This is the fourth chapter of the book „Viveka – the Voice of Inner Guru. “

The whole book will be tokenized as NFTs on Mirror and, as such, published in 20 articles (20 chapters of the book: The Illusion; India, oh India!; The Accurate description of the Reality; The Crown Jewel; Dead Guru; Living student; Who you?; Leaving the room; The Weakness of the Mind; The Archimedean Point; Three Powers of Maya; Viveka - the Sword of Truth; The Cave of the Mind; Language Can Save Us; Searching for Lakshana; Nine Golden Rules of Viveka; Purification Exercises; What to do with all this?; Dealing with Fear; Ekam Evadvityam: Living without a Center).

Chapter 4: The Crown Jewel of Discrimination

nāstrairna śastrairanilena vanhinā
chettuṃ na śakyo na ca karmakoṭibhiḥ |
vivekavijñānamahāsinā vinā
dhātuḥ prasādena śitena mañjunā ||

This bondage can be destroyed neither by weapons nor by wind,
nor by fire, nor by millions of actions –
by nothing except the sharp, beautiful sword of knowledge
forged by discerning.

Vivekachudamani 147

I can't remember if I heard about that sword, dreamt about it, or it just came to my mind like many other ideas I have. However, the notion of the „sword of truth“ arrived, and it sounded logical. If you are stranded in veils of illusion, the best way to get yourself free would be something like cutting through it, wouldn't it? For that, you need a knife, a katana, or a sword.

At about the same time, I started to think about the sword of truth, one obscure book attracted my attention. The title of the book was Vivekachudamani. I searched for clarifications of one particular sutra (a line or a verse) in another classic of Indian thought – Yoga Sutras by Maharishi Patanjali. It is amazing how many references you may find online regarding that relatively short scripture, and even more amazing how different they are. If you look at all these writings, commentaries, and opinions from the advaita standpoint, you cannot help but conclude that it is all rubbish. But, it can be fun if you are not overly zealous about finding something reliable.

It was one of the many coincidences appearing so often in my life. Instead of Yoga Sutra, suddenly, it was Vivekachudamani on my screen. At first, I dismissed it. But with every search for YS, at least a few VCh results came out. After a while, repeating occurrences from another book captured my attention. The title was a mouthful, but I recognized the word chudamani. It means jewel, but not an ordinary one, a unique gem, a rare one, or, as it is usually translated, a crown jewel.

The word viveka was no stranger, either. I learned about it from Yoga Sutras, my longtime companion for exploration of meditation and higher states of consciousness. You may not know, but the word yoga is so misused in the West that it will be almost impossible to return to its original meaning. Yoga is defined at the very beginning of Yoga Sutras as yogaścittavṛttinirodhaḥ (yoga schitta vritti nirodha), meaning „immovable consciousness,“ or more literary „awareness without swirls.“ Asanas and other additional yoga practices are only mentioned in the addition of the second book of YS. They are far from the core teachings of yoga. However, as you are very well aware – yoga as physical postures, or asanas, is what people think about when they say yoga.

So, from my study of Yoga Sutras, I learned that viveka means discrimination, a discernment between two objects, meanings, notions, concepts, or terms. It is a function of the mind we use for making distinctions between anything we experience. Without viveka, everything would be a blur, an indistinguishable mess of interwoven objects and ideas. Without viveka, we would be mindless creatures. However, if you wish, you can safely think about viveka as common sense.

However, viveka has a high place in Patanjali's discourse on yoga. It is not a requirement for silencing the mind and becoming one with the Self. That essential yoga experience is not everything, not even in Yoga Sutras. Later, when it comes to keeping the yoga experience amidst everyday activity and achieving an abiding state of truth, viveka suddenly takes a high position almost preceding everything else.

There are four instances in YS when Patanjali points out viveka as the highest power enabling us to achieve final liberation. Two times in the second book and two times in the fourth book, at the very end of YS.

26th sutra in the second book says:

vivekakhyātiraviplavā hānopāyaḥ
(viveka khyatee ravee plava hanopayah)

That can be translated as „the discernment is the means to achieve that.“ „That“ relates to the clear perception of the subject (consciousness, Self, yoga) amidst all other objects. Previously, Patanjali described the structure of manifested reality as visheka and lingamatra (absolute and relative). Viveka is referred to as a function of the mind able to discern one from the other, thus delivering final liberation.

Two sutras ahead, Patanjali again points out viveka as a valuable tool. The 28th sutra says:

yogāngānuṣthānādaṣuddhikṣaye jñānadīptirāvivekakhyāteḥ
(yoganga anushta anada shudeekshaye jnana diptira vivekakhyatee)

That means: the light of a supreme insight will remove all obstacles; thus, yoganga will become a living reality. Anga means „part“ or „limb.“ Yoganga is a limb or a portion of yoga. A typical traditional interpretation would turn the meaning around and say that practicing yoganga (elements of yoga) will enable viveka. It is my understanding that both translations are possible. However it may be, viveka is again on the high pedestal of „a supreme insight.“

At the very end of YS, in the fourth book, two sutras (26 and 29) again emphasize the value of viveka.

Sutra 4:26:

tadā vivekanimnaṃ kaivalyaprāgbhāraṃ cittam
(tada vivekaneemnam kaeevalya praghbharam cheetam)

The translation: „The supreme discernment is established in a liberated consciousness.“ Again, there are reasons why some translations turn the meaning around in „Liberated consciousness establishes the supreme discernment.“ However you put it, it is still clear that viveka is a companion of the highest achievements in yoga practice. Thus, it is strange how obscure and unknown viveka is compared to other skills and methods yoga employs.

Finally, the 29th sutra in the fourth book:

prasaṃkhyāne ’pyakusīdasya sarvathā
vivekakhyāter dharmameghaḥ samādhiḥ
(prasamkhyane pyakuseedasya sarvatha
vivekakhyater dharmameghah samadhee)

Translation: „The final discernment (viveka) between cosmic and personal, devoid of doubts and questions, marks the beginning of the co-creator path.“

This sutra is significant in understanding the goal of yoga. Yoga experience starts with immovable consciousness and ends on the co-creator path (dharmameghah). There is much in this sutra that doesn't meet the eye at first sight. Again, viveka comes out as an extraordinary skill. This time, it is discernment between cosmic and personal. Did you ever ask yourself what a yogin(i) does after they achieve an abiding state of yoga (samadhi)? Does s/he simply wait for the body's death to be finally unified with Brahman, the universal consciousness? Does s/he care about the body anymore? What does s/he do with the mind and feelings? How does s/he behave? Well, here you have it: such a person discriminates clearly between what is personal (the needs of the body and personal history everyone has, including name, family, and other connections) and what is cosmic in the sense of co-creation. This sutra is a continuation of previous sutras where Patanjali explains that punya and apunya (inner fulfillment or lack thereof) are indicators of the need for „cosmic activity.“ If you clearly differentiate (viveka) between what is yours and what is cosmic, you follow the cosmic, indicating an abundance of punya (fulfillment). When you pursue the cosmic, you become a tool in the hands of universal consciousness and not a separate person who acts on his behalf. You become a co-creator – by the power of viveka.

The discernment power of viveka is stressed with an explanation: there must be no doubts and no questions. That doesn't mean you have such strong beliefs that you don't ask anything. It means you have such a strong and clear understanding of the answer that there is no doubt whatsoever. The main trait of advaita (one truth) is embodied in the skill of viveka (one correct answer). Thus – no question remains unanswered; viveka is complete and perfect.

I hope I didn't lose you with all this yoga-sutra stuff. It is fascinating to me to think that asanas, a core of yoga practice in the eyes of the public, are mentioned twice in YS. Twice (2:29 and 2:46) – with almost no explanation at all. On the other hand, viveka is directly mentioned four times. First, in the second book (2:26 and 2:28) preceding the other methods and limbs of yoga, and in the fourth book (4:26 and 4:29) with many contexts, clear advantages, and high-end results. All together, Yoga Sutras (not so voluminous at all; four books but only 196 verses, or sutras) the Bible of Yoga, is at least ten times more about viveka than about asanas. Interesting, isn't it?

But what is viveka, after all? What does it mean in practice? Everybody knows about asanas. It is easy to describe them (maybe that is the reason why Patanjali didn't care too much to do that) and demonstrate to other people how the practice looks. But what about viveka? Can you show other people how to think clearly? You can try, but they will not gladly listen because, in the first place, they don't think clearly. It is a vicious circle – you need a certain amount of viveka to become interested in viveka.

Anyway, viveka is an unknown skill. It is something valuable, holding a high position in teachings about liberation, but without a visible practical side or explanation of what that practical side might be. Before Vivekachudamani found its way to me, I didn't have any means to pursue these ideas, so I left them hanging in the back of my mind. When synchronicity powered by modern technology revealed Vivekachudamani to me, I was excited and hopeful that the answers I was looking for were written in a book I had just discovered.

I started reading with high hopes, but what seemed like a hopeful promise turned out to be a disappointment. Despite the title – Vivekachudamani: the Crown Jewel of Discrimination – a lot of the text speaks about something else. I found at least eight different editions of the book and read them all, most of the time with a feeling of being bored. After doing that, my conclusion was that the true meaning of viveka remains hidden. Or at best, Vivekachudamani reveals it in traces and small pieces.

If you don't mind, I'll give you some historical and academic facts about the only scripture known to me, dedicated to viveka.

***

The authorship is questionable. Formally, the writing is attributed to Adi Shankara, a well-known scholar and sage from 8th century India. The year of his birth is not sure, but all historians agree that his life was short: only 32 years. Adi Shankara is a legendary figure. Myths and stories are mixed with the facts, and it is hard to discriminate between what is true and what is a part of folklore. You'll need a fully developed viveka to do that! Let's see if you are capable of doing such a thing!

His parents choose for him an extraordinary but short life. They did that by communicating with God Shiva in their dreams. At the age of eight, young Adi (there is no evidence that the child's name was Adi, probably a title he received much later) decided to be a sannyasa, a hermit devoted to spiritual matters. His wish was supported by a crocodile who caught him while bathing in the river. However, the crocodile didn't eat him immediately but gave him an ultimatum: his mother should approve the early sannyasa initiation, or else... Of course, the mother agreed, and Adi was sent to study with a teacher Govinda. When they met for the first time, Govinda bowed to the child, declaring that he would be a teacher only formally due to the age difference, while in reality, he is the one who will learn from Adi. The cooperation of the two was fruitful, so Shankara wrote over 300 different treatises and texts, mostly commentaries on other authoritative scriptures, so-called bhasyas, but also original works. He did that until the age of 14. After that, he started to travel around India and teach the supreme knowledge of Atman and Brahman. It is said that those extensive travels were the unifying factor in all-Indian spiritual thought, and they stirred up the emergence of Hinduism. Of course, the fact that a very young sage did it was spiced up by the frequent occurrence of divine interventions. On one such occasion, Shankara met with Shiva and got to know his companion, the goddess Maya. Shiva was testing him with the offering of a perfect illusion, a life in the peaceful and educated world created only by Shankara's wishes powered by Maya. But, Shankara refused. He was better off with the reality as it is, however dark it may be, than with the shinest illusion created by divine power. So, he went on and established the four centers of knowledge, four maths, each one in a different part of India, east, south, west, and north. Even today, there are Shankaracharyas (the guardians of Shankara's teachings) in each of those four places. For Hindus, they have status and power similar to those attributed to Pope by Catholic Christians. His death was a mystery, too. His body was never found. He just stood up in the middle of one scholarly discussion held in Kedarnath temple on the foothills of the Himalayas. He walked out through the door, never to be seen again. His students were searching but were not able to find him. Some say he is still walking around the Himalayas, young as he was 13 centuries ago. But, of course, you should use viveka and find out what is the truth and what is just a story.

Is Vivekachudamani one of 300 texts written by Adi Shankara? It is not certain. I would say that parts of the book may be his, but most of it is added later, probably by many successors or wannabee successors of Shankara. I am not equipped to make an academic analysis of Vivekachudamani. Instead, I will follow my insights and compare them with what is available today under the name of the „crown jewel of viveka.“ Also, I will point out where parts of the text contradict other parts, thus indicating the later corruption by interpretation, modification, or even some kind of censorship.

Authors like Michael Comans believe that Shankara is not the author of Vivekachudamani due to the highly poetic style not found in works already established as authentic. Indologists Paul Hacker, and Daniel H.H. Ingalls, analyzed the key concepts and ideas found in VCh and compared them to those found in other texts authored by Shankara. Their conclusion is not the same: Hacker says Shankara is the author, and Ingalls says that he isn't. It may very well be that the book is a cooperative work of many, made by sannyasins in Advaita monasteries that went through revisions. The arguments may go back and forth, but the fact is that traditional users of the VCh do not care who the author is. For an advaita traditionalist, it doesn't matter if the book was written by Shankara himself, some later Sankaracharya, or is it a result of the efforts made by many. What matters is that it is traditionally approved.

I am not sure if the authorship matters to you and me, either. For me, the crucial things are ideas. The most essential would be a clear explanation of mysterious viveka, but unfortunately, Vivekachudamani, as it is, speaks more about tradition than about the jewel of discrimination. However, the good news is that it provides some pointers about what viveka might be. Also, it contains authentic and uncompromised advaita ideas. To see them amidst other concepts in the book, you must cut through the stuff that doesn't matter and focus on what does. I intend to do that in later chapters. The discussion about authorship was helpful in moments of doubt when I started to ask myself why this scripture is called Vivekachudamani when it is more about almost everything else and not about the discriminative power called viveka. It is entirely possible that the original author wanted to explain viveka. Still, the successors who meddled with the book didn't have enough of it to keep the additions and revisions on the same track.

Before I close this chapter, I want to give you some facts about the structure of Vivekachudamani. It is just general information, not to be misunderstood as anything of crucial importance for the following chapters.

There are many historical manuscripts of Vivekachudamani. Usually, they can be found in monasteries, kept by guardians of knowledge, sannyasins, and recluses. These manuscripts apparently have minor variations, but it may very well be that at some hidden and unknown place, there is a version least edited, a version very close to the original. I would like to see that version, but the probability of such a stroke of luck is very low. The earliest printed Sanskrit version was published in 1910th by T.K. Balasubramania Iyer (Srirangam, Tamil Nadu). Before that – you can imagine old scrolls of paper and palm leaves or something even more fragile.

The book contains 580 verses or slokas in Sanskrit. Like any other decent traditional Vedic scripture, it starts with a salutation to Govinda. In this case, Govinda is a possible Guru, or even a God himself. After an obligatory introduction VCh continues with the explanation of all-pervading personal attachment to the body, mind, and desires. There are different layers of identification, claims VCh, like koshas, gunas, and pranas (don't worry, I will not drown you in exotic words without a feasible explanation).

Furthermore, there follows a description of Self-Realisation and unavoidable Atman and what atman isn't (anatman). The Brahman is declared a universal consciousness, and the discernment between the individual and universal has to do something with viveka. Of course, a good book on deep spiritual philosophy cannot skip topics like meditation, self-inquiry, or virtuous life. If you read Vivekachudamani literary, you may find out the characteristics of an enlightened being, a right Guru, and an excellent student. Also, you will find exciting new concepts like vasanas - impressions, memorized beliefs, and other inner programs that make us run on auto-pilot. Oh, not to forget ideas like svadhyasa, which means „superimposed sense of „self, “and ahamkara, a false ego. Well, of course, you'll need viveka to discern between those two.

All in all, the whole book is a lot to digest. I don't intend to put you through all of that. I plan to extract the most essential, authentic advaita ideas and show you how these can be useful to you, providing that you are on an honest search for truth. I can do that because I live there. Vivekachudamani was not my tool. I doubt that it can be anyone's tool because it is over corrupted with tradition, beliefs, and even religion-like obsession with the institution of a Guru. However, in a strange twist of fate, I will still use it for the didactical purpose. And, we mustn't forget – it is the only know text focused on viveka. It may be only declaratively, but still, as I told you already, here and there, you can find cracks in the rigid body of the tradition. We'll try to look through the cracks and see what is on the other side.

To make it clear, what follows is not a scholarly analysis. It is a sort of experiential criticism. Sometimes, it is an admiration of a non-blood-related true spiritual ancestor. Because the one who wrote that treatise obviously had at least a glimpse of discriminative power. And those who rewrote the original text at least had enough decency – or maybe knowledge, so they did it deliberately, who knows – to let those cracks open for future viveka-born natives to look through them.

***

Next Chapter: Dead Guru