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Biography of Sankara
Advaita Vedanta Philosophy
Advaita Vedanta - Q & A
Works of Adi Sankara
� Gita Bhashya
� Br.Sutra Bhashya - I
� Br.Sutra Bhashya - II
� Vivekachudamani
� Upadesa Sahasri
� Aparokshanubhuti
� Atma Bodha
� Vakya Sudha
� Tattva Bodha
� Vakya Vritti
Vivekachudamani (part1)
� Panchikaranam
part1 part2 part3 part4 part5 part6
� Shivananda Lahari
� Soundarya Lahari By Adi Sankaracharya, Translated by Swami Madhavananda
� Nirguna Manasa Puja Published by Advaita Ashram, Kolkatta
� Kanakadhara Stotram
� Bhaja Govindam
1. I bow to Govinda, whose nature is Bliss Supreme, who is the Sadguru, who can be
known only from the import of all Vedanta, and who is beyond the reach of speech and
� Bhavani Ashtakam
mind.
� Nirvana Shatkam
� Sadhana Panchakam 2. For all beings a human birth is difficult to obtain, more so is a male body; rarer than
� Shiva Manasa Pooja that is Brahmanahood; rarer still is the attachment to the path of Vedic religion; higher
� Sidhanta Tatva Vindu than this is erudition in the scriptures; discrimination between the Self and not-Self,
Upanishads Realisation, and continuing in a state of identity with Brahman � these come next in
� Aitareya Upanishad order. (This kind of) Mukti (Liberation) is not to be attained except through the well-
� Kena Upanishad earned merits of a hundred crore of births.
� Isa Upanishad
3. These are three things which are rare indeed and are due to the grace of God �
� Katha Upanishad
namely, a human birth, the longing for Liberation, and the protecting care of a
� Mundaka Upanishad
perfected sage.
� Prasna Upanishad
� Svetasvatara Upanishad 4. The man who, having by some means obtained a human birth, with a male body
� Taittiriya Upanishad and mastery of the Vedas to boot, is foolish enough not to exert himself for self-
� Mandukya Upanishad liberation, verily commits suicide, for he kills himself by clinging to things unreal.
� Chandogya Upanishad
5. What greater fool is there than the man who having obtained a rare human body,
� Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
and a masculine body too, neglects to achieve the real end of this life ?
Vedas
� Rig Veda 6. Let people quote the Scriptures and sacrifice to the gods, let them perform rituals
� Yajur Veda and worship the deities, but there is no Liberation without the realisation of one�s
� Sama Veda identity with the Atman, no, not even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas put
together.
� Atharva Veda
Vedanta Texts 7. There is no hope of immortality by means of riches � such indeed is the declaration
� Brahma Sutras of the Vedas. Hence it is clear that works cannot be the cause of Liberation.
� Panchadasi
� Hastamalaka 8. Therefore the man of learning should strive his best for Liberation, having
renounced his desire for pleasures from external objects, duly approaching a good and
� Avadhuta Gita
generous preceptor, and fixing his mind on the truth inculcated by him.
� Astavakra Gita
Epics 9. Having attained the Yogarudha state, one should recover oneself, immersed in the
� Mahabharatam sea of birth and death by means of devotion to right discrimination.
� Srimad Bhagavatam
10. Let the wise and erudite man, having commenced the practice of the realisation of
Others Texts
the Atman give up all works and try to cut loose the bonds of birth and death.
� Pathanjali Yoga Sutras
� Narada Bhakti Sutras 11. Work leads to purification of the mind, not to perception of the Reality. The
� Uttara Gita (Anu Gita) realisation of Truth is brought about by discrimination and not in the least by ten
� I am That (Nisargadatta) million of acts.
� Nisargadatta Portal
12. By adequate reasoning the conviction of the reality about the rope is gained, which
Ramana Bhagavan
puts an end to the great fear and misery caused by the snake worked up in the
� Who Am I? deluded mind.
� Spiritual Instruction
Resource Links 13. The conviction of the Truth is seen to proceed from reasoning upon the salutary
� Advaita Vedanta Blog counsel of the wise, and not by bathing in the sacred waters, nor by gifts, nor by a
� Nisargadatta Blog hundred Pranayamas (control of the vital force).
� Ramana Maharshi Blog
14. Success depends essentially on a qualified aspirant; time, place and other such
� Upanishads & Vedas Blog
means are but auxiliaries in this regard.
� Hindu Beliefs Blog
15. Hence the seeker after the Reality of the Atman should take to reasoning, after
duly approaching the Guru � who should be the best of the knowers of Brahman, and
an ocean of mercy.
16. An intelligent and learned man skilled in arguing in favour of the Scriptures and in
refuting counter-arguments against them � one who has got the above characteristics
is the fit recipient of the knowledge of the Atman.
17. The man who discriminates between the Real and the unreal, whose mind is
turned away from the unreal, who possesses calmness and the allied virtues, and who
is longing for Liberation, is alone considered qualified to enquire after Brahman.
18. Regarding this, sages have spoken of four means of attainment, which alone being
present, the devotion to Brahman succeeds, and in the absence of which, it fails.
19. First is enumerated discrimination between the Real and the unreal; next comes
aversion to the enjoyment of fruits (of one�s actions) here and hereafter; (next is) the
group of six attributes, viz. calmness and the rest; and (last) is clearly the yearning for
Liberation.
20. A firm conviction of the mind to the effect that Brahman is real and the universe
unreal, is designated as discrimination (Viveka) between the Real and the unreal.
21. Vairagya or renunciation is the desire to give up all transitory enjoyments
(ranging) from those of an (animate) body to those of Brahmahood (having already
known their defects) from observation, instruction and so forth.
22. The resting of the mind steadfastly on its Goal (viz. Brahman) after having
detached itself from manifold sense-objects by continually observing their defects, is
called Shama or calmness.
23. Turning both kinds of sense-organs away from sense-objects and placing them in
their respective centres, is called Dama or self-control. The best Uparati or self-
withdrawal consists in the mind-function ceasing to be affected by external objects.
24. The bearing of all afflictions without caring to redress them, being free (at the
same time) from anxiety or lament on their score, is called Titiksha or forbearance.
25. Acceptance by firm judgment as true of what the Scriptures and the Guru instruct,
is called by sages Shraddha or faith, by means of which the Reality is perceived.
26. Not the mere indulgence of thought (in curiosity) but the constant concentration of
the intellect (or the affirming faculty) on the ever-pure Brahman, is what is called
Samadhana or self-settledness.
27. Mumukshuta or yearning for Freedom is the desire to free oneself, by realising
one�s true nature, from all bondages from that of egoism to that of the body �
bondages superimposed by Ignorance.
28. Even though torpid or mediocre, this yearning for Freedom, through the grace of
the Guru, may bear fruit (being developed) by means of Vairagya (renunciation),
Shama (calmness), and so on.
29. In his case, verily, whose renunciation and yearning for Freedom are intense,
calmness and the other practices have (really) their meaning and bear fruit.
30. Where (however) this renunciation and yearning for Freedom are torpid, there
calmness and the other practices are as mere appearances, like water in a desert.
31. Among things conducive to Liberation, devotion (Bhakti) holds the supreme place.
The seeking after one�s real nature is designated as devotion.
32. Others maintain that the inquiry into the truth of one�s own self is devotion. The
inquirer about the truth of the Atman who is possessed of the above-mentioned means
of attainment should approach a wise preceptor, who confers emancipation from
bondage.
33. Who is versed in the Vedas, sinless, unsmitten by desire and a knower of Brahman
par excellence, who has withdrawn himself into Brahman; who is calm, like fire that
has consumed its fuel, who is a boundless reservoir of mercy that knows no reason,
and a friend of all good people who prostrate themselves before him.
34. Worshipping that Guru with devotion, and approaching him, when he is pleased
with prostration, humility and service, (he) should ask him what he has got to know:
35. O Master, O friend of those that bow to thee, thou ocean of mercy, I bow to thee;
save me, fallen as I am into this sea of birth and death, with a straightforward glance
of thine eye, which sheds nectar-like grace supreme.
36. Save me from death, afflicted as I am by the unquenchable fire of this world-
forest, and shaken violently by the winds of an untoward lot, terrified and (so) seeking
refuge in thee, for I do not know of any other man with whom to seek shelter.
37. There are good souls, calm and magnanimous, who do good to others as does the
spring, and who, having themselves crossed this dreadful ocean of birth and death,
help others also to cross the same, without any motive whatsoever.
38. It is the very nature of the magnanimous to move of their own accord towards
removing others� troubles. Here, for instance, is the moon who, as everybody knows,
voluntarily saves the earth parched by the flaming rays of the sun.
39. O Lord, with thy nectar-like speech, sweetened by the enjoyment of the elixir-like
bliss of Brahman, pure, cooling to a degree, issuing in streams from thy lips as from a
pitcher, and delightful to the ear � do thou sprinkle me who am tormented by worldly
afflictions as by the tongues of a forest-fire. Blessed are those on whom even a
passing glance of thy eye lights, accepting them as thine own.
40. How to cross this ocean of phenomenal existence, what is to be my fate, and
which of the means should I adopt � as to these I know nothing. Condescend to save
me, O Lord, and describe at length how to put an end to the misery of this relative
existence.
41. As he speaks thus, tormented by the afflictions of the world � which is like a forest
on fire � and seeking his protection, the saint eyes him with a glance softened with
pity and spontaneously bids him give up all fear.
42. To him who has sought his protection, thirsting for Liberation, who duly obeys the
injunctions of the Scriptures, who is of a serene mind, and endowed with calmness �
(to such a one) the sage proceeds to inculcate the truth out of sheer grace.
43. Fear not, O learned one, there is no death for thee; there is a means of crossing
this sea of relative existence; that very way by which sages have gone beyond it, I
shall inculcate to thee.
44. There is a sovereign means which puts an end to the fear of relative existence;
through that thou wilt cross the sea of Samsara and attain the supreme bliss.
45. Reasoning on the meaning of the Vedanta leads to efficient knowledge, which is
immediately followed by the total annihilation of the misery born of relative existence.
46. Faith (Shraddha), devotion and the Yoga of meditation � these are mentioned by
the Shruti as the immediate factors of Liberation in the case of a seeker; whoever
abides in these gets Liberation from the bondage of the body, which is the conjuring of
Ignorance.
47. It is verily through the touch of Ignorance that thou who art the Supreme Self
findest thyself under the bondage of the non-Self, whence alone proceeds the round of
births and deaths. The fire of knowledge, kindled by the discrimination between these
two, burns up the effects of Ignorance together with their root.
48. Condescend to listen, O Master, to the question I am putting (to thee). I shall be
gratified to hear a reply to the same from thy lips.
49. What is bondage, forsooth ? How has it come (upon the Self) ? How does it
continue to exist ? How is one freed from it ? What is this non-Self ? And who is the
Supreme Self ? And how can one discriminate between them ? -- Do tell me about all
these.
50. The Guru replied: Blessed art thou ! Thou hast achieved thy life�s end and hast
sanctified thy family, that thou wishest to attain Brahmanhood by getting free from the
bondage of Ignorance !
51. A father has got his sons and others to free him from his debts, but he has got
none but himself to remove his bondage.
52. Trouble such as that caused by a load on the head can be removed by others, but
none but one�s own self can put a stop to the pain which is caused by hunger and the
like.
53. The patient who takes (the proper) diet and medicine is alone seen to recover
completely � not through work done by others.
54. The true nature of things is to be known personally, through the eye of clear
illumination, and not through a sage: what the moon exactly is, is to be known with
one�s own eyes; can others make him know it ?
55. Who but one�s own self can get rid of the bondage caused by the fetters of
Ignorance, desire, action and the like, aye even in a hundred crore of cycles ?
56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by learning, but by the
realisation of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other
means.
57. The beauty of a guitar�s form and the skill of playing on its chords serve merely to
please a few persons; they do not suffice to confer sovereignty.
58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in expounding the
Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment
to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and
it is equally useless when the highest Truth has already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest which merely causes
the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the
true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the
knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras
(sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one ?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without
taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere
utterance of the word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of
the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman
? -- It would result merely in an effort of speech.
64. Without killing one�s enemies, and possessing oneself of the splendour of the
entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, �I am
an emperor�.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent
instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and
(finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the
transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained
through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation
and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the like, personally strive
by all the means in their power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and
deaths.
67. The question that thou hast asked today is excellent, approved by those versed in
the Scriptures, aphoristic, pregnant with meaning and fit to be known by the seekers
after Liberation.
68. Listen attentively, O learned one, to what I am going to say. By listening to it thou
shalt be instantly free from the bondage of Samsara.
69. The first step to Liberation is the extreme aversion to all perishable things, then
follow calmness, self-control, forbearance, and the utter relinquishment of all work
enjoined in the Scriptures.
70. Then come hearing, reflection on that, and long, constant and unbroken
meditation on the Truth for the Muni. After that the learned seeker attains the
supreme Nirvikalpa state and realises the bliss of Nirvana even in this life.
71. Now I am going to tell thee fully about what thou oughtst to know � the
discrimination between the Self and the non-Self. Listen to it and decide about it in thy
mind.
72. Composed of the seven ingredients, viz. marrow, bones, fat, flesh, blood, skin and
cuticle, and consisting of the following limbs and their parts � legs, thighs, the chest,
arms, the back and the head:
73. This body, reputed to be the abode of the delusion of �I and mine�, is designated
by sages as the gross body. The sky, air, fire, water and earth are subtle elements.
They �
74. Being united with parts of one another and becoming gross, (they) form the gross
body. And their subtle essences form sense-objects � the group of five such as sound,
which conduce to the happiness of the experiencer, the individual soul.
75. Those fools who are tied to these sense-objects by the stout cord of attachment,
so very difficult to snap, come and depart, up and down, carried amain by the powerful
emissary of their past action.
76. The deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the black-bee � these five have
died, being tied to one or other of the five senses, viz. sound etc., through their own
attachment. What then is in store for man who is attached to all these five.
77. Sense-objects are even more virulent in their evil effects than the poison of the
cobra. Poison kills one who takes it, but those others kill one who even looks at them
through the eyes.
78. He who is free from the terrible snare of the hankering after sense-objects, so very
difficult to get rid of, is alone fit for Liberation, and none else � even though he be
versed in all the six Shastras.
79. The shark of hankering catches by the throat those seekers after Liberation who
have got only an apparent dispassion (Vairagya) and are trying to cross the ocean of
samsara (relative existence), and violently snatching them away, drowns them half-
way.
80. He who has killed the shark known as sense-object with the sword of mature
dispassion, crosses the ocean of Samsara, free from all obstacles.
81. Know that death quickly overtakes the stupid man who walks along the dreadful
ways of sense-pleasure; whereas one who walks in accordance with the instructions of
a well-wishing and worthy Guru, as also with his own reasoning, achieves his end �
know this to be true.
82. If indeed thou hast a craving for Liberation, shun sense-objects from a good
distance as thou wouldst do poison, and always cultivate carefully the nectar-like
virtues of contentment, compassion, forgiveness, straight-forwardness, calmness and
self-control.
83. Whoever leaves aside what should always be attempted, viz. emancipation from
the bondage of Ignorance without beginning, and passionately seeks to nourish this
body, which is an object for others to enjoy, commits suicide thereby.
84. Whoever seeks to realise the Self by devoting himself to the nourishment of the
body, proceeds to cross a river by catching hold of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log.
85. So for a seeker after Liberation the infatuation over things like the body is a dire
death. He who has thoroughly conquered this deserves the state of Freedom.
86. Conquer the dire death of infatuation over thy body, wife, children etc., --
conquering which the sages reach that Supreme State of Vishnu.
87. This gross body is to be deprecated, for it consists of the skin, flesh, blood,
arteries and veins, fat, marrow and bones, and is full of other offensive things.
88. The gross body is produced by one�s past actions out of the gross elements
formed by the union of the subtle elements with each other, and is the medium of
experience for the soul. That is its waking state in which it perceives gross objects.
89. Identifying itself with this form, the individual soul, though separate, enjoys gross
objects, such as garlands and sandal-paste, by means of the external organs. Hence
this body has its fullest play in the waking state.
90. Know this gross body to be like a house to the householder, on which rests man�s
entire dealing with the external world.
91. Birth, decay and death are the various characteristics of the gross body, as also
stoutness etc., childhood etc., are its different conditions; it has got various restrictions
regarding castes and orders of life; it is subject to various diseases, and meets with
different kinds of treatment, such as worship, insult and high honours.
92. The ears, skin, eyes, nose and tongue are organs of knowledge, for they help us to
cognise objects; the vocal organs, hands, legs, etc., are organs of action, owing to
their tendency to work.
93-94. The inner organ (Antahkarana) is called Manas, Buddhi, ego or Chitta,
according to their respective functions: Manas, from its considering the pros and cons
of a thing; Buddhi, from its property of determining the truth of objects; the ego, from
its identification with this body as one�s own self; and Chitta, from its function of
remembering things it is interested in.
95. One and the same Prana (vital force) becomes Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and
Samana according to their diversity of functions and modifications, like gold, water,
etc.
96. The five organs of action such as speech, the five organs of knowledge such as the
ear, the group of five Pranas, the five elements ending with the ether, together with
Buddhi and the rest as also Nescience, desire and action � these eight "cities" make up
what is called the subtle body.
97. Listen � this subtle body, called also the Linga body, is produced out of the
elements before their subdividing and combining with each other, is possessed of
latent impressions and causes the soul to experience the fruits of its past actions. It is
a beginningless superimposition on the soul brought on by its own ignorance.
98-99. Dream is a state of the soul distinct from the waking state, where it shines by
itself. In dreams Buddhi, by itself, takes on the role of the agent and the like, owing to
various latent impressions of the waking state, while the supreme Atman shines in Its
own glory � with Buddhi as Its only superimposition, the witness of everything, and is
not touched by the least work that Buddhi does. As It is wholly unattached, It is not
touched by any work that Its superimpositions may perform.
100. This subtle body is the instrument for all activities of the Atman, who is
Knowledge Absolute, like the adze and other tools of a carpenter. Therefore this Atman
is perfectly unattached.
