Vivek Chudamani

Author(s): Chandrashekhar Bharti Swami, P Sankaranarayan
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidyabhavan

Page 38

ANALYSIS OF VIVEKACŪDĀMANI (The Arabic numerals indicate the number of the ślokas)
I. INVOCATION (a) By His Holiness Sri Candrasekhara Bhāratī, author of the
Commentary; (b) by Śrī Samkara Bhagavatpāda (1)
II. INTRODUCTION Value of human birth, and the imperative to strive for mukti (2-8-one should salvage oneself from samsāra by self-effort aided by Viveka, Vairāgya and Karmasamnyāsa (9-10).
Ātmavicāra the only means to mukti (11-15)-qualifications for ātmavicāra: sādhana-catuștaya (16-19)—i. nityānitya-vastu-viveka (202)-ii. vairāgya (212)-iii. samādişatka: (a) sama (221)-(b) dama (231)-(c) uparati (24)—(d) titikşā (25)-(e) śraddhā (26)— (f) samādhāna (27)-iv. mumukşutā (28): its three kinds and importance of guruprasāda (29)-primacy of vairāgya and mumukṣutā over the rest (30-31)—place of bhakti: two definitions of bhakti (32-321).
A person thus qualified should approach a Guru (331)—the marks of a Guru (341-35)—method of approaching a Guru (36)— prayer to the Guru (37-42)—duty of a Guru when so approached (43-44)--the Guru's assurance to the sişya (45-46-means to mukti enumerated: śraddhā, bhakti and dhyāna (47-48)—saṁsāra caused by ajñāna to be destroyed by the fire of jñāna (49).
The śişya's request to the Guru and his seven questions (50-51) -the Guru's appreciation of the questions (52)-one should endeavour for mukti oneself (53-57)—only means to mukti: realisational knowledge of oneness of ātman and Brahman (58)—the Guru again commends the sişya's questions and bids him listen (69-70).
III. KATHAM VIMOKŞAĦ
(Fourth question)
How is mukti achieved? Reason for taking the fourth question first (vide introduction to Commentary on p. 71)-preliminary statement of the means including vairāgya, sama, dama, samnyāsa: giving up all karmas, receiving