Viveka Chudamani: Experience Of Self-hood

Acharya Sankara's Viveka Chudamani(Crest Jewel of Wisdom)

Ø Experience Of  Self-hood((472-479)

Ø  Noble-hearted, renunciated who   are  rid  of attachments,  who have   given   up   all  sense-enjoyments, who   are   calm  and controlled,realise   this   Supreme  Truth  and   at   the   end,  they   gain   Bliss    Supreme  as   a   result   of  their  Self-realisation(472)

Ø  You  too,discriminate  thus,(be  established in)  this  surpassing   Truth,  the  real nature   of   Atman,  which is  Bliss   Absolute,  and   shaking   off  the  delusion  created by   your  own   mind,   be   liberated  and  illumined  and   reach   the   fulfilment   of   your  life(473)

Ø  Perceive thenature of  Self with   the  eye   of  perfect knowledge  through  Samadhi, where   the mind has  been  brought to complete  quietude.  If   the declarations  of  Sruti(heard   from   the  Teacher) are   perfectly  understood  without   a   trace   of   doubt,  it   can   lead   to no more  scpticism(474)

Ø  When   the  Self, the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss,is   realised,through liberation  from one’s bondage  of   ignorance, then  the scriptures,logical  reasoning,the  words of the  Teacher—these are proofs; the   subjective  experience of one’s ownconcentrated mind is yet  another  proof(475)

Ø  Bondage  and   liberation, contentment  and  anxiety,health,hunger  etc.  are   known only   by   the  person concerned; others have   knowledge  of   these by   mere   inference(476)

Ø  Standing   apart,the Teachers and the  scriptures instruct the disciple,the man  of Realisation crosses over (Avidya) by  illumination  and   the  Grace of God(477)

Ø  Knowing   his  own  Absolute    Self through Realisation,becoming perfect, a  man should stand face to fac ebefore the  Atman,  with mind  free  from all  concepts of delusion(478)

The   final opinion of all Vedantic discussion is,that the  jeeva as well as the entire universe are Brahman alone,that liberation means to be   rooted in Brahman,  the  indivisible entity: (The  satement)that Brhman is non-dual has its authority in  Sruti(479)

Vedprakash