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Ashtavakra - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ashtavakra (Sanskrit: , IAST Avakra) is a sage mentioned in Hindu scriptures. He is described as one born with eight different deformities of the body (two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the head). In Sanskrit,Avak ra means "one having eight bends".Ashta (IAST Aa) means eight, while Vak rameans bend or deformity. Avakra is the author of the work Avakra Gt, also known as Avak ra Sahit, a treatise on the instruction by Avakra to Janaka about the Self. Avakra is the Guru of the king Janakaand the sage Yjavalkya.
Contents [hide] 1 Rmyaa 2 Mahbhrata 2.1 Life 3 Avakra Gt 4 Popular culture 5 Notes 6 See also 7 External links

Rmyaa

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Avakra is first referenced in a single verse (6.119.17) of Yuddha Ka in Vlmik's Rmyaa. When Daaratha comes to see Rma from heaven after the war of the Rmyaa, he tells Rma - [1]

O son! I have been conveyed across (redeemed) by you, who are a deserving son and a great being; like the virtuousBrahmin Kahoa [was redeemed] by [his son] Avakra. 6.119.17

In the Aranya Kanda of Adhyatma Ramayana, the demon Kabandha narrates his story to Rama and Lakshmana, in which he says that he was a Gandharva earlier who was cursed by Ashtavakra to become a demon when he laughed on seeing him (Ashtavakra).[2] When the Gandharva then bowed down to Ashtavakra, Ashtavakra said that he would be released from the curse by Rama in Treta Yuga.[2]

Mahbhrata

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In the Vana Parva of the Mahbhrata, the legend of Avakra is described in greater detail. On losing the game of dice with the Kauravas, the five Pava princes and Draupadi are exiled for twelve years. On their pilgrimage, they meet the sage Lomaa, who shows the river Samanga to Yudhihira. Lomaa says that this is the same river, on bathing in which the deformed Avakra was cured of his eight deformities. On being asked by Yudhishthira, Lomaa narrates to the Pava princes the legend of Avakra, which forms three chapters of the Mahbhrata.[3][4][5]

Life

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The sage Uddalaka, the seer mentioned in the Chndogya Upaniad, ran a school (rama) teaching the Vedas. Kahola (also spelled Kahoa) was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was so pleased with him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. When Sujt got pregnant, she had the desire of wanting her child to imbibe spirituality and intelligence. She began to sit in the classes taught by Uddalaka and Kahola, listening to their chanting of the VedicMantras. In India, there is a belief that when expectant mothers expose themselves to spiritual teachings, the child in the womb hears it and gathers that knowledge and become a genius in that spiritual area after its birth. One day, as Kahola was reciting the Vedas within the hearing distance of the child growing in the womb. The embryo was aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable
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since its mother used to attend classes with rapt attention. The embryo heard the recitation of Kahola, but whenever Kahola pronounced a syllable wrong, it squirmed in distress. The embryo informed Kahola that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on eight occasions. Kahola perceived this as arrogance on the part of something, yet to manifest itself in the world. He cursed the fetus with eight deformities of the body. When the baby was born, it was crooked in eight places - the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, the chest and the head). He was named Avak ra, which means "one having eight bends". Around the time Avakra was born, Kahola was persuaded Janaka debating w ith Ashtavakra. Art from the by Sujt to go to the court ofJanaka to earn some money. epicAshtavakra (2010). In Janaka's court, Kahola was challenged to a scriptural debate (astrrtha) by the philosopher, Vandin (also spelled Bandin). In that time, the best philosophers were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch Janaka. Vandin easily defeated Kahola and immersed the vanquished Kahola in under water. Avakra was now raised by Uddalaka. Uddalaka too had a son named vetaketu when Avakra was born. Avakra and Shvetaketu grew up together. Uddalaka, Sujata and the disciples ensured that Avakra was never informed of his real father, Avakra thought that Uddalaka was his father and Shvetaketu|vetaketu his brother. When he was twelve years old, Avakra was seated on Uddalaka's lap. vetaketu pulled him down and informed him that it was not the lap of his father. Avakra came to know the truth about his father Kahola from Sujat, He decided to confront Vandin and defeat him in an argument. Avakra and vetaketu made his way to Janaka's palace. Avakra first faced the gatekeeper who tried to keep the young boy out. On convincing the gatekeeper that he was well versed in the scriptures and hence old, he was let in. Then Janaka tested Avakra with cryptic questions which Avakra answered with ease. Janaka decided to let Avakra face Vandin. Vandin and Avakra began the debate, with Vandin starting. They alternately composed six extempore verses on the numbers one to twelve. Then Vandin could only compose the first half of a verse on the number thirteen. Avakra completed the verse by composing the second half and thus won the argument against Vandin. This unique debate is full of enigmas and latent meanings which lie under the simple counts of the numbers one to thirteen.[6] The condition of the contest was that if Vandin were to lose he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. Avakra demanded that Vandin be drowned in water just as he forced his vanquished opponents to do. Vandin then revealed that he was the son of Varua (the Lord of all water bodies), and was sent incognito to land to get is to conduct a ritual that Varua wanted to perform. By this time, Varua's ritual was also complete. On Vandin's request, Varua bade the sages and Brahmaas farewell and brought them to surface. Avakra worshipped his father and was in turn praised by all the freed sages. Kahola was extremely pleased with his son. Kahola returned to his arama with Avakra and vetaketu. In the presence of Sujt, Kahola asked Avakra to bathe in the river Samanga. When Avakra entered the river, all his crooked limbs became straight.

Avakra Gt

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Later Avakra grew into a spiritually advanced rishi and self-realised atman. He went again to Mithila and instructed King Janaka about the Self. These teachings form the content of theAvakra Gt or Avakra Sahit as it is sometimes called.

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Popular culture

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Avakra is one of the characters in the First Act of the Sanskrit play Uttara-Rmacaritam composed by Bhavabhuti in the 8th century. The 571st volume of the Amar Chitra Katha, published in 2005, is titled Dhruva and Ashtavak ra.[7][8] The second half of the volume presents the narrative of Ashtavakra. The fourteenth and last track of the 2009 album Brahmavidya: Transcendental I by the Singaporean Death Metal band Rudra is named Majestic Ashtavak ra after Ashtavakra. The song has the first verse of the sixth chapter of Ashtavakra Gita in the end.[9] Ashtavakra is the protagonist of the eponymous Hindi epic Ashtavakra composed byJagadguru Rambhadracharya in 2010. A puppet play on Ashtavakra was staged by the Dhaatu Artist group in Ranga Shankarain Bangalore in 2010.[10] The fourth episode of TV series Upanishad Ganga[11] is based on the dramatisation of the story of Avakra.

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