Ashtavakra Gita. The one text that goes beyond dhyan, the one that states the truth as it is, without any stories.
- in eternal aum consciousness
- Dec 25, 2025
- 13 min read
Updated: Dec 27, 2025
The clue:
Everything that happens, gives us a direction to go ahead, at the right time.
I got this message from Sanjeev, my client, guide, friend and a traveller on the same path.
Very few match his sharpness and depth in all areas of life!
"Ashtavakra by Osho-The master.
I just heard this again after 45 years. I find it very therapeutic!
It is in Hindi!"
He shared the link above. That set the ball rolling.
AshtA means 8
VakrA means bends.
It is commonly understood that this sage had 8 bends in his physical body. I would interpret this as a person who has bent or overcome all 8 stages of ashtang yoga, and reached the pinnacle of self realisation!
It's an indication that the time has come to deep dive into this subject.
It's not a coincidence. It is a direction. Me sharing about ashtavakra Gita to my friend G, and getting this message at the same time from Sanjeev!
Resources:
I searched and got this link
This is the full playlist of around 30 videos.
Further search revealed two more links of books.
Easy to understand English text. Written by a kriya yoga expert!
Here is a book by Swami Chinmaynanda, based on classic adwaita vedanta.
Many years back, i had come across ashtavakra Gita comments by Sandeep Maheshwari. This is easier to follow than osho and shorter.
This is the list of 26 videos
Insights:
As i listened to the videos, these are the key learnings and experiences.
In the morning, was in the "witness mode". Felt relaxed and slept again! Trying to be more and more into witness mode now, with anahata sound as the anchor of awareness. I can actually observe the breath, the thoughts in the mind, the movement of the body, as an observer... Slowly with practise, this state will increase.
This is the key teaching of ashtavakra. Being a witness.
Bhairav tantra:
The 112 methods to being a witness is based on bhairav tantra. The next blog will be in this subject.
One of the 112 methods is hearing anahata naada. The method is given here.
Knowing just one of the 112 methods is enough. Of all the methods that include observing the breath, i found this one the easiest to do and which can be done at all times! And it also aligns perfectly with kriya yoga.
Next step is to realise that the witness, the act of witnessing and the object of witness is one and the same.
Modern day buddhas:
With kriya yoga and ashta vakra, we are poised to listen to
1. Raman maharshi.
2. J Krishnamurthy
Both are modern day buddhas! Meaning the truly enlightened ones
This is an enjoyable journey. There is no goal. No where to reach. Just enjoy
Raman maharshi video link is here.
This is the official channel with many videos on the primary question of who am I?
Krishnamurthy talks has lot of videos too. Here is a link of one of the series of videos.
This is the official channel of jk.
Is there a path?
Jk did not leave a path to reach the state, maybe because there is no path!
Neither did ashtavakra or buddha leave a path to reach the state. They have described the path to be ready for the state. But the final step is missing. Why? I wondered. What everyone has left behind is the journey to the edge of the cliff. They get you ready. After that, you yourself have to jump! They can't jump for you! If they could, one buddha was enough for mankind! But that's not the case. The jump needs you to be totally free from fear of being alone and totally free from the attachment of the comfort zone of the company of others on the cliff. The fear can only be dismissed within yourself by you. This is like paragliding. You are all alone after the jump. Many come to the cliff, get trained for the jump, but only a few actually jump. Most are in the attachment of company and fear of being alone.
Summary:
Read this blog on nirvana shatakam, (composed by shankaracharya) once.
In this, the core teaching of ashtavakra is given.
Ramkrishna paramhans:
The story of ramakrishna and totapuri maharaj is very interesting in this context. Here is the link. How ramakrishna cut the image of kali and went into nirvikalp samadhi.
The crux of the story is that the unseen, formless, ever prevading Brahman and the Maya, with form are one and the same. It is the ignorance which makes them appear as 2.
Saguna Bhakti and nirguna Gyan are 2 sides of the same coin. Knowing this is not enough. Experiencing this is the key.
Kriya yoga is the action that leads us to paravastha. Ashtavakra and other 2 maintain it.
Realisation from the hospital canteen:
Just today, i was sitting in the canteen of breach candy hospital, as a part of my role, taking care of a family member, who underwent a surgery recently. Many people here are middle aged like me, taking care of the old and young.
The room we have is in the maternity ward. Often there are new born babies being taken from the common room their mothers and back. This is birth.
A few days prior, as i was sitting outside the operation theatre, i could see multiple old people being taken in and out of the ot. This is old age.
As i sat sipping chai in the canteen, the realisation dawned, that nothing i see here is permanent. The people i see here did not exist 100 years back and these babies will not exist after 100 years. This is true even for me. Everyone if busy, doing something, which actually does not matter in the time span and size of the universe. The feeling of being completely insignificant was very significant!
I was in this mode, just a witness, observing this phenomenon and having chai, and one more, till it sank in.
I get this feeling many times, maybe it's due to the gradual silencing of the mind. The earlier attraction to action movies, parties, company, is slowly giving way to situations of being alone, thoughtless, speaking less, and doing my actions as per my roles. There is no decrease in energy level, or interest in taking action. Only the attachment to results is decreasing slowly.
What is mentioned in ashtavakra, takes time to sink in.
Comparison with bhagwat gita: The commentry is made apt for the person who is listening. Raja janak does not ask many questions and appears to understand easily what is being told in 285 sholkas. This is a very specialized text only about a specific topic.
Arjun on the other hand, has many doubts and many questions, which get answered over 18 chapters and 700 verses. It's more elaborate and hence works for everyone, as everyone can take away something from it, based on their orientation and interest.
Learning from ashtavakra Gita:
Everyone will pickup diffrent aspects, based on what their state is. I have hence not summarised all the videos or texts here.
This is the gist of ashtavakra Gita, which i picked up.
Why rebirth:
Ashtavakra says, it is the desire to be with everyone, being afraid of being alone, that keeps us coming back in rebirth. That is true. The final stage of nirvikalp samadhi is just that. Being alone. No identity.
Everything else what we do, takes us to that state. In one way or the other. Sometimes by fulfilling desires of the mind related to roles. Sometimes by kriya. Sometimes by ashtavakra videos.
When you are a witness, there is no action. When there is no action, there is no doer. There is another way to look at it. When there is any action, it's the role acting, not you. This allows you to be a witness of the role, that takes the action.
Doing nothing. Being a witness, but after meditation:
Though it may seem that ashtavakra is telling you not to do anything, but this state can only come after deep meditation. Raja janak was in this state. A normal person has to give up thinking, then give up thoughts, then be in meditation, to be ready for being a witness. It is only when one realises that doing anything is not going to get anything, that the doing stops. When the doing stops, the me vanishes with it.
In samadhi, there is the last step of nirvikalp samadhi, which is this state of dissolution of self, which is like jumping off the cliff with a para glider, trusting no one but yourself.
Witness the thoughts, not just action:
Being aware of how exactly the mind works is the first step.
The 4 parts of the mind, the mind model, how emotions form, the biases of the mind, power of subconscious mind, all help to understand how exactly the mind works. This clarity, gives one an idea of the blackbox, which we call as the mind.
All actions start with thoughts, which originate from feelings, which originate from desires, which are the result of our roles being played. So being a witness to this entire process is the key. It is the anahata naada awareness, that allows one to be a witness. The key is being a witness to the role is being played. Everything else follows.
Not getting fooled by a biased intellect:
For intellect to work properly one has to be free from the biasis of the mind. The biasis arise out of preconceived notions that are deep within the subconscious mind. Unless the intellect bases decisions only on the facts and is not biased, it is fooling us. A Thoughtless mind is the key to a sharp intellect.
Awareness with a dance form:
Is the link to appreciate gurdjieff movements. A special dance form that is of designed to increase the level of awareness and is a spiritual dance form, rather than just a free form movement. A striking feature of this dance and tibetian dance form is the similarity with the natraj pose, balancing the entire body gracefully on one leg.
Gracefully accepting:
The word self-realisation itself means that there is nothing to do. Only to realise. There is no where to go. Nothing to do. However, it is only after you realise that doing anything is not going to get you, it is already you! That is self realisation.
Observing without intellect:
When you observe how nature works, there is no intellect involved. It is just observation and a realisation that it's the same consciousness that is in visible and invisible form.
Anandmaya kosha over vigyanamaya kosha:
This is like the difference between knowing about the formula of water and drinking water! Love rules over logic in this case. This is the same as paravastha state, described in previous blog. Logic is like a spoon in which the sweet syrup of love is taken. You drink the syrup, not eat the spoon. Spoon is a tool. That's all. Only after the intellect is clear, there is no doubt that it's one consciousness, only then does love blossom, which is nothing but self love. This is the reason anandmaya kosha comes after vigyanmaya kosha.
Intellect as a ladder and not a stone in your path:
Getting stuck is intellect is like a large stone in the path. It blocks. It creates ego. It finds a reason. It engages in arguments. It has its own use. But Use intellect like a ladder to move ahead to the next kosha.
Beyond love:
The state of nirvikalp samadhi is the state beyond love. This is similar to the experience of Ramkrishna which beyond kali. This is the leap of faith into the unknown. Beyond the known, beyond the intellect and memory and emotions and the identity.
Namaskar to myself:
This realisation comes when there are no two identities and there is only one. Then who is bowing to whom? Then the sentence makes sense. This was a spontaneous realisation by Raja janak.
Who is janak:
Many interpret the name janak as devi sitas father. But this is a generic word for a King who takes care of his people. That's the literal meaning. In this meaning itself is the secret. When you take care of everyone, you are only a step away from self realisation. One can only take care of everyone, when there is love. And love can only arise when the knowledge about universal consciousness is clear.
Ego massage:
I have heard this many times in the workplace in the context of people in higher authority like bosses and customers. But it was enlightening to hear that it is also relevant in case of people who think they are on a spiritual path, but instead of leaving their ego behind, feed it with appreciation of their state by others. There is a race there too. Senior, super senior, senior most etc. I realised that why an organization is bound to create this structure. The structure exists to get things done for a group of people, otherwise there will be chaos! The point, all of these people miss is that, there is no where to go! I have also realised this very recently and hence keep away from structured religious sects and organizations. It is very easy to be carried away in their company and instead of the journey to nothing, you will never know when the journey of being significant started!
Tension vs relaxation:
One can reach the ultimate state using any of the 2 methods. Tension at its extreme step, creates a realisation that it does not work! And the person gets self realized. This is what most of the people do and there any many paths on this approach. This is the path of tapas, or penance.
The other way is to simply relax and accept. Which is easier said than done.
Intoxication:
One seeks to be intoxicated to overcome the pain in life. This is natural. When you don't have access to inner intoxication, then one seeks external methods! External intoxication has its physical limits. Where as internal intoxication by meditation has no limits! When a higher level is in inside, who needs an external method? Inner method is blissful and fully aware, not dull like external method.
Sakshatkar:
There are many experiences of sakshtkar or divine visions. However, it is interesting that different people see different dieties! Some see Jesus, others buddha and others rama. This means that it is the projection of the mind. The mind has created this "god". In that sense, god is false. When you cross the step of dharna which is focusing on one, you get into dhyan, which is focusing on nothing. And being nothing. And merging with the nothing. In this state, there is no mind, so how can god exist? One can safely summarise that the existence of and dissolution of the form of God depends on one's state of mind. That's all.
Dissolution of witness:
Witness means there is some thing to observe and object of observation. When dissolution happens with the universal consciousness, there is no witness. Hence in this stage there is no experience, as the experiencor has now vanished!
Having:
In meditation there is nothing to be had. It is about nothing. How can it then give you something? It's not possible. The one who is not attached or has realised that there is no point of being attached, and everything is temporary, gets into meditation. The eternal blissful state is possible only via dhyan.
Truth:
Whatever i know is based on the knower, the act of knowing and the object. What i feel is again the feeler, the feeling and the subject. These are 3. When there is only one, the 3 collapse. Hence that is the only truth. The nothing. Everything else is not true, meaning not eternal. Here the meaning of satya is something that is eternal and does not change.
There is an interesting and funny story about shankaracharya. Once a tiger came and he started chasing him and his disciples.
A disciple, said. The tiger is false. Shankaracharya kept running and said, this running is also false! Once you get this, you can operate freely in the material world and still be connected to the satya-truth.
Attachment and aversions:
These are the 2 sides of the same coin. Someone is chasing the opposite sex as he is a casanova and some one else is avoiding them, as they are spiritual! Both are based out of a certain postion one has taken. The journey of acceptance comes by letting go of both, doing actions as per ones roles, and accepting whatever comes. This allows one to see things as they are, without any bias, pre programming, rights and wrongs and be free. This freedom itself is mukti!
Illusion and truth:
Once one realises that everything is an illusion means not true, not eternal, what is the point of the chase of having something or avoidance or leaving something. Both are not eternal! The mind immediately goes to rest. The desires, are linked to roles, roles are not eternal. Hence desires are also not real! So if they are there, accept them. Will clarity, one is ok with having, leaving or retaining desires. Just go with the flow. Be a witness.
Attraction to the forbidden:
When something is told it's not good, there is a natural attraction to explore it. This is how the mind works. The experience, when done intelligently, allows one to decide where it works or not and upto what extent. This gives a rare balance of neither avoiding not seeking anything, but being open to exploring. There is nothing forbidden, when explored intelligently! Suddenly, all the rules, the dos and don'ts, the concepts of mortality, become open to your own exploration. The status, gender, location and age of the person does not matter anymore.
Renunciation:
If accumulating anything does not get you to access supreme consciousness, how can leaving it help? Having and leaving are two sides of the same coin! I see some videos in social media of people, who have given to hundreds of crores of wealth and taken sanyas. Look at raja janak. He had no reason to leave anything. His kingdom. His palace. Still he was enlightened! He was beyond having and leaving. He was a witness. That is the key. The palace and riches meant nothing to him. These were attached to his role as a king. They were not attached to him!
There is no remedy:
There is no remedy to the disease. (Not being at ease) When the perception of duality seems real. When there is only one, where is the question of disease. Who will cause it, who will suffer, who it's the cure. Nothing. It's all one consciousness.
The perception that we have a problem is due to ignorance of believing in duality. The remedies for this problem are also hence an illusion. The remedies can at the most give you clarity, make the mind stable, make you ready for the final leap. But the final leap, you must take! The leap into nothing! Samadhi!
Aham brahmasmi:
This is not an assertion, a belief, it is a realisation! Understanding this is not enough. It happens in a moment.
Satsang:
A guru is the mirror of the self. For self realisation. That's all. Being in satsang facilitates it. Hence the importance of guru in the path. Without a guru, you will be direction less. However in the last stage, even the guru is left. As it says in nirvanashatakam. Na gurur naiva shishyam. Chidananda rupah shivoham shivoham.
Eternal dream:
Dreams are not only at night. But even during the day, we are in a dream! It continues. When we are awake we are still in an illusion of duality. Hence the dream! Which is not real. We all hold on to our roles, thinking that are the reality. Actually, these are the roles, which create a universe for each of is, which is different. Hence the conflict when two people and their worlds meet!
Heaven and hell:
All experiences are in the mind. Hell is the worst experience of the mind and heaven is the best one. Once this is clear, that it is a perception, you will neither have the desire to go to heaven not the avoidance of hell, as both are creations of the mind itself! Punyam and papam are both illusions. Life then turns into a constant celebration. Nirvanashatakam says. Na punam na papam. Na saukhyam na dukham. Once the fight between attraction and aversion ends, one becomes free!
Blessing
Blessing you with starting this journey inward soon!
To be continued...
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