Viveka Chudamani Text In English

[Nazarena Lugg]

Thetext discusses key concepts such as the viveka (discrimination or discernment) between real (unchanging, eternal) and unreal (changing, temporal), Prakriti and Atman, the oneness of Atman and Brahman, and self-knowledge as the central task of spiritual life and for Moksha.[10][3][11] It expounds the Advaita Vedanta philosophy in the form of a self-teaching manual, with many verses in the form of a dialogue between a student and a spiritual teacher.

According to Reza Shah-Kazemi the authorship of Shankara is doubtful,[4] though it is "so closely interwoven into the spiritual heritage of Shankara that any analysis of his perspective which fails to consider [this work] would be incomplete".[4] [note 1] According to Michael Comans, a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, though the Hindu tradition popularly believes that Adi Shankara authored the Vivekachudamani, this is "most probably erroneous".[5] Comans gives the following reasons for his doubts: the highly poetic style of the Vivekachudamani is not found in other genuine works of Adi Shankara; there is a lack of extensive commentaries (bhasya) on the Vivekachudamani which is unusual given the extensive commentaries on his other works; and unlike Shankara's other genuine works which give minimal importance to nirvikalpa samadhi practices, the Vivekachudamani gives special importance to it.[5] Though the Vivekachudamani is a popular manual on Vedanta, it is probably the work of a later Shankara, and not Adi Shankara, states Comans.[5] Yet another theory, states Berger, is that "rather than simply having been written or not written by [Adi] Shankara, the Crown Jewel of Discrimination may be a corporately authored work [of Advaita monasteries] that went through revisions".[2]

According to Natalia Isayeva, a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, it is "far less probable" that Adi Shankara authored the Vivekachudamani.[6] Sengaku Mayeda, another scholar of Indian Philosophy and Advaita Vedanta, states that though widely accepted as Shankara's work, the Vivekachudamani is likely not his work.[7]

Paul Hacker, an Indologist and scholar of Advaita, set out a methodology for ascertaining authorship of Advaita texts and he concluded that though the Vivekachudmani is unusual in parts, it was likely authored by Adi Shankara.[2][8] Hacker stated that the definitions of the key concepts, premises and ideas found in the Vivekachudmani match with those in Shankara's established authentic works.[2] Daniel H. H. Ingalls Sr., another influential Indologist, rejected Hacker's conclusion by accepting Hacker's methodology and presenting evidence from its manuscripts that some of the ideas in the text do not fully agree with those of Adi Shankara.[2][8]

According to John Grimes, a professor of Hinduism and Buddhism known for his translation of the Vivekachudamani, "modern scholars tend to reject that Adi Shankara composed Vivekachudamani, while traditionalists tend to accept it", and there is an unending "arguments and counter-arguments" about its authorship.[12] Grimes states that his work strengthens the case that "there is still a likelihood that Śaṅkara is the author of the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi," [12] noting that "a strong case can be made that the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi is a genuine work of Shankara's and that it differs in certain respects from his other works in that it addresses itself to a different audience and has a different emphasis and purpose."[13][2]

Irrespective of the attribution, the Vivekachudmani is a significant work of Advaita. According to Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a Vedanta teacher, "I do not think we lose anything even if the authorship is attributed to any other Sankaracharya of one of the various Sankara-mathas."[14]

Many historic manuscripts of the Vivekachudamani have been found in different monasteries of Advaita Vedanta. These have minor variations, and a critical edition of these has not been published yet.[1] The earliest original Sanskrit manuscript of the Vivekachudamani was published from Srirangam (Tamil Nadu) by T.K. Balasubramania Iyer in 1910.[1] This edition has attracted much of 20th- and 21st-century scholarship, and has been republished in 1983 after some revision and re-arrangement to reflect studies on it since 1910. Other editions have been the basis of a few Indian translations. The five most referred to manuscripts in Advaita scholarship have been published by Samata (Chennai), Advaita Ashrama (Kolkata), Sri Ramakrishna Math (Chennai), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Mumbai), Chinmayananda Ashrama (Mumbai).[1]

The text begins with salutations to Govinda, which can be interpreted either as referring to God or to his guru Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada.[16] It then expounds the significance of Self Realisation, ways to reach it, and the characteristics of a Guru. It criticises attachment to the body and goes to explain the various bodies (śarīra), sheaths (kośa), qualities (guṇa), senses, and energies (prāṇa) which constitute the Anatman.[17] It teaches the disciple the ways to attain Self-realisation, methods of meditation (dhyana) and introspection of the Atman. The Vivekachudamani describes the characteristics of an enlightened human being (Jivanmukta)[18] and a person of steady wisdom (Sthitaprajna) on the lines of Bhagavad Gita.[19]

The Vivekachudmani has been celebrated as a lucid introductory treatise to Advaita Vedanta.[2] It is, states Berger, not a "philosophical or polemical" text. It is primarily a pedagogical treatise, as an aid to an Advaitin's spiritual journey to liberation rather than "philosophy for the sake of philosophy". It is one of the texts of "spiritual sustenance" in the Advaita tradition.[2]

There are two Sanskrit commentaries on this work. Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrusimha Bharati, the pontiff of Sringeri, wrote a commentary titled Vivekodaya (Dawn of Discrimination) on the first seven verses of this work. His disciple, Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi, has written a Vyakhya or commentary on the first 515 verses of this work.

This work has been repeatedly translated into various languages, often accompanied by a commentary in the same language. English translations and commentaries include those by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, Swami Madhavananda, Swami Turiyananda and Swami Chinmayananda. Tamil translations and commentaries include those by Ramana Maharshi.[23] Swami Jyotihswarupananda has translated the Vivekachudamani into Marathi.[24]

Adi Shankaracharya expounds the Advaita Vedanta philosophy in this monumental work, discussing key concepts including Viveka or discrimination between real (unchanging, eternal) and unreal (changing, temporal), Prakriti and Atman, the oneness of Atman and Brahman, and self-knowledge as the central purpose of spiritual life, resulting in Moksha.

Having written monumental commentaries on the Prasthanatraya (the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras) Sankara also composed several sub-texts called Prakaranagranthas (philosophical treatises), with the objective of reaching the message of Vedanta to common people. The Vivekachudamani is the crown jewel of such Prarkarana texts.

vivekacūḍāmaṇi, vivekachudamani or vivekachoodamani literally "The Crest-Jewel of Wisdom" is a famous work by Adi Shankara that expounds advaita vedanta philosophy. Having written commentaries to the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras. Adi Shankara composed many sub-texts in simple Sanskrit, called Prakarana Granthas, with the objective of reaching the message of the Vedas and Upanishads to laypersons. The vivekachudamani, as the name implies, is the crown jewel of such texts.

Viveka Chudamani consists of 580 verses in Sanskrit, but unlike other scriptures, it is not divided into chapters and sections. It has the form of dialogue between the master and the disciple, where the master explains to the disciple the nature of the Atman and the ways to research and know the Atman. The book takes the disciple on a step by step instructions to reach Brahman.

The text begins with Adi Shankara's prayer to his guru Sri Govinda Bhagavatpada. It then expounds the significance of Self Realisation, ways to reach it, and the characteristics of a Guru. It criticizes attachment to the body and goes to explain the various Sareeras, Kosas, Gunas, Senses and Pranas. It teaches the disciple the ways to attain Self realisation, methods of meditation (dhyana) and introspection of the Atman.

The former Shankaracharya of Sringeri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharathi has written a Bhashya or commentary on this work. There is also a translation of this work by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, Shankara's Crest-jewel of Discrimination, with A Garland of Questions and Answers, Vedanta Press, California. Also there is a good translation by Swami Madhavananda (published by Advaita Ashram, Kolkata) in plain English. Swami Chinmayananda wrote an excellent commentary in English. He also gave exhaustive lectures on the text, which are available on DVD through the Chinmaya Mission.

All of this supports the contention that, despite this text being extremely good on other topics, it is not so hot on samAdhi, and this is one of the reasons why many think that it was not written by Shankara. For what Shankara actually thinks about samAdhi, one can turn to the Brahma Sutra bhAShya, about whose authorship no one has any doubts. In 2-1-9, there is a discussion in which the Purvapakshin objects that, if all distinctions merge in Brahman at the time of final dissolution (pralaya), there would be no reason for the re-emergence of the world. Shankara replies that that is untenable because:

As the existence of the mind is based on ignorance, the realisation of the Self has nothing to do with the control of the mind. According to Sankara, the mind is known to exist in relation to the objects it reflects, and the objects are known to exist through the mind. As one is known through the other, in the absence of any one of them the other cannot be known to exist. For this reason, when the mind is completely withdrawn from the objects, realising them to be ultimately unreal, the mind becomes quiescent like the still flame of light kept in a windless place and does not manifest itself. It is the objectless state of the mind in which it is neither dissolved nor is it distracted by the sense-objects, but remains serene like fire without fuel to burn . . .

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