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...

दृश्यस्याग्रहणं कथं नु घटते देहात्मना तिष्ठतो
बाह्यार्थानुभवप्रसक्तमनसस्तत्तत्क्रियां कुर्वतः ।
संन्यस्ताखिलधर्मकर्मविषयैर्नित्यात्मनिष्ठापरैः
तत्त्वज्ञैः करणीयमात्मनि सदानन्देच्छुभिर्यत्नतः ॥ ३४0 ॥

dṛśyasyāgrahaṇaṃ kathaṃ nu ghaṭate dehātmanā tiṣṭhato
bāhyārthānubhavaprasaktamanasastattatkriyāṃ kurvataḥ |
saṃnyastākhiladharmakarmaviṣayairnityātmaniṣṭhāparaiḥ
tattvajñaiḥ karaṇīyamātmani sadānandecchubhiryatnataḥ || 340 ||

340. How is the exclusion of the objective world possible for one who lives identified with the body, whose mind is attached to the perception of external objects, and who performs various acts for that end? This exclusion should be carefully practised by sages who have renounced all kinds of duties and actions and objects, who are passionately devoted to the eternal Ātman, and who wish to possess an undying bliss.

 

Notes:

[Duties—belonging to various stations in life. Actions—i.e. selfish actions. Objects— sense-objects.

^gfrīJTpFTS-q- fíT^T. f^tSJiTWSmTTr. II

*mrni f^i'«rr^TT W'Á r sr^r rrá sxm: Il2'2>

341. To the Sannyasin who has gone through the act of hearing, the Sruti passage, “Calm, self-controlled’1 etc., prescribes Samadhi, for his realisation of the universe as his own self.

Hearing—the truth from the lips of the Guru, after the prescribed manner.

Calm, self-controlled" ÖY.—The reference is to Brihadaranvaka Upanishad I V. iv. 23. ]

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