The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita [Paperback]

Thomas Byrom (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2001

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is an extraordinarily fine rendering of the Ashtavakra Gita , a book of unadorned compassion. As water wears away stone, so these profoundly simple truths wear away illusion."—Ram Dass



"Byrom's exquisitely clean and untroubled rendering of this spiritual classic irresistibly invites us to listen for what cannot be heard and to search for what cannot be seen."—Jacob Needleman, author of The Heart of Philosophy and Lost Christianity



"There have been English translations of the Ashtavakra Gita before, this is not only new and elegant but also the first to capture the spirit of the original in its freshness and directness. I warmly recommend it."—J. L. Brockington, Senior Lecturer in Sanskrit, Edinburgh University

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (November 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570628971
• ISBN-13: 978-1570628979
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.4 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,040 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime., December 22, 2004

By 

grouper52 (Silverdale, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Paperback)

Doing a review of The Heart of the Ribhu Gita tonight, it occurred to me that I should do a review of this book as well, since the two are tied in my mind as the most sublime of all Hindu writings.

I have had an old copy of the root text of this book (The Ashtavakra Gita/Samhita), translated and printed in India in 1981, that I have always dearly loved. I used to take it with me wherever I went and was reading it constantly. I recall one morning early when I was reading it on the shuttle back to the San Francisco airport from Santa Rosa where I had travelled the night before from New Mexico at somebody's insistence to attend an all-night ayahuasca ceremony, back when such things seemed important, probably the late 1980s. So, in rather an altered state still, and high on these beautiful verses, suddenly someone yells out from the back of the shuttle, "The Ashtavakra Samhita?!!!" Turns out I'm sharing the shuttle with a couple of Da Free John devotees, so we had a good old time the whole way to the airport discussing the Samhita, as well as the Tripura Rahasya, the Avadhuta Gita and other such esoteric lore. Perhaps, only in California, and perhaps, for me, only back then!

When this rendition by Thomas Byrom came out a few years later I was hesitant to even look at it, loving my old one so, and having become rather jaded by the many poorly written renditions of the Hindu and Buddhist classics that were hitting the market. But I was most pleasantly surprised: turns out I was, and remain, very deeply impressed with Mr. Byrom's fresh and modern translation. It is outstanding in every sense. So open. So light. Capturing in its tone just the sort of liberating outlook these verses are talking about. See the difference from these two approaches to the same verse:

OLD:
He who has realized that change in the form of existence and destruction is in the nature of things, easily finds repose, being unperturbed and free from pain.

NEW:
All things arise,
Suffer change,
And pass away.

This is their nature.

When you know this,
Nothing perturbs you,
Nothing hurts you.

You become still.

It is easy.

Or, see the difference in the last verse of the work, my favorite:

OLD:
Where is existence, where is non-existence; where is unity, where is duality? What need is there to say more? Nothing emanates from me.

NEW:
For I have no bounds.

I am Shiva.

Nothing arises in me,
In whom nothing is single,
Nothing is double.

Nothing is,
Nothing is not.

What more is there to say?

Granted, there is a bit of creative license at play here in Mr. Byrom's translation, since, for example, in this instance there is no mention or even suggestion of Shiva in the original verse. But such liberties on his part actually seem to enhance the work in just the right way, and I believe he captures the spirit of the work beautifully, and the spirit of the work is beyond my capacity to praise. Highly recommended. Read it.

What more is there to say?

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh, original translation., February 24, 2000

By 

T.G. (Newcastle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Paperback)

Byrom's translation of the Ashtavakra Gita, a classic Hindu text considered to be written by an enlightened master, is amazing reading. One gets the feeling that the words themselves do not exist, but that a direct transmission from a master is occurring. An absolute must-read for anyone on the non-dual spiritual path, Hindu, Buddhist or whomever, but especially recommended to Western followers of the path of Advaita Vedanta (nondual Hinduism).

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Essential Book of the Liberated, January 9, 2004

By 

Orva Schrock "Author of "Worthless Boy"" (goshen, in United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Heart of Awareness: A Translation of the Ashtavakra Gita (Paperback)

Thomas Byrom as translator has produced a literary treasure in bringing us this new version of the timeless Indian classic. This is a book of deep and abiding wisdom. The origin of the book, and its precise age are shrouded in mystery, but the clarity and depth of its message will live on many centuries more. A rare sense of total freedom graces this book from beginning to end. This is the Nondual vision and seeing in all it's utter clarity. This book comes as close to going "beyond words", as words can possibly get. This is by far my favorite translation of the several i've seen. It is offered here as great poetry while it illuminates the subtle wisdom of Advaita and the great Oneness insights available to anyone. This is a must-have volume for anyone interested in the ancient eastern wisdom and the inner insights of oneness which are always fresh and new when seen for one's self. Here are a few typical quotes from this spiritual masterpiece: "One man believes in existence, another says,'there is nothing!', rare is the man who believes in neither. He is free from confusion." and, " 'I am not the body, nor is the body mine. I am awareness itself.' When you know this...you become one, perfect and indivisible." and, "Oh how wonderful! I am the unbounded deep in whom all living things naturally arise, rush against each other playfully, and then subside."