Guest guest Posted May 18, 2005 Report Share Posted May 18, 2005 Ashtavakra: If you aspire after liberation, my child, shun the objects of the senses as poison and seek forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, contentment and truth as nectar. You are neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, nor ether. In order to attain liberation realize yourself as the knower of all these and consciousness itself. If you detach the body and rest in Intelligence, you will at once be happy , peaceful and free from bondage. ================ Radhakamal Mukerjee's commentary on the above verses from Astavakragita may be worth sharing: "Moral discipline is an essential pre-requisite for the spiritual quest. The list of virtues mentioned here follows the Bhagavadgita where forgiveness, straightforwardness, compassion and contentment are specifically stressed. This is, however, the only verse where Astavakra dwells on moral excellence. "Astavakra's general position is that the wise one, firmly established in the Self, is beyond the conflicts of good and evil. Pure in heart and purged of all desires and goals of life as well as of the modalities of nature (gunas), whence emerges the irrepressible duality of opposites in life, he sees himself everywhere and under all conditions. Any desire to harm or any compassion does not arise in his heart at all (XVII, 11-15) To him a clod of earth, a stone and a piece of gold are the same. The knots of his heart are rent asunder and he is freed from the sway of the gunas. Guileless and straightforward, there is no wantonness or inhibition in him. Abiding in the aloneness and absoluteness of the Self, he is beyond humaneness. In fact he cannot do any wrong since he is entirely free from ego-sense, both physically and mentally. The moral sense belongs to the realm of relativity which the wise one has to transcend." ("Astavakragita: the Song of the Self Supreme", Radhakamal Mukerjee, pp 30,31) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2005 Report Share Posted May 19, 2005 Dear Christiane, Many thanks for serializing Ashtavakra Geeta for us all.Spring has just set in in North America and the time is just appropriate for something fresh and nourishing. Ashtavakra Samhita has been acclaimed as 'the purest of the pure advaita'.. it will certainly take us nearer to understanding Maharshi by providing a background in general of advaita. Your suggestion of daily dissertion of 2 or 3 verses is indeed good. Though there are 20 'adhyaayas'(chapters), the total number of verses are less than 300. Chapters 5,6,8,and 14 have only 4 verses each and may be you can take the full chapter on a day. The verses are in very simple Sanskrit and in concise less than 20 printed pages. It is said that Neeti Shataka (of Bhartuhari),Ashtavakra Geeta and Bagawad Geeta are the three in that order of simplicity of Sanskrit language. How one wishes some of you serious minded sadhakas read it in original.Though our tranlator and commentator here is very renowned scholar,in verse 9 down 'eko vishhudhabodho aham'is translated as 'I am the One and Pure Intelligence' in the earlier verse 4 'Chiti vishramya' has been rendered as 'resting in Intelligence'..Can vishhudhabodo and chit (in..i.e. chiti) both be intelligence? There is subtle difference not easy to bring out in foreign language as some of the answers by Maharshi in Tamil when translated. This is a minor point and the main theme is carried well. While thanking you may I suggest that in stead of "p 8,9" Chapter in Roman I/8,9 may be mentioned for ease of downloading and future reference. Om Shree Ramane Namah,Narayanrao. --- christiane cameron <christianecameron wrote: > Dear friends. > > > The Sage Ashtavakra continued his Upadesa to King Janaka: > > Do you have been bitten by the great black serpent of egoism "I am the > doer", drink the nectar of the faith "I am not the doer" , and be > happy. > > Burn down the wilderness of ignorance with the fire of the knowledge, > "I am the One and Pure Intelligence", and be free from grief and be > happy. > > > Ashtavakra Gita > p. 8,9 > > > Om Arunachala Shiva > > Chris > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Yes, many thanks Christiane, I would encourage you and others as well to post such things on HS as well. Thanks, Love to all Harsha s_rayan wrote: > Dear Christiane, > Many thanks for serializing Ashtavakra Geeta for us all.Spring has > just set > in in North America and the time is just appropriate for something > fresh and > nourishing. > Ashtavakra Samhita has been acclaimed as 'the purest of the pure > advaita'.. > it will certainly take us nearer to understanding Maharshi by > providing a > background in general of advaita. > Your suggestion of daily dissertion of 2 or 3 verses is indeed good. > Though > there are 20 'adhyaayas'(chapters), the total number of verses are less > than 300. Chapters 5,6,8,and 14 have only 4 verses each and may be you can > take the full chapter on a day. The verses are in very simple Sanskrit and > in concise less than 20 printed pages. > It is said that Neeti Shataka (of Bhartuhari),Ashtavakra Geeta and Bagawad > Geeta are the three in that order of simplicity of Sanskrit language. How > one wishes some of you serious minded sadhakas read it in original.Though > our tranlator and commentator here is very renowned scholar,in verse 9 > down > 'eko vishhudhabodho aham'is translated as 'I am the One and Pure > Intelligence' in the earlier verse 4 'Chiti vishramya' has been > rendered as > 'resting in Intelligence'..Can vishhudhabodo and chit (in..i.e. chiti) > both > be intelligence? There is subtle difference not easy to bring out in > foreign > language as some of the answers by Maharshi in Tamil when translated. > This is a minor point and the main theme is carried well. While > thanking you > may I suggest that in stead of "p 8,9" Chapter in Roman I/8,9 may be > mentioned for ease of downloading and future reference. > Om Shree Ramane Namah,Narayanrao. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Dear friends, here are the next verses. I will number them at the beginning of each stanza just as it is done in my copy of Swamy Nityaswarupananda' translation. It is a special edition brought out by Ramanashramam in 2001. The original was a limited circulation published by the Mysore Palace and presented to Shri Bhagavan by the Mysore Maharaja in 1932. Sage Ashtavakra continued: 17. Know that which has form to be unreal and the formless to be permanent. Through this spiritual instruction you will escape the possibility of rebirth. 18. Just as a mirror exists within and without the image reflected in it, even so the Supreme Lord exists inside and outside this body. 19. As the same all-pervading ether is inside and outside a jar, even so the eternal all-pervasive Brahman exists in all things. to be continued Om Arunachala Shiva Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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