Gerrit Broekstra. 2020. Ken Jezelf: Het einde van je nepik (Know Yourself: The End of the fake I, Dutch translation of the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā) Leidschendam: Uitgeverij Quist. ISBN 978-94-91918-24-7. Pp. 448.
Some classical Sanskrit texts can be translated dozens of times without losing their timeless relevance when a new translation appears. The best example is the Bhagavad Gītā which since 1785 has been translated numerous times into almost all languages of the world. English translations of the Gītā run into the thousands. Another instance of a timeless classic is the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali of which there are dozens of English translations. The sheer numbers of translations of a text is an indication of its importance. Gerrit Broekstra, the translator, felt inspired to produce a fresh version of the same text. One could almost say that the more translations of a text that exist, the higher is its status as a classic text. This is of course also true for texts in other classical languages like Greek, Arabic, Chinese or Latin.
Because of its content, the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā certainly belongs to the Sanskrit classics, even though it is not as well-known as the Bhagavad Gītā. The Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā is a poem like the Bhagavad Gītā. It is composed in the same metre as the Bhagavad Gītā; it is a dialogue between a master and a disciple like the Bhagavad Gītā. In the latter, it is Śrī Kṛṣṇa who instructs Arjuna. In the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā it is the seer Aṣṭāvakra who instructs the already self-realised King Janaka. The Upanishadic Vedānta is the main background for both the Bhagavad Gītā and the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā . But the similarities stop there.
The Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā teaches undiluted non-duality; Advaita. Realising or knowing the Self or Ātman is the central theme of the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā; the Song of Songs of Self-Realisation. The Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā sings the unity and inner freedom of the true Self in pithy couplets. More so than the Bhagavad Gītā, the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā is mystical lyricism which sings in various tonalities and modulations of the experience of the one Self.
We should be grateful to the able translator Gerrit Broekstra for his remarkable accomplishment in translating the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā directly from Sanskrit into Dutch for the first time. Few Dutch translations have been around since the 1960s but these were all made from English translations. Broekstra translated the text directly from Sanskrit into Dutch. In his book, he gives the original Sanskrit text of every verse, along with a lengthy grammatical analysis, a running translation and commentaries. In his commentaries, often quotes long relevant explanatory passages from the teachings of the South-Indian saint and sage Śrī Ramaṇa Mahār̥ṣi who was thought to be a votary of the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā even though he only gave it to read to his most advanced disciples.
Broekstra’s book contains a full index of all the Sanskrit words of the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā and all the places in the text where they occur. This and the rich spiritual commentaries make this book a veritable feast both for the intellect and the heart. The book is useful for beginners on the spiritual path as well as for those who are more advanced. The book offers something for everybody, especially for those readers who actually know Sanskrit. Of particular value is the fact that the ancient text is as it was verified by the teachings and experience of Śrī Ramaṇa Maharṣi. This is a dimension of the book that is rare, even in English editions. Obviously, a spiritual classic like the Aṣṭāvakra-Gītā is not a text that one reads quickly or cursorily, it needs to be slowly and steadily digested until the truth of the one Self becomes internalised. A work of this quality and spiritual erudition is a gem for those who read Dutch. One could only deplore that it was not done in English. Nevertheless, it is a great boon for the Dutch reading public that such a scholarly mature translation exists. In English, there are ample good translations including the one published by Swami Nityaswarupananda of the Ramakrishna Mission and Radhakamal Mukerjee’s edition with translation. In spite of the many strengths of this work, we were hard pressed to define our minor critique: it is surprising that the author doesn’t include in his bibliography the very useful German edition of the Sanskrit text with annotated translation in German by Richard Hauschild, published in 1967. Hauschild, after all, based his Sanskrit text on a collation of at least five original Sanskrit manuscripts. For the Dutch general reader and those interested in classical Indian philosophy and spirituality, Broekstra’s book definitely is a must-read.
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