ASHTAVAKRA GITA-Vol 5 Chapter 18 (Part-2) to 20 A Commentary By Sadguru Madhusudan Sai

Aṣṭāvakragītā – A guide to life and living the aṣṭāvakragītā is a profound conversation between the old King Janaka, the śiṣya, and his guru, Sage Ashtavakra, a very young but ugly-looking boy with physical deformities. The sage was so named because he was born with eight deformities in his body due to a curse by his father. Janaka was a jīvanmukta, while Ashtavakra was hardly around twelve years of age. Nevertheless, Ashtavakra was a brahmajñāni and taught this jñāna to Janaka. Therefore, Janaka treated him with utmost respect and honour, and accepted his teachings without argument. While in the bhagavadgītā, there are debates and arguments between Krishna and Arjuna, in the aṣṭāvakragītā, there are only deliberations between Ashtavakra and Janaka. The aṣṭāvakragītā has twenty chapters, and many of the ślokas are similar to those in the upaniṣads and other vedāntic scriptures, including the bhagavadgītā. Only when God acts through man can his decisions be correct and actions become holy. As long as an individual thinks he is the doer, he will acquire merit and sin; and the consequence – good or bad – of any action must first be borne by him. Often, tough decisions will be called for in a family or an organisation. Someone’s behaviour might need correction, someone in a team might not cooperate with the others, someone else might not conduct themselves in line with the principles of the organisation, and some children might not be disciplined even after several attempts to correct them. In such situations, what should be the mental state of the one empowered to make the decisions? How must this person’s intellect discriminate to understand the basis for his actions and ensure that the right decision is taken? Who will benefit from these actions? These aṣṭāvakragītā – A guide to life and living INTRODUCTION ASHTAVAKRA GITA 8 important questions need to be considered before a decision is taken. Decisions taken without deep introspection will only result in guilt and confusion in the decision-maker’s mind. So, how should one lead one’s life and follow one’s dharma?

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