The two texts articulate nonduality from strikingly different vantage points. The Ashtavakra Gita unfolds in a serene, almost timeless dialogue between sage and king, where the sole concern is the nature of the Self and liberation. The Bhagavad Gita, by contrast, is embedded in the drama of a battlefield and a crisis of dharma, so its Advaita vision is framed within questions of duty, moral conflict, and social order. This difference in setting is not merely literary; it shapes how nonduality is presented—either as a pure contemplative insight or as something to be integrated into the complexities of life and action.

In terms of spiritual method, the Ashtavakra Gita is uncompromisingly direct. It repeatedly points to immediate recognition of oneself as pure consciousness, treating practices, disciplines, and even the distinction between action and inaction as part of the illusion to be seen through. The Bhagavad Gita, on the other hand, lays out a graded path: karma-yoga, bhakti-yoga, and jnana-yoga are all honored as valid means, and Arjuna is led step by step from confusion to clarity. Where Ashtavakra emphasizes the futility of “doing” from the standpoint of the Self, Krishna teaches how to act without attachment, transforming action rather than discarding it.

The two works also diverge in how they relate nonduality to dharma and the world. The Bhagavad Gita affirms svadharma and the social order, presenting the world as a real field of divine manifestation in which one must engage rightly. The Ashtavakra Gita largely sidelines social and ritual obligations, portraying the world, body, and mind as dreamlike appearances in consciousness and treating bondage as nothing more than mistaken identification. From this standpoint, questions of merit, sin, and role lose their grip once the Self is known, whereas the Bhagavad Gita seeks to harmonize realization with responsible participation in life.

Finally, the conception of the Absolute and the tone of teaching differ markedly. The Bhagavad Gita holds together personal and impersonal dimensions of the divine, integrating Advaitic insight with devotion to a supreme Person and making room for relational surrender and love. The Ashtavakra Gita speaks almost exclusively in the language of impersonal awareness, with little emphasis on a personal God, worship, or emotional devotion; its “devotion,” if any, is to unwavering Self-knowledge and detachment. Thus, while both texts point toward nondual realization, one does so through an integrative, theistic, and practical framework, and the other through an austere, absolutist vision that consistently negates all distinctions and paths.