one passes through tranquility
to One Self.
18.51
When one realizes
he is neither the actor
nor the one who watches,
the mind-storm is stilled.
18.52
The actions of the sage,
free of pretence and motive,
shine like clear light.
Not so those of the deluded seeker
who affects a peaceful demeanor
while remaining firmly attached.
18.53
Unbounded, unfettered,
untethered from the projections of mind,
the wise are free to play and enjoy,
or retire to mountain caves.
18.54
Whether honoring a spiritual scholar,
a god, or holy shrine;
whether seeing a desirable woman,
a king, or beloved friend–
the heart of the sage
is unmoved.
18.55
Though his servants, sons,
wives, daughters, grandchildren
and all his relatives
ridicule and despise him,
the yogi is undismayed.
18.56
Though pleased he is not pleasured;
though pained he does not suffer.
This wonderful state is understood
only by those like him.
18.57
The belief in duty
creates a relative world
for its performance.
The wise one knows Himself
to be formless, timeless,
all-pervasive, immaculate,
and thus transcends duty and world.
18.58
Even doing nothing
the dull one is anxious and distracted.
Even amidst great action
the wise one remains still.
18.59
Even in practical life
the wise one remains happy.
Happy to sit,
happy to sleep,
happy to move about,
happy to speak,
happy to eat…
18.60
Because he knows Self
the wise one is not disrupted by practical life.
He is deep and still, like a vast lake.
He is not like ordinary people.
His sorrows have vanished.
18.61
For the deluded one,
even rest is an activity.
For the wise,
even action bears the fruit of stillness.
18.62
The deluded one is often adverse
to the things of his life.
To one with no thought for body,
attachment and aversion have no meaning.
18.63
The deluded mind is caught up
in thinking and not thinking.
Though the mind of the wise one
may think what thoughts come,
he is not aware of it.
18.64
The sage sees nothing being done
even when performed by his hands.
Like a child he is pure
and acts without reason.
18.65
Blessed indeed is he who knows Self.
Though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating,
he never desires nor changes.
18.66
For one who is void and changeless,
where is the world and its imaginings?
Where is the end?
Where is the possibility of it?
18.67
Glorious indeed is he who,
free of desire,
embodies Bliss itself.
He has become absorbed in Self.
18.68
In short, the great soul
who has realized Truth
is free of desire, enjoyment and liberation.
In all of space and time
he is attached to nothing.
18.69
What remains for One
who is Consciousness itself,
who sees the non-existence
of a phenomenal world created
by the mere thought of a name?
18.70
Peace is natural for one
who knows for certain nothing exists,
who sees appearances are illusion,
to whom the inexpressible is apparent.
18.71
Rules of conduct, detachment,
renunciation, asceticism—
what are these to one
who sees the unreality of things,
who is the Light of Awareness?
18.72
How can there be joy or sorrow,
bondage or liberation,
for one who perceives non-existence
and lights the infinite?
18.73
Until Self-realization,
illusion prevails.
The sage lives without
thoughts of “I” or “mine.”
His connection to illusion is severed.
18.74
What is knowledge?
What is the universe?
What are thoughts like
“I am the body,” or “the body is mine”?
The sage is imperishable and sorrowless.
He is Self alone.
18.75
When a weak man gives up meditation
he falls prey to whims and desires.
18.76
Even hearing Truth,
the man of dull intellect
holds on to illusion.
Through effort and suppression
he may appear outwardly composed,
but inside he craves the world.
18.77
Though others may see him working,
the sage does nothing.
Knowledge has banished effort.
He finds no reason to do or say.
18.78
The sage is fearless, unassailable.
No darkness, no light, nothing to lose.
Nothing.
18.79
Patience, discrimination,
even fearlessness—
What use are these to the yogi?
His nature cannot be described.
He is not a person.
18.80
No heaven, no hell,
no liberation for the living.
In short, Consciousness is Void.
What more can be said?
18.81
The sage neither yearns for fulfillment
nor frets over non-attainment.
His mind is cool
and brimming with sweetness.
18.82
Detached from desire,
the sage neither praises peace
nor blames the wicked.
Equally content
in happiness and misery,
he would not change a thing.
18.83
The sage neither rejects the world
nor desires Self.
He is free of joy and sorrow.
He does not live
and cannot die.
18.84
The wise one lives without hope.
He has no attachment to his children, wife or anyone.
Pleasure means nothing to him.
His life is glorious.
18.85
The sage wanders about as he pleases
and lives on whatever may come.
Contentment ever dwells in his heart.
And when the sun sets,
he rests where he is.
18.86
Rooted in Being,
no thought of being born or reborn,
the great soul is indifferent
to the death or birth of his body.
18.87
The wise one stands alone,
caring for nothing,
bereft of possessions.
He goes where he will,
unhindered by opposites,
his doubts rent asunder.
He is truly blessed.
18.88
The wise one has no sense of “mine.”
To him earth, stone and gold are the same.
The knots of his heart have unraveled.
He knows neither ignorance nor sorrow.
He is excellent in every way.
18.89
The liberated soul
has no desire in his heart.
He is content and indifferent.
He has no equal.
18.90
Only one free of desire
knows nothing of knowing,
says nothing needs saying,
sees nothing to see.
18.91
He who is without desire excels,
be he beggar or king.
He no longer sees good or bad.
18.92
What is lust or restraint,
or the desire for Truth
to the yogi who has reached life’s goal,
and who embodies virtue and sincerity?
18.93
The inner experience of one
who is free of desire and suffering,
who is content and reposes in Self–
how can it be described,
and of whom?
18.94
The wise one’s state never varies.
Sleeping soundly, he is not asleep.
Lying in reverie, he is not dreaming.
Eyes open, he is not wakeful.
18.95
The man of Knowledge seems to think,
but has no thoughts.
He seems to have sense perceptions,
but does not experience.
He seems to have intelligence,
but is empty-minded.
He appears to be a person,
but is not.
18.96
The man of Knowledge
is neither happy nor miserable,
neither detached nor attached,
neither liberated nor seeking liberation.
He is neither this nor that.
18.97
Even while distracted the blessed one is still.
In meditation, he does not meditate.
In ignorance, he remains clear.
Though learned, he knows nothing.
18.98
The liberated one,
who abides unconditionally in Self,
who is free of the concept of action and duty,
who is always and everywhere the same,
is desireless.
He does not worry
about what he did or did not do.
18.99
The wise one is neither pleased by praise,
nor annoyed by blame.
He neither rejoices in life
nor fears death.
18.100
One of tranquil mind
seeks neither crowds nor wilderness.
He is the same wherever he goes.