Vivekachudamani - Crest Jewel of Wisdom

Behind our external appearance (gross body) is our subtle body. A movie actor or a diplomat may be impressive externally, which is their external appearance. Someone else may not be impressive externally but we may be impressed by their higher ideals and values. That is their subtle personality. A plant or a tree is the gross aspect. The seed is the subtle aspect. In the 98th verse, Shankaracharya...

The message of the 85th, 86th and 87th verses is: “The human body is a wonderful instrument for attaining a higher purpose in life. However, if we look upon it as the supreme goal, then we are headed towards spiritual degradation.” One outlook on the body is the following: The body changes every moment. There is nothing remarkable about it. What is inside the skin bag, if it comes out, even crows...

81st verse: “People may get momentary wisdom ( Apata-vairagya ) or renunciation due to setbacks in life. With this momentary wisdom, they try to cross the river of worldly life. Along the way, the crocodile of desire, greed and envy catches them. Renunciation should not be momentary. It should be stable.” Such people are compared to a fool who tries to cross a river sitting on a crocodile. One nee...

The student poses seven questions in the 51st verse. The rest of the text answers these seven questions. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman? Starting with the 74th verse, the t...

Developing Detachment Towards Non-Eternal

Title: Realization Requires Spiritual Effort Verses: 64, 65, 66, 67 The essence of the 60th, 61st and 62nd verses is: “Books are helpful, but by themselves they do not constitute the supreme goal. Books by themselves will not help us with the highest spiritual realization. Long, eloquent scholarly discussions can only confuse oneself and others. As long as one has not realized the spiritual truth,...

Title: Going Beyond Books Verses:  51, 60, 61, 62 The student poses seven questions in the 51st verse. The rest of the text answers these seven questions. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atma...

Title: Who is an Ideal Teacher? Verses:  33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 43 The 33rd verse describes the characteristics of an ideal teacher. He is a friend and guide of any spiritual seeker. He is well versed in the scriptures (vedas), as part of a lineage. He leads a moral and ethical life, free of sinful deeds. He has no selfish desire. He is a knower of Brahman. He is contemplative and immersed in Brahman...

So far, in the text, we covered the following topics: (1) Uniqueness of human life (2) Need for a higher spiritual goal (3) Four important qualities for spiritual seeker The 28th verse describes the three stages of a seeker’s journey. First stage starts with reading of scriptures, doing karma yoga, and developing some conviction about the teachings. In the second stage, that conviction becomes par...

Title: Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti Verses:  16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 Vivekachudamani is one of the introductory texts on Vedanta. The 18th verse introduces the concept of chatustaya (quadrangle or four steps). To purify the mental system, four qualities are needed in a spiritual seeker. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not. The 19th...

When we pursue spiritual life, our emotional system should be ready to absorb the spiritual ideas. If a follower of Vedanta thinks” “I am Brahman, therefore, I don’t have to do any spiritual practices”, he is mistaken. Through spiritual practices, he has to purify and refine his mental system. Then it becomes like a clean mirror that reflects the divine spark within, and he can understand spiritua...

Title: Spiritual Inquiry Verses:  18, 19, 20, 21 The 18th verse says: “Those who want to learn about Advaita, they need to have four important qualities. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not.” These qualities should be imbibed at an emotional level, not just intellectual level. The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushta...

Title: Turning away from unreal towards the Real Verses:  16, 17, 18, 19 In earlier classes, we discussed the importance of human birth and the three rare gifts from God. (1) Being born as a human being (2) Desire for liberation (3) Coming in contact with a great holy person. We also discussed the 16th verse which describes who is fit for spiritual enquiry. It says: “He should have proper intellig...

Title: Three Rare Gifts from God Verses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 16 Shankaracharya begins the text in the 1st verse with obeisance to his teacher: Govinda Bhagavatpada. “I bow down to the great teacher who is the embodiment of the supreme truth and knowledge.” 2nd verse: “Human birth is a rare gift from God. Ever harder to obtain is an aspiration for spiritual truth. Understanding of scriptures...

Title: Introduction to the Text and Author Vivekachudamani  talks about one supreme reality. The goal of human life is to realize the truth about this supreme reality. It is based on the idea that creation is one spiritual family. Its author is Shankaracharya. Gandhi says about Shankaracharya: “He established such a firm foundation in 32 years that the British empire could not undo in 190 years. S...