The great scholar Ashtavakra

Ashtavakra was such a scholar that from the mother’s womb, his father “Kahod” was given to recite unclean Vedas, so that the father had cursed the dad from eight places.

Ashtavakra Advaita Vedanta is the sage of Ashtavakra Gita, the important book of Vedanta. Ashtavakra Gita is an important book of Advaita Vedanta.

The meaning of ‘Ashtavakra’ is ‘crooked from eight places’.

It is said that Ashtavakra’s body was crooked from eight places.

The name of the son of Uddalak Rishi was Shvetketu. The name of a disciple of Uddalak Rishi was called. After giving knowledge of all the Vedas to Kahod, the sage Uddalak married her and married her form and quality girl Sujata. After a few days, Sujata became pregnant. One day he was doing Vedapath, then from inside the womb, the child said that Dad! You are doing the wrong text of Vedas. On hearing this, he said angry and said that you are insulting me from the womb, so you will become a curve from eight places.

One day Hathat reached the court of King Janak. There he lost to the prisoner in scripture. As a result of the defeat, he was submerged in water. Ashtavakra was born after this incident. Due to the absence of a father, he considered his maternal grandfather Uddalak as his father and his maternal uncle Shvetketu as his brother. One day when he was sitting on Uddalak’s lap, Shvetketu pulled him from his father’s lap and said that you go away from here, it is not your father’s lap. Ashtavakra did not like this and immediately came to his mother and inquired about his father. Mother told Ashtavakra all the things true.

After listening to his mother’s words, Ashtavakra reached the Yagyashala of King Janaka with his maternal uncle Shvetaketu to perform a captive with his maternal uncle. There the gatekeepers stopped them and said that children are not allowed to go to the Yagyashala. On this, Ashtavakra said that hey gatekeeper! Only when the hair becomes white or the condition becomes high, no big person becomes. The one who has knowledge of the Vedas and the one who is sharp in the intellect is really big. Saying this, he reached the meeting of King Janak and challenged the prisoner to debate.

To take the examination of Ashtavakra, King Janak asked who is the man who is a knowledgeable of thirty components, twelve degrees, twenty -four festivals and an object with three hundred sixty letters? On hearing the question of King Janak, Ashtavakra said that Rajan! Twenty -four sides, six seasons, twelve months and three hundred and sixty days of Samvatsar protect you.

Hearing the correct answer of Ashtavakra, King Janaka again questioned who is the one who does not keep his eyes closed even in dormancy? Who is unable to walk even after being born? Who is without heart? And who is going to grow quickly? Ashtavakra replied that O Janak! Fish does not keep its eyes closed in dormancy. Even after being born, the egg cannot move. The stone is heartless and is a river growing from velocity.

The answers of Ashtavakra were pleased with the King Janaka and allowed him to debate with the prisoner. The prisoner told Ashtavakra that a Sun illuminates the whole world, Devraj Indra is the same brave and Yamraj is also one. Ashtavakra said that Indra and Agnidev are two gods. Narada and mountains are two devarshi, Ashwanikumar is also two. The chariot has two wheels and spouses are two companions. The prisoner said that the world takes birth in three ways. Three Vedas are presented by the deeds. Yajna takes place in all three periods and there are three folk and three Jyotis.

Ashtavakra said that the ashram is four, the characters are four, the directions are four and the types of Omkar, Size, Ukar and Makar are also four types of speech. The prisoner said that there are five types of sacrifices, the fire of the yajna is five, the senses are five, the ups of the punch directions are five, the holy rivers are five and there are five terms in the corpse verses. Ashtavakra said that it is best to give six cows in Dakshina, the seasons are six, the senses including the mind are six, the works are six and there are six. The prisoner said that pets are seven best and wild animals are also seven, seven best verses, Saptarshi are seven and wires are also seven in the veena.

Ashtavakra said that there are eight Vasu and the column angles of the yajna are also eight. The prisoner said that in Pitru Yajna, nine is left, nature is of nine types and alphabets are also nine in large verses. Ashtavakra said that directions are ten, the philosophers are ten, the child is ten months and also ten in the tens. The prisoner said that there are eleven Rudra, the yajna has eleven pillars and there are eleven senses of animals.

Ashtavakra said that there are twelve Aditya, there is a twelve -day nature yajna, the awake verse has twelve letters and the year also is twelve months. The prisoner said that Trayodashi is perfect, there are thirteen islands on the earth…. Saying this, the prisoners forgot the next line of the verse and became silent. On this, Ashtavakra fulfilled the verse and said that the verses of thirteen letters in the Vedas are called extreme verses and the fire, air and sun are spread in the three -thirteen days yagya.

Thus, after the detention of the prisoner in the scripture, Ashtavakra said that Rajan! It has lost, so it should also be immersed in water. Then the prisoner said that O Maharaj! I am the son of Varun and I have sent all the loser Brahmins to my father. I present them all before you. As soon as the prisoner said this, after losing the captivity in the debate, the essence, who was immersed in the water, came to the meeting of Brahmin Janak, in which Ashtavakra’s father was also Kahod.

Ashtavakra took his father’s feet. Then Kahod was pleased and said that son! You go and bathe in the Samanga river, with its effects you will be free from my curse. Then Ashtavakra came to this place and took a bath in the Samanga river and all its curves became straight.

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