Guest guest Posted August 27, 2002 Report Share Posted August 27, 2002 What is the relationship between the Ashtavakra Gita and Advaita Vedanta? Is there a historical connection? Which came first the Ashtavakra Gita or Advaita Vedanta? When I first read the Ashtavakra Gita I felt a lot of bliss. Is this a psychological reaction to being told that you are God, etc. or have others felt the same way? The first time it was like meeting an old friend. Maybe I had read it in my last incarnation! :-) Only that, I do not believe in reincarnation. [by the way what are mystical experiences called in Advaita Vedanta?] With Love Jan UltimateAdvaita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 27, 2002 Report Share Posted August 27, 2002 advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > When I first read the Ashtavakra Gita I felt a lot of bliss. Is this a > psychological reaction to being told that you are God, etc. or have others > felt the same way? The book's teachings have helped me tremendously as well, but what do you mean by 'bliss'? For me, there wasn't a high sensation of happiness, but I do believe that letting the teachings sink in had a very profound effect on my consciousness and not long after there would be a subtle shift in my perspective which led to understanding what the text meant. The book, more than anything, led me to see the superiority of Advaita Vedanta to Buddhism. > The first time it was like meeting an old friend. Maybe > I had read it in my last incarnation! :-) Only that, I do not believe in > reincarnation. > There is some pretty solid evidence for reincarnation out there, as well as evidence of the mind being more than just a phenomena of the brain. Ian Stevenson's works detail this, as well as Dean Radin's book "The Conscious Universe." I highly recomend them. -tak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2002 Report Share Posted August 28, 2002 At 28.08.02-06:15 AM takdjc wrote: >advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > > When I first read the Ashtavakra Gita I felt a lot of bliss. Is >this a > > psychological reaction to being told that you are God, etc. or >have others > > felt the same way? > > >The book's teachings have helped me tremendously as well, but what >do you mean by 'bliss'? By bliss I mean when a shift into the sense of presence or no mind happens and there is a blanket of low level happiness and peace. Glad to see a friendly face here! Love Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2002 Report Share Posted August 29, 2002 Hi Jan, Just wanted to thank you for the reference. I found a copy of the Richard's translation on the web, and another of the Byrom translation which I haven't looked it in any detail. I copied it off and it resides in my organizer. I read it all the way through and it really seems to be the pinnacle of the Advaita teaching. It is clearer and less challenging than the Ribhu Gita and easier to read. When I went to re-read passages, it seemed as if I was reading something new. This is a mark of an enlightened writing, it reaches you where you are now. If you have read it before then you have already been changed by it so it is new. The bliss experience you had, I think, is the result of light trancing. I found that as I read it I was drawn to a higher state of consciousness. (Words are a problem because they tend to create dualities - so I hope you understand what is meant.) Or perhaps one could call it a move from beta to alpha states. There was certainly a great sense of calming. Thanks again, I had not heard of it and it is really a jewel of Advaita, John L. advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > At 28.08.02-06:15 AM takdjc wrote: > >advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > > > When I first read the Ashtavakra Gita I felt a lot of bliss. Is > >this a > > > psychological reaction to being told that you are God, etc. or > >have others > > > felt the same way? > > > > > >The book's teachings have helped me tremendously as well, but what > >do you mean by 'bliss'? > > By bliss I mean when a shift into the sense of presence or no mind happens > and there is a blanket of low level happiness and peace. > > Glad to see a friendly face here! > > Love > Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2002 Report Share Posted August 29, 2002 Hello John. Just the person who I think might benefit from this site I made: advaitatexts It has many, many, many texts on Advaita there. Just go to the files section. Have fun! advaitin, "johnrloganis" <johnrloganis> wrote: > > When I went to re-read passages, it seemed as if I was reading > something new. This is a mark of an enlightened writing, it reaches > you where you are now. If you have read it before then you have > already been changed by it so it is new. > > The bliss experience you had, I think, is the result of light > trancing. I found that as I read it I was drawn to a higher state of > consciousness. (Words are a problem because they tend to create > dualities - so I hope you understand what is meant.) Or perhaps one > could call it a move from beta to alpha states. There was certainly a > great sense of calming. > > Thanks again, I had not heard of it and it is really a jewel of > Advaita, > > John L. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 29, 2002 Report Share Posted August 29, 2002 At 30.08.02-04:28 AM johnrloganis wrote: >I read it all the way through and it >really seems to be the pinnacle of the Advaita teaching. Hello John, It is very very old. All who came afterwards are essentially saying the same thing! That is why I wanted to know the historical relationship with Advaita Vedanta. But it seems nobody here knows about it. With Love Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2002 Report Share Posted August 30, 2002 advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > At 30.08.02-04:28 AM johnrloganis wrote: > >I read it all the way through and it > >really seems to be the pinnacle of the Advaita teaching. > > Hello John, > > It is very very old. All who came afterwards are essentially saying the > same thing! > That is why I wanted to know the historical relationship with Advaita > Vedanta. Namaste, Written history being fairly recent in comparison with the oral tradition, the dating of Hindu scriptures is a formidable, if not impossible, task. Some have ventured to date Ashtavakra Gita to 2nd cent. B.C.E. http://shrek.linkzone.com/~lwatkins/TimeLine1.htm http://shrek.linkzone.com/~lwatkins/TimeLine2.htm Janaka-Ashtavakra names are familiar to readers of Ramayana, which is dated many millenia before this! Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2002 Report Share Posted August 30, 2002 Namaste Sunder ji Many thanks for your information. Love Jan At 30.08.02-03:22 PM sunderh wrote: >Namaste, > > Written history being fairly recent in comparison with the oral >tradition, the dating of Hindu scriptures is a formidable, if not >impossible, task. > >Some have ventured to date Ashtavakra Gita to 2nd cent. B.C.E. > >http://shrek.linkzone.com/~lwatkins/TimeLine1.htm > >http://shrek.linkzone.com/~lwatkins/TimeLine2.htm > >Janaka-Ashtavakra names are familiar to readers of Ramayana, which is >dated many millenia before this! > > >Regards, > >Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 30, 2002 Report Share Posted August 30, 2002 advaitin, Jan Sultan <swork@m...> wrote: > > Many thanks for your information. > Namaste, This story of Janaka and Ashtavakra actually occurs in Mahabharata, Vana Parva; so this must be a different Janaka than that of Ramayana! There is another famous king Janaka in dialogue with Yajnavalkya of Brihadaranyaka upan.! Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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