Vivekachudamani
by Shankara | 1921 | 49,785 words | ISBN-13: 9788175051065
The Vivekachudamani is a collection of poetical couplets authored by Shankara around the eighth century. The philosophical school this compilation attempts to expose is called ‘Advaita Vedanta’, or non-dualism, one of the classical orthodox philosophies of Hinduism. The book teaches Viveka: discrimination between the real and the unreal. Shankara d...
Verse 147
नास्त्रैर्न शस्त्रैरनिलेन वन्हिना
छेत्तुं न शक्यो न च कर्मकोटिभिः ।
विवेकविज्ञानमहासिना विना
धातुः प्रसादेन शितेन मञ्जुना ॥ १४७ ॥nāstrairna śastrairanilena vanhinā
chettuṃ na śakyo na ca karmakoṭibhiḥ |
vivekavijñānamahāsinā vinā
dhātuḥ prasādena śitena mañjunā || 147 ||147. This bondage can be destroyed neither by weapons nor by wind, nor by fire, nor by millions of acts – by nothing except the wonderful sword of knowledge that comes of discrimination, sharpened by the grace of the Lord.
Notes:
[Acts—enjoined by the Scriptures, and done with motives.
Grace......Paramatman—An echo of Katha Upanishad I. ii. 20. The Sruti has also a different reading—“dhātuprasādāt”—which means ‘through the purity of the mind and organs etc.’—This meaning is also suggested here. ]