Viveka
Viveka (विवेक) — From vi + vic — "to separate, to discern, to distinguish." Viveka is the capacity to discriminate between the real and the apparent, the permanent and the transient, the self (ātman) and the not-self (anātman). Śaṅkara identifies viveka as the first and most fundamental prerequisite for Vedāntic inquiry — without the ability to distinguish sat (being, real) from asat (non-being, apparent), the student cannot benefit from the highest teachings. His Vivekacūḍāmaṇi (Crest Jewel of Discernment) takes its name from this central faculty.
In Brief
- From vi + vic — "to separate, to discern, to distinguish." Viveka is the capacity to discriminate between the real and the apparent, the permanent and the transient, the self (ātman) and the not-self (anātman). Śaṅkara identifies viveka as the first and most fundamental prerequisite for Vedāntic inquiry — without the ability to distinguish sat (being, real) from asat (non-being, apparent), the student cannot benefit from the highest teachings. His Vivekacūḍāmaṇi (Crest Jewel of Discernment) takes its name from this central faculty.
From vi + vic — "to separate, to discern, to distinguish." Viveka is the capacity to discriminate between the real and the apparent, the permanent and the transient, the self (ātman) and the not-self (anātman). Śaṅkara identifies viveka as the first and most fundamental prerequisite for Vedāntic inquiry — without the ability to distinguish sat (being, real) from asat (non-being, apparent), the student cannot benefit from the highest teachings. His Vivekacūḍāmaṇi (Crest Jewel of Discernment) takes its name from this central faculty.