Product Description The Ashtavakra Gita conveys with beauty and simplicity the essential teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the most influential of the Hindu philosophical systems. Composed by an anonymous master of the school of the great sage Shankara, it is a book of practical advice for seekers of wisdom as well as an ecstatic expression of the experience of enlightenment. In this simple, aphoristic version, the translator conveys the clarity and lyricism of the Sanskrit original with fluency and precision.
Puzzling!August 13, 2007 0 out of 6 found this review helpful
this book has helped me to see the position taken by an extreme form of non dualism, focus on oneness/nature, and i think there may be something in this attitude toward life... so i'll continue to use it when i find it helpful. True Love is my guru, i am his/her poor and lazy student! but i do think that we dont stick our head in the sand when it comes to dualisms. the one rests on the two. the two rest on the one. without two there will not be one, without one there will not be two. that sounds quite neo-platonic doesnt it! (but this will not only nor always be the case... keep a flexible and free mind). may all who read these words understand what i am saying and be blessed with a free mind, and loving heart.
take care, best wishes, snow-flake. xxx
Another Star, Another SunJuly 18, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Everyone knows of the Bhagavad Gita. It's the light of India and one of the great books of the world. Far less well known, but equally profound, is the Ashtavakra Gita, beautifully translated here by scholar-mystic Thomas Byrom. If you are trying to find out Who You Are, this is a fine place to look. Namaste!
BeautifulDecember 24, 2006 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I would say if you are a follower of Advaita Vedanta -- then this is an essential purchase.
I am not a Hindu, and neither am I any kind of "expert" in the field. Rather, I have devoted myslef to Theravada Buddhism for about 23 years, studying the earliest Suttas/Sutras and meditation techniques. However, I have always felt a tremendous pull towards Advaita Vedanta, and can see so many similarities with Buddhism, and indeed, the wider contemplative tradition exemplified by people like Meister Eckhardt , St Francis and some of the Islamic poets/theorists/artists, such as Rumi and Khayyam -- this book's philosophy sits perfectly , beautifully, comfortably next to those thinkers.
This book to me, also has a remarkable similarity to essential core Theravada texts such as "Sutta Nipata" ( The Saddhatissa, somewhat liberal translation that is ) and The Udana.
Lovers of Emily Dickinson, Alan Ginsberg, Kerouac and Walt Whitman will no doubt be drawn to this book too.
A remarkable, extraordinary book, and I do not say that lightly.
misunderstood and mistranslatedNovember 16, 2006 4 out of 8 found this review helpful
While the Ashtavakra Gita is a beautiful book, this translation is horrible. It is so disappointing, that even over a year later, memories of it has spurred me to write a review here so that others may be made aware and go seek a better translation.
My main issue is that the author's translation changes the very nature of this Gita. The Ashtavakra Gita is originally in a debate/dialogue format between the King and a challenger. The depth and meaning of this beautiful Gita resides in that exchange. Although there is only one author, one voice (one master), the duality in verse is as much a part of the wisdom of this Gita as what is being spoken. It's what makes the original so genius!
And this author has removed all traces of this dialogue in his translation. Eep. The pace and witty lines have been replaced with a soft mushy flow. Any possible transmission has been replaced by flat white noise. What's more upsetting is that the author even tells us about removing this subtle dialogue in his Notes. On page 79 he says, "Except here and in a few other verses, there is no clear or natural colloquy and no attempt to distinguish the voices of King Janaka and Ashtavakra. On the contrary, a single voice, speaking with undisputed authority, dominates every chapter. For these reasons I have dispensed with the fiction of dramatic dialogue, except for the opening question." Argh!
How do you go about removing something so significant and then call it a translation?
The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra GitaOctober 25, 2005 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I find this writing an excellent resource into deeper understanding of spiritual study. With simplicity, profound teachings are conveyed to the reader. With each reading of even a sentence, new and deeper understandings unfold. The writings never become "old hat", they are ever-new in deepening one's insight and understandings.
