Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination: Timeless Teachings on Nonduality - The Vivekachudamani (Hardcover)

~ Sankaracarya (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A classic text on the path to God through knowledge. The basic teaching is that God alone is the all-pervading reality; the individual soul is none other than the universal soul.

According to Shankara, it is the ignorance of our real nature that causes suffering and pain. The desire for happiness is essentially a longing to awaken to who and what we truly are.

Through the path of self-knowledge, Shankara clearly teaches how to awaken from ignornce created by the mind, and abide in the peace of our true nature.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 139 pages
• Publisher: Vedanta Press; 3rd edition (1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0874810345
• ISBN-13: 978-0874810349
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #530,802 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless and crystallized, but extremely difficult reading, January 17, 2000

By	T.G. (Newcastle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is very rough going for the modern Western reader. The teachings are timeless, but the writing style and context are extremely dated (it was written at least 1300 years ago). I would not recommend this to anyone who is not already very advanced in knowledge of Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta, unless you're simply looking for an unusual reading experience. There are many books just as 'enlightening' (see "I Am That" by Nisargadatta Maharaj), and written in a modern context that makes far more sense to the reader of today.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless wisdom and beauty in this book, February 26, 2004

By	Dee (Dubai, UAE) - See all my reviews

Adi Shankaracharya was born about 2500 years ago. He propagated the ancient Vedic Dharma in the form of Advaita or the philosophy of non-duality. He lived only for 32 years but he gave so much more than anyone could in a hundred lives. The Sanskrit verses within this book do make a difficult read but the essence remains the same. Shankara's use of logic is inexorable, and in depth.

For instance, suppose that a man thinks that there is a snake in the wood, but in fact it is simply a rope. In this case, as far as he continues to superimpose the false image of a snake on the rope, he will never be able to know that it is a rope. But as soon as he drops the false knowledge, he can experience the reality as it is. Similarly, because of the false knowledge about our real identity, we misunderstand that there is a phenomenal world "out there", which is different from us. It is those who can get rid of this false "superimposition", who will know instantaneously that we are one with the whole world, and that we are "enlightened" already here, at this very moment.

If you understand what does and doesn't matter, you can devote your energies to the former and shield yourself from concern for the latter. Discriminating between the Real and the Unreal is the key to understanding our True Self.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Crest-Jewel" of Shankara's original works!, October 19, 2008

By	K. Saran - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the best of Sankara's original works. Sankara wrote commentaries on all three canons of Vedanta (i.e., Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita). However, to summarize the teachings for the layman, he wrote a few original books and the most important of these are:
1. Vivekachudamani
2. Atma Bodha (Self-Knowledge)
3. Drg-Drisya-Viveka

Vivekachudamani is in the form of a conversation between a Guru and his disciple. First, Shankara lays down the four qualifications for attainment of Self-Knowledge. Then he discusses 'the five sheaths' that one needs to overcome to attain Self-Knowledge. This is a methodical and logical discussion, yet very simple and easy to grasp.

Swami Prabhavananda, who was a dedicated monk, has captured the spirit of Shankara's sanskrit work. Christopher Isherwood seems to have polished the English. The end result is an excellent product.

P.S.: I recommend the hardcover edition of this book as most people will store this book for their life.

This book is to be followed up by:
- Self-Knowledge: Sankara's "Atmabodha".
- Drg-Drsya-Viveka: An Inquiry Into the Nature of the Seer and the Seen