ASHTAWAKR JI अष्टावक्र जी(THE RELINQUISHED-ENLIGHTENED SAGE WITH 8 DEFORMITIES)
CONCEPTS & EXTRACTS IN HINDUISM
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OM ॐ ओउम
OM ॐ ओउम
Ashtawakr Ji got his education, learning, enlightenment from Guru Aruni. He is described as one born with eight different deformities of the body (two feet, two knees, two hands, the chest and the head). Ashtawakr Ji is one having eight bends-deformities in the body. Asht-eight and Wakr means bands-deformities-kinks. Ashtawakr Geeta is a dialogue between Videh Raja Janak and Ashtawakr Ji. He guided King Janak and Yagyvalaky Ji (a sage), who accepted him their mythological-spiritual (आध्यात्मिक) teacher.
Ashtawakr Ji has been mentioned in Balmiki Ramayan. Maha Raj Dashrath came to earth to bless his mighty son Bhagwan Shri Ram-incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. He said that he had been conveyed across-redeemed, by Him; a deserving son and a great being; like the virtuous Brahmn Kahod who was redeemed by his son Ashtawakr Ji.
The demon Kabandh narrated his story to Bhagwan Shri Ram and Lakshman Ji, when he stated that he was a Gandharv earlier, who was cursed by Ashtawakr Ji to become a demon, when he laughed on seeing him.The Gandharv then bowed down to Ashtawakr Ji who blessed him to be released from the curse by Bhagwan Shri Ram in Treta Yug. It turned to be boon in disguise of curse.
Having being cheated in the game of dice by Kauravs, the Pandavs were forced to go for exile of 12 years along with Draupadi. They under took pilgrimage to utilise the time available with them. They met the sage Lomesh Ji who directed them to the river Samang. He described the river as one who cured Ashtawakr of his 8 deformities when he took a holy dip in it.
The sage Uddalak, the seer had an Ashram where he used to teach Veds to the celibates (ब्रह्मचारी). Kahol (कहोल, Kahod-कहोद) was one of his best disciples. Uddalak was so pleased with him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. When Sujata got pregnant, she had the desire to listen to the holy text taught in the Ashram. She wanted her child to imbibe spirituality and intelligence. So, she began to attend the classes taught by Uddalak and Kahol, listening to their chanting of the Vedic Mantr. It can be proved scientifically that the child in the womb listen to every thing around him and grasps it & reacts to it. Shuk Dev Ji the versatile-enlightened son of Bhagwan Ved Vyas is an example of it. Abhimanyu too learnt the penetration of Chakr Vyuh while Arjun was explaining the intricacies of it, to his wife-Subhdra, sister of Bhagwan Shri Krashn, who was well versed with war fare.Expectant mothers devote time for Almighty's worship till delivery of the child and thereafter, as well to give good qualities, characteristics, traits to their children.
As usual, Kahol was reciting the Veds within the hearing distance of the child growing in the womb, the embryo who was aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable, since its mother used to attend classes with rapt attention. The embryo heard the recitation of Kahol, but whenever Kahol pronounced a syllable wrong, it squirmed in distress. The child growing in the womb had previous memory of the Veds & scriptures due to the grace of the Almighty. The destiny too was playing its role. The embryo informed Kahol that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on eight occasions. Kahol perceived this as arrogance on the part of something, yet to manifest itself in the world. He cursed the fetus with 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 Ashtawakr.
Around the time Ashtawakr was born, Kahol was persuaded by Sujata to go to the court of Videh Raja Janak to earn some money. In King Janak's court, Kahol was challenged to a scriptural debate-Shastrarth by the philosopher, Vandin-Bandin. It was a common practice during that period which continued till 1,600 century AD, that the best philosophers, scholars, Pandits, enlightened were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch king. Vandin easily defeated Kahol and drowned-immersed the vanquished Kahol in under water. Ashtawakr was now raised by Uddalak. Uddalak too had a son named Shwet Ketu, when Ashtawakr was born. Ashtawakr and Shwet Ketu grew up together. Uddalak, Sujata and the disciples ensured that Ashtawakr was never informed of his real father, Ashtawakr thought that Uddalak was his father and Shwet Ketu was his brother. When he was twelve years old, Ashtawakr was seated on Uddalak's lap, when Shwet Ketu pulled him down and informed him that it was not the lap of his father. Ashtawakr came to know the truth about his father Kahol from Sujata, He decided to confront Vandin and defeat him in an argument.
Ashtawakr and Shwet Ketu made their way to Relinquished Janak's palace. Ashtawakr first faced the gatekeeper who tried to keep the young boy out. On convincing the gatekeeper that he was well versed in the scriptures and hence old, he was let in.
The moment Ashtawakr Ji entered the court of Raja Janak every one in the court started laughing at him taunting over the curves in his body. He just looked around at the courtiers with silence and then broke into such laughter that everyone was shocked at his intensity of laughter.
Enlightened Monarch Janak requested him to reveal his credentials. Ashtawakr Ji was amazed at the behavior of the courtiers. He knew that the court of the king was decorated with the enlightened Pandits and scholars of distinction. He had heard that the king him self was a Brahm Gyani. Janak's virtues were recognised in the heaven as well. This behavior was unusual for the learned. He could not hide his disillusionment and asked if he had come to the hoards of cobblers-shoe makers (dealing in leather of dead animals), who judged the knowledge from the skin, colour of the body and the formation of the body itself?!
He rebuked the courtiers by saying that he had heard of their philosophical thoughts and ideas. People said that they were the people of distinction. He expected them to be Atma Rams, detached, relinquished, but it proved futile. Maha Raj Janak hosted sages, Rishis, Munis in his court, in order to gain spiritual knowledge from them. He always desired to find out the intricacies of religion. The Brahmns in the court of Videh-relinquished king had mastered the rituals, sacrifices, Hawans, Yagy and Agnihotr. They had mastered Veds, Purans and Upnishads in addition to Itihas-History.
Ashtawakr Ji illustrated that they were merely courtiers, yes men of the king. Their knowledge was superfluous, since they had crammed the scriptures but failed to identify the spirit-gist behind them. They had no realisation of the soul and the Supreme Soul. The courtiers were swayed by a strong gust of freshness of Ashtawakr Ji's words. Everyone in that assembly became deeply affected and ashamed hearing the words of Ashtawakr Ji. Maha Raj Janak was quick to realise that the soul behind the twisted body was great and sprung up from the throne and worshipped the Muni and honoured him by offering his throne (राज सिंहासन). Maha Raj Janak bowed down to Ashtawakr Ji and touched his lotus feet. He requested to be pardoned and sought unqualified apologies. Maha Raj Janak then escorted Ashtawkr Ji to his throne and washed his feet.
Ashtawakr Ji satisfied every one present in the court with his ability. The king became his follower & disciple.
Please refer to :: santoshkipathshala.blogspot.com
Maha Raj Janak desired to quench his thirst for eternal-Ultimate knowledge. He was satisfied with the ability of Ashtawakr Ji who replied all his questions with ease and determination. Now, Ashtawakr Ji revealed the purpose of his visit. He desired to have a debate with Vandin. King consented and Vandin and Ashtawakr Ji began the debate, with Vandin starting. They alternately composed six extempore verses on the numbers one to twelve. Then Vandin could only compose the first half of a verse on the number thirteen. Ashtawakr Ji completed the verse by composing the second half and thus won the argument against Vandin. This unique debate is full of enigmas and latent meanings which lie under the simple counts of the numbers one to thirteen.
The condition of the contest was that if Vandin were to lose he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. Ashtawakr Ji demanded that Vandin be drowned in water just as he forced his vanquished opponents to do. Vandin then revealed that he was the son of Varun (the demigod-deity of all water) and was sent incognito to land to get Ṛiṣhis to conduct a ritual that Varun wanted to perform. Varun Dev revealed to Ashtawakr Ji that he had planned to see Ashtawakr Ji and thus he executed the game plan successfully. Probably Varun Dev knew Ashtawakr Ji's previous incarnations. By this time, Varun's ritual was also complete. On Vandin's request, Varun bade the sages and Brahmns farewell and brought them to surface. Ashtawakr Ji worshipped his father and was in turn praised by all the freed sages. Kahol was extremely pleased with his son. Kahol returned to his Ashram with Ashtawakr Ji and Shwet Ketu. In the presence of Sujata, Kahol asked Ashtawakr Ji to bathe in the river Samang. When Ashtawakr entered the river, all his crooked limbs-deformities were cured. Ashtawakr Ji granted enlightenment to Raja Janak.
Ashtawakr Ji has been mentioned in Balmiki Ramayan. Maha Raj Dashrath came to earth to bless his mighty son Bhagwan Shri Ram-incarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu. He said that he had been conveyed across-redeemed, by Him; a deserving son and a great being; like the virtuous Brahmn Kahod who was redeemed by his son Ashtawakr Ji.The demon Kabandh narrated his story to Bhagwan Shri Ram and Lakshman Ji, when he stated that he was a Gandharv earlier, who was cursed by Ashtawakr Ji to become a demon, when he laughed on seeing him.The Gandharv then bowed down to Ashtawakr Ji who blessed him to be released from the curse by Bhagwan Shri Ram in Treta Yug. It turned to be boon in disguise of curse.
Having being cheated in the game of dice by Kauravs, the Pandavs were forced to go for exile of 12 years along with Draupadi. They under took pilgrimage to utilise the time available with them. They met the sage Lomesh Ji who directed them to the river Samang. He described the river as one who cured Ashtawakr of his 8 deformities when he took a holy dip in it.
The sage Uddalak, the seer had an Ashram where he used to teach Veds to the celibates (ब्रह्मचारी). Kahol (कहोल, Kahod-कहोद) was one of his best disciples. Uddalak was so pleased with him that he had his daughter Sujata married to him. When Sujata got pregnant, she had the desire to listen to the holy text taught in the Ashram. She wanted her child to imbibe spirituality and intelligence. So, she began to attend the classes taught by Uddalak and Kahol, listening to their chanting of the Vedic Mantr. It can be proved scientifically that the child in the womb listen to every thing around him and grasps it & reacts to it. Shuk Dev Ji the versatile-enlightened son of Bhagwan Ved Vyas is an example of it. Abhimanyu too learnt the penetration of Chakr Vyuh while Arjun was explaining the intricacies of it, to his wife-Subhdra, sister of Bhagwan Shri Krashn, who was well versed with war fare.Expectant mothers devote time for Almighty's worship till delivery of the child and thereafter, as well to give good qualities, characteristics, traits to their children.
As usual, Kahol was reciting the Veds within the hearing distance of the child growing in the womb, the embryo who was aware of the correct pronunciation of every syllable, since its mother used to attend classes with rapt attention. The embryo heard the recitation of Kahol, but whenever Kahol pronounced a syllable wrong, it squirmed in distress. The child growing in the womb had previous memory of the Veds & scriptures due to the grace of the Almighty. The destiny too was playing its role. The embryo informed Kahol that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly as indicated by the child in the womb. This happened on eight occasions. Kahol perceived this as arrogance on the part of something, yet to manifest itself in the world. He cursed the fetus with 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 Ashtawakr.
Around the time Ashtawakr was born, Kahol was persuaded by Sujata to go to the court of Videh Raja Janak to earn some money. In King Janak's court, Kahol was challenged to a scriptural debate-Shastrarth by the philosopher, Vandin-Bandin. It was a common practice during that period which continued till 1,600 century AD, that the best philosophers, scholars, Pandits, enlightened were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch king. Vandin easily defeated Kahol and drowned-immersed the vanquished Kahol in under water. Ashtawakr was now raised by Uddalak. Uddalak too had a son named Shwet Ketu, when Ashtawakr was born. Ashtawakr and Shwet Ketu grew up together. Uddalak, Sujata and the disciples ensured that Ashtawakr was never informed of his real father, Ashtawakr thought that Uddalak was his father and Shwet Ketu was his brother. When he was twelve years old, Ashtawakr was seated on Uddalak's lap, when Shwet Ketu pulled him down and informed him that it was not the lap of his father. Ashtawakr came to know the truth about his father Kahol from Sujata, He decided to confront Vandin and defeat him in an argument.
Ashtawakr and Shwet Ketu made their way to Relinquished Janak's palace. Ashtawakr first faced the gatekeeper who tried to keep the young boy out. On convincing the gatekeeper that he was well versed in the scriptures and hence old, he was let in.
The moment Ashtawakr Ji entered the court of Raja Janak every one in the court started laughing at him taunting over the curves in his body. He just looked around at the courtiers with silence and then broke into such laughter that everyone was shocked at his intensity of laughter.
Enlightened Monarch Janak requested him to reveal his credentials. Ashtawakr Ji was amazed at the behavior of the courtiers. He knew that the court of the king was decorated with the enlightened Pandits and scholars of distinction. He had heard that the king him self was a Brahm Gyani. Janak's virtues were recognised in the heaven as well. This behavior was unusual for the learned. He could not hide his disillusionment and asked if he had come to the hoards of cobblers-shoe makers (dealing in leather of dead animals), who judged the knowledge from the skin, colour of the body and the formation of the body itself?! He rebuked the courtiers by saying that he had heard of their philosophical thoughts and ideas. People said that they were the people of distinction. He expected them to be Atma Rams, detached, relinquished, but it proved futile. Maha Raj Janak hosted sages, Rishis, Munis in his court, in order to gain spiritual knowledge from them. He always desired to find out the intricacies of religion. The Brahmns in the court of Videh-relinquished king had mastered the rituals, sacrifices, Hawans, Yagy and Agnihotr. They had mastered Veds, Purans and Upnishads in addition to Itihas-History.
Ashtawakr Ji illustrated that they were merely courtiers, yes men of the king. Their knowledge was superfluous, since they had crammed the scriptures but failed to identify the spirit-gist behind them. They had no realisation of the soul and the Supreme Soul. The courtiers were swayed by a strong gust of freshness of Ashtawakr Ji's words. Everyone in that assembly became deeply affected and ashamed hearing the words of Ashtawakr Ji. Maha Raj Janak was quick to realise that the soul behind the twisted body was great and sprung up from the throne and worshipped the Muni and honoured him by offering his throne (राज सिंहासन). Maha Raj Janak bowed down to Ashtawakr Ji and touched his lotus feet. He requested to be pardoned and sought unqualified apologies. Maha Raj Janak then escorted Ashtawkr Ji to his throne and washed his feet.
Ashtawakr Ji satisfied every one present in the court with his ability. The king became his follower & disciple.
Please refer to :: santoshkipathshala.blogspot.com
Maha Raj Janak desired to quench his thirst for eternal-Ultimate knowledge. He was satisfied with the ability of Ashtawakr Ji who replied all his questions with ease and determination. Now, Ashtawakr Ji revealed the purpose of his visit. He desired to have a debate with Vandin. King consented and Vandin and Ashtawakr Ji began the debate, with Vandin starting. They alternately composed six extempore verses on the numbers one to twelve. Then Vandin could only compose the first half of a verse on the number thirteen. Ashtawakr Ji completed the verse by composing the second half and thus won the argument against Vandin. This unique debate is full of enigmas and latent meanings which lie under the simple counts of the numbers one to thirteen.
The condition of the contest was that if Vandin were to lose he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. Ashtawakr Ji demanded that Vandin be drowned in water just as he forced his vanquished opponents to do. Vandin then revealed that he was the son of Varun (the demigod-deity of all water) and was sent incognito to land to get Ṛiṣhis to conduct a ritual that Varun wanted to perform. Varun Dev revealed to Ashtawakr Ji that he had planned to see Ashtawakr Ji and thus he executed the game plan successfully. Probably Varun Dev knew Ashtawakr Ji's previous incarnations. By this time, Varun's ritual was also complete. On Vandin's request, Varun bade the sages and Brahmns farewell and brought them to surface. Ashtawakr Ji worshipped his father and was in turn praised by all the freed sages. Kahol was extremely pleased with his son. Kahol returned to his Ashram with Ashtawakr Ji and Shwet Ketu. In the presence of Sujata, Kahol asked Ashtawakr Ji to bathe in the river Samang. When Ashtawakr entered the river, all his crooked limbs-deformities were cured. Ashtawakr Ji granted enlightenment to Raja Janak.
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