Vivekachudamani
All Upanishads declare that ‘you are’ meaning ‘I am’ the self-existing, self-evident chaitanya (knowledge principle), limitless happiness in nature and totally free from sorrows. To a common man this statement appears to be a great farce. He experiences oneself to be quite contrary every moment. But the Upanishads cannot be wrong. What they have said is the tested truth from the time immemorial. Then, how can we discover this truth?
We will have to inquire, investigate and ascertain the true nature of ‘I’ by our direct (aparoksha) experience. Here is the means, Vivekachudamani (Crest-jewel of discrimination) composed by Adi Shankaracharya in the form of a dialogue.
Vivekachudamani starts the inquiry from the scrap and leads to the pinnacle of perfection. It is replete with illustrations. Those who cannot study the Upanishads can gain the same knowledge by following the inquiry conducted here and practising the means that are recommended.