Vivekachudamani: The Crest Jewel Of Discrimination

Vivekachudamani, or the Crest Jewel of Discrimination, is what is referred to as a prakārana text. Meant to be a workbook for the diligent student of the yoga of Knowledge, it acts as a bridge between the guru and shishya. This bridge is what enables the longing of the student for freedom and the devotion of the free to compassion to meet in the beautiful dance of being and becoming.

This dance itself leads to the end of all doubt.

Transcript

Viveka Chudamani,

Of Sri Sreem Karacharya,

Translated by Swami Turiyananda.

Shloka 471,

The Experience of the Self Those ascetics and great souls whose desires have been completely fulfilled,

Who have become full of peace,

Who have made themselves fully controlled,

Knowing the supreme truth and uniting themselves with that,

Attain this blissful state of freedom.

You,

O Great One,

Knowing this pure state of your own self,

Which is the consolidation of blissfulness,

Wash off the attachments that are the creations of your own mind.

Be conscious,

Be free,

And be successful.

I have told you enough.

Now try to realize it by attaining samadhi.

With unshaken faith,

Attain samadhi.

Realize it.

The things heard,

When realized,

Will not produce any doubt again.

Whether you are free from your own ignorance or not,

You alone know.

To know one's freedom from the bondage that comes from contact with ignorance and the attainment of the state of pure existence,

Knowledge,

And bliss,

The scriptures,

Reason,

And the words of the Guru are proofs.

But one's own conviction,

Felt within,

Is the greatest of all.

Masters may direct from the shore,

But the disciple must cross the ocean by their own shore knowledge.

The teachers only show from a distance.

Teachers and scriptures awaken the disciple from a distance.

But the learned should know the Atman by his own self through the grace of the Lord.

By one's own inward knowledge,

Knowing one's own indivisibility,

The one self,

Be identified with that unchangeable Atman.

Remain in the self,

Free from all change.

This is the sure decision of Vedanta.

Brahman is all,

The jiva and the world.

To stay in that state constantly is what is called freedom.

And Brahman is one without a second.

This scripture is the testimony.

Realize directly in your own self-knowledge.