Prakarana granthas are texts written by preceptors and gurus to introduce beginners to Vedanta study and to clarify Vedanta knowledge to those already familiar with it. For instance, Adi Sankara’s Viveka Chudamani, Satasloki, come under this category. Likewise Ashtavakra Samhita, known as Ashtavakra Gita, attributed to one Ashtavakra, a sage with exceptional scholarship, is classified as a Prakarana grantha. This text presents an interesting exposition of self knowledge or atma tatva jnana, and is in the form of a dialogue between the young preceptor and king Janaka of Mithila, pointed out Sri R. Rajagopala Sarma in a discourse.
Janaka is a celebrated Raja rishi and in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna quotes him as one who is a realised soul and a jivanmukta who is also an example of a karma yogi. Many stories are quoted about Ashtavakra who hails from a family of Vedic scholars. He was born to Sujatha, the daughter of Uddalaka, the famed teacher in the Upanishads, and Kahola, a disciple of Uddalaka. By the age of twelve, he had completed Vedic studies. The name Ashtavakra refers to the crooked frame that he developed in his mother’s womb owing to his sensitive reactions to the slips in his father’s Veda chanting.
That he impressed people, including Janaka, with his sastra knowledge despite his crooked appearance and young age is evident from the incident at Janaka’s court. Janaka, who was immersed in Vedantic thought, used to invite scholars and rishis to his court to engage in debates and discussions on many important and interesting esoteric ideas on Brahman, Self, the path to realisation, and so on. It is held that in one such debate, his father Kahola was defeated by another scholar named Vandi. So, Ashtavakra wished to give a fitting reply to Vandi and did so in a remarkable debate.
