Ashtavakra is a sage mentioned in Hindu scriptures. He is described as one born like eight vary deformities of the body (two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the head). In Sanskrit, Avakra means “one having eight bends”. Ashta (IAST Aa) means eight, even if Vakra means fine-impression or deformity. Avakra is the author of the feat out Avakra Gt, in addition to known as Avakra Sahit, a treatise a propos the opinion by Avakra to Janaka nearly the Self. Avakra is the Guru of the king Janaka and the sage Yjavalkya.
Life of Sri Astavakra : –
The sage Uddalaka, the seer mentioned in the Chndogya Upaniad, ran a bookish (rama) teaching the Vedas. Kahola (plus spelled Kahoa) was one of his best disciples. Uddalaka was appropriately favorable behind him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. When Sujt got pregnant, she had the twinge of wanting her child to imbibe spirituality and enjoyable judgment. She began to sit in the classes taught by Uddalaka and Kahola, listening to their chanting of the Vedic Mantras. In India, there is a belief that gone expectant mothers publicize themselves to spiritual teachings, the child in the womb hears it and gathers that knowledge and become a genius in that spiritual place after its birth. One daylight, as Kahola was reciting the Vedas within the hearing make distant of the child growing in the womb. The embryo was going on to date of the exact pronunciation of all syllable back its mom used to attend classes bearing in mind rapt attention. The embryo heard the recitation of Kahola, but whenever Kahola pronounced a syllable wrong, it squirmed in shape. The embryo informed Kahola that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on the subject of the order of eight occasions. Kahola perceived this as self-importance upon the share of something, yet to manifest itself in the world. He cursed the fetus following eight deformities of the body. When the baby was born, it was crooked in eight places – the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, the chest and the head). He was named Avakra, which means “one having eight bends”. Around the period Avakra was born, Kahola was persuaded by Sujt to press into the future the court of Janaka to earn some maintenance. In Janaka’s court, Kahola was challenged to a scriptural debate (astrrtha) by the philosopher, Vandin (furthermore spelled Bandin). In that become pass, the best philosophers were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch Janaka. Vandin easily defeated Kahola and immersed the vanquished Kahola in knocked out water. Avakra was now raised by Uddalaka. Uddalaka too had a son named vetaketu behind Avakra was born. Avakra and Shvetaketu grew in the works together. Uddalaka, Sujata and the disciples ensured that Avakra was never informed of his exact dad, Avakra thought that Uddalaka was his dad and Shvetaketu|vetaketu his brother. When he was twelve years antique-fashioned, Avakra was seated upon Uddalaka’s lap. vetaketu pulled him down and informed him that it was not the lap of his father. Avakra came to know the unchangeable more or less his father Kahola from Sujat, He approved to position Vandin and extinguish him in an liveliness. Avakra and vetaketu made his showing off to Janaka’s palace. Avakra first faced the gatekeeper who tried to save the minor person boy out. On convincing the gatekeeper that he was competently versed in the scriptures and so old, he was concur. Then Janaka tested Avakra behind cryptic questions which Avakra answered proficiently. Janaka settled to meet the expense of in to Avakra slope Vandin. Vandin and Avakra began the debate, behind Vandin starting. They alternately composed six extempore verses upon the numbers one to twelve. Then Vandin could without help compose the first half of a verse upon the number thirteen. Avakra completed the verse by composing the second half and suitably won the squabble adjacent-door to Vandin. This unique debate is full of enigmas and latent meanings which lie out cold the easy counts of the numbers one to thirteen.[7] The condition of the contest was that if Vandin were to lose he would agreement any point of his vanquisher. Avakra demanded that Vandin be drowned in water just as he forced his vanquished opponents to reach. Vandin later revealed that he was the son of Varua (the Lord of all water bodies), and was sent in secret to burning to profit is to conduct a ritual that Varua wanted to performance. By this grow old, Varua’s ritual was moreover conclusive. On Vandin’s demand, Varua bade the sages and Brahmaas send-off and brought them to surface. Avakra worshipped his father and was in approach praised by every part of the freed sages. Kahola was enormously deferential as soon as his son. Kahola returned to his arama following Avakra and vetaketu. In the presence of Sujt, Kahola asked Avakra to bathe in the river Samanga. When Avakra entered the river, each and every one one his crooked limbs became straight.
Meaning of Avakra
In the epic, the poet derives the pronounce Avakra as the Sandhi of Aa meaning eight and Avakra meaning not deformed or straight. In the verses 1.98 to 1.100, five interpretations are earsplitting for the word Avakra using this Sandhi decomposition.[8]
1. He in whom the eight Praktis the five elements (earth, space, fire, water and pronounce), the mind, the intellect and the ego will never be deformed
2. He whom the eight Bhogas (sources of sensual pleasure) and the eight Maithunas (types of marriages and unions) will not be skillful to deform
3. He whom even the eight Lokaplas (world protectors) Indra, Agni, Yama, Srya, Varua, Vyu, Kubera and Candra will not be skillful to deform
4. He for whom the eight Vasus will never be unfavourable (Avakra)
5. He whose unblemished (Avakra) fame will be sung by eight Ngas in all the eight Ymas (three hour periods) of the hours of daylight
