The dialogue between Janaka and Ashtavakra has been compiled as Ashtavakra Samhita or Ashtavakra Geeta. The subjects of Knowledge, tranquility, liberation in life, and many others have been explained in such a lucid way which makes it such a treatise difficult to find anywhere else. When one reads it, it appears as if an ocean of knowledge has been crammed into two short lines of the shloka.
The book starts with King Janaka as a pupil asking Ashtavakra, the Guru as to how to get Knowledge, how to get liberation, and how renunciation is possible; and the conversation goes on with questions and answers.
Realizing the True Self in the Ashtavakra Samhita
Throughout the conversation between Ashtavakra and Janaka, we come to know the fact of knowing and realizing the Self.
Without knowing the true Self, what we know about is this body composed of five basic elements; the dust. There is a story about King Janak. In the story when Ashtavakra comes to respond to the questions put up by the king about his dreams: Whether what I saw in the dream was true of what I am seeing now is true?
See Also: The Path to Equanimity: Unlocking the Secrets of Yoga and Inner Peace
The story of Ashtavakra and Janaka
Actually, King Janaka had seen in his dream that he had lost his kingdom and running to save his life. He finds himself in a forest feeling the pangs of hunger. He looks for something to eat. He sees a hut and goes to it. There an old lady comes out and offers him some rice and lentil to satisfy his hunger. He cooks it with great effort as it was raining in the jungle. When he places the khichdi to cool down on some leaves, two bulls come fighting and destroy the khichdi. This made him so desperate in his dream that he starts weeping. When he wakes up he finds everything intact. This is where his question comes in: what I saw in the dream was true or what I am seeing now is true?
When the conversation progresses, we find that both have reached the highest pedestal of Knowledge – the Knowledge of Self — and to understand them requires the same Knowledge. Unless something is put into practice, it is just theory. And to put something into practice one needs to know it. If one has the Knowledge of Self, understanding them is simple, otherwise keep them reading throughout the life, and you will end up gaining nothing.
Finally, Ashtavakra came to reply. He was deformed from 8 limbs. As he sat on the chair, the king’s ministers and wise men present in the hall laughed at him. At their laugh, Ashtavakra remarked: As you see my deformed body and laugh at me, it appears you have an understanding of skin or leather. You are a leather worker. You don’t know who I am really! Such was his direct realization!
The First Shloka of Tranquility: Decoding its Meaning
We shall be discussing the first shloka of the chapter titled Tranquility which reads:
Prakritya shunyachitto yah pramadatbhavbhavnah,
Nidrito bodhito iva ksheensansmarno hi sah.
प्रकृत्या शून्यचित्तो य: प्रमादातभावभावन: ।
निद्रितो बोधितो इव क्षीणसंस्मरणों हि स: ।।
He verily has his recollections of worldly life exhausted, who is empty-minded by nature, who thinks sense-objects involuntarily, and who is, as it were, awake though asleep.
Do we really want to forget our worldly life? Do we really want to be free? How it is possible that one can be empty-minded by nature? How it is possible to think of sense objects occasionally? And how it is possible that the man is awake even while he is asleep? These are the questions that need attention.
Naturally, we are free but we have forgotten our freedom and accepted the bondage on ourselves. We live it happily and adore it; we rejoice in it. But when we come into contact with someone who shows us our real Self, we realize how free had I been all along but erroneously I accepted the bondage on me. What a pity! King Janaka says it when he gets the real freedom and gets freed from bondage.
Embracing Naturality: Emptying the Mind and Letting Go of Thoughts
Being empty-minded naturally is not easy. One thing is natural and the other one is forced. As a baby, we were naturally empty-minded but this world crammed this mind with a myriad of information and now we accept it as it is. It has been normal to be always in my thoughts. When these thoughts go beyond our control we try a lot of things to avoid them; to save ourselves from their bad impact.
Sometimes these thoughts are the biggest of the burden we have. This has been such a practice that we take it to be normal but from the core of our being we do not want to be in it; we want to avoid it. Here again, when we meet someone who can guide us like what Ashtavakra did to King Janaka, that forced normality is gone and naturality comes in; we can empty this mind which we had been at one stage in our life.
Being Awake Though Asleep: Understanding the Wisdom Within
And now comes the last point of the shloka: being awake though asleep. This is difficult to understand.
Saint Kabir says this couplet in this regard:
Jaagan mein sovan kare, sovan mein kare jaag.
Kahen Kabir ya jagat mein, taa kaa mata agaadh.
जागन में सोवन करे, सोवन में करे जाग।
कहें कबीर या जगत में, ता का मता अगाध।।
The one who is asleep while awake and awake while asleep has really a pearl of great wisdom.
When one is awake in the Knowledge of Self, is asleep to this world and even when he is sleeping in the eyes of people, he is fully awake in the Knowledge of Self. Such a pearl of great wisdom is possessed by the person who has the Knowledge of Self.
Knowledge of Self is the king of knowledge, the supreme Knowledge as has been said by Lord Krishna in Geeta. One gets supreme joy through it. And this should be one’s aim in life.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ashtavakra Samhita, also known as the Ashtavakra Geeta, is a profound dialogue between King Janaka and sage Ashtavakra that delves into various aspects of knowledge, tranquility, and liberation in life. The text presents a unique treatise that condenses an ocean of knowledge into concise shlokas. As the conversation progresses, both Janaka and Ashtavakra reach the pinnacle of self-realization and emphasize the importance of putting theoretical knowledge into practice. The story of King Janaka’s dream highlights the quest for understanding the true Self. The concept of being empty-minded naturally and being awake even while asleep presents a deep understanding of wisdom. Ultimately, the Ashtavakra Samhita guides seekers towards realizing their true nature and experiencing supreme joy through self-knowledge.
