Vivekachudamani

The Vivekachudamani (Sanskrit: विवेकचूडामणि) is a famous Sanskrit poem ascribed to Adi Shankara in the eighth century. It expounds the Advaita Vedanta philosophy and is in the form of 580 verses in the Shardula Vikridita metre. In Vivekachudamani, Shankara describes developing Viveka—the human faculty of discrimination—as the central task in the spiritual life and calls it the crown jewel among the essentials for Moksha. The title Vivekachudamani translates to Crest Jewel of Discrimination. Apart from the Vivekachudamani, Shankara wrote commentaries on the Brahmasutra, the Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu Sahasranamam and the Upanishads. Through the centuries, the Vivekachudamani has been translated into several languages and has been the topic of many commentaries and expositions.