Asshtavakra Gita (also known as Ashtavakra Samhita) is a conversation between King Janaka and sage Ashtavakra. Vakra means crooked. Ashtavakra’s body was crooked since birth because of a curse from his father. The Gita has 298 verses in twenty chapters. Chapter 18 has a maximum number of 100 verses. As Janaka is a jnAni student (he is known as Janakavideha) the conversation is of the highest order and most of the verses are declarations of bare non-dual truths from the Absolute standpoint. There is no recourse to reason and explanation. It is tailor-made for a seeker who has got reasonable success in shravan (listening) and manan (contemplation) and has crossed the intellectual threshold and his heart is ready to throb. The verses can be used for nidhidhyAsana (vedantic meditation). With this view, 40 verses are selected with meaning and presented here. One can as well make another set of different verses.
Note: 1.2 means verse 2 in chapter 1
1
जनक उवाच –
कथं ज्ञानमवाप्नोति, कथं मुक्तिर्भविष्यति।
वैराग्य च कथं प्राप्तमेतद ब्रूहि मम प्रभो॥1.1॥
Janaka uvāca– kathaṃ jñānamavāpnoti kathaṃ muktirbhaviṣyati; vairāgyaṃ ca kathaṃ prāptametadbrūhi mama prabho.
Janaka asks the sage Ashtavakra. How is knowledge acquired, how is liberation attained and how is renunciation possible? Please tell me all this; O great one.
Ashtavakra replies. My child, if you wish to attain liberation, shun the desires for sense objects as poison. Practice forgiveness, sincerity, compassion, contentment, and truthfulness as nectar.
3
न पृथ्वी न जलं नाग्निर्न वायुर्द्यौर्न वा भवान्।
एषां साक्षिणमात्मानं चिद्रूपं विद्धि मुक्तये॥1.3॥
na pṛthvī na jalaṃ nāgnirna vāyurdyaurna vā bhavān; eṣāṃ sākṣiṇamātmānaṃ cidrūpaṃ viddhi muktaye.
Ashtavakra: You are neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, nor space. For liberation, know yourself as consciousness, the witness of all these.
Ashtavakra: If you think yourself distinct from the body and rest in consciousness, you will at once become peaceful, content and free from bondage.
5
धर्माधर्मौ सुखं दुखं मानसानि न ते विभो।
न कर्तासि न भोक्तासि मुक्त एवासि सर्वदा॥1.6॥
dharmādharmau sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ mānasāni na te bibho; na kartā’si na bhoktā’si mukta evā’si sarvadā .
Ashtavakra: Virtue and vice, pleasure and pain are connected with the mind and not with the all-pervading you. You are neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the actions. As such you are ever free.
Ashtavakra: As you are bitten by the black serpent of ego, you think that “I am the doer”. Drink the nectar of “I am not the doer” and be happy.
7
यत्र विश्वमिदं भाति कल्पितं रज्जुसर्पवत्।
आनंदपरमानन्दः स बोधस्त्वं सुखं चर॥1.10 II
yatra viśvamidaṃ bhāti kalpitaṃ rajjusarpavat; ānandaparamānandaḥ sa bodhastvaṃ sukhaṃ cara.
Ashtavakra: The world arises in Consciousness as snake is imagined on a rope. You are the Consciousness which is the supreme bliss. Know this and move happily.
King Janaka says: Truly I am taintless, peaceful, pure consciousness and beyond nature. It is ironical that all this time I was afflicted by illusion.
10
यथा न तोयतो भिन्नास्- तरंगाः फेन बुदबुदाः।
आत्मनो न तथा भिन्नं विश्वमात्मविनिर्गतम् ॥2.4॥
yathā na toyato bhinnāstaraṅgāḥ phenabudbudāḥ | ātmano na tathā bhinnaṃ viśvamātmavinirgatam
Janaka: As waves, foam and bubbles are not different from the water, in the same way, the universe which has emanated from the Self is not different from It.
Ashtavakra says: It is bondage if the mind desires something, grieves about something, rejects or accepts something, and is happy or angry with something.
Ashtavakra says: There is liberation when there is no feeling of ‘I’ and ‘my’ and there is bondage when there is feeling of ‘I’ and ‘my’. Thinking like this, refrain easily from accepting or rejecting anything.
Ashtavakra says. Give up the enemies of desires and wealth which are full of mischief. Thus rejecting these two will lead to righteousness and indifference to everything.
Ashtavakra says: Existence, change and destruction are in the nature of things. One who has realized this easily finds peace and rest and is free from pain.
17
मोक्षो विषयवैरस्यं बन्धो वैषयिको रसः।
एतावदेव विज्ञानं यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु॥15.2॥
Ashtavakra: Indifference to sense objects is liberation and passion for them is bondage. Knowing thus, do as you wish.
18
न त्वं देहो न ते देहो भोक्ता कर्ता न वा भवान्।
चिद्रूपोऽसि सदा साक्षी निरपेक्षः सुखं चर॥ 15.4॥
na tvaṃ deho na te deho bhoktā kartā na vā bhavān; cidrūpo’si sadā sākṣī nirapekṣaḥ sukhaṃ cara.
Ashtavakra: You are not this body, neither is this body yours. You are neither the doer of actions nor the reaper of the consequences of actions. You are pure consciousness, eternal witness, without desires and ever blissful.
Ashtavakra: Know that all beings exist in you, the Self and you, the Self exist in all beings. Thus knowing, give up the ego, ‘I and mine’ and attachment and be happy.
20
त्वय्यनंतमहांभोधौ विश्ववीचिः स्वभावतः।
उदेतु वास्तमायातु न ते वृद्धिर्न वा क्षतिः॥15.11॥
tvayyanantamahāmbhodhau viśvavīciḥ svabhāvataḥ; udetu vā’stamāyātu na te vṛddhirna vā kṣatiḥ.
Ashtavakra: Let this world rise and subside naturally as waves in you, the great ocean. It means no gain or loss to you.