An Introduction to " Drg-Drsya-Viveka "

Sri Shankaracharya holds a pre-eminent position among the world's master-minds and spiritual teachers.

'Drg-Drsya-Viveka' is one of the great Acharya's introductory treatises (traditionally called 'prakarana-granthas') on Advaita Vedanta which teaches the identity and oneness of the individual Jiva and Paramatman. This small but important book of forty-six verses describes not only different forms of samadhi but also, more importantly, expounds some of the basic doctrines of Advaita Vedanta following a method known as 'Anvaya-vyatireka' (अन्वयव्यतिरेक). Some of these verses are also found in one of the minor Upanishads called 'Sarasvati- Upanishad'.

There are different views regarding the authorship of 'Drg-Drsya-Viveka' though the majority of scholars agree that Adi Shankaracharya himself is the author. Other names associated with the authorship of the work are Bharati Tirtha and Vidyaranya, the author of 'Panchadasi'. The two well-known commentaries on 'Drg-Drsya-Viveka' are those of Brahmananda Bharati and Ananda Jnana also called Ananda Tirtha.

These eight lectures were given by Swami Tattwamayananda at the Vedanta Society of Calgary on August 18th and 19th, 2018.

Swami Tattwamayananda, currently the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Northern California, San Francisco, (originally founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1900) served in various centers of the Ramakrishna Order in India as editor, publisher, and teacher of Sanskrit, Advaitic texts such as Sri Shankaracharya's commentaries on the 'Prasthanatraya' (the fundamental Sanskrit texts of Vedanta philosophy), Buddhism and Indian philosophy. He underwent traditional training in Hindu scriptures, Sanskrit, Vedic and Vedantic literature for many years, from his early days. Before coming to the United States in January 2012 he was teaching Sanskrit, Vedantic scriptures and Indian philosophy at the Training center in Belur Math, the institution that trains the monks of the Ramakrishna Order at the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata, India. Apart from his traditional education, the Swami has also received modern University education in English literature, psychology, European history, and Western philosophy. He is frequently invited for lectures on Yoga, Vedanta, and traditional Hindu scriptures and for participating in interfaith dialogues.

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