Astavakra

Published on 10th November, 2019, in Mid-day Ashtavakra is a famous rishi associated with the Upanishadic period, roughly 2,500 years ago. His conversations with Janaka are very popular, where he draws attention to the connection between the spirit within us and the spirit that is present all around us, i.e. the relationship between Jeevatma and Paramatma, or simply, Atma and Brahman. More than his philosophy, the story of Ashtavakra himself makes us think a lot about relationships between fathers and sons. The story goes that Kahoda was once explaining the secret of the Vedas, or his understanding of the Vedas, to his wife Sujata, the ..