For a text as radical and uncompromising as the Ashtavakra Gita, “authoritative” guidance has tended to gather around a few key traditional and modern expositions rather than a single universally accepted classical bhāṣya. Among traditional Advaita sources, a Sanskrit commentary attributed to Vidyāraṇya is often singled out as a particularly important aid, even though the precise authorship is debated. Alongside this, there are other older Advaita glosses and commentaries—some anonymous or lesser known—that circulate mainly in traditional āśramas and manuscript collections, and that quietly sustain a lineage of interpretation without much public profile. Together, these works aim to read Ashtavakra’s teaching squarely within the non‑dual vision of Advaita Vedānta, clarifying its terse and absolute statements on the Self.

In more recent times, several expositions have come to be treated as standard guides for serious students. Swami Nityaswarupananda’s edition from the Ramakrishna tradition presents the Sanskrit text with an English rendering and notes in a sober, classically Advaitic style, and is often recommended for those seeking a faithful, text‑oriented approach. Within the Chinmaya Mission lineage, Swami Chinmayananda’s extensive talks and Swami Tejomayananda’s structured commentary have become highly influential, offering systematic, teacher‑style explanations that stay close to traditional Advaita methodology while speaking to contemporary seekers. Radhakamal Mukerjee’s scholarly translation and exposition is frequently cited in academic and inter‑religious contexts, and John Richards’ literal, line‑by‑line English rendering has quietly become a common reference point for its minimal interpretive overlay.

Alongside these more philologically and doctrinally grounded works, there also exist commentaries and discourses that approach the text in a more experiential or “neo‑Advaita” spirit. Figures such as Ramesh S. Balsekar and Osho have offered expansive, interpretive treatments that many find spiritually powerful, even though they are less constrained by traditional textual discipline and are not usually classed with the more conservative Advaita commentaries. These diverse layers of interpretation—traditional Sanskrit glosses, careful modern translations, systematic Vedantic expositions, and freer experiential readings—together form a kind of living commentary tradition. For one who approaches the Ashtavakra Gita with a contemplative mind, moving between these strands can illuminate how the same uncompromising non‑dual teaching can be heard through different ears, yet still point back to the same silent recognition of the Self.