Within the Advaita tradition, the Avadhuta Gita has attracted a smaller but significant body of commentary, and a few works stand out as especially influential. The most frequently cited traditional authority is the Sanskrit commentary often referred to as the Śaṅkara-vivaraṇa or Śaṅkarānanda-vivaraṇa, traditionally linked to Śaṅkarācārya or to an author in his lineage. In classical Advaita circles this is treated as the primary scholastic guide to the text, because it systematically aligns the radical non-dualism of the Avadhuta Gita with the broader metaphysics of Advaita Vedānta. Alongside it, a commentary by Svāmī Brahmānanda is also respected, particularly among monastic and traditional Advaita students, for clarifying difficult verses in a manner consistent with post-Śaṅkara Advaita. Together, these two are generally regarded as the most authoritative Sanskrit expositions.

Beyond these, there exist shorter traditional glosses and sub-commentaries, often preserved in manuscripts or within specific lineages. Their influence tends to be local, valued within particular monastic or scholarly circles rather than across the wider Advaita world. In several vernacular traditions—especially those devoted to Dattātreya or connected with Nāth yogis—teachers have offered expositions in languages such as Marathi, Hindi, and Kannada. These works typically blend non-dual insight with devotional and yogic sensibilities, and their authority is measured more by the sanctity of the lineage than by academic or pan-Indian recognition. Thus, what counts as “most respected” can vary significantly from one sampradāya to another.

In more recent times, a number of modern expositors have sought to make the Avadhuta Gita accessible to readers who do not work directly with Sanskrit. Among these, Swami Ashokananda’s English translation with explanatory notes is often singled out for its combination of fidelity to the traditional Advaita understanding and clarity for contemporary seekers. While not a line-by-line scholastic commentary in the classical sense, it functions as a practical guide to the text’s uncompromising non-dual vision and is widely used in modern Advaita and neo-Vedantic circles. Other translations and brief commentaries by teachers from established lineages similarly serve practitioners, though their standing is usually tied to the reputation of their respective traditions rather than to a single, universally acknowledged standard.

Taken together, this landscape suggests that the Avadhuta Gita, being a fiercely direct and mystical text, invites a somewhat different kind of engagement than more systematized scriptures. The most respected commentaries in the narrow, technical sense are the Śaṅkara-related vivaraṇa and Brahmānanda’s work, which anchor the text within the Advaita śāstra. Yet in living traditions, the most transformative “commentary” is often the oral and experiential teaching of realized guides, who use the text less as an object of analysis and more as a mirror in which the non-dual Self recognizes itself.