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...

चिन्ताशून्यमदैन्यभैक्षमशनं पानं सरिद्वारिषु
स्वातन्त्र्येण निरङ्कुशा स्थितिरभीर्निद्रा श्मशाने वने ।
वस्त्रं क्षालनशोषणादिरहितं दिग्वास्तु शय्या मही
संचारो निगमान्तवीथिषु विदां क्रीडा परे ब्रह्मणि ॥ ५३८ ॥

cintāśūnyamadainyabhaikṣamaśanaṃ pānaṃ saridvāriṣu
svātantryeṇa niraṅkuśā sthitirabhīrnidrā śmaśāne vane |
vastraṃ kṣālanaśoṣaṇādirahitaṃ digvāstu śayyā mahī
saṃcāro nigamāntavīthiṣu vidāṃ krīḍā pare brahmaṇi || 538 ||

538. Men of realisation have their food without anxiety or humiliation by begging, and their drink from the water of rivers; they live freely and independently, and sleep without fear in cremation grounds or forests; their clothing may be the quarters themselves, which need no washing and drying, or any bark etc., the earth is their bed; they roam in the avenue of the Vedanta; while their pastime is in the Supreme Brahman.

 

Notes:

[This is a splendid setting forth of the free life of a true Sannyasin.

Without fear—because of their identification with Brahman, the One without a second.

Quarters &c.—He goes nude, that is.

Any bark etc.—this is suggested by the word in the text.

Bark, or cloth, or anything may be their dress. ]

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