History of Ashtavakra

One day, Kohola, father of Ashtavakra was reciting the vedas but he pronounced it wrongly. Embroyo informed Kahola that he had pronounced the syllable wrongly. Kahola cursed the fetus with eight deformities of the body. When the baby was born it was crooked in eight places-the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, the chest and the head. He was named Ashtavakara, which means “one having eight bends”.

Once the Kahola went to Janaka’s court and challenged to a scriptural debate. There vandin easily defeated the Kahola and immersed the vanquished Kahola in under water. When Ashtavakra was twelve years old he came to know the truth about his father , Kahola from his mother.He decided to confront Vandin. Ashtavakra defeated Vandin in debate. Vandin then revealed that he was the son of Varuna (the lord of all water bodies). Varuna brought all the sages to surface. In the presence of Sujata, Kahola asked Ashtavakra to bathe in the river Samanga. When Ashtavakra entered the river, all his crooked limbs became straight.