Crest Jewel of Discrimination

Workshop

on Vivekacūḍāmaṇi (Crest Jewel of Discrimination)

Of all the basic manuals of Sri Ādiśaṅkara Bhagavatpāda, Vivekacūḍāmaṇi stands in a class by itself for its exhaustiveness of the treatment of subject, lucidity of its style and clarity it offers in its presentation, besides the method of treatment. This can best be understood by his presentation of serpent-rope illustration, that of mistaking a serpent for rope than the usual rope-serpent analogy to bring out the suffering that may be caused by such experience. While going over this work, the reader may have the feeling that he is walking along with his preceptor, holding his hand firm to the goal. In that it is considered a work for the sādhakās: monastic members aspiring to achieve their goal of Self- realisation. Such is the simplicity of this work, that this has been rendered more into Indian regional languages than has been commented upon in Sanskrit. But it has a commentary in Sanskrit by the great Sri Chandraśekara Bhārati Pūjyapādaḥ who adorned the Śṛṅggiri Pīṭham with a rare distinction, an ātmaniṣṭha and taponiṣṭha. This work has the distinction of being quoted profusely in Advaitic discourses, in Sanskrit commentaries of Advaita works either to emphasis a point or to corroborate a view or to clinch an argument or to elaborate and explain an idea.

Sri Śaṅkara is not a mere dialectical metaphysician but prescribed a way of life that should lead an individual to a vision of his true nature. His system is grounded on śāstra guided by yukti and confirmed by anubhava.

Sri Śaṅkara’s comparison of a leaf falling in a stream or a river or in a temple or in a street-square not giving any merit or demerit to the tree, to the fall of a realized soul’s body evokes similarities in the songs of viragi’s – yatra tatra vane vasan (wherever he might be).

This “Crest Jewel of Discrimination” emphasizes the paramount importance of nitya-anitya-vastu viveka, a knowledge of discrimination between eternal and ephemeral, rightly called satya-asatya-vastu in this work and draws our attention to its importance, as even animals become a victim to allurement of senses over their sense of security. The disciple must possess jijñāsa, adhikāra and vinaya (desire to know, competence and humility) and the preceptor, a Sadguru. Vivekacūḍāmaṇi is in the form of a dialogue in 581 verses. The śiṣya poses seven questions: “What is bondage? How did it arise? What is anātmā?” etc (verse 51) While answering the analysis of five sheaths, and the removal of śiṣya’s doubt of this negation of five sheaths would not result in total negation leading to nihilism. The experience of the realized soul too finds a place in this work, as it were, as it is the cardinal doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, of realizing one’s true nature here and now. Śaṅkara’s methodology is one of rigorous analysis and he fortifies his argument from scripture only when they cannot be subjected to experimental test. Since he prepared this work to be of universal value, the worship of a particular Godhead is not portrayed here though the need for devotion – bhakti – is adequately explained. In fact, he has defined bhakti as sva-svarūpa-anusandhāna.

A study of such a work, completely under the guidance of able scholars, it is felt, will help the young and budding scholars in Indian philosophy very much. Hence we in the Foundation felt that a workshop on this work can be arranged, where in every verse will be taken up, analysed for its content and will help the people to follow the text linguistically as well as subject-wise.

It is proposed to divide the text in to seven heads:

Total Verse Head Topic no. of numbers verses sādhanā catuṣṭaya sampatti gurvabhigamana – 1 1 – 73 73 fourfold qualification and approaching a Guru 2 Kośā anātmā – What is anatma 74 – 126 53 tvam padārtha vicāraḥ and tat padārtha – 3 127 – 242 116 Enquiry in to meanings of tvam and tat svānubhāva brahmātmanā saṁsthitiḥ 4 vāsanakṣaya and jāgratā – self-experience, 243 – 322 80 decimation of impressions and need for alertness Apramādatā, samādhisopāna akhaṇḍavṛtti – 5 need for alertness, steps to Samadhi and 323 – 393 71 importite sense 6 brahmasvarūpa vairāgya uparatibodha phalāni 394 – 477 84 jīvanmukti – The nature of Brahman, the truth of detachment, withdrawl and knowledge and nature of embodied release guroḥ upadeśa upasaṁhāraḥ śiṣyānubhava 7 prakaṭanaṁ – The conclusion of instructions by 478 – 581 104 the teacher and sishya revelling in his experience Indian Council of Philosophical Research 36, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi-110062

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