Religious Philosophy

The Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, literally "The Crest-Jewel of Discrimination," is perhaps the most famous non-commentarial work of Śankara that expounds Vedanta philosophy. Viveka means “discrimination”, Cūḍā is crest and Mani – jewel. Hence the title means “Crest jewel of discrimination”. Just as the jewel on the crest of a diadem is the most conspicuous ornament on the person’s body, so the present

Śankara belongs to the 8th century A.D. He describes himself as a student of Govinda, who was himself a student of Gauḍapāda. He lived for thirty-two years and wrote many works of which the chief are his commentaries on the triple basis of the Vedānta system - classical Upaniṣads, the Bhagavad-Gītā and the Brahma- sūtra.