Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination: Timeless Teachings on Nonduality - The Vivekachudamani

I purchased this book because I wanted to learn how I could obtain Moksha. After being involved in religion and spirituality for most of my life. And after studying spirituality heavily for the last 5 to 7 years, I recently learned about Moksha and I wanted a book that could guide me in that regard. I am a life long student where I've taught myself through reading meditation and understanding. This version of the Crest Jewel of Discrimination is very detailed in giving understanding and clarification. It helps you to understand each section and not just give you a verse and then move on. The author or translator goes into details so that the reader understands the meaning behind each section. I found this book to be very enlightening. It also confirmed things I already knew and taught me things I didn't know. I read the book over 2 days because I wanted to think and absorb the information within. This book could possibly be a guru if you can't find a human guru. The study of spirituality is actually self discovery and a guru is only there to help you with the self discovery. And if you are on this self discovery journey then this book is the guru you've been looking for.

I own at least 5 different translations of this, because this single book is the most dear to me in my entire collection of spiritual books. Despite my "disclaimer," I love reading all types of spiritual teachings whether it be from another ancient writing from, Lao Tzu, or a modern teacher of said texts such as Ram Dass. The only problem is I keep giving it away and I think that this book has such profound teachings that it can and will change the life, and clarify the view and visceral feeling so many of us have about "life."

I must say I am quite impressed upon this text! It speaks to my soul and correlates to an personal encounter with the eternal self when I was 18! The first Chapter outlines Shankara's life, and as the chapters go on they dive into his philosophy of Non-Dualism. I really enjoy reading it due to the nature of it's eternal words and the impact it has on me. To put a cherry on top the book is small so it can travel anywhere!

This book truly is a gem, it outlines Advaita Vedanta at its core. I would highly recommend it, especially to somebody who is new to Advaita Vedanta.

In my studying if yoga I've gone deep into the Gita and the Yoga Sutras and this book does a tidy little summary of the main points. It's a bit dry in its utter devotion for somebody like me, but beautiful none the less. While not my favorite book on the subject, I still find it to be a worthwhile book to read. And it's very clear he wrote it with the pure intention of giving the reader a path to follow in their quest of attaining oneness.

Focused teaching that cuts through the maya

Great book thx

Indeed, this book truly is Viveka Choodaamani. Viveka means Wisdom; Choodamani means Crest Jewel. This book will change the reader permanently. It will make the reader realize what a human being's life is all about and how it has nothing to do with material world, to which the human being got himself/herself enslaved all along. If anyone reads the book with complete surrender to the Almighty, it is quite difficult to resist joyful tears. Viveka Choodamani explains about the "temporary" material world and shows the path for the reader to attain "permanent bliss". This life is temporary as the Self travels from one body to other body. The Self is permanent. It documents what the reader must be doing in order to realize Self (aka, Aatma as defined in The Holy Sanskrit).