Title: Vivekacūḍāmaṇi
First published: 1932
Description: The Vivekachudamani (Sanskrit: विवेकचूडामणि) is a famous Sanskrit poem ascribed to Adi Shankara in the eighth century. It expounds the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and is in the form of 580 verses in the Shardula Vikridita metre. The Vivekachudamani describes developing Viveka — the human faculty of discrimination — as the central task in the spiritual life and calls it the crown jewel among the essentials for Moksha. The title Vivekachudamani translates to Crest Jewel of Discrimination. Through the centuries, the Vivekachudamani has been translated into several languages and has been the topic of many commentaries and expositions.
Subjects: Advaita, Sri Adi Shankaracharya, Early works to 1800, Ātman, Self-realization, Vedanta, Atman, Religious aspects of Self-realization, Hinduism
Places: India
People: Sri Adi Śaṅkarācārya
Time periods: Philosophy and Salvation