Ashtavakra 19th-century painting

Sutras of Ashtavakra:

Aṣṭāvakra was born with physical handicap and grew up into a celebrated sage of Hinduism.

Not much is known as Ashtavakra was neither a social nor political man, so no historical record exists. Only a few incidents are known -- and they are just wondrous, hardly believable. But if you understand them deeply the significance will be revealed.

The first incident happened before Ashtavakra was born. Nothing is known of what came afterwards but this is an incident while he was still in the womb. His father, who was a great scholar, would recite the Vedas every day while Ashtavakra listened from the womb. One day a voice came from the womb saying, "Stop it! This is all nonsense. There is no wisdom whatsoever in this. Mere words -- just a collection of words. Is wisdom found in scriptures? Wisdom is within oneself. Is truth found in words? Truth is within oneself."

Naturally his father was enraged. First of all he was a father and on top of that a scholar. And his son hidden in the womb was saying such things! Not even born yet! He exploded in anger, became engulfed in fire: The father's ego had been hit. And a scholar's ego... he was a great pundit, a great debater, knowledgeable in scriptures....

In anger he uttered a curse: When born, the boy would be deformed; his limbs would be bent in eight parts. Hence his name: Ashtavakra means one whose body has eight bends. He was born crippled in eight places; eight places hunchbacked like a camel. In a rage his father deformed his son's body.

The second incident known about Ashtavakra happened when he was twelve years old. Only these two incidents are known. The third is his Ashtavakra Gita, or as some call it, the Ashtavakra Samhita. When Ashtavakra was twelve years old, Janak hosted a huge debating conference. Janak was an emperor, and he invited the pundits of the whole country to debate on the scriptures.

He had one thousand cows placed at the palace gate and had the horns of the cows plated with gold and decorated with jewels. He proclaimed, "Whoever is victorious, shall take possession of these cows."

It was a great debate. Ashtavakra's father also participated. As dusk was falling, the message came to Ashtavakra that his father was losing. He had already defeated all the others, but he was about to be defeated by a pundit named Vandin. Receiving this message Ashtavakra went to the palace.

The hall was decorated. The debate was in its final stage and the decisive moment was fast approaching. His father's defeat was a complete forgone conclusion -- he was on the very edge of defeat. The pundits saw Ashtavakra as he entered the royal court. They were all learned scholars.

His body was bent and deformed in eight places: he had just to move and anyone would start laughing. His very movement was a laughing matter. The whole meeting broke into laughter. Ashtavakra also roared with laughter. Janak asked, "Everyone else is laughing. I can understand why they laugh, but why did you laugh, my son?"

Ashtavakra said, "I am laughing because truth is being decided in this conference of butchers" -- the man must have been extraordinary. "What are all these skinners doing here?"

A deep silence fell over the meeting. Butchers? Skinners? The king asked, "What do you mean?"

Ashtavakra said, "It is simple and straightforward: They only see skin, they don't see me. It is difficult to find a man more pure and simple than me, but they don't see this; they see a bent and deformed body. They are skinners, they judge by the skin. Your Majesty, in the curve of a temple, is the sky curved? When a pot is smashed, is the sky smashed? The sky is beyond change. My body is twisted, but I am not. Look at the one within. You can't find anything more straight and pure."

It was a very startling declaration. There must have been pin-drop silence. Janak was impressed, astounded: "Absolutely right, why had he gathered a crowd of skinners there?" He became repentant, he felt guilty that he too had laughed.

That day the king couldn't manage to say anything, but the following day when he was out on his morning ride he saw Ashtavakra on the way. Janak dismounted from his horse and fell at his feet. The day before, in front of everyone, he couldn't find the courage. The day before he had said, "Why do you laugh, my son?" Ashtavakra was a boy of twelve years, and Janak had considered his age. This day he didn't notice the age. This day he got down from his horse and fell at Ashtavakra's feet, spread-eagled in prostration.

He said, "Please visit the palace, and satisfy my eagerness for the truth. Oh lord, be so gracious as to come to my home. I have understood! I couldn't sleep the whole night. You spoke truly: what depth of understanding have those who recognize only the body? They are debating the being, but attraction and repulsion for the body still arise; hate and attraction still arise. They are looking at death while talking of the deathless! I'm blessed that you came and disturbed me, that you broke my sleep. Please come to the palace!"

Janak had the palace decorated magnificently. He welcomed Ashtavakra and seated him on a golden throne -- this twelve year old Ashtavakra. Then he put his questions to him. The first sutra is Janak's inquiry. Janak asked and Ashtavakra explained. Beyond this, nothing is known about Ashtavakra. And there is no need to know more, it is more than enough!

Diamonds are not many; only pebbles and rocks are so common. A single diamond is enough.

Human life can be divided into four circles.

The first circle is of action, the world of doing. It is the outermost. Moving within a little, we come to the world of thought. Move a little further in we come to the world of feeling, devotion, love. Moving still further within we reach the center -- the world of the witness.

The witness is our nature, because there is no way to go beyond it. No one ever has, and no one ever can. To become the witness of the witness is impossible. The witness is simply the witness. You cannot go deeper than it. It is our foundation. Our house is built on the foundation of witnessing -- built of feeling, of thought, of action.

This is why there are three Yogas: Karma Yoga, Gyan Yoga, Bhakti Yoga -- the Yogas of action, knowledge and devotion. These are the three methods of meditation. Through these three one can make efforts to reach the witness.

The Yoga of action means action plus meditation. Karma Yoga is the effort to go directly from doing to witnessing. Meditation is the process and witnessing is the goal.
Meditation is the path, witnessing is the destination. Witnessing is the culmination of meditation. And meditation is the beginning of witnessing.

A Karma Yogi is one who adds meditation to doing, who links meditation to the world of action -- action plus meditation.

Then Gyan Yogi is one who adds meditation to thought. He links meditation to the world of thought. He begins to think meditatively. A new practice is added: whatever one does is done with awareness. When the state of thought plus meditation is established the journey towards witnessing begins.

Meditation is a change of direction. Whatever meditation is joined to becomes a vehicle for moving towards witnessing.

And the third path is Bhakti Yoga -- adding meditation to emotion, a deep joining of meditation and emotion, the whirlpool of meditation and feeling! While feeling become meditative. Through these three paths one can approach the witness. But the method that brings you, is meditation - the fundamental thing is meditation. It is just like a doctor giving you medicine, saying to take it with honey, and you say you don't eat honey, you are a Jaina. Then he says to take it with milk, and you say you cannot drink milk because milk is a form of blood, you are a strict Quaker -- you don't drink milk, it is like eating meat. So the doctor says take it with water. But the medicine is the same -- honey, milk or water, it doesn't make any difference. They are only to help swallow the medicine, to get it down the throat.

Medicine won't go down by itself.
Meditation is medicine.

There are three types of people in the world. Some people cannot live without doing. Their whole life flow is in working. If they try to sit quietly, they cannot; they have to do something or other. There is energy, flowing energy. There is no harm in this. But, the master says try swallowing the medicine of meditation with activity. You can't stop doing but you can add meditation to doing. You say, "I can't sit a single moment without doing something. I just can't. Sitting is not within my power, it's not my nature."

Psychologists call them extroverts: they are always occupied, they need to do something or other. Until they fall down exhausted and sleep. It is not natural for them to stop working. Activity is their nature. The master says, "Good. Do it riding on action. Make this your horse. Mix your medicine with this and swallow it. The real question, the real thing is the medicine. Start working meditatively. Whatever you do, don't do it unconsciously, do it with awareness. Stay awake while doing."

Then there are some who say doing has no attraction for them, but thoughts come rushing in waves. They are thinkers - they have no juice for doing. They have no interest in the outer, but great waves arise within, a great tempest. And they cannot be inside for a single moment without thoughts. They say, "If we sit silently more thoughts come. When we sit silently more thoughts than usual come. Just mention worship, prayer, meditation, and a great deluge of thoughts -- -armies -- come in wave after wave and drown us. What should we do?"

The master says, "Drink meditation mixed in with your thoughts. Don't stop your thoughts, but when thoughts come observe them. Don't get lost in them, stand a little apart, at a distance. Calmly watching your thoughts, you will gradually attain witnessing. Add meditation to your thoughts."

Then there are some who say, "We have no trouble with thoughts, no trouble with doing. We have an excess of feeling. Tears flow, the heart is overwhelmed, drowning -- in love, in affection, in trust, in devotion."

The master says, "Make this your medicine, add meditation to this. Let tears flow -- flowfilled with meditation. Let the thrill be there, but filled with meditation. The essence ismeditation."

These differences between bhakti, karma and gyan are not differences in medicine. The medicine is one. You can see this in Ashtavakra. Ashtavakra says take a direct leap. Swallow the medicine straight. He says what use are these practices? That is why Ashtavakra is not a Gyan Yogi or a Bhakti Yogi or Karma Yogi. He says to drop straight into witnessing. These crutches are no use -- this medicine can be swallowed directly. Drop these crutches, drop these vehicles -- you can run directly. You can be the witness directly.

As far as Ashtavakra is concerned, the witness and meditation are not different. But as far as other methods are concerned, the witness and meditation are different. Meditation is the process and witnessing is the destination. For Ashtavakra the path and destination are one. So he can say to be blissful right now.

One whose path and goal are different cannot say "right now." He will say, "Move! The journey is long; climb, then you will reach the mountain."

Ashtavakra says, "Open your eyes:you are sitting on the mountain! Where are you going? How to go anywhere?"

Ashtavakra's sutra is extremely revolutionary. Neither gyan, nor bhakti, nor karma -- none of these have reached to his height. It is pure witnessing.

Look at it like this: the medicine doesn't even need to be swallowed, understanding is enough, awareness is enough. There is no need for help -- you are already there. But it happens that people are incapable of understanding it. It happens many times in our life that we cannot see what is near, and what is far attracts us. The distant drum sounds sweeter, we are pulled by distant dreams.

Ashtavakra says:

And you are it right here, right now.