Home » Summary » Vivekachudamani

Vivekachudamani of Adi Sankara
[The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination]
A Summary
[Based on the Commentary of Pujya Sri Jagadguru Chandrasekhara Bharati Swami]
By S. N. Sastri

Introduction

SriSankara Bhagavatpada has blessed the world with an enormous legacy ofinvaluable gems. These can be grouped under three broad categories. Thefirst category, meant for the intellectually most advanced, compriseshis commentaries (bhaashya) on the Upanishads, Brahmasutras and theBhagavadgita, known collectively as the prasthaanatrayam. The secondcategory consists of independent works, known as prakarana granthas,which expound the gist of the upanishads in simple language. These varyin length from half a verse to one thousand verses. In the thirdcategory fall devotional hymns addressed to various deities. Throughthese devotional hymns also the teachings of Vedanta are conveyed.There is a wrong impression among some persons, particularly Westernscholars, that Sri Sankara did not attach importance to devotion to apersonal God. On the basis of this view they conclude that thedevotional hymns cannot be works of Sri Sankara. This view is belied bySri Sankara's own statements in his commentaries, which are accepted byall to be his works. For example, in his commentary on the Gita, 2.39,he explains Krishna's words to Arjuna thus-"You will become free frombondage by the attainment of knowledge through God's grace". Again, in18.65-"Knowing for certain that liberation is the definite result ofdevotion to God, one should be intent only on surrender to God".Moreover, Sri Sankara is well known for having re-established theworship of the supreme God-head in His six aspects, and is referred toas the Shanmatasthapaka.

Unlike the Sankhyas who gaveimportance only to the Jnaanakaanda and the Purva Mimamsakas whodismissed the Upanishads as mere arthavada or eulogy, Sankaraestablished in his bhaashyas that both the kaandas have validity,though at different stages of the aspirant's spiritual progress. In hisbhaashya on Br. Up. 4.4.2 he says-"All the obligatory rites serve asmeans to liberation through the attainment of Self-knowledge. Hence wesee that the ultimate purpose of the two parts of the Vedas, thatdealing with rites and that dealing with Self-knowledge, is the same".In many places in the Karma kanda there are clear indications that theultimate goal of life is liberation.

What is Advaita Vedanta? Dr.T.M.P.Mahadevan says in his book ‘Ramana Maharshi and His Philosophy ofExistence'-"We believe that Advaita is not a sectarian doctrine. It isthe culmination of all doctrines, the crown of all views. Though otherviews may imagine themselves to be opposed to Advaita, Advaita isopposed to none. As Gaudapada, a pre-Sankara teacher of Advaita, says,Advaita has no quarrel with any system of philosophy. While thepluralistic world-views may be in conflict with one another, Advaita isnot opposed to any of them. It recognizes the measure of truth thatthere is in each of them; but only, that truth is not the whole.Hostility arises out of partial vision. When the whole truth isrealized, there can be no hostility. (Mandukya Karika, III. 17 &18; IV. 5)".

The core of Advaita is that Brahman is the onlyreality. ‘Reality' is defined as that which does not undergo any changeat any time. By this test, Brahman, which is absolutely changeless andeternal, is alone real. The world keeps on changing all the time and soit cannot be considered as real. At the same time, we cannot dismiss itas unreal, because it is actually experienced by us. The example of arope being mistaken for a snake in dim light is used to explain this.The snake so seen produces the same reaction, such as fear andtrembling of the limbs, as a real snake would. It cannot therefore besaid to be totally unreal. At the same time, on examination with thehelp of a lamp it is found that the snake never existed and that therope alone was there all the time. The snake cannot be described asboth real and unreal, because these two contradictory qualities cannotexist in the same entity. It must therefore be said that the snake isneither real nor unreal. Just as the snake appears because of ignoranceof the fact that there is only a rope, this world appears to existbecause of our ignorance of Brahman. Thus the world is also neitherreal nor unreal; it is ‘mithya' or ‘anirvachaniya', meaning‘indescribable'. Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, theworld is superimposed on Brahman. Our ignorance of Brahman is what iscalled avidya or ajnana or nescience. This nescience has two powers,the power to conceal the reality, known as aavaranasakti and the powerto project the unreal, known as vikshepasakti. Because of these twopowers, nescience not only covers Brahman, but it further projects theuniverse and makes it appear real. The world has no reality apart fromBrahman, just as the snake has no reality apart from the rope. When theknowledge of Brahman arises, the world is seen as a mere appearance ofBrahman. Another example may be taken to explain this. Ornaments ofdifferent sizes and shapes are made out of one gold bar. Theirappearance and the use for which they are meant vary, but the fact thatthey are all really only gold, in spite of the different appearancesand uses, cannot be denied. The appearance may change, a bangle may beconverted into rings, but the gold always remains as gold. Similarly,on the dawn of the knowledge of Brahman (which is the same as theSelf), though the different forms continue to be seen by the Jnaani, hesees them all only as appearances of the one Brahman. Thus theperception of difference and the consequences of such perception, suchas looking upon some as favourable and others as the opposite, and theconsequent efforts to retain or get what is favourable and to get ridof or avoid what is not favourable, come to an end. This is the stateof liberation even while living, which is known as Jivanmukti.

TheJiva, or individual, is none but Brahman, but because of identificationwith the body, mind and senses he looks upon himself as different fromBrahman and as a limited being, subject to joys and sorrows caused byexternal factors. This identification with the body, mind and senses iswhat is called bondage. In reality the Jiva is the pure Brahman and isdifferent from the body-mind complex. When this truth is realized as anactual experience, the identification with the body-mind complexceases. This is liberation. Thus liberation is not the attainment of astate which did not exist previously, but only the realization of whatone has always been. The illusory snake never existed. What existedeven when the snake was seen was only the rope. Similarly, bondage hasno real existence at all. Even when we are ignorant of Brahman andthink of ourselves as limited by the body, we are really none but theinfinite Brahman. Liberation is thus only the removal of the wrongidentification with the body, mind and senses. The attainment of thestate of liberation-in-life or Jivanmukti is the goal of human lifeaccording to the Upanishads.

The method followed in Vedanta toexplain the nature of Brahman is known as ‘superimposition and denial'(adhyaaropa and apavaada). Only an object that has a quality or anactivity or a relationship with some other known object can bedescribed by words. Brahman is devoid of all these and so it cannot bedescribed directly. The world, with which we are familiar, is thereforetaken as the starting point and we are gradually led from the known tothe unknown and unknowable that is Brahman. It cannot be known becauseit can never be objectified. It is the eternal subject in whose merepresence the body, mind and the sense organs function. It is pureconsciousness and it is the reflection of this consciousness that makesthe body, mind and senses appear to be conscious.

The world iscalled prapancha because it has five characteristics, namely, existence(asti), manifestation (bhaati), lovability (priyam), name (naama), andform (roopa). Of these, the last two are different for each entity orobject. They are always subject to change and are the products ofmaaya. The unenlightened person looks upon this aggregate of fivecharacteristics as the world. The first three constitute the essentialnature of Brahman (or the Self) which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.The enlightened person knows that this Brahman is the only reality andthat the world is only an appearance on this Brahman which is thesubstratum. The Upanishads speak of Brahman as the cause of the world,but this is only to enable us to understand the ultimate truth that theworld has no reality. Sri Sankara makes this clear in his bhaashya onBr.up.2.1.20 : "Therefore, the mention in all the Vedanta texts of theorigin, sustenance and dissolution of the universe is only tostrengthen our idea of Brahman being a homogeneous entity, and not totell us that the origin, etc, is real. Nor is it reasonable to supposethat a part of the indivisible, transcendental Supreme Self becomes therelative, individual self, because the Supreme Self is intrinsicallywithout parts". This is the method of superimposition and subsequentdenial. Ultimately the nature of Brahman as the only reality is broughtout by the famous words in the Br.Up, ‘neti, neti', (‘not this, notthis'). When the whole universe, which is only a projection bynescience, is negated what remains is the eternal, immutable, non-dualBrahman.

Vivekachudamani is a prakarana grantha. It consists of581 verses. It is not divided into chapters or sections. It is in theform of a dialogue between an ardent seeker and his Guru. Thefundamental principle in Vedanta is that its teachings should beimparted only to those who sincerely seek it and approach a Guru withdeference and faith. In this work the Guru proceeds step by step,answering the doubts of the disciple with patience until at the end thedisciple attains realization.

The actual text will be taken up inthe subsequent pages. Though this is entitled 'A Summary', what isproposed is not only to give the meaning of the verses, but to furthersupplement it by explanatory notes wherever necessary.
****

Inthe first sloka Sri Sankara pays obeisance to God and his own Guru. Thesloka says: I bow down to Govinda who is the goal of all Vedanta, whois beyond words and thought, who is supreme bliss itself and who is myGuru. By the word Govinda the supreme Lord as well as Sri Sankara'sGuru Sri Govindabhagavatpada are meant. It is laid down in ourtradition that the Guru should be looked upon as God Himself and not asa mere human being. In his work entitled Satasloki, in the very firstsloka Sri Sankara declares that the Sadguru is incomparable in all thethree worlds. He says:

"There is nothing in all the three worldsthat can be compared to the Sadguru who imparts the knowledge of theSelf. The legendary Philosopher's stone may perhaps be suggested as anapt comparison, because it has the capacity to convert a piece of ironinto gold, just as the Sadguru converts an ordinary disciple into anenlightened person. But this comparison cannot stand because, while theSadguru makes the disciple another Guru like himself, the Philosopher'sstone does not have the power to convert a piece of iron into anotherPhilosopher's stone like itself. Therefore the Sadguru is incomparableand his glory transcends the world".
****

Human Birth is Precious

Afterpaying obeisance to God and Guru, Sri Sankara says that birth as ahuman being is difficult to get. A jiva goes through innumerable birthsin the form of various other creatures before being born as a humanbeing. Even after birth as a human being, to have an inclination tostudy the scriptures, to attain discrimination between the Self and thenot-Self, and ultimately to attain liberation, are the results of punyaacquired in innumerable past lives.

Three things are very rare,and attained only through the grace of God: the quality of being ahuman being in the true sense of the term (not mere birth as a humanbeing), an intense yearning for liberation, and association with agreat soul. A person who, in spite of having the advantages of birth ina cultured family and study of the Vedas does not strive for liberationwastes his precious life. Liberation cannot be attained throughacquisition of wealth or through mere performance of rituals laid downin the Vedas or through noble deeds, as long as they are performed withthe desire to get some personal benefit. This should not be understoodto mean that rituals and noble deeds are to be discarded. On the otherhand, Sri Sankara stresses in many places that the actions ordained bythe Vedas should be performed in order to attain purity of mind. If thesame actions are performed as karma yoga, that is, without desire forany personal benefit for the performer and as an offering to God, theywill lead to purity of mind. Even a good action, whether ritualistic orworldly, performed with the desire to derive some personal benefit orjust fame, creates bondage. Even the acquisition of punya by theperformance of good deeds produces bondage because the person has to beborn again in order to enjoy the results of his good actions. So aspiritual aspirant has to perform actions in such a way that they donot produce even punya. The Gita says that no one can remain withoutperforming action even for a moment. Since the performance of actionsis inevitable, one has to perform them in such a way that they do notproduce either punya or paapa. The method of achieving this iskarmayoga. Sri Sankara explains in his commentary on the Gita that inthe word ‘karmayoga' the word ‘yoga' is used in the sense of the ‘meansto attain union with Brahman'. So ‘karmayoga' means action performed insuch a way that it becomes the means to union with Brahman, which isliberation. The statement in Bhagavadgita, 2.50, "yogah karmasukaushalam' is interpreted by Sri Sankara in his Bhashya thus: Yoga isskilfulness in action. The skilfulness consists in converting actionwhich is by its very nature the cause of bondage into a means forremoval of bondage. This means is karmayoga. Karmayoga purifies themind. It is only a pure mind, that is, a mind free from desires, greed,infatuation etc., that is fit to receive the knowledge of the Self.Liberation is attained only through knowledge of one's real nature andnot by actions alone, whether Vedic or worldly. For attaining knowledgeof the Self one should give up the hankering after worldly pleasuresand approach a Guru who is an enlightened person. He should thenenquire into the nature of the Self, in accordance with theinstructions of his Guru.

A man who has mistaken a rope for asnake in dim light is frightened and screams for help. His fear willdisappear only if he finds out the real nature of the object in frontwith the light of a lamp. No action to drive away the illusory snakewill help. Similarly, one should enquire into one's own real nature byhearing the scriptures from his Guru (sravanam), reflecting on what hehas heard to remove doubts (mananam) and meditating on the teachings(nididhyaasanam).

Why liberation cannot be the result of any action.

Theresults of all actions fall under four categories only: production,attainment, modification, and purification. Brahman is ever-existentand so it is not something to be produced. We are always Brahman evenwhen we do not know it and so it is not something to be attained.Brahman ever exists as changeless and so it is not something to beattained by modifying something. It is ever pure and so it is not to begot by purifying something. As we know from actual experience, anythingbrought into existence by action has a beginning and has therefore anend also. But liberation is permanent. Because of all these reasonsliberation cannot be the result of any action. Liberation is nothingbut the removal of our ignorance about our real nature. Ignorance canbe remove only by knowledge and not by any other means.

The spiritual aspirant has to acquire certain preliminary qualificationsknown as saadhana-chatushtaya. These will be described in the nextarticle.
****

Four Preliminary Requisites (Saadhanachatushtayam)

Inorder that hearing, reflection and meditation may be fruitful, theaspirant should have acquired the four preliminary qualificationsmentioned below.

The four requisites are (1) discriminationbetween the eternal and the non-eternal (nitya-anitya-vastu vivekah),(2) detachment towards all enjoyments in this world as well as inhigher worlds like heaven (iha-amutra-phalabhoga-viraagah), (3)possession of the six virtues commencing with control of the mind(shamaadishatkasampattih), and (4) intense yearning for liberation(mumukshutvam). Each of these is explained below.

(1) The firmconviction that Brahman alone is real and that the universe is illusory(mithyaa) is discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal.

(2)Detachment is revulsion towards all objects of enjoyment in this worldas well as in higher worlds, including one's own body.

(3) Thesix virtues starting with shama are--- shama, dama, uparati, titikshaa,shraddhaa, samaadhaana. These are explained below.
(a) Withdrawing the mind from all sense- pleasures by realizing theirharmful nature, and making it rest on one's objective (namely, theSelf) is shama.
(b) Restraining the organs of sense and of action (jnaanendriya and karmendriya) is known as dama.
(c) When the mind ceases to function through the external organs, that state is uparati.
(d) Enduring all adversities without lament or anxiety and without seeking to counter them is titikshaa.
(e) Firm conviction about the truth of the scriptures and the teachings of the Guru is shraddhaa.
(f) The mind remaining firmly fixed in the attributeless Brahman is samaadhaana.

(4)The fourth requisite, mumukshutvam is intense yearning to become freefrom nescience (avidya) and its effect, bondage, by the realization ofone's true nature. In his Bhashya on Gita,4.11 Sri Sankara says that itis impossible for a person to be a seeker of liberation and also aseeker of the fruits of action at the same time. From this it is clearthat only a person who has attained total and intense detachment can becalled a mumukshu. The definition of yogaarudha in Gita 6.4 as one whois free from attachment to sense-objects and actions and does not eventhink of them indicates that both these terms have the same meaning.

Ofthese, detachment and the yearning for liberation are the mostimportant. Only if these two are strong, will the others like shama,etc, be fruitful. If detachment and desire for liberation are not verystrong, the other qualities will be unreal like the water in a mirageand will be of no use.

In sloka 32 of Vivekachudamani it is said,"Among the various means for liberation, bhakti is the greatest". Butthe word ‘bhakti' is not used here in the usual sense of devotion to apersonal God. In this sloka itself bhakti is defined as ‘continuouscontemplation of one's essential nature'-sva-svarupa-anusandhaana.According to the commentary of Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati this wordmeans nididhyaasana or profound repeated meditation on the mahaavakya,which follows sravana, hearing the sruti from the Guru, and manana,reflecting on the same to remove all doubts.

In this contextthe specific meanings of these three words, sravana, manana, andnididhyaasana, as given in other authoritative works may be quotedbecause these words have a very important place in Vedanta:--

Vedantasaara of Sadaananda, ch.5, para 182-Hearing is the determination, bythe application of the six characteristic signs, that the purport ofthe entire Vedanta is the non-dual Brahman. The six signs are-(1) thebeginning and the conclusion, (2) repetition, (3) originality, (4)result, (5) eulogy and (6) demonstration. The Sanskrit terms for theseare, respectively, upakramopasamhaara, abhyaasa, apoorvataa, phala,arthavaada, and upapatti. Each of these terms is explained below.

Vedantasaara,ch.5. para 185-The term ‘ the beginning and the conclusion' meansthe presentation of the subject matter of a section at the beginningand at the end of the section. For example, in the sixth chapter of theChhaandogya Upanishad, Brahman, which is the subject-matter of thechapter, is introduced at the beginning with the words, "One onlywithout a second", etc. (6.2.1). At the end of the chapter Brahman isagain spoken of in the words, "In It all that exists has its Self",etc. (6.8.7).

Para 186-Repetition is the repeated presentation ofthe subject-matter in the section. In the same chapter, Brahman, theOne without a second, is mentioned nine times by the sentence "Thou artthat".

Para 187-‘Originality' means that the subject-matter ofthe section is not known through any other source of knowledge. Forinstance, the subject matter of the above section, namely, Brahman,cannot be known through any source of knowledge other than the sruti.

Para188-The ‘result' is the utility of the subject-matter. For example, inthe same section, we find the sentences" One who has a teacher realizesBrahman. He has to wait only as long as he is not freed from the body;then he is united with Brahman". (6.14.2). Here the utility of theknowledge is attainment of Brahman.

Para 189-Eulogy is thepraise of the subject-matter. The words in this section, "Did you askfor that instruction by which one knows what has not been known, etc"(6.1.3) are spoken in praise of Brahman.

Para 190-Demonstrationis the reasoning in support of the subject-matter, adduced at differentplaces in the same section. An example is-"My dear, as by one lump ofclay all that is made of clay is known, every modification being only aname, and being real only as clay"-(6.4.1). This shows that theuniverse has no reality except as an apparent modification of Brahman,the only Reality.

Para 191-Reflection is the constant thinkingof Brahman, the One without a second, already heard about from theteacher, by making use of arguments in a constructive manner.

Para 192-Meditation is keeping the mind fixed on the thought of Brahman, uninterrupted by any other thought.

The result achieved by ‘hearing' etc.

‘Hearing'removes the doubt whether the upanishadic text which is the pramaanapurports to teach about Brahman or about some other entity. This doubtis known as pramaana-asambhaavanaa, or the doubt about the pramaanaitself. The pramaana here is the upanishad.

‘Reflection' removesthe doubt whether Brahman and the jiva are identical or not. This doubtis called prameya-asambhaavanaa, doubt about the subject-matter.

‘Meditation'is intended to remove wrong notions such as "The universe is real; thedifference between Brahman and jiva is real", which are contrary to theteachings of the upanishads, by developing concentration of the mind.Such wrong notions are known as viparita-bhaavanaa.

Thus thepurpose of hearing, reflection and meditation is the removal ofobstacles in the form of doubts and wrong notions that stand in the wayof the origination of Self-knowledge.

A person who has acquiredthe preliminary qualifications mentioned earlier should approach a Guruand seek his help. Sri Sankara says in his Bhashya on theMundakopanishad that no one should undertake the enquiry about Brahmanwithout the help of a Guru. This is because the subject is very subtleand one is apt to misunderstand the scriptures.

Qualities of the Guru

TheGuru should be well-versed in the scriptures, sinless, free fromdesires. The mind of the Guru is always fixed on Brahman. He is full ofcompassion. He is always intent on helping others without theexpectation of anything in return. The disciple should approach theGuru with humility and pray to him to instruct him on the means toattain liberation. The Guru tells such an earnest seeker that he is inreality none other than the supreme Self and that all sufferings aredue only to ignorance of his real nature. This ignorance can be removedby the knowledge that will arise by a proper enquiry into the import ofthe Upanishads. The disciple then asks the following seven questions.
1. What is bondage?
2. How did it arise?
3. How does it continue?
4. How can it be eradicated?
5. What is the not-Self?
6. Who is the Paramaatmaa?
7. How can we distinguish between the two?
These questions are answered in the rest of this treatise.
****

Vedanta Paribhasha << Home >>