Kagola, a poor student of the Vedas, sat at night reciting aloud the sacred verses of the Vedas, his pregnant wife by his side in the dim light of candles. One late night he heard a voice laughing and correcting him for mispronouncing a verse. The tired and short-tempered father was enraged, cursing the unborn child, causing him to be born with eight crooks in his body, naming him Astavakra for the deformity (asta meaning “eight,” vakra “crooked”).

The crippled and humbled child sought to redeem himself to his father, studying deeply in the sacred philosophy of India and, in time, becoming a great Vedic scholar. But his deformities caused others to judge him for what they saw, not for his knowledge, wisdom, and simple articulation of the essence of mystical experience. While still a boy, King Janaka heard of Astavakra’s wisdom and sought him out as a sage and teacher. When the boy’s father learned of Astavakra’s great scholarly accomplishments and the honor bestowed upon him by King...