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Ashtavakra Gita

‘Ashtavakra Gita’ is one of the advaitic masterpieces. Without mincing matters, it comes out with the advaitic truth, the whole truth, and nothing but advaita, which is the truth. This book embodies Ashtavakra’s teaching to King Janaka, which vouched for his self-knowledge between the time he placed one foot upon the stirrup of his horse and lifted himself to place the other foot on the other stirrup.

However, as can be seen from the following quote, Bhagavan Ramana said that there is no time involved at all in self-knowledge.

“When I entered the hall, the story of how the Ashtavakra Gita came to be taught was being recounted in English for the benefit of the above Raja and other visitors. After the story was read out, Bhagavan said, ‘Because Brahma Jnana is not something external, which is somewhere faraway where you can go and get it, you cannot say that it will take so long or so short a time to attain it. It is always with you. . . . All that is necessary is to surrender yourself completely to the Guru, to surrender your notions of ‘I’ and'mine''.”

Devaraja Mudaliar in Day by Day with Bhagavan, dated 31.3.1945 (afternoon)
Of course, that is what King Janaka did. He surrendered his notions of ‘I’ and'mine’ to Sage Ashtavakra. Has Bhagavan not said that surrender and self-enquiry are the only two ways to self-realization?

Bhagavan has also made other references to this great book.

Sri Ramakrishna persuaded Narendra to read ‘Ashtavakra Gita', which had a stupendous impact on the young devotee, who later flowered into Swami Vivekananda, the doughty Advaitic evangelist.

The present upload of this Gita is in Sanskrit, English, and Tamil in sound and script. The Sanskrit script is in Bhagavan’s own handwriting, cut out from an archival publication of the Ashram.

Note on Texts of the Ashtavakra Gita

  • Sanskrit Text: In the Handwriting of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi
  • Tamil Translation: By Sri Viswanatha Swami
  • Translation based on: 1. Swamy Nithya Swarupananda, John Richards, Hari Prasad Shastri
Sanskrit
Tamil
English
Sanskrit

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Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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Chapter 14

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Chapter 15

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Chapter 16

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Chapter 17

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Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

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Chapter 20

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Tamil

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Introduction

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  • Intro-all
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Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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Chapter 14

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Chapter 15

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Chapter 16

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Chapter 17

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Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

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Chapter 20

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English

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Introduction

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  • introduction
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Chapter 1

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  • Chapter1
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Chapter 2

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  • Chapter2
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Chapter 3

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  • Chapter3
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Chapter 4

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  • Chapter4
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Chapter 5

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Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

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Chapter 11