Ashtavakra Gita Mahamudra Dzogchen
by
Lama G. Tharchin Lharampa Geshe
Table of Contents
(I) Preamble
(II) The Ashtavakra Gita and the Bhagavad Gita
(III) The Ashtavakra Gita, Mahamudra and Dzogchen;
(IV) The Ashtavakra Gita and the Ganges Mahamudra of Tilopa;
(V) Comparisons between the Ashtavakra Gita and the Dhammapada
(VI) The Ganga Mahamudra Upadesha and the Ganden Oral Tradition Mahamudra
(VII) Conclusion.
(I) Preamble
This short reflection explores the similarities and connections between two major spiritual traditions rooted in Indian philosophy and Tibetan Buddhism. In particular, it draws comparisons between the concepts and practices set out in the Ashtavakra Gita and the Mahamudra tradition. It also mentions a comparison of verses from the Ashtavakra Gita and the Dhammapada, a pivotal Buddhist text. The two key Mahamudra texts, the Ganga Mahamudra Upadesha and the Ganden Oral Tradition Mahamudra, are also compared and analysed.
However, all of these spiritual traditions are ultimately rooted in ancient Indian philosophy. Many important concepts in both traditions are easier to comprehend when considered together, as they share the same language and cultural background.
The paper also draws comparisons between the Ashtavakra Gita and the Bhagavad Gita, which I believe are two sides of the same coin.
(II) The Ashtavakra Gita and the Bhagavad Gita
The Ashtavakra Gita (also known as the Ashtavakra Samhita) is a classical text of radical Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism). Presented as a dialogue between the sage Ashtavakra and the philosopher-king Janaka, it bypasses rituals, duties, and step-by-step spiritual practices. Instead, it asserts that you are already pure consciousness, free from the constraints of the body and mind. Although uncompromising and intended for advanced practitioners, it shares profound ultimate truths with the Bhagavad Gita.
Despite their very different teaching styles — the Bhagavad Gita is gradual and action-oriented, while the Ashtavakra Gita is immediate and unyielding — the two texts share several core spiritual concepts. These include, 1. non-attachment (vairāgya), 2. the true self (atman), 3. equanimity (samaṭvam) and 4. the nature of the mind.
The Bhagavad Gita defines these concepts as follows:
1. nishkāma karma — performing your duty without attachment to the results.
2. It assures that the soul cannot be cut, burned, or destroyed by weapons.
3. It defines yoga as equanimity of mind amid success, failure, pleasure or pain,
4. And recognising that a disciplined mind is a person's greatest friend and an undisciplined one their greatest enemy.
The Ashtavakra Gita, on the other hand, defines these values in the following order:
1. Total renunciation of worldly identities and inner detachment.
2. It asserts that the self is the witness of all things and is untouched by the physical world.
3. It views a realised soul as someone who is completely undisturbed by worldly dualities
4. and states that a person is shaped entirely by their mind ('as the mind is, so is the person').
The fundamental harmony between the two lies in their destination, though their starting points differ. The Bhagavad Gita meets you on the battlefield of life, addressing your doubts, duties, emotions and relationships. In contrast, the Ashtavakra Gita assumes that you have already left the battlefield behind and are prepared to dissolve your ego completely. Therefore, their approaches differ significantly.
(III) Ashtavakra Gita, Mahamudra and Dzogchen
Despite their different historical and religious origins, Ashtavakra Gita, Mahamudra and Dzogchen lead to the same non-dual realisation of the mind. The Ashtavakra Gita comes from the Hindu Advaita Vedanta tradition, while Mahamudra and Dzogchen are both from Tibetan Buddhism. They share an identical core belief: that beings are already fundamentally free, and liberation is a matter of instant recognition rather than gradual achievement. They also share very similar concepts in the Core Metaphor, Radical Directness, meditation as bondage and Non duality.
a. The Ocean and the Space
The structural and philosophical similarities that bind these three traditions together include: All three describe the ultimate nature of reality as an intrinsically empty yet highly cognisant and radiant space, rather than a blank void.
Ashtavakra Gita: Compares the True Self (Atman or Brahman) to a vast ocean, with thoughts and the world being temporary waves that do not alter the ocean's water.
Mahamudra and Dzogchen: Use the metaphor of the sky. Thoughts, emotions and concepts are like clouds that temporarily form and dissolve within it. However, the sky itself is never stained or altered by them.
b. No Gradual Path
Unlike other spiritual traditions, which require rigorous purification, these three systems provide a direct route to enlightenment. The Ashtavakra Gita bypasses the need for gradual evolution, rituals and progressive logic entirely. It explicitly states that by detaching yourself from the body and resting in intelligence, you will achieve instant liberation.
In contrast, Dzogchen and Mahamudra rely heavily on 'pointing-out instruction' from a master. This involves guiding the student to look beyond the conceptual mind in order to recognise primordial naked awareness (rigpa, or mind essence) in the present moment.
c. No conventional meditation
A striking similarity between the three systems is their shared criticism of conventional meditation. They argue that attempting to meditate strengthens the very ego that is seeking enlightenment.
The Ashtavakra Gita states that striving for stillness can agitate the mind and that the desire to meditate can be a form of bondage in itself.
Mahamudra culminates in the stage of 'non-meditation' (gom-med). This emphasises 'non-correction': not fabricating, altering or trying to stop whatever arises in the mind.
In Dzogchen, the focus is on trekchöd (cutting through solid illusions): a state of absolute relaxation into primordial purity where nothing is accepted, rejected or modified.
d. The Collapse of "Seeker" and "Sought"
All three philosophies obliterate the dualistic split between the person meditating and the object of meditation. The concept of 'doership' is completely rejected in the Ashtavakra Gita. The seeker realises that they are not a wave trying to find the ocean, but the ocean itself.
In Mahamudra and Dzogchen, samsara (the cycle of suffering) and nirvana (liberation) are considered to be based on the same principle. Enlightenment is not a state that can be acquired; it is simply the recognition of the true nature of ordinary, present experience.
(IV) The Ashtavakra Gita and The Ganges Mahamudra of Tilopa
The Ashtavakra Gita (a core text of Advaita Vedanta) and the Ganges Mahamudra (Tilopa’s foundational text on Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra) are two of the most radical and direct expressions of non-duality. Despite originating from different traditions — Hindu Vedanta and Vajrayana Buddhism — they share the same fundamental insights: your true nature is already free; pure awareness is like space; and striving too hard is a form of bondage.
Below is a thematic comparison of verses that share similar profound meanings in The Nature of the Mind/Self as Boundless Space, Dropping Effort and Forced Meditation, Thoughts and Illusions Vanish on Their Own and Direct Recognition Over Gradual Paths.
Both texts use the analogy of empty space to describe the ultimate nature of consciousness. They emphasise that consciousness has no form or boundaries and is unaffected by anything within it.
a. Space-like awareness
AG 'Just as the same space exists both within and outside a jar, the timeless, all-pervasive One exists as Totality' (verse 1.20).
MM 'For instance, consider space: what depends on what? Likewise with mahamudra: it doesn't depend on anything' (verse 2).
b. Beyond concepts
AG 'You are unconditioned, changeless and formless. You are solid, unfathomable and cool. Desire nothing. You are consciousness" (Verse 1.17).
MM "The truth beyond the mind cannot be grasped by any mental faculty... Cut the mind at its root and rest in naked awareness' (verse 11).
2. Dropping Effort and Forced Meditation
Both traditions are characterised by the radical idea that trying too hard to meditate can restrict the mind. Instead, they advocate a more natural approach to relaxation in the present moment.
a. non-meditation
AG 'You are now and forever free, luminous, transparent and still. The practice of meditation keeps one in bondage" (Verse 1.15).
MM 'Don't control. Let go and rest naturally. Let go of what binds you and freedom is guaranteed' (Verse 2).
b. Natural rest
AG "The wise one does not strive for liberation, nor does he cling to bondage." Knowing the universe to be a manifestation, he rests in the Self. (Verse 18.27).
MM 'Exist in a state of non-meditation and attain no-attainment to attain Mahamudra' (Verse 10)
3. Thoughts and illusions disappear of their own accord
Rather than fighting them, both texts teach us to view thoughts as transient phenomena, like ripples in water or clouds in the sky. If you stop paying attention to them, they will naturally dissolve back into pure consciousness. Self-Dissolution
a. Self-dissolution
AG "As bubbles rise in the sea, the world emanates from the non-dual Atma. Know this and dissolve into the state of oneness' (Verse 1.12). (Verse 1.12).
MM "Mists rise from the earth and vanish into space. They go nowhere, nor do they stay. Likewise, though thoughts arise, they dissolve when the mind contemplates itself' (Verses 4–5).
b. Cutting the root
AG "Burn down the forest of ignorance with the fire of understanding that 'I am one pure awareness', and be happy..." (verse 1.14).
MM "A tree spreads its branches and puts forth leaves, but when its root is cut, its foliage withers. So too when the root of the mind is severed: the branches of samsara die" (Verse 10).
4. Direct Recognition Over Gradual Paths
Neither text accommodates step-by-step rituals or intellectual study. Both demand a direct shift in perspective right here and now.
Ashtavakra Gita (1:11): 'He who thinks himself free is free; he who thinks himself bound is bound. 'As you think, so you become' — this saying is true."
Mahamudra (Tilopa): 'The fool, in his ignorance, disdains Mahamudra and knows nothing but struggle in the flood of Samsara. When the master's blessing touches your heart, the mind is liberated.'
(V) The Ashtavakra Gita and the Dhammapada comparisons
The Ashtavakra Gita and the Dhammapada represent two distinct Eastern traditions: Advaita Vedanta (radical non-dualism) and early Buddhism, respectively. Although they differ significantly theologically — the Ashtavakra Gita asserts the ultimate reality of the eternal Self, while the Dhammapada focuses on anatta, or 'no-self' — their practical teachings on liberation, mind training and freedom from desire are remarkably similar.
Directly comparing key verses with similar meanings reveals how these two masterpieces mirror each other's core spiritual truths such like, The Power and Nature of Mind, Desire, Attachment, and True Freedom, Trimming Away the Ego ("I" and "Mine") and The Nature of the Enlightened One
1. The Power and Nature of Mind
Both the Dhammapada and the Ashtavakra Gita emphasise that the mind creates our reality and bondage, and that mastering it or seeing through its illusions is the key to freedom.
a. Mind as Creator
DP "Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are all mind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering follows him...(Chapter 1, Verse 1).
AG "Your bondage is just this: you see outside yourself what is actually inside you."— Chapter 1, Verse 16
b. The Mind's Illusion
DP "The restless, fickle mind is hard to guard and control. The wise person straightens it, just as a fletcher straightens an arrow.'— Chapter 3, Verse 33
AG "You are the sole witness of everything, and you are always completely free. The cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something else.'— Chapter 1, Verse 7
2. Desire, Attachment, and True Freedom
Both traditions agree that suffering arises from clinging and desire, and that true peace comes only when all cravings are abandoned.
a. Relinquishing Desires
DP "From craving arises sorrow; from craving arises fear. For him who is wholly free from craving, there is no sorrow, much less fear.'— Chapter 16, Verse 216
AG "If you desire liberation, my son, shun the objects of the senses as you would poison. Seek forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, contentment and truth instead."— Chapter 1, Verse 2
b. Freedom from Outcomes
DP 'He who has no attachments to anything, who does not rejoice when obtaining good nor grieve when encountering evil, whose wisdom is firmly established.'— Chapter 4 (similar themes in Chapter 26).
AG "He who is content, whose senses are purified, who is always unattached... does not grieve at what is lost, nor rejoice at what is gained."— Chapter 17, Verse 4
3. Trimming Away the Ego ("I" and "Mine")
Although the final metaphysical destination differs — Buddhism seeks the emptiness of Nirvana, while Advaita seeks the fullness of the Absolute Brahman — the path requires the complete dismantling of the false ego.
a. The Illusion of Ownership
DP "Sons have I, wealth have I," so thinks the fool and suffers. He himself does not belong to himself; how then can sons be his? How can wealth be his?"— Chapter 5, Verse 62
AG "Infinite is my wealth, yet I have nothing. If the city of Mithila burns, nothing of mine is burned.'
— Chapter 3, Verse 1 (attributed to King Janaka)
b. Transcending Identity
DP 'There is no suffering for him who has completed his journey, who is freed from sorrow, who has freed himself on all sides, who has shaken off all fetters.'— Chapter 7, Verse 90
AG "You do not belong to the Brahmin or any other caste, nor are you at any stage of life... Unattached, formless, and the witness of everything — be happy.'— Chapter 1, Verse 5
4. The Nature of the Enlightened One
Descriptions of an awakened sage — the Arahant or Brahmana in Buddhism, and the Jivanmukta in Advaita — are almost identical in terms of tone and attributes.
a. The Unmoved Sage
DP 'Like a solid rock is not shaken by the wind, even so the wise are not moved by praise or blame.'— Chapter 6, Verse 81
AG 'The wise one is unperturbed by praise or blame. He neither feels pleasure from the pleasant nor pain from the painful."— Chapter 17, Verse 15
b. Beyond Good and Evil
DP 'He who has transcended both good and evil, who is free from fetters, sorrowless and pure — him I call a Holy One.'— Chapter 26, Verse 412
AG 'Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely of the mind and do not belong to you, the all-pervading Self. You are neither the doer nor the enjoyer." — Chapter 1, Verse 6
(VI) The Ganga Mahamudra Upadesha and the Ganden Oral Tradition Mahamudra
The Ganges Mahamudra (Ganga Mahamudra Upadesha), written by the Indian Mahasiddha Tilopa, and the Root Text on Mahamudra from the Ganden Oral Tradition, written by the First Panchen Lama, Lobsang Chokyi Gyaltsen, represent two significant milestones in the history of Tibetan Buddhist meditation.
Although they share the same ultimate goal of directly realising the nature of the mind, they stem from different eras and distinct stylistic traditions.
Ganges Mahamudra, spoken by Tilopa on the banks of the Ganges in 10th/11th century India. A foundational text of the Marpa Kagyu tradition, it is a poetic and spontaneous doha, or 'song of realisation'. It was spoken spontaneously to his disciple Naropa after he endured twelve major hardships and consists of 28 stanzas. It relies heavily on metaphors from nature, comparing the mind to open space, mist evaporating, or a dark room suddenly illuminated by a single lamp. It demands immediate experiential resonance.
The Ganden Oral Tradition of Mahamudra, composed by the Panchen Lama in the 17th century, originated at the Wensa in Tibet. It is the central text of the Ganden Oral syncretic tradition. It is highly structured and systematic, with a scholastic foundation. The root text, 'The Highway of the Conquerors', was deliberately written down to synthesise an 'ear-whispered' oral tradition that had been kept secret for centuries. It is meticulously divided into preliminary practices, shamatha (tranquil abiding), vipashyana (superior seeing), and final fruition.
Tilopa instructs the meditator to refrain from thinking. He uses the 'six words of advice' to promote total relaxation: 'Do not think, do not project, do not analyse, do not meditate, do not control — rest in your own nature.' Tilopa believes that observing the mind directly causes thoughts to self-liberate, much like waves dissolving back into the ocean.
While the Panchen Lama instructs practitioners to rest in the 'naked clarity and awareness' of the mind. His verses introduce a rigorous Madhyamaka analytical approach. He instructs the practitioner to actively search for the self that is meditating: "When you look for the identity of the meditating mind, you find that it cannot be established as a truly existing thing..." His text bridges the gap between the conceptual philosophical analysis of Sutra Mahamudra and the non-conceptual resting of the mind in Tantra Mahamudra.
Tilopa's teachings were intended solely for a highly advanced yogic disciple, Naropa, who was ready for an immediate breakthrough. They bypass ethics, monastic rules and scholarly training, stating that Mahamudra transcends words, scriptures and tenets.
The Panchen Lama’s verses were written within the highly organised framework of the Gelug monastic university. In them, he explicitly states that these instructions ultimately lead to the same realisation for a seasoned practitioner, regardless of whether they are called "Dzogchen", "Great Madhyamaka" or "Mahamudra". The text is intended to gently guide a monastic scholar into the realm of profound tantric realisation.
Despite the differences in context and circumstances, the essence of the two texts is not in opposition. Instead, the Panchen Lama's verses act as a structural map designed to guide practitioners towards the same state of effortless, unmanipulated space that Tilopa describes in his Ganges Mahamudra.
(VII) CONCLUSION
This brief presentation is mainly intended to satisfy my own research interests within the context of the spiritual world. The aim is to find common ground for all humanity and encourage shared meditation across all spiritual traditions in the modern era of highly technological, globalised society.
I would like to stop this article here and hope this may bring benefits for enriching spiritual values of many beings.
OM AH HUM
Note on abbreviated references:
AG means Ashtavakra Gita
MM means Ganges Mahamudra of Tilopa
DP means Dharmapada
