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The Ashtavakra Gita is an ancient spiritual document of great purity and power. Pure, because it is relentlessly one-pointed. Every word is aimed at triggering Self-realization--no suggestions for self-improvement, no rules for moral behavior, no practical wisdom for daily life. Powerful, because the mere reading—or repeated reading--of it can be enough to send a ripe mind reeling into Truth. Little is known about the Ashtavakra Gita. Ashtavakra is a name that appears in Indian lore, but almost certainly he did not write it. The author, likely an anonymous sage, merely uses the characters of Ashtavakra and King Janaka to set up a classic dialogue between guru and disciple. It quickly becomes a guru-guru dialogue, however, because after the first salvo of wisdom from Ashtavakra, Janaka realizes his true Self, and from then on they get into an advaitic jam session of the highest sort. Because of this, some translators have done away with the dialogue format and attributed everything to Ashtavakra. Indeed, since all the verses of the Ashtavakra Gita exist at the highest possible level of spoken wisdom, it would appear meaningless to attribute some to the teacher and some to his newlyenlightened disciple. There is nevertheless a story line set up in the Ashtavakra Gita, and for me it goes something like this:
Chapter 1: It all starts when King Janaka asks the sage Ashtavakra how he can attain Knowledge, detachment, liberation. Ashtavakra tells him.
Chapter 2: It works! Upon hearing Ashtavakra’s words Janaka realizes his True Nature. Enraptured, he describes the joy and wonder of his new state.
Chapter 3: Ashtavakra is delighted for Janaka but sees inconsistencies. He fires off a series of confrontational verses about attachment to worldly pleasure.
Chapter 4: Janaka asserts that the Lord of the Universe can do as he pleases.
Chapter 5: Ashtavakra does not disagree, but in a terse four verses points to the next step—dissolution.
Chapter 6: Janaka says “I know that already,” matching him in style and number of verses. Chapter 7: Unable to leave it at that, however, Janaka goes on to further describe his enlightened state. Chapter 8: Still hearing too much “I” in Janaka’s language, Ashtavakra instructs him in the subtleties of attachment and bondage. Chapter 9: Ashtavakra continues to describe the way of true detachment. Chapter 10: Ashtavakra hammers away at the folly of desire—no matter how elevated or subtle. Chapter 11: Ashtavakra further describes the state of desirelessness to which he points. Chapter 12: Janaka replies by describing the state of timeless stillness in which he now finds himself. Chapter 13: Janaka, having been instructed by Ashtavakra in Chapter One to “be happy,” reports that he indeed is. Chapter 14: Janaka then summarizes his exalted state with calm indifference. Chapter 15: Impressed but not through teaching, Ashtavakra relentlessly points to the vast emptiness of Self. Chapter 16: Ashtavakra attacks the futility of effort and knowing. Chapter 17: Ashtavakra describes the nature of one who is truly free. Chapter 18: Finally, Ashtavakra hits him with everything he’s got—100 verses of pure non-duality. If this doesn’t do it, nothing will. Chapter 19: It works! Janaka no longer describes his enlightened state, but can speak only in questions revealing absence. Chapter 20: In a final flurry of questions pointing only at their own meaninglessness, Janaka burns off the last vestiges of personhood and enters dissolution. He ends with: “No more can be said.” Ashtavakra smiles, nods approvingly, and says no more. Bart Marshall August 2005
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