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Part of a series on Hindu scriptures
Vedas
Rigveda · Yajurveda
Samaveda · Atharvaveda
Vedic divisions
Samhita · Brahmana
Aranyaka  · Upanishad
Upanishad
Aitareya · Brihadaranyaka
Isha · Taittiriya · Chandogya
Kena · Mundaka
Mandukya · Prashna
Shvetashvatara
Vedanga
Shiksha · Chandas
Vyakarana · Nirukta
Jyotisha · Kalpa
Itihasa
Mahabharata · Ramayana
Other scriptures
Smriti · Śruti
Bhagavad Gita · Purana
Agama · Darshana
Pancharatra · Tantra
Sutra · Stotra ·Dharmashastra
Divya Prabandha
Tevaram
Ramacharitamanas
Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut
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The Ashtavakra Gita (Song of Ashtavakra), also known by the name Ashtavakra Samhita is an influential nondualist Vedic scripture which documents a discourse between the Perfect Master Ashtavakra(Eight times Knotted or Gnarled Guru) and Raja Janak(King Janaka), though its authorship is not known with certainty^{[citation needed]}. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... Template:Hindu scriptures - Vedic Scriptures Hindu scripture, which is known as Shastra is predominantly written in Sanskrit. ... Image File history File links Aum. ... The Vedas (Sanskrit: वेद) are a large corpus of texts originating in Ancient India. ... The Rigveda (Sanskrit: , a tatpurusha compound of praise, verse and knowledge) is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to the gods. ... The Yajurveda (Sanskrit , a tatpurusha compound of sacrifice + veda knowledge) is one of the four Hindu Vedas. ... The Samaveda (Sanskrit: सामवेद, sāmaveda, a tatpurusha compound of ritual chant + knowledge ), is third in the usual order of enumeration of the four Vedas, the ancient core Hindu scriptures. ... The Atharvaveda (Sanskrit: अथर्ववेद, , a tatpurusha compound of , a type of priest, and meaning knowledge) is a sacred text of Hinduism, and one of the four Vedas, often called the fourth Veda. According to tradition, the Atharvaveda was mainly composed by two groups of rishis known as the Bhrigus and the... The Samhita (Sanskrit: joined or collected) is the basic text of each of the Vedas, comprising collections of hymns and ritual texts. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक ) are part of the Hindu Å›ruti; these religious scriptures are written in early Classical Sanskrit, and form part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Upanishads (Devanagari: उपनिषद्, IAST: upaniá¹£ad) are part of the Vedas and form the Hindu scriptures which primarily discuss philosophy, meditation, and the nature of God; they form the core spiritual thought of Vedantic Hinduism. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... The Aitareya Upanishad is one of the older, primary Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. ... The Upanishad is believed to be one of the older, primary (mukhya) Upanishads. ... The Isha Upanishad () or Ishopanishad (), also known as the Ishavasya Upanishad (), is a Sanskrit poem (or sequence of mantras) from the Upanishads and is considered Åšruti by followers of a number of diverse traditions within Hinduism. ... The Taittiriya Upanishad is one of the Upanishads associated to the taittiriya samhita of the Black Yajurveda. ... The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the main ten Upanishads of Hinduism. ... The Kena Upanishad (), is one of the older, primary Upanishads commented upon by Shankara. ... Mundaka Upanishad is an Upanishad of the Atharva Veda. ... MāndÅ«kya Upanishad is one of the shortest Upanishads, that form of the revealed, so called metaphysical, parts of the Vedic texts, the Vedas. ... i hate prashna ... The Shvetashvatara Upanishad is one of the 33 Upanishads of Krishna Yajurveda or Black Yajurveda . ... The Vedanga (IAST , member of the Veda) are six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding and tradition of the Vedas. ... Shiksha is an NGO devoted to improving the standards of education in New Delhi and its neighbouring regions. ... The verses of the Vedas have a variety of different meters. ... The Sanskrit grammatical tradition of , is one of the six Vedanga disciplines. ... Nirukta is Vedic glossary of difficult words. ... Jyotisha (, in Hindi and English usage Jyotish; sometimes called Hindu astrology, Indian astrology, and/or Vedic astrology) is the Hindu system of astrology, one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, and regarded as one of the oldest schools of ancient astrology to have had an independent origin, affecting all other... Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating ritual. ... Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. ... For the film by Peter Brook, see The Mahabharata (1989 film). ... For the television series by Ramanand Sagar, see Ramayan (TV series). ... Bibliography of Hindu scriptures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Smriti (Sanskrit स्मॄति, that which is remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... The Å›ruti (Sanskrit thing heard, sound) is the smallest interval of the tuning system of Indian classical music. ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Purana (Sanskrit: , meaning tales of ancient times) is the name of an ancient Indian genre (or a group of related genres) of Hindu or Jain literature (as distinct from oral tradition). ... For the Buddhist texts called the Agamas, see Nikaya. ... The Sanskrit word darshana means view or viewpoint. ... Pañcaratra is an pre-Puranic form of Hinduism, which equated Narayana with Vishnu. ... The Tantra (Looms or Weavings), refer to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. ... SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... The Dharmashastra is a volume of Hindu legal texts, covering moral, ethical and social laws. ... The Nalayira Divya Prabandha is a divine [1] collection of 4,000 verses (Naalayira in Tamil means four thousand) composed sometime around the 8th and 12th century AD, by the 12 Alvars (also aazhvaars), the Tamil mystic poets, and was compiled in its present form by Nathamuni during the 9th... The Tevaram is a body of ancient religious hymns composed by the thousands in the popular Tamil language by Saiva, Nayanars and Vaishnava saints to spread their faith among common people. ... ÅšrÄ« Rāmcaritmānas (Hindi: रामचरितमानस) is an epic poem composed by the great 16th-century Indian poet, Goswami Tulsidas (c. ... The Shikshapatri is a text of two hundred and twelve verses, and was written by Shree Swaminarayan, a reforming Hindu from the Vaishnava tradition, who lived in Gujarat from 1781-1830 and who was recognised by his followers as a deity during his lifetime. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Bibliography of Hindu scriptures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A nondual philosophical or religious perspective or theory maintains that there is no fundamental distinction between mind and matter. ... Vedic may refer to: Ancient India the Vedic civilization the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indo-Aryan texts Vedic Sanskrit, their language (see also Vedic meter, Vedic accent, Vedic chant and Shrauta) the historical Vedic religion traditional Hindu culture: Vedic astrology the Ayurveda (Vedic medicine) Ancient Vedic weights and measures modern... Ashtavakra or Ashtaavakra in sanskrit means eight bends. In ancient india, sage Ashtavakra was known to be very intelligent and spiritually well advanced rishi who realized self or Atman. ...

There is little doubt^{[weasel words]} though that it dates back to the days of the classic Vedanta period^{[citation needed]}. The Sanskrit style and the doctrine expressed would seem to^{[weasel words]} warrant this assessment.^{[citation needed]} This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ...

The work was known, appreciated and quoted by Ramakrishna^{[citation needed]} and his disciple Vivekananda^{[citation needed]}, as well as by Ramana Maharshi^{[citation needed]}. Radhakrishnan refers to it^{[citation needed]} with great respect^{[weasel words]}, while even Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has given a commentary[1] on the scripture. Apart from that, the work speaks for itself^{[weasel words]}. It presents the traditional teachings of Advaita Vedanta with a clarity and power very rarely matched. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস Ramkrishno Pôromôhongsho), born Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (Bangla: গদাধর চট্টোপাধ্যায় Gôdadhor Chôţţopaddhae) [1], (February 18, 1836–August 16, 1886) was a Hindu religious teacher and an influential figure in the Bengal Renaissance of the Nineteenth century. ... Introduction Swami Vivekananda (Narendranath Dutta) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Hindu religion. ... Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 – April 14, 1950) was a Hindu Sage. ... Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (September 5, 1888 – April 17, 1975) is best known as the man who introduced the thinking of western idealist philosophers into Indian thought. ... Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (born : May 13, 1956) is an Indian spiritual master (Guru). ... Advaita Vedanta (IAST ; Devanagari ; IPA ) is the dominant sub-school of the Vedānta (literally, end or the goal of the Vedas, Sanskrit) school of Hindu philosophy. ...

The Ashtavakra Gita does not date itself or brand itself to any region, culture, or peoples^{[weasel words]}, although it does contain Hindu-specific references^{[citation needed]}, especially in the final chapter entitled 'I am Shiva' where it is proclaimed in the final verse that the author is in truth one with God. The essence of the Ashtavakra Gita is^{[weasel words]} that there is no such thing as existence or non existence, right or wrong, or moral or immoral. In the eyes of the sage Ashtavakra who is the ostensible author of this text, one's true identity can be found by simply recognizing oneself as Pure Existence and that as individuals we are the Awareness of all things. A wise old man: Philosopher in Meditation by Rembrandt The wise old man (or Senex) is an archetype as described by Carl Jung. ... Ashtavakra or Ashtaavakra in sanskrit means eight bends. In ancient india, sage Ashtavakra was known to be very intelligent and spiritually well advanced rishi who realized self or Atman. ...

The Ashtavakra Gita teaches^{[citation needed]} that one is already free once one realises they are free. It advocates non-action (similar to the Daoist concept of Wu Wei), the loss of desire and severing of worldly attachments. To free oneself from the cycle of life and death one should withdraw from all Earthly desires, worries and cares. To continue induldging in Earthly things even after one has realised their true nature is said to be foolish and time wasting. Instead it paints a picture of The Master as someone who continues to keep up their responsibilities in the world, not because they believe they have to or due to any worldy attachments, but simply that it is in their nature to do so. It is important to avoid misinterpretation in this regard^{[weasel words]}, and to that end teachers traditionally recommend^{[citation needed]} that Ashtavakra Gita be pursued by only those who have already advanced on the spiritual path. Ashtavakra teaches^{[citation needed]} that emotion, thought and even meditation can lead to further bondage and that religious practice itself is of no meaning to the enlightened. For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... Wu wei (trad. ...

External links

Original text (Sanskrit)

• At sanskrit.gde.to: अष्टावक्र गीता (html), (pdf), (ps) in Devanagari; ashhTaavakra giitaa (itx source), (html) in some kinds of transliteration.

Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari (early 19th century) Devanāgarī (देवनागरी — in English pronounced ) (ISCII – IS13194:1991) [1] is an abugida alphabet used to write several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Bihari, Bhili, Konkani, Bhojpuri and Nepali from Nepal. ...

Translations (English)

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Ashtavakra Gita

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Ashtavakra Gita

• s:Ashtavakra Gita, translation at Wikisource by John Richards
• Ashtavakra Gita Online Translation by John Richards (an edition different from the one at the previous link, as retrieved on April 10, 2005—see s:Talk:Ashtavakra Gita#Different editions on this matter)

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ... John Richards can refer to: John Richards, a Lieutenant-General of the Queens household in the United Kingdom John Richards, a United States congressman from Pennsylvania John Richards, a United States congressman from New York John Richards, a Canadian scholar John Richards, a radio disc jockey at KEXP in...

Commentaries

• Commentary by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is available from the Books & Tapes department of the Art of Living Foundation. Online Store

• A modern commentary of the text is available at vedanta.org in the monthly article section under October 2005. This text is deceptively simple and, like most scripture, requires a commentary to clarify the details.

• Another commentary is by Shri Rajneesh aka Osho. In six volumes in Hindi, Osho goes into a verse-by-verse distillation of the essence of Ashtavakra's master text.

http://oshoworld.com/audio/audio_hindi.asp?cat=M (Find and Download Mahageeta) Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (born : May 13, 1956) is an Indian spiritual master (Guru). ... The Art of Living Foundation, founded by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, claims to be one of the worlds largest volunteer-based non-governmental organizations. ...

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