Astavakra Gita

We come across many Gi“tÂ-s in our spiritual literature. The most
popular one is ìri“mad Bhagavad Gi“t which is attributed to BhagavÂn
ìri“ Krishna and presented to us by BhagavÂn Veda Vyasa. There, the
teacher is God-head on one side while the student is utterly confused.
AîòÂvakra Gi“t is unlike this. Here, both the teacher AîòÂvakra and
the student Janaka are already enlightened and they are living this
knowledge. However, at some moment in the life of Janaka, there seems
to be an urgency to know the Absolute and it is only sage AîòÂvakra who
could help him come out of his own mental block.
There are many stories with regards to the sage AîòÂvakra and the king
Janaka. We are not going to expound on them. AîòÂvakra Gi“t straight
away touches the topic and gives the self-knowledge, instructions,
obstacles on the path and their corrective measures and ultimately the
joy of living in freedom.
Towards the end, the student Janaka roars his experience after having
received the knowledge from the Guru AîòÂvakra.
This Gi“t is composed in a very simple anuîòupchand and is very easy to
understand for those who have got a little knowledge of sanskrit.
May this English rendering of the original text help the seekers of Truth
and grow wise and live happily.