The Problem of Illusion in Jnana Yoga According to the Ashtavakra Gita

Abstract

Abstract. This paper examines the problem of illusion (māyā) within classical Hindu philosophy, focusing primarily on Jñāna Yoga as articulated in the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā. The text is analyzed as a non-dualistic philosophical dialogue rooted in Advaita Vedānta, where knowledge and liberation are achieved through self-realization rather than ritual or physical practice. The study explores key concepts such as desire, attachment, saṃsāra, and mokṣa, emphasizing consciousness as the sole reality and the empirical world as illusory. Comparative references to the Bhagavad Gītā and selected Western epistemological approaches highlight structural similarities in the treatment of ignorance and certainty. The analysis concludes that liberation is attained through the dissolution of false self-identification and the recognition of pure consciousness as identical with ultimate reality.