aṣṭāvakra gītā (also known as aṣṭāvakra saṃhitā) is a direct, uncompromising dialogue on advaita (non-duality), traditionally spoken by the sage aṣṭāvakra to King janaka. In 298 verses across 20 compact chapters, it alternates between the teacher's sharp pointers and the student's dawning recognition, undoing the habit of taking the body, thoughts, and roles to be the whole of "me".
Chapter 1 opens with three practical questions: how does jñāna (clear Self-knowledge) arise, what is mukti (liberation), and how does vairāgya (dispassion) become natural? aṣṭāvakra answers by steering attention away from addictive clinging to viṣayas (objects the mind treats as "this will complete me") and toward the witness standpoint (sākṣī).
Chapter 1 lays the foundation for the whole work. It begins with janaka's three questions and aṣṭāvakra's two-part reply: (1) loosen compulsion by treating viṣaya-attachment as poison and cultivating the "nectar" of inner virtues; (2) turn directly to Self-knowledge by recognizing yourself as the witness (sākṣī) rather than as elements, roles, or mind-states.
॥ śrī ॥
atha śrīmadaṣṭāvakragītā prārabhyatē ॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
An auspicious invocation. Now begins the revered Ashtavakra Gita.
janaka uvācha ॥
kathaṃ jñānamavāpnōti kathaṃ muktirbhaviṣyati ।
vairāgyaṃ cha kathaṃ prāptamētad brūhi mama prabhō ॥ 1-1॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Janaka said: How is true knowledge attained? How does liberation happen? And how does dispassion arise? Please tell me this, O master.
aṣṭāvakra uvācha ॥
muktimichChasi chēttāta viṣayān viṣavattyaja ।
kṣamārjavadayātōṣasatyaṃ pīyūṣavad bhaja ॥ 1-2॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Ashtavakra said: If you want liberation, dear one, abandon sense-objects as you would abandon poison. Cultivate forgiveness, sincerity, compassion, contentment, and truthfulness as you would cherish nectar.
na pṛthvī na jalaṃ nāgnirna vāyurdyaurna vā bhavān ।
ēṣāṃ sākṣiṇamātmānaṃ chidrūpaṃ viddhi muktayē ॥ 1-3॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
You are not earth, water, fire, air, or even the sky. Know yourself as the witness of these, whose nature is pure consciousness, and be free.
yadi dēhaṃ pṛthak kṛtya chiti viśrāmya tiṣṭhasi ।
adhunaiva sukhī śāntō bandhamuktō bhaviṣyasi ॥ 1-4॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
If you set the body aside as separate and rest in awareness, you will be happy and peaceful right now; you will be free from bondage.
na tvaṃ viprādikō varṇō nāśramī nākṣagōcharaḥ ।
asaṅgō'si nirākārō viśvasākṣī sukhī bhava ॥ 1-5॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
You are not a caste identity, nor a life-stage identity, nor anything the senses can grasp. You are unattached, formless, the witness of the whole universe. Be free and at ease.
dharmādharmau sukhaṃ duḥkhaṃ mānasāni na tē vibhō ।
na kartāsi na bhōktāsi mukta ēvāsi sarvadā ॥ 1-6॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Dharma and adharma, pleasure and pain are movements of the mind; they do not belong to you, O luminous one. You are neither the doer nor the experiencer. You are free always.
ēkō draṣṭāsi sarvasya muktaprāyō'si sarvadā ।
ayamēva hi tē bandhō draṣṭāraṃ paśyasītaram ॥ 1-7॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
You alone are the seer of everything, and you are always nearly free. Your only bondage is that you see the seer as "another" - as something other than yourself.
ahaṃ kartētyahammānamahākṛṣṇāhidaṃśitaḥ ।
nāhaṃ kartēti viśvāsāmṛtaṃ pītvā sukhaṃ chara ॥ 1-8॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
The ego that says "I am the doer" is like being bitten by a great black serpent. Drink the nectar of the conviction "I am not the doer", and live happily.
ēkō viśuddhabōdhō'hamiti niśchayavahninā ।
prajvālyājñānagahanaṃ vītaśōkaḥ sukhī bhava ॥ 1-9॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
With the fire of firm certainty, "I am one, pure awareness", burn the dense forest of ignorance. Be happy and free from sorrow.
yatra viśvamidaṃ bhāti kalpitaṃ rajjusarpavat ।
ānandaparamānandaḥ sa bōdhastvaṃ sukhaṃ bhava ॥ 1-10॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
In you, this world appears as an imagination, like a snake imagined on a rope. You are that awareness, whose nature is bliss beyond bliss. Be at ease.
muktābhimānī muktō hi baddhō baddhābhimānyapi ।
kiṃvadantīha satyēyaṃ yā matiḥ sā gatirbhavēt ॥ 1-11॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
One who holds the conviction "I am free" is free indeed, and one who holds the conviction "I am bound" is bound. What more is there to say? This is the truth: as one's understanding is, so one's state becomes.
ātmā sākṣī vibhuḥ pūrṇa ēkō muktaśchidakriyaḥ ।
asaṅgō niḥspṛhaḥ śāntō bhramātsaṃsāravāniva ॥ 1-12॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
The Self is the witness - all-pervading, complete, one, free, pure consciousness, and actionless. It is unattached, without craving, and peaceful; yet due to delusion it appears as if it is caught in the cycle of worldly bondage.
kūṭasthaṃ bōdhamadvaitamātmānaṃ paribhāvaya ।
ābhāsō'haṃ bhramaṃ muktvā bhāvaṃ bāhyamathāntaram ॥ 1-13॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Contemplate the Self as unchanging awareness, non-dual. Give up the delusion "I am only an appearance", and abandon identification with both outer objects and inner mental states.
dēhābhimānapāśēna chiraṃ baddhō'si putraka ।
bōdhō'haṃ jñānakhaḍgēna tannikṛtya sukhī bhava ॥ 1-14॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
You have long been bound by the noose of identifying with the body, dear one. Cut it with the sword of knowledge, "I am awareness", and be free and at ease.
niḥsaṅgō niṣkriyō'si tvaṃ svaprakāśō nirañjanaḥ ।
ayamēva hi tē bandhaḥ samādhimanutiṣṭhasi ॥ 1-15॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
You are unattached, actionless, self-luminous, and unstained. Your bondage is only this: you keep striving for or clinging to meditative absorption.
tvayā vyāptamidaṃ viśvaṃ tvayi prōtaṃ yathārthataḥ ।
śuddhabuddhasvarūpastvaṃ mā gamaḥ kṣudrachittatām ॥ 1-16॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
This universe is pervaded by you and truly woven in you. Your nature is pure and awake. Do not fall into small-mindedness.
nirapēkṣō nirvikārō nirbharaḥ śītalāśayaḥ ।
agādhabuddhirakṣubdhō bhava chinmātravāsanaḥ ॥ 1-17॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Be independent, changeless, complete, and calm within. Let your understanding be deep and unshaken. Live with your mind resting only in pure consciousness.
sākāramanṛtaṃ viddhi nirākāraṃ tu niśchalam ।
ētattattvōpadēśēna na punarbhavasambhavaḥ ॥ 1-18॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Know that what has form is not the final reality, while the formless is steady and unmoving. Through this understanding of truth, there is no further rebirth.
yathaivādarśamadhyasthē rūpē'ntaḥ paritastu saḥ ।
tathaivā'smin śarīrē'ntaḥ paritaḥ paramēśvaraḥ ॥ 1-19॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Just as a mirror remains within and around the images appearing in it, so the supreme reality is within this body and also all around it.
ēkaṃ sarvagataṃ vyōma bahirantaryathā ghaṭē ।
nityaṃ nirantaraṃ brahma sarvabhūtagaṇē tathā ॥ 1-20॥
Translation (bhāvārtha):
Just as one all-pervading space is inside and outside a pot, so Brahman is always continuous and without gaps in the multitude of all beings.
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