Ashtavakra (epic)
Encyclopedia
Aṣṭāvakra (2010) is a Hindi
epic poem
(Mahakavya
) composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the year 2009. It consists of 864 verses in 8 cantos (sargas) of 108 verses each. The poem presents the narrative of the Ṛṣi
Aṣṭāvakra which is found in the Hindu
scriptures of the Rāmāyaṇa
and the Mahābhārata
. A copy of the epic was published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta
, Uttar Pradesh
. The book was released on January 14, 2010, on the sixtieth birthday (Ṣaṣṭipūrti) of the poet.
The protagonist of the epic, Aṣṭāvakra, is physically disabled with eight deformities in his body. The epic presents his journey from adversity to success to final redemption. According to the poet, who is also disabled having lost his eyesight at the age of two months, the notions of aphoristic solutions for universal difficulties of the disabled are presented the epic, and the eight cantos are the analyses of the eight dispositions in the mind of the disabled.
, the Vana parva of the Mahābhārata, the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā
and the play Uttararamacarita by Bhavabhuti
. The sage Uddālaka, the Ṛṣi mentioned in the Chandogya Upaniṣad
, has a disciple by the name Kahola. Uddālaka offers his daughter Sujātā in marriage to Kahola, and the newly-wed couple starts living in an Āśrama
in a forest. Sujātā becomes pregnant after some years. The child, while still in the womb, one day tells its father Kahola that he is making eight errors in each Vedic Mantra
while reciting them at night. Enraged, Kahola curses the child to be born with all eight limbs (feet, knees, hands, chest and head) deformed.
Meanwhile, there is a drought in the forest and Sujātā sends Kahola to Mithilā
to earn some money from King Janaka
. A courtier of Janaka, Bandī (Vandī) defeats Kahola in Śāstrārtha (verbal duel on the meaning of scriptures) and immerses the Ṛṣi under water using the Varuṇapāśa. Uddālaka apprises Sujātā of her husband's fate and asks her to keep the events secret from her child.
The child born to Sujātā is named Aṣṭāvakra by Uddālaka. At the same time a son is born to Uddālaka and is named Śvetaketu
. Aṣṭāvakra and Śvetaketu grow up like brothers, and learn the scriptures from Uddālaka. Aṣṭāvakra thinks Uddālaka is his father and Śvetaketu his brother. At the age of ten years, on learning that his real father is imprisoned by Bandī, Aṣṭāvakra decides to go to Mithilā to free his father. Aṣṭāvakra travels to Mithilā with his uncle Śvetaketu and defeats respectively the gatekeeper, king Janaka and Bandī in Śāstrārtha, and then secures the release of his father Kahola.
On their way back home, Kahola makes Aṣṭāvakra bathe in the river Samaṅgā and Aṣṭāvakra becomes free of the eight deformities in his body. At the end, Aṣṭāvakra, inspired by the sage Vasiṣṭha, arrives in the court of Sītā
and Rāma
, and is elated to be honoured in the assembly of Ayodhyā.
of Aṣṭa meaning eight and Avakra meaning not deformed or straight. In the verses 1.98 to 1.100, five interpretations are given for the word Aṣṭāvakra using this Sandhi decomposition.
. A part of the instruction by Uddālaka to Aṣṭāvakra in the sixth canto (6.56–6.60) has the same subject. The phraseology used in some of these verses is the same as that used in the Vedas, the Upaniṣad
s and the Bhagavad Gītā
. A metaphor used in the explanation of Sādhanā (6.4–6.5) combines all the six Āstika schools of Hindu philosophy
– Sāṅkhya, Yoga
, Vaiśeṣika
, Nyāya, Mimāṃsā and Vedānta. In the seventh canto, when Aṣṭāvakra enters Mithilā, he finds scholars of all the six schools (7.27–7.28). The various sub-schools of the Vedānta are also referred to, along with the seventh school of Bhakti
. The verse 8.4 mentions the differing opinions about the worldly creation in the Hindu philosophy – some say it is made of Śabda, while some say it is either Pariṇāma or Vivarta. The poet agrees with the former (Pariṇāma) view.
and the world are raised. The issues are brought up in soliloquies by or dialogues between the characters in the epic. These include bias against the girl child, reservation and merit, and the state of the disabled, among others.
s), and lower literacy rates for women. The poet raises the issue of gender inequality in the first (1.12, 1.57–1.59) and the fifth (5.17) cantos of the epic. The following verse is from the first canto in the context of the dialogue between Uddālaka and Kahola, where Uddālaka tells Kahola about the birth of Sujātā. Says Uddālaka –
in the educational institutes, public sector and its proposal for private sector is a controversial and much debated issue in India. Different caste and religious groups have demanded reservations in educational institutes and/or public sector in recent times, which has often led to unrest, protests, and conflicts between judiciary and legislature. In the fifth canto of the epic, while speaking to himself when comparing the learning abilities of Aṣṭāvakra (who is disabled) with those of Śvetaketu and other disciples, Uddālaka says –
(and also in Hindi and other Prākṛta
languages) where a word occurs multiple times and each occurrence has a different meaning. An example of alliteration (Anuprāsa) mixed with Yamaka from the epic is the second half of the verse 7.32 –
In the second half of verse the 1.21, the poet uses the words raurava and gaurava in the same line four and three times respectively, with a different meaning in each occurrence.
) figure of speech, where Saṃskṛta and Hindi are blended together. An example is this verse in which the etymology of the name Sujātā is explained using Nirukta
.
used to compose the verse is indicated by the use of its name in the verse. The last verse of the third canto in Aṣṭāvakra is composed in the Śārdūlavikrīḍita metre (a metre commonly used in Saṃskṛta epics), and also contains the word śārdūlavikrīḍitam.
In his Saṃskṛta epic Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam
, the poet Rāmabhadrācārya has used this figure of speech at eight places.
Sahitya Akademi
organised a conference of reviewers in September 2010 to critique the epic in Ashoknagar
. The chief reviewer, Professor S N Saxena, said that the epic is the story from struggle to success, and is a source of inspiration for the disabled, coming out of the poet's own experience. Other reviewers at the conference included writers Ram Sevak Soni, Sudhir Gupta, Subhash Jain Saral and Pradeep Manoria. The reviewers said that the epic describes the feelings and the rise of the disabled and it is very relevant in the contemporary world. The Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Akademi organized another conference of reviewers at Damoh
in November 2010, where various littérateurs discussed the epic.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
epic poem
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
(Mahakavya
Mahakavya
Mahākāvya , also known as sargabandha, is a genre of Indian epic poetry in classical Sanskrit literature. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, everything that tests a poet's skill at description...
) composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (1950–) in the year 2009. It consists of 864 verses in 8 cantos (sargas) of 108 verses each. The poem presents the narrative of the Ṛṣi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
Aṣṭāvakra which is found in the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
scriptures of the Rāmāyaṇa
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Mahābhārata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. A copy of the epic was published by the Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University, Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta
Chitrakuta is a town and a nagar panchayat in Satna district in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India....
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. The book was released on January 14, 2010, on the sixtieth birthday (Ṣaṣṭipūrti) of the poet.
The protagonist of the epic, Aṣṭāvakra, is physically disabled with eight deformities in his body. The epic presents his journey from adversity to success to final redemption. According to the poet, who is also disabled having lost his eyesight at the age of two months, the notions of aphoristic solutions for universal difficulties of the disabled are presented the epic, and the eight cantos are the analyses of the eight dispositions in the mind of the disabled.
Narrative
The epic narrates the life of Aṣṭāvakra as found in the Rāmāyaṇa of VālmīkiValmiki
Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
, the Vana parva of the Mahābhārata, the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā
Ashtavakra Gita
The Ashtavakra Gita or the Song of Ashtavakra, also known as Ashtavakra Samhita is an Advaita Vedanta scripture which documents a dialogue between the Perfect Master Ashtavakra and Janaka, the King of Mithila.-Significance:Ashtavakra Gita presents the traditional teachings of Advaita Vedanta...
and the play Uttararamacarita by Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti
Bhavabhuti was an 8th century scholar of India noted for his plays and poetry, written in Sanskrit. His plays are considered equivalent to the works of Kalidasa...
. The sage Uddālaka, the Ṛṣi mentioned in the Chandogya Upaniṣad
Chandogya Upanishad
The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the "primary" Upanishads. Together with the Jaiminiya Upanishad Brahmana and the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad it ranks among the oldest Upanishads, dating to the Vedic Brahmana period....
, has a disciple by the name Kahola. Uddālaka offers his daughter Sujātā in marriage to Kahola, and the newly-wed couple starts living in an Āśrama
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
in a forest. Sujātā becomes pregnant after some years. The child, while still in the womb, one day tells its father Kahola that he is making eight errors in each Vedic Mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
while reciting them at night. Enraged, Kahola curses the child to be born with all eight limbs (feet, knees, hands, chest and head) deformed.
Meanwhile, there is a drought in the forest and Sujātā sends Kahola to Mithilā
Mithila
Mithila was a city in Ancient India, the capital of the Videha Kingdom. The name Mithila is also commonly used to refer to the Videha Kingdom itself, as well as to the modern-day territories that fall within the ancient boundaries of Videha...
to earn some money from King Janaka
Janaka
Janaka or Raja Janaka were the kings of Videha Kingdom. Their capital was Mithila, which is believed to be present day Janakpur, Nepal...
. A courtier of Janaka, Bandī (Vandī) defeats Kahola in Śāstrārtha (verbal duel on the meaning of scriptures) and immerses the Ṛṣi under water using the Varuṇapāśa. Uddālaka apprises Sujātā of her husband's fate and asks her to keep the events secret from her child.
The child born to Sujātā is named Aṣṭāvakra by Uddālaka. At the same time a son is born to Uddālaka and is named Śvetaketu
Shvetaketu
Svetaketu, also spelled Shvetaketu , is the Upanishadic young man, the son of sage Uddalaka, the grandson of sage Aruni, and represents the quintessential seeker of knowledge...
. Aṣṭāvakra and Śvetaketu grow up like brothers, and learn the scriptures from Uddālaka. Aṣṭāvakra thinks Uddālaka is his father and Śvetaketu his brother. At the age of ten years, on learning that his real father is imprisoned by Bandī, Aṣṭāvakra decides to go to Mithilā to free his father. Aṣṭāvakra travels to Mithilā with his uncle Śvetaketu and defeats respectively the gatekeeper, king Janaka and Bandī in Śāstrārtha, and then secures the release of his father Kahola.
On their way back home, Kahola makes Aṣṭāvakra bathe in the river Samaṅgā and Aṣṭāvakra becomes free of the eight deformities in his body. At the end, Aṣṭāvakra, inspired by the sage Vasiṣṭha, arrives in the court of Sītā
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
and Rāma
RAMA
Rama is a first-person adventure game developed and published by Sierra Entertainment in 1996. The game is based on Arthur C. Clarke's books Rendezvous with Rama and Rama II and supports both DOS and Windows 95. It is the second Rama game to be produced...
, and is elated to be honoured in the assembly of Ayodhyā.
The eight cantos
- Sambhava (Hindi: सम्भव, meaning Appearance): After invoking Sarasvatī, the poet introduces Aṣṭāvakra as the subject of the epic, who became the flag-bearer of the disabled. The sage Uddālaka stays with his wife in a GurukulGurukulA gurukul is a type of school in India, residential in nature, with shishyas living in proximity to the guru, often within the same house...
a with 10,000 disciples. The couple have a daughter, Sujātā, who grows up learning the Vedas with the disciples. Uddālaka has a famous disciple by the name Kahola. At the end of his education, Kahola is requested by Uddālaka to marry a BrāhmaṇaBrahminBrahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
woman who is suitable for him in all ways and enter Gārhasthya ĀśramaGrihasthaGrihasthya refers to the second phase of an individual's life in the Vedic ashram system. It is often called 'the householders life' revolving as it does around the duties of maintaining a household and leading a family-centred life.-Usage:...
. Kahola thinks of Sujātā but is hesitant as he is not certain if marrying the daughter of his Guru would be appropriate. Uddālaka comes to know of Kahola's disposition, and happily offers Sujātā in marriage to Kahola. Uddālaka also prophesises that Sujātā will bear him a son who will be become a source of inspiration for the disabled. Kahola and Sujātā get married and choose a desolate forest for their Āśrama, where Kahola starts teaching disciples. Sujātā prays to SūryaSuryaSurya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
for a son whose life will offer solutions to the afflictions of the disabled, and Sūrya grants her the wish. The canto ends with Sujātā becoming pregnant and the couple delighted. - Saṅkrānti (Hindi: सङ्क्रान्ति, meaning Revolution): In the first 27 verses (first quarter) of the canto, the poet expounds on Saṅkrānti, the concept of true revolution. It is not to be attained by spilling blood, but by spreading a thought. Rarely do people want such a revolution, their egos do not allow it. The narrative then proceeds – after the Puṃsavana and Sīmantonnayana SaṃskāraSamskaraSamskara may refer to:* Saṃskāra, Hindu rites* Saṃskāra , in Buddhism, mental and volitional formations* Samskara , a technique in ayurvedic medicine...
s of Sujātā, one day, late in the night, Kahola is practising Vedic chanting, perfecting his knowledge of what he is to teach his disciples on the following day. Out of fatigue and the four defects of Bhrama, Pramāda, Vipralipsā and Karṇāpāṭava, Kahola starts erring in all eight types of recitations – Jaṭā, Rekhā, Mālā, Śikhā, Ratha, Dhvaja, Daṇḍa, and Ghana. The child of Sujātā, while still in the womb, thinks about this for some time and then asks his father to stop practising and teaching verses incorrectly, pointing out that the sage is making eight errors in reciting each verse. Kahola is taken aback and asks the child in the womb to stay quiet, saying he is reciting as per tradition, and forgetfulness is only human. The child replies by saying that the father should throw away the old corpse of so-called tradition and again requests Kahola to learn the Vedas once more from Uddālaka. The enraged Kahola curses the child to be born with all eight limbs crooked. Kahola repents immediately after, but the child (Aṣṭāvakra) takes the curse in his stride, and asks his father not to repent. - Samasyā (Hindi: समस्या, meaning Difficulty): This canto, a soliloquy by Aṣṭāvakra in his mother's womb, deals with the notion of Samasyā or a difficulty. The canto is replete with pathos (Karuṇa Rasa), heroism (Vīra Rasa) and optimism. In the first 30 verses, various metaphors are painted for difficulty, which is universal and extremely powerful. Faith in God and determined action are the ways to get out of a difficulty, and Aṣṭāvakra is resolute that he will get out of his predicament too. In verses 61 to 82, the real nature of the ĀtmanĀtman (Hinduism)Ātman is a Sanskrit word that means 'self'. In Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta school of Hinduism it refers to one's true self beyond identification with phenomena...
(Self), without beginning and end, without birth and death, and beyond mortal difficulties is presented, according to the poet's philosophy of ViśiṣṭādvaitaVishishtadvaitaVishishtadvaita Vedanta is a sub-school of the Vedānta school of Hindu philosophy, the other major sub-schools of Vedānta being Advaita, Dvaita, and Achintya-Bheda-Abheda. VishishtAdvaita is a non-dualistic school of Vedanta philosophy...
. Aṣṭāvakra then tells Kahola about his (Kahola's) imminent repentance, and that he is determined intent to live the life of a disabled. He requests his father not to curse anybody in future, and the canto ends with optimistic prophesies by Aṣṭāvakra that the curse of his father is a blessing in disguise for the disabled of the world, as Aṣṭāvakra will be their role model. - Saṅkaṭa (Hindi: सङ्कट, meaning Adversity): The poet introduces the concept of adversity, which is a test for friendship, skill, intellect, and virtues. Aṣṭāvakra's body becomes like that of the egg of a turtle. Kahola starts repenting for his action of cursing the child. The sin of the Ṛṣi manifests as a drought in the forest, and all the disciples of Kahola leave the Āśrama. The birds and animals in the forest start dying out of hunger and thirst. Sujātā asks Kahola to go to the Yajña of Janaka and get some wealth by defeating the assembly of the wise in a scriptural debate. Kahola goes to Mithilā against his wishes, and is beaten in the debate by Bandī, the son of VaruṇaVarunaIn Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
, who then immerses Kahola under water in the Varuṇapāśa. In the forest, Sujātā gives birth to a boy. Uddālaka comes to the aid of Sujātā and tells her about the fate of Kahola, asking her to keep this secret from her child, as the knowledge of his father's defeat will be a hurdle in the growth of the child. Uddālaka performs the Jātakarman Saṃskāra of the infant. The child is called Aṣṭavakra (having eight limbs deformed) by everybody, but Uddālaka names him Aṣṭāvakra, with the meanings as explained here. The canto ends with Aṣṭāvakra starting to grow in the Āśrama of his maternal grandfather. - Saṅkalpa (Hindi: सङ्कल्प, meaning Resolution): The canto begins with the concept of resolution – the poet states that a noble resolution is the true and pure resolution. Aṣṭāvakra is born handicapped, and a son Śvetaketu is born to Uddālaka at the same time. Both uncle and nephew grow up together in Uddālaka's Āśrama. Uddālaka is more fond of Aṣṭāvakra, his disabled grandson, than Śvetaketu. Aṣṭāvakra excels in learning from Uddālaka, outclassing all other disciples including Śvetaketu. On Aṣṭāvakra's tenth birthday, Uddālaka organises a celebration. Uddālaka makes Aṣṭāvakra sit in his lap and starts embracing him. Seeing this, Śvetaketu is possessed by jealousy, and asks Aṣṭāvakra to get down from his father's lap. Śvetaketu tells him that Uddālaka is actually his grandfather, and that he does not know about his real father. Śvetaketu further humiliates Aṣṭāvakra by mocking his disability. On hearing about his real father Kahola from Sujātā, Aṣṭāvakra thanks Śvetaketu for awakening him. Aṣṭāvakra makes a firm resolution of not returning to Uddālaka's Āśrama without his father. The resolution will show the world that the disabled can achieve anything they dream of.
- Sādhanā (Hindi: साधना, meaning Dilligence): The poet explains that Sādhanā (dilligence), the energy of Saṅkalpa (resolution), is the key to success. Aṣṭāvakra is constantly worried about how he would liberate his father from the bondage of Bandī. He realizes that his pointing out of Kahola's mistakes and arguing with Kahola was not his prerogative, even though Kahola was wrong. He concludes that his arguments ended up angering Kahola which led to the unfortunate curse, anger being the dreadful enemy of man. Aṣṭāvakra decides to perfect the scriptures – the Vedas, Upavedas, NyāyaNyaya' is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy—specifically the school of logic...
, MīmāṃsāMimamsa' , a Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" , is the name of an astika school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermeneutics of the Vedas...
, DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
, ĀgamaAgamaAgama is a term for scriptures in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism:* Āgama * Āgama * Āgama The corresponding adjective is Agamic.Agama can also refer to:...
and other texts. He entreats Uddālaka for instruction in the scriptures. In a short time, Aṣṭāvakra masters all that Uddālaka teaches, helped by his Ekaśruti (ability to forever remember everything that one has heard even once). Uddālaka calls Aṣṭāvakra to give him a final instruction about the Ātman, and orders him to go to the assembly of Janaka with the goal of liberating his father. Uddālaka decides to send the now-repentant Śvetaketu with Aṣṭāvakra, even though the former had insulted the latter in the past. Aṣṭāvakra determines that this task will be his Gurudakṣiṇā, and bows down to Uddālaka. Uddālaka blesses him to be victorious, and so does Sujātā. Aṣṭāvakra undertakes the ambitious journey to Mithilā, along with his uncle Śvetaketu. - Sambhāvanā (Hindi: सम्भावना, meaning Competency): Sambhāvanā or competency is vividly described in the first ten verses of the canto. Aṣṭāvakra is brimming with confidence as he approaches Mithilā. Mithilā is replete with scholars versed in the Vedas and all the six Āstika schoolsHindu philosophyHindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
. The twelve-year olds Aṣṭāvakra and Śvetaketu run into Janaka, who is on his way to the court. Janaka asks his guards to get the handicapped boy out of his way. Aṣṭāvakra responds by saying that Janaka should get out of his way instead, as he (Aṣṭāvakra) is a Brāhmaṇa versed in the scriptures. Pleased with his brilliance, Janaka tells Aṣṭāvakra that he is free to roam anywhere in Mithilā. However, Janaka's gatekeeper does not let Aṣṭāvakra in to the court, and tells him that only the learned and wise elders deserve to be in Janaka's court. Aṣṭāvakra makes the gatekeeper speechless by his definition of elders – only those grown in knowledge are the elders. The gatekeeper now lets him in to an assembly consisting of sages like YājñavalkyaYajnavalkyaYajnavalkya of Mithila was a legendary sage of Vedic India, credited with the authorship of the Shatapatha Brahmana , besides Yogayajnavalkya Samhita and the Yājñavalkya Smṛti...
, GārgīGargi VachaknaviGargi is mentioned in the Sixth and the Eighth Brahmana of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, where the brahmayajna, a philosophic congress organized by King Janaka of Videha is described, she challenged the sage Yajnavalkya with perturbing questions on the atman...
and MaitreyīMaitreyiMaitreyi was a Vedic philosopher from ancient India. She was the second wife of famous sage and philosopher, Yajnavalkya, the first being Katyaayanee....
. Aṣṭāvakra openly challenges Bandī for a scriptural debate. Janaka asks Aṣṭāvakra to satisfy him first in debate, and poses him six cryptic questions, which Aṣṭāvakra answers convincingly. Janaka offers him Bandī, who knows within himself he will lose to Aṣṭāvakra, but decides to openly debate. Bandī mocks Aṣṭāvakra's deformities and the assembly laughs. Aṣṭāvakra chides both Bandī and the assembly and declares his intention to leave the assembly. - Samādhāna (Hindi: समाधान, meaning Reconciliation): The poet states that Samādhāna is the end goal of each poetic creation, and expounds on this concept, using the Rāmāyaṇa as a timeless metaphor. Janaka apologizes to Aṣṭāvakra for Bandī's insult and Aṣṭāvakra calms down. He again challenges Bandī to a verbal duel, requesting Janaka to be the neutral arbiter. Aṣṭāvakra says that he will let Bandī begin the debate and will answer to Bandī's points. The debate begins in extemporaneous verses. Bandī and Aṣṭāvakra alternately compose verses on the numbers one to twelve. Bandī can then only compose the first half of a verse on the number thirteen. Aṣṭāvakra completes the verse and thus defeats Bandī. He is acclaimed by the assembly and Janaka accepts him as his preceptor. Bandī reveals that he is the son of Varuṇa and has submerged Kahola along with several other Brāhmaṇas in water to help his father carry out the twelve year Varuṇa sacrifice. Bandī accepts his defeat and surrenders to Aṣṭāvakra. The old sage Yājñavalkya also bows down to Aṣṭāvakra and accepts the boy as his Guru. Bandī goes back to the ocean whence Kahola returns. Kahola tells his son that he would be ever indebted to him for redeeming his father. Aṣṭāvakra requests Kahola to return to the waiting Sujātā. On their way back home, Kahola asks Aṣṭāvakra to bathe in the river Samaṅgā, which is the daughter of Gaṅgā. Aṣṭāvakra's deformities are cured on bathing in the river. Sujātā is elated on seeing her husband and her no-longer handicapped son. Aṣṭāvakra stays a lifelong BrahmacārinBrahmacharyaBrahmacharya is one of the four stages of life in an age-based social system as laid out in the Manu Smrti and later Classical Sanskrit texts in Hinduism. It refers to an educational period of 14–20 years which starts before the age of puberty. During this time the traditional vedic sciences are...
and becomes a great Ṛṣi. At the end of the epic, Aṣṭāvakra goes to the court of Sītā and Rāma in Ayodhyā, after the battle of Rāmāyaṇa. Aṣṭāvakra is elated on seeing the queen and the king. Sītā bows down to the Guru of her father and Aṣṭāvakra blesses her.
Revolutionism
The poet states that the genre of his poetry is Revolutionism (Krāntivāda). In the second canto, the poet defines the true revolution as one caused by change in thoughts. Aṣṭāvakra, while speaking to Kahola, says that Oṃ Śāntiḥ (Hail Peace!) is the old proclamation, the new one should be Oṃ Krāntiḥ (Hail Revolution!). On lines of the Oṃ Śāntiḥ Mantra, the new Mantra is to call for revolution everywhere –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
द्यौः क्रान्तिः नभः क्रान्तिः भाग्यभूमाभूमि क्रान्तिः ।
परमपावन आपः क्रान्तिः ओषधिः सङ्क्रान्तिमय हो ॥
नववनस्पतिवृन्द क्रान्तिः विश्वदेवस्पन्द क्रान्तिः ।
महाकाव्यच्छन्द क्रान्तिः ब्रह्मभव सङ्क्रान्तिमय हो ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
dyauḥ krāntiḥ nabhaḥ krāntiḥ bhāgyabhūmābhūmi krāntiḥ ।
paramapāvana āpaḥ krāntiḥ oṣadhiḥ saṅkrāntimaya ho ॥
navavanaspativṛnda krāntiḥ viśvadevaspanda krāntiḥ ।
mahākāvyacchanda krāntiḥ brahmabhava saṅkrāntimaya ho ॥
Meaning of Aṣṭāvakra
In the epic, the poet derives the name Aṣṭāvakra as the SandhiSandhi
Sandhi is a cover term for a wide variety of phonological processes that occur at morpheme or word boundaries . Examples include the fusion of sounds across word boundaries and the alteration of sounds due to neighboring sounds or due to the grammatical function of adjacent words...
of Aṣṭa meaning eight and Avakra meaning not deformed or straight. In the verses 1.98 to 1.100, five interpretations are given for the word Aṣṭāvakra using this Sandhi decomposition.
- He in whom the eight PrakṛtiPrakrtiPrakrti or Prakriti or Prakruti means "nature". It is, according to Hindus, the basic nature of intelligence by which the Universe exists and functions. It is described in Bhagavad Gita as the "primal motive force". It is the essential constituent of the universe and is at the basis of all the...
s – the five elements (earth, air, fire, water and space), the mind, the intellect and the ego – will never be deformed - He whom the eight Bhogas (sources of sensual pleasure) and the eight Maithunas (types of marriages and unions) will not be able to deform
- He whom even the eight Lokapālas (world protectors) – IndraIndra' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, AgniAgniAgni is a Hindu deity, one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire and the acceptor of sacrifices. The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods...
, YamaYamaYama , also known as Yamarāja in India and Nepal, Shinje in Tibet, Yanluowang or simply Yan in China, Yeomla Daewang in South Korea and Enma Dai-Ō in Japan, is the lord of death, in Hinduism and then adopted into Buddhism and then further into Chinese mythology and Japanese mythology. First...
, Sūrya, Varuṇa, VāyuVayuVāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the Lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Lord Hanuman...
, KuberaKuberaKubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...
and CandraChandraIn Hinduism, Chandra is a lunar deity and a Graha. Chandra is also identified with the Vedic Lunar deity Soma . The Soma name refers particularly to the juice of sap in the plants and thus makes the Moon the lord of plants and vegetation. He is described as young, beautiful, fair; two-armed and...
– will not be able to deform - He for whom the eight VasuVasuIn Hinduism, the Vasus are attendant deities of Indra, and later Vishnu. They are eight elemental gods representing aspects of nature, representing cosmic natural phenomenon. The name Vasu means 'Dweller' or 'Dwelling'...
s will never be unfavourable (Avakra) - He whose unblemished (Avakra) fame will be sung by eight NāgaNagaNaga or NAGA may refer to:* Nāga, a group of serpent deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology.-People:* Nayan / Nayar/Nair people of Kerala Society* Naga people, a diverse ethnic identity in Northeast India...
s in all the eight Yāmas (three hour periods) of the day
Philosophy
Verses dealing with philosophy are found at several places in the epic. The soliloquy by Aṣṭāvakra in the third canto includes verses on the nature of the Self (3.61–3.82), according to the Viśiṣṭādvaita school of VedāntaVedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
. A part of the instruction by Uddālaka to Aṣṭāvakra in the sixth canto (6.56–6.60) has the same subject. The phraseology used in some of these verses is the same as that used in the Vedas, the Upaniṣad
Upanishad
The Upanishads are philosophical texts considered to be an early source of Hindu religion. More than 200 are known, of which the first dozen or so, the oldest and most important, are variously referred to as the principal, main or old Upanishads...
s and the Bhagavad Gītā
Bhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
. A metaphor used in the explanation of Sādhanā (6.4–6.5) combines all the six Āstika schools of Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy is divided into six schools of thought, or , which accept the Vedas as supreme revealed scriptures. Three other schools do not accept the Vedas as authoritative...
– Sāṅkhya, Yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
, Vaiśeṣika
Vaisheshika
Vaisheshika or ' is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy of India. Historically, it has been closely associated with the Hindu school of logic, Nyaya....
, Nyāya, Mimāṃsā and Vedānta. In the seventh canto, when Aṣṭāvakra enters Mithilā, he finds scholars of all the six schools (7.27–7.28). The various sub-schools of the Vedānta are also referred to, along with the seventh school of Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
. The verse 8.4 mentions the differing opinions about the worldly creation in the Hindu philosophy – some say it is made of Śabda, while some say it is either Pariṇāma or Vivarta. The poet agrees with the former (Pariṇāma) view.
Social messages
In various contexts of the epic, several contemporary social issues relevant to IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the world are raised. The issues are brought up in soliloquies by or dialogues between the characters in the epic. These include bias against the girl child, reservation and merit, and the state of the disabled, among others.
Bias against the girl child
The girl child has been historically discriminated against in the Indian society, due to several cultural and economic factors. The preference for sons and discrimination against the female child continues to date, reflected in statistics like child sex ratio (skewed by female infanticide and sex-selective abortionSex-selective abortion
Sex-selective abortion is the practice of terminating a pregnancy based upon the predicted sex of the baby. The selective abortion of female fetuses is most common in areas where cultural norms value male children over female children, especially in parts of People's Republic of China, India,...
s), and lower literacy rates for women. The poet raises the issue of gender inequality in the first (1.12, 1.57–1.59) and the fifth (5.17) cantos of the epic. The following verse is from the first canto in the context of the dialogue between Uddālaka and Kahola, where Uddālaka tells Kahola about the birth of Sujātā. Says Uddālaka –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
कन्या नहीं भार है शिरका यही सृष्टि का है श्रृंगार
मानवता का यही मन्त्र है यही प्रकृति का है उपहार ।
कोख पवित्र सुता से होती पुत्री से गृह होता शुद्ध
नहीं भ्रूणहत्या विधेय है श्रुतिविरुद्ध यह कृत्य अशुद्ध ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
kanyā nahīṃ bhāra hai śirakā yahī sṛṣṭi kā hai śrṛṃgāra
mānavatā kā yahī mantra hai yahī prakṛti kā hai upahāra ।
kokha pavitra sutā se hotī putrī se gṛha hotā śuddha
nahīṃ bhrūṇahatyā vidheya hai śrutiviruddha yaha kṛtya aśuddha ॥
Reservations
ReservationReservation in India
Reservation in India is a form of affirmative action designed to improve the well being of socially backward and underrepresented communities of citizens in India. There are laws in place, wherein a certain percentage of total available slots in Jobs and Education are set aside for people from...
in the educational institutes, public sector and its proposal for private sector is a controversial and much debated issue in India. Different caste and religious groups have demanded reservations in educational institutes and/or public sector in recent times, which has often led to unrest, protests, and conflicts between judiciary and legislature. In the fifth canto of the epic, while speaking to himself when comparing the learning abilities of Aṣṭāvakra (who is disabled) with those of Śvetaketu and other disciples, Uddālaka says –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
प्रातिभ क्षेत्र में आरक्षण
न कदापि राष्ट्रहित में समुचित ।
यह घोर निरादर प्रतिभा का
अवनति का पथ अतिशय अनुचित ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
prātibha kṣetra meṃ ārakṣaṇa
na kadāpi rāṣṭrahita meṃ samucita ।
yaha ghora nirādara pratibhā kā
avanati kā patha atiśaya anucita ॥
Bias against the disabled
The issue of prejudice and discrimination against the disabled is raised in multiple contexts. In the dialogue between Uddālaka and Kahola in the first canto, Uddālaka says that with the success of Aṣṭāvakra, the disabled will no longer be deprived of their rights by the society. They will not be pushovers anymore, no more be regarded as bad omens in auspicious rituals, and would be treated with equality. In the fourth canto, while speaking to Sujāta, Uddālaka says – the notion that the disabled are a burden on family and not worthy of attention will decay the world. He cautions against insulting and humiliating the disabled, and advises treating them with respect, else even the tears of the disabled will trample one in turn. In the seventh canto, in Aṣṭāvakra's soliloquy, the poet says that making fun of the disabled is never appropriate, for they are created by the same craftsman as the entire creation. An example verse is –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
भार है विकलांग क्या परिवार का
क्या उपेक्ष्या पात्र वह सकलांग का ।
जगत को जर्जरित कर देगी झटिति
यह विषम अवधारणा कुसमाज की ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
bhāra hai vikalāṃga kyā parivāra kā
kyā upekṣyā pātra vaha sakalāṃga kā ।
jagata ko jarjarita kara degī jhaṭiti
yaha viṣama avadhāraṇā kusamāja kī ॥
Rasas
The principle Rasas in the epic are the Vīra (heroism or bravery) and the Karuṇa (compassion) Rasas. Aṣṭāvakra's soliloquy after his father's curse (third canto), Kahola's repentance of the curse (fourth canto) and the conversation between Uddālaka's and Sujātā after Kahola's drowning in water are contexts with compassion and pathos. Aṣṭāvakra's determination and resolve to liberate is father (fifth canto) and his journey to Mithilā (sixth canto) are the notable contexts with the emotion of heroism.Anuprāsa (Alliteration) and Yamaka
Yamaka is a kind of pun in SaṃskṛtaSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
(and also in Hindi and other Prākṛta
Prakrit
Prakrit is the name for a group of Middle Indic, Indo-Aryan languages, derived from Old Indic dialects. The word itself has a flexible definition, being defined sometimes as, "original, natural, artless, normal, ordinary, usual", or "vernacular", in contrast to the literary and religious...
languages) where a word occurs multiple times and each occurrence has a different meaning. An example of alliteration (Anuprāsa) mixed with Yamaka from the epic is the second half of the verse 7.32 –
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
अङ्ग अङ्ग पर विलस रहे थे ललितललाम विभूषण
भवभूषण दूषणरिपुदूषणदूषण निमिकुलभूषण ।
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
aṅga aṅga para vilasa rahe the lalitalalāma vibhūṣaṇa
bhavabhūṣaṇa dūṣaṇaripudūṣaṇa dūṣaṇa nimikulabhūṣaṇa ।
In the second half of verse the 1.21, the poet uses the words raurava and gaurava in the same line four and three times respectively, with a different meaning in each occurrence.
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
रौरवसहित रहित रौरव से रौरवकृत जितरौरव थे
गौरवमय अभिमान विवर्जित श्रितगौरव हितगौरव थे ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
rauravasahita rahita raurava se rauravakṛta jitaraurava the
gauravamaya abhimāna vivarjita śritagaurava hitagaurava the ॥
Bhaṣāsamaka
At several places in the epic (1.85, 4.100, 8.106 and 8.108), the poet uses the Bhāṣāsamaka (also known as MaṇipravālaManipravalam
Manipravalam was a literary style used in medieval liturgical texts in South India, which used an admixture of Tamil and Sanskrit. Manipravalam is termed a mixture of Sanskrit and Tamil...
) figure of speech, where Saṃskṛta and Hindi are blended together. An example is this verse in which the etymology of the name Sujātā is explained using Nirukta
Nirukta
Nirukta is one of the six disciplines of Hinduism, treating etymology, particularly of obscure words, especially those occurring in the Vedas. The discipline is traditionally attributed to , an ancient Sanskrit grammarian...
.
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
सुभगो जातो यस्याः सैव सुजाता नाम निरुक्ति यही
अष्टावक्र सुभग जातक की बनी सुजाता मातु सही ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
subhago jāto yasyāḥ saiva sujātā nāma nirukti yahī
aṣṭāvakra subhaga jātaka kī banī sujātā mātu sahī ॥
Mudrā
In the Mudrā figure of speech, the metreMeter (poetry)
In poetry, metre is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study of metres and forms of versification is known as prosody...
used to compose the verse is indicated by the use of its name in the verse. The last verse of the third canto in Aṣṭāvakra is composed in the Śārdūlavikrīḍita metre (a metre commonly used in Saṃskṛta epics), and also contains the word śārdūlavikrīḍitam.
DevanagariDevanagariDevanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
अष्टावक्र महर्षि वाक्य कह रहे ज्यों हो रहे मौन थे
त्यों ही बिप्र कहोल के नयन भी नीरन्ध्रवर्षी बने ।
सीमन्तोन्नयनीय वेदविधि भी सम्पन्न प्रायः हुई
गाएँ देव सभी कहोलसुत का शार्दूलविक्रीडितम् ॥
IASTIASTThe International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
aṣṭāvakra maharṣi vākya kaha rahe jyoṃ ho rahe mauna the
tyoṃ hī bipra kahola ke nayana bhī nīrandhravarṣī bane ।
sīmantonnayanīya vedavidhi bhī sampanna prāyaḥ huī
gāeँ deva sabhī kaholasuta kā śārdūlavikrīḍitam ॥
In his Saṃskṛta epic Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam
Sribhargavaraghaviyam
Śrībhārgavarāghavīyam , literally Of Paraśurāma and Rāma, is a Sanskrit epic poem composed by Jagadguru Rambhadracharya in the year 2002. It consists of 2121 verses in 40 Sanskrit and Prakrit metres and is divided into 21 cantos of 101 verses each...
, the poet Rāmabhadrācārya has used this figure of speech at eight places.
The debates in Mithilā
Four conversations are described in the seventh and eighth cantos of the epic. These include the first conversation between Aṣṭāvakra and Janaka, followed by the three debates of Aṣṭāvakra – the first one to convince the gatekeeper to let him into the assembly; then his answers to the cryptic questions of Janaka; and finally the Śāstrārtha between Bandī and Aṣṭāvakra, in which the seemingly simple enumerations of the numbers one to thirteen belie enigmas and latent meanings which lie beneath. These conversations in the epic are the same as in the Mahābhārata, and the comparison between the poetry in the Saṃskṛta of Mahābhārata and the Hindi of Aṣṭāvakra is noteworthy.Critical Response
The Readers' Forum of the Madhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
organised a conference of reviewers in September 2010 to critique the epic in Ashoknagar
Ashoknagar
For Delhi’s Ashok Nagar see Ashok Nagar .For the residential locality in Chennai see Ashok Nagar, ChennaiAshoknagar is a city in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. It is the administrative headquarters of Ashoknagar District. It was previously a part of Guna district...
. The chief reviewer, Professor S N Saxena, said that the epic is the story from struggle to success, and is a source of inspiration for the disabled, coming out of the poet's own experience. Other reviewers at the conference included writers Ram Sevak Soni, Sudhir Gupta, Subhash Jain Saral and Pradeep Manoria. The reviewers said that the epic describes the feelings and the rise of the disabled and it is very relevant in the contemporary world. The Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Akademi organized another conference of reviewers at Damoh
Damoh
Damoh is a city in the Sagar Division of northeast Madhya Pradesh in India, east of state capital Bhopal and in north by Tikamgarh. It is the administrative headquarters of Damoh District.-Geography:...
in November 2010, where various littérateurs discussed the epic.