The story of Ashtavakra is from the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It is the story of a young boy who was born deformed but whose intellect and wisdom surpassed many learned sages of his time.
Ashtavakra lived around 800 BCE, during the Vedic period in ancient India. Uddalaka Aruni, a revered sage and philosopher who greatly contributed to the Brihadaranyaka and Chhandogya Upanishads, ran a gurukul (hermitage school) teaching Vedic knowledge. Kahoda was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was so impressed with him that he got his daughter Sujata married to him.
When Sujata got pregnant, she wanted her child to surpass all the sages of his time. So, she began to sit in the classes of Uddalaka and Kahoda, listening to their teachings. One day, in a class taught by Kahoda, the unborn baby spoke up from inside the womb, “This is not the way to chant the verse, father.” Kahoda felt insulted in front of the class and put a curse on the baby, “You will be born deformed.”
Sujata did not take the particular instance seriously. She, however, wanted to raise her child well. So she asked her husband to go to king Janaka of Mithila who was then preparing for a yagna (fire worship ceremony) hoping that his participation in the ceremony would bring some money to the family.
When Kahoda approached Janaka, the king received him respectfully but said with regret “Kahoda, I am unable to perform the yagna which I decided to perform several years back. Sage Bandhi arrived from nowhere and challenged me to commence the yagna only after he is defeated in an academic debate with the sages participating in the yagna. His condition further includes that the sages who come forward for the debate, if defeated, will be drowned. So far he has killed many learned sages. Now it is up to you to take the challenge.”
Kahoda agreed to the debate with Bandhi. Unfortunately, he too was defeated and was drowned in the nearby river. Sujata heard the news and deeply repented her actions. A few months later, she gave birth to a boy who was deformed at eight joints and so was named Ashtavakra (Eight-deformitied).
Legend has it that Ashtavakra found faults in his father’s teachings eight times while still in his mother’s womb. And so he was born with eight deformities: crooked arms, bent knees, twisted feet, distorted hands, hunched back, bent neck, twisted hips and a curved spine.
Despite his physical limitations, Ashtavakra demonstrated remarkable intelligence and spiritual inclination right from childhood. He received his education from his grandfather Uddalaka himself, who loved him dearly and was very proud of him.
When Ashtavakra was only twelve, he completed all that he needed to know from his grandfather and his disciples. It was at this time that he heard of the fate of his father and the yagna of king Janaka, which still remained to be conducted as no one could defeat Bandhi.
One night Ashtavakra ran away from the hermitage and went to the kingdom of Mithila to meet with Janaka.
Looking at his deformed body, the palace guards were amused. Ashtavakra retorted, “Do not judge a person by his appearance and age, judge him by what he knows. Inform your king that there is a person ready to challenge Bandhi.”
The king came out and was surprised to see a small boy with a deformed body. He asked him a few questions and was greatly impressed by his knowledge.
King Janaka soon arranged for the debate of Ashtavakra with Bandhi. When the audience in the king’s palace too laughed on seeing his deformed boy, Ashtavakra retorted, “I did not know that the so called learned gathering is no better than a bunch of cobblers who are only concerned with skin and not the knowledge within.”
To everyone’s surprise Ashtavakara defeated Bandhi in no time. With vengeance, he then requested the king to drown his father’s killer. Bandhi then disclosed his identity. He said, “I am the son of Varuna, the God of Waters. I came to earth on the request of my father to get the best sages from here to perform his yagna of 12 years. The only way I could get them to my father was to challenge them in a debate and throw them into water. Now that my father has completed the yagna, let us go to the river and watch the sages walk out of the waters.”
Everyone rushed to the river bank and watched as the sages returned from the river. Kahoda came out and embraced his son Ashtavakra. He then openly admitted that his son was a lot more intelligent than he. Bandhi then asked Ashtavakra to take a dip in the river, with the blessings of his father, Varuna, which would make him normal.
Ashtavakra did as he was told and came out of the river as a handsome young man. Janaka rewarded Ashtavakra and Kahoda. They went back to their hermitage to be united with the family. Uddalaka was very happy to see his worthy grandson surpassing all the great sages of his time in knowledge. Sujata rejoiced at seeing her handsome son and husband.
In his later life, Ashtavakra became a revered figure in Hindu philosophy for his profound wisdom and spiritual insights. His teachings emphasised non-dualism (Advaita Vedanta), self-realisation, inner peace and detachment from worldly desires He
Ashtavakra continued his association with King Janaka, who himself was a spiritual seeker and sought his guidance. The Ashtavakra Gita, a Hindu scripture, contains Ashtavakra’s dialogues with King Janaka. It explores the nature of reality, the self and the path to liberation.
Ashtavakra’s life story is quite fascinating. Born with eight physical deformities, he went on to become a celebrated sage and author of Ashtavakra Gita, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta (the philosophy of non-dualism) and self-realisation. His teachings emphasise the importance of recognising one’s true nature beyond physical limitations.
Both Ashtavakra and Uddalaka contributed significantly to Hindu philosophy, shaping Advaita Vedanta and influencing later philosophers like Adi Shankaracharya. Ashtavakra’s teachings were heavily influenced by Uddalaka’s philosophy and further expanded upon them. While both the sages shared similar philosophical views, their approaches differed: Uddalaka focussed on the Upanishadic tradition, while Ashtavakra’s teachings were more practical and accessible. Their teachings continue to inspire spiritual seekers, philosophers and scholars even today.
Ashtavakra always repeated to his disciples, “Do not seek external validation. Instead, validate your own self-worth through self-realisation.”
He is believed to have attained mahasamadhi (liberation) at the age of 100.
Anecdotes
There are several anecdotes connected with the life of Ashtavakra:
This incident happened when Ashtavakra was traveling to Mithila to meet King Janaka. He arrived at the Ganges river and requested a boatman to ferry him across.
The boatman, seeing Ashtavakra’s physical deformities, refused, saying: “You’re crippled and unfit for travel. How can I risk my boat with someone who can’t even walk straight?”
Ashtavakra calmly replied: “Sir, your concern is understandable, but misplaced. My body may be crooked, but my mind is straight. I can navigate the ocean of life with ease.
“However, I sense that your mind is twisted by ignorance. You’re stuck in the whirlpool of worldly attachments.
“Tell me, boatman, have you ever crossed the river of your own mind?”
The boatman was taken aback, realising his own limitations. He humbly apologised and ferried Ashtavakra across the river. As they crossed the river, Ashtavakra shared his wisdom with the boatman who then became his disciple.
When Ashtavakra entered the court of king Janaka at Mithila, everyone assembled there started laughing upon seeing such a deformed boy. Ashtavakra also began laughing loudly.
One of the king’s advisors then informed him that Ashtavakra was a very renowned sage, of great spiritual knowledge, and should be respectfully welcomed.
After offering him a seat, the king asked why he had laughed so loudly when he had entered. Ashtavakra briefly replied, “Because you were all laughing, I started laughing.”
The king thought that the ascetic must not have realised that the assembly was laughing at his deformity, and so he attempted to explain. “But these people were laughing at your strange way of walking.”
Ashtavakra replied, “I came a long way from my hermitage thinking that I would find people full of great intellect and wisdom in your court, discussing and debating profound subjects and topics. But what I found here was a bunch of cobblers, who only know the value of the skin. All of you are still living in body consciousness, and are unable to recognise the true worth of an individual. so I was wondering if I had made a mistake coming here. This was why I laughed.”
The king was stunned by the sage’s mature understanding and quickly apologised on everyone’s behalf.
Once, King Janaka asked Ashtavakra: “O sage, how can I attain liberation?”
Ashtavakra replied, “Renounce your attachment to the throne, not the throne itself. Let go of your ego, not your duties.”
Janaka asked: “How can I distinguish between attachment and duty?”
Ashtavakra said: “Attachment is like a rope that binds you, whereas duty is like a bridge that connects you to others. Perform your duties without attachment, and you will find liberation.”
After his debate with Bandhi, Ashtavakra became renowned for his wisdom. Lord Krishna, hearing about his exceptional knowledge, sought to meet him.
Lord Krishna arrived at Ashtavakra’s hermitage, where he found the sage meditating. Ashtavakra, sensing Krishna’s presence, opened his eyes and bowed.
Krishna asked: “Ashtavakra, how do you perceive the ultimate reality?”
Ashtavakra replied: “I see the universe as a manifestation of the divine, like a spider’s web emerging from its source. All beings are interconnected, and the ultimate reality is beyond duality.”
Krishna smiled: “Your understanding is profound, Ashtavakra. You have realised the essence of the Bhagavad Gita.”
Krishna praised Ashtavakra’s humility, saying: “Your wisdom is unmatched, yet you remain humble. You embody the teachings of the Upanishads.”
Ashtavakra responded: “Your divine presence illuminates my understanding, Lord Krishna. Your words are the embodiment of wisdom.”
A thief once stole Ashtavakra’s belongings. Ashtavakra chased the thief, not to retrieve his belongings but to teach him the value of honesty.
Ashtavakra taught spiritual lessons to women, including Janaka’s queen, who sought his guidance. He emphasised the importance of self-realisation and inner peace.
Source: https://bhagavadgita.org.in/