Ashtavakra and the 13 Truths That Set You Free: The Son Who Gave His Father Liberation

🕉️ Ashtavakra: The Son Who Gave His Father Moksha

And the 13 Realizations That Set the Soul Free

The story of Ashtavakra – the sage with a crooked body and a soul of blazing clarity – is a timeless meditation on truth, liberation, and the mysterious ways grace moves through life. It flips the traditional script: here, the child delivers the parent into freedom.

🌿 The Story: When the Son Becomes the Guru

Ashtavakra, whose name means “eight bends,” was born with physical deformities caused by a curse from his own father, Kahoda. Even in the womb, he had corrected Kahoda’s recitation of the Vedas – an act that wounded the father’s pride and sealed the son’s body in distortion. Yet his spirit remained radiant and uncompromised.

At the age of 12, Ashtavakra learned that Kahoda had lost a debate to Bandi, son of Varuna, and had been ritually drowned – sent to the ocean’s depths to offer sacrifices to the water god. Stirred by both sorrow and purpose, Ashtavakra journeyed to King Janaka’s court, a sanctuary of wisdom, and challenged Bandi himself.

Mocked for his appearance, he answered not with anger, but with clarity and brilliance. His arguments dismantled Bandi’s pride and illusion. Defeated, Bandi restored all the sages – including Kahoda – back to life.

But the real miracle unfolded not in the rescue, but in the recognition.

Ashtavakra bowed to Kahoda in reverence.
Kahoda, overwhelmed by the depth of his son’s realization, let go of all identity and striving.
In that moment of surrender, he attained moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

🌺 What This Teaches Us

This isn’t just a tale of a gifted child. It’s a sacred disruption:

Liberation isn’t age-bound. The soul transcends chronology. A child can awaken the parent.
Form doesn’t define truth. Ashtavakra’s twisted body never dimmed his inner light.
Roles can reverse. Life is fluid. Sometimes, the student liberates the teacher.

His teachings are enshrined in the Ashtavakra Gita, a radical and elegant scripture of Advaita Vedanta. Its voice is clear, uncompromising, and astonishingly modern in its directness.

🪷 A Verse to Remember

“You are not the body, nor is the body yours. You are pure awareness, the witness of all things. Live in that Truth.” ~ Ashtavakra Gita

✨ The 13 Liberating Realizations of the Self

As Offered by Ashtavakra to King Janaka

These are not doctrines. They are mirrors – each revealing a different facet of your already-free nature.

1. You are not the body.

🌿 You observe its changes. You are not what changes.

2. You are not the mind.

🌿 Thoughts pass like weather. You remain.

3. You are pure awareness.

🌿 The unshaken witness of all arising phenomena.

4. You are not the doer.

🌿 Actions occur, but you are the stillness behind them.

5. You are always free.

🌿 Bondage is a story; freedom is your essence.

6. You are beyond time.

🌿 Time flows in you – not the other way around.

7. You are beyond space.

🌿 Not confined by location. Not limited by direction.

8. You are birthless and deathless.

🌿 The soul never begins. It never ends.

9. You are whole.

🌿 There is nothing to fix. Nothing to gain.

10. You are beyond karma.

🌿 When you awaken as the witness, karmic chains dissolve.

11. You are bliss itself.

🌿 Not the high of pleasure – but the deep peace of Being.

12. You are That.

🌿 Tat Tvam Asi – You are the infinite Self.

13. You were never bound.

🌿 Moksha is not attained. It is recognized.

🪶 Final Reflection

Ashtavakra’s story reveals that freedom isn’t bestowed. It is remembered. Even a body shaped by curses can house a mind shaped by truth. Even a father can receive the ultimate gift from his child.

These 13 insights aren’t for recitation – they’re for realization. Let them dissolve into you, like sugar in warm tea. Not learned. Lived.

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About The Article Author:

Our mission with FutureSTRONG Academy – to grow children who respect themselves, their time and their capabilities in a world where distractions are just a click or a swipe away.

I see myself as an advocate for bringing social, emotional and character development to families, schools and communities. I never want to let this idea out of my sight – Our children are not just GPAs. I’m a Writer and a Certified Master Coach in NLP and CBT. Until 2017, I was also a Big Data Scientist. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel. Namasté.

Write to me or call me. Tell me what support from me looks like.

Rachana Nadella-Somayajula,
Program Director & Essential Life Skills Coach for Kids and Busy Parents