Ashtavakra Gita/Ashtavakreeyam – Introduction
Chapter -1 - The birth of Ashtavakra
Ashtavakra Gita is the essence of
Upanishad, which imparts the knowledge of ‘Athman’/supreme soul; it inspires
Jeeva to live a life of a Jeevamuktha while living on the Earth. Srimad
Bhagavad Gita is another famous Shashthra that reveals the knowledge of supreme
Bramham. Ashtavakra Gita is a simple and easily understandable conversation
between Sage Ashtavakra and King Janaka. Once, Sage Ashtavakra visits the
palace of King Janaka, in the large assembly Sage Ashtavakra meets Vandhi, the
son of Varuna and they both engage in
the discussion of supreme Bhramam. The Aranya Parva canto Theerthayathra Parvam
of Sri Mahabharath comprises the famous Ashtavakreeyam.
The birth of Sage Ashtavakra –
The twice-born Kahodaka is a Bhramajjyani
who married Devi Sujatha, the daughter of his preceptor Udhdhalaka. In due
course of time, Devi Sujatha got pregnant with the child, Sage Kahodaka was
engaged in deep meditation spent days without the knowledge of his pregnant
wife. The infant from the mother’s womb concerned about his father’s Tapasya
and blamed him careless towards his mother. There is another saying that, the
infant from the womb rectified the mistakes of his father in the utterance of
Vedic texts and made fun of him reciting Veda in the night hours. Sage Kahodaka
in a fury cursed the unborn child ‘You have insulted your father from mother’s womb;
therefore you will be born with eight bends on your body.” Thus, the day for the
delivery of wife was approached, Sage Kahodaka went in search for wealth, attended
a Yaga in the palace of King Janaka. There he had a debate with the scholar
Vandhi who is the son of Lord Varuna, in that Sage Kahodaka was defeated,
eventually, he was undergoing self-immolation in the water, as per the rule of
the debate.
In the meantime, Devi Sujatha gave birth
to an infant with eight curves on its body was named Ashtavakra. The studious
Ashtavakra gained knowledge in all the Shastra and Puranas at a young age,
when he was twelve years old, came to know about his father’s defeat in the
assembly of King Janaka followed by the pathetic fate to sacrifice life in the
water. Ashtavakra with his uncle maternal uncle Shwethakethu arrives in the
assembly of King Janaka, and engaged in a debate with Vandhi, in that Vandhi
was defeated. Ashtavakra requests the King to impose the same punishment that
was imposed upon his father several years ago on Vandhi. At that moment, Vandhi
reveals that his father Lord Varuna is conducting a Yaga, for that he was
arranging illustrious twice-born to participate in the Yaga, therefore his father
is not punished to death, he was intentionally defeated in the debate and
forced to self-immolate to attend the Yaga of Lord Varuna. Thus, Vandhi brought
back Sage Kahodaka from the water. Later, Sage Kahodaka advised his son to take
a dip in the sacred river Samanga, instantly all the curves on the body got
disappeared and Ashtavakra achieved a charming look. Shortly, Ashtavakra
married Devi Suprabha who is the daughter of an illustrious Rishi.
There is another legend in Vishnupurana, Ashtavakra who was engaged in extreme Tapasya
in the water, the female demigods worshiped him while doing Tapasya. Ashtavakra
was immensely pleased with their devotion and informed his willingness to give
a boon. The female demigods asked for a boon to attain an intelligent person as a wedded husband. Ashtavakra stood out of the water and instructed them to marry
him. The female demigods laughed at his abnormal stature, Ashtavakra got angry
and cursed them to be born as cowherds in the Vrajabhoomi.
Once, King Janaka had a dream in that he
was begging for alms, suffering from poverty, soon he got off the sleep with extreme anguish. He began to think “While I was sleeping I had the terrible
dream begging for alms and suffering from poverty, when I got out of sleep I
found myself in stately luxuries, therefore which is real?” Later, King Janaka
discussed this matter with the ministers and intellectuals in the assembly, but
none of them could provide a satisfactory answer to the King. Thus, King Janaka
became anxious, met a young and charming Ashtavakra in his assembly. He has
great brilliance, intelligent, and deep knowledge in all the Shastras. King
Janaka spoke “Oh! Mune, kindly answer me, which is real? the Jagrathavastha/ the
awakening state or Swapnavastha/the state of dreaming?” Ashtavakra spoke “Oh!
Rajan, the Jagrathavastha, and Swapnavastha are a mere illusion; all those have
experienced in both states are Mithya. You are neither King nor a beggar,
you are completely different from it, and you are Athman/Chaithanyaswaroopa/supreme
soul. The Athman is supreme Bhramam, it is eternal truth, and it is
all-pervasive, omnipresent, endless, and changeless as well.” Later, the King
and Ashtavakra engaged in a detailed conversation of the supreme Bhramam are
known as Ashtavakra Gita.