Ashtavakra Gita

Translated by Bart Marshall

https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content...Gita-ebook.pdf

I'm reading a different translation by Thomas Byrom - "The Heart of Awareness". It's said it is not as literal a translation, but more poetic in the sense of an English translation.

I thought it would be interesting to post several verses now and then as juxtaposition to the more literal translation by Bart Marshall.

1.1 - O Master,
Tell me how to find
Detachment, wisdom, and freedom!

1.2 - Child,
If you wish to be free,
Shun the poison of the senses,

Seek the nectar of truth,
Of love and forgiveness,
Simplicity and happiness.

1.3 - Earth, fire and water,
The wind and the sky-
You are none of these.

If you wish to be free,
Know you are the Self,
The witness of all these,
The heart of awareness.

1.4 - Set your body aside.
Sit in your own awareness.

You will at once be happy,
Forever still,
Forever free.

[Unseeking Seeker]

***

For those interested ...

http://www.spiritualforums.com/vb/sh...d.php?t=130859

***

Thanks JASG

[iamthat]

I like the translation by Hari Prasad Shastri which I came across some 40 years ago.

The above four verses are rendered as:

1. Janaka said:

O Lord, tell me this: How does a man acquire Knowledge of Truth, and how liberation, and how the practice of renunciation?

2. Ashtavakra said:

O Friend! If thy aim in life is liberation, then shun sense objects as poison, and pursue as nectar, forgiveness, simplicity of life, compassion, contentment, and truth.

3. Thou art neither earth, water, fire, air, nor ether. Know thy Self (Atman) as Witness of all these, and different from them, if thou would’st attain liberation.

4. If, detaching thyself from thy sense of identity with the body, thou remains at rest in Intelligence, thine will be spontaneous bliss, eternal peace, and liberation from the imagined bondage.

And later in the same chapter:

12. The Self is the witness, all-pervading, perfect, free, one, consciousness, actionless, not attached to any object, desireless, ever-tranquil. It appears through illusion as the world.

13. Always contemplate the ever-fixed Intelligence, the non-dual Atman. Giving up all inner and outer identification of the Self with the non-self, abandon the notion of the individualized self.

14. O Child, the net of self-identification with the body has held thee imprisoned long enough. With the sword of the Knowledge, “I am Intelligence,” cut this illusion and be blissful.

15. Thou art wholly independent, actionless, self-luminous and without fault. Thy bondage is that thou deemest thyself to be liberated through the practice of Samadhi.

16. The Universe is pervaded by thee and exists in thee. Verily, by nature thou art Consciousness Absolute. Do not harbor narrowness of heart and think thyself to be otherwise.

17. Free art thou from modifications. Independent, calm, without dimension or form, imperturbable, thy nature unimaginable Intelligence. Know thyself to be pure Consciousness.

18. Know all that has form to be unreal, and the formless to be the Self. By means of this Knowledge, thou shalt avoid the possibility of rebirth.

Peace

Thank you so kindly for transcribing this for us, iamthat.

It's always so lovely, beautiful, peaceful to read you, feel your presence.

Thank you for gracing us with your kind wisdom here.

Namaste,

JL

[Unseeking Seeker]

***

“The body is strained by practices
The tongue tires of scripture
The mind numbs with meditation
Detached from all this,
I live as I am”

***

I thought this a good place for this talk as it's based on the Ashtavakra Gita.

https://youtu.be/WKLtgRRBIjc?list=PL...F2rGcUqIb4O F

[davidsun]

According to the entry in Wikipedia:

"Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between Ashtavakra and Janaka on the nature of soul, reality and bondage.[9] It offers a radical version of non-dualistic philosophy. The Gita insists on the complete unreality of external world and absolute oneness of existence. It does not mention any morality or duties, and therefore is seen by commentators as 'godless'. It also dismisses names and forms as unreal and a sign of ignorance."

According to the people who wrote this, it is only a version of non-dualistic philosophy, by no means agreed on as MAIN-stream non-dualistic philosophy by all non-dualists, of which 'group' I consider myself one.

It is for those who want to think that they and others around them and our world are just fictional figments of their and others' imaginations, I guess.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by davidsun

According to the entry in Wikipedia:

"Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between Ashtavakra and Janaka on the nature of soul, reality and bondage.[9] It offers a radical version of non-dualistic philosophy. ..."

Speaking of 'radical' versions of philosophies, if you think of people who believe 'radical' versions of what's in The Bible or The Quran, you will know why people who are 'devoted' or 'dedicated' to what's put forth in the Ashtavakra Gita gives me the heeby-jeebies.

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by davidsun

Speaking of 'radical' versions of philosophies, if you think of people who believe 'radical' versions of what's in The Bible or The Quran, you will know why people who are 'devoted' or 'dedicated' to what's put forth in the Ashtavakra Gita gives me the heeby-jeebies.

And, oh, BTW: isn't regarding/saying that certain aspects of That Which Is are 'real' and other aspects of That Which Is are 'unreal' really dualistic, strictly speaking that is?

This is not to say that the experiences you recount weren't 'real' ones, Miss H. Am only sharing what I consider to really be non-dualistic 'philosophy' here.