Drgdrsyaviveka

The Drgdrsyaviveka, which is attributed to SANKARA, invites us to discern (viveka) between Real and non-real, between the atman (Self), the 'Seer,' and the non-atman (non-Self), the 'seen,' between Infinite and finite, between Life and death. The human being's greatest conflicts stem from attachment to and identification with the non-atman, with the finite. Knowledge, on the other hand, leads to the unveiling of sat, True Existence. RAPHAEL comments: A star is born, grows, matures, ages and dies, and these events are an uninterrupted flow of change. There is never a moment when the physical world undergoes no change or atomic or molecular transformation. If we are in agreement that the Absolute must be eternally 'constant', 'unvarying' then we cannot look for it in the world of phenomena, whether objective or subjective. Thus the Drgdrsyaviveka expounds a detailed description of the different kinds of concentration (samadhi), of the three theories empirically concerning the jiva, and other questions of vital importance to the Vedanta teaching.In Svami Nikhilananda's words: 'This work, which contains only forty-six slokas is an excellent vade-mecum (handbook) for students of advanced courses in Advaita philosophy.'SANKARA has been one of the greatest philosophers of India. He dedicated his brief and intense life (788-820) to re-establish the authority of the Sruti, to codify the Advaita Vedanta, the doctrine of Non-duality, and to anchor the Metaphysical Tradition of the Veda through the foundation of monasteries (mathas) and monastic orders. With his bhasya (commentary) to the Upanisads, the Brahmasutra, and the Bhagavadgita, as well as with his own writings, Sankara has profoundly influenced not only India's philosophical development, but that of the entire world.