Self Knowledge (Atmabodha)

This is one of the two most important works of Shankaracharya, the first being the Crest-Jewel. It has been difficult to find a translation we could recommend and here is the best we have found so far, though as always we must exercise caution: Mostly, Nikhilananda is faithful to the spirit of the Vedanta and of the teaching of Shankaracharya. However, he quite often uses terms that are really only applicable to Western modernist scientism, such as ‘evolution’ and ‘progress’. Such terms distort the Vedanta’s meaning. Unfortunately almost all works apart from those of René Guénon similarly misrepresent Hindu doctrine by referring to it as ‘religion’ or ‘philosophy’, where in fact it has nothing to do with either.The section in the Introduction on ‘Karma and Rebirth’ is very bad, though fortunately this only takes up a few pages in the book. It is almost impossible to think how or why Nikhilananda inserted notions into this that belong to the Theosophist movement of the late nineteenth century and that have nothing to do with Hindu doctrines. The linking of Sanskrit karma with ‘rebirth’ particularly when that is understood as ‘reincarnation’, and then attributing moral attachments to it has no place in a serious study of Vedanta.In spite of the above criticism, this book is highly recommended so long as the reader is prepared to look out for the modernist assertions that are so frequently found in English translations of the Vedanta, whether those are by natives of the tradition (usually with an English or American education) or from scholarly outsiders. The book itself is very finely made, beautifully presented, and will stand up to frequent use and handling.

Am so glad I have found this book. The (very long) introduction clearly explains advaita Vedanta. Having been interested in it for a number of years I found it has drawn the threads together in a very clear way.

Llegó muy rápido y en perfectas condiciones

Life changing book... one shud definitely read this....The introduction is really good... Best Spiritual book....

'Atmabodha' along with Vivekachudamani are the two best original works of Adi Shankara. Swami Nikhilananda has written a lengthy introduction, which is a summary of both of Veda Dharma (Hinduism) as well as Advaita Vedanta. For this reason, I would recommend anyone new to Advaita Vedanta to follow this reading sequence:- Read the introduction in this book 'Atmabodha' first.- Then Read Adi Shankara's 'Vivekachudamani' by Swami Prabhavananda Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination: Timeless Teachings on Nonduality - The Vivekachudamani - Then come back and read the main text of Atmabodha.While in Vivekachudamani, Adi Shankara deals mainly with the five koshas or sheaths that one needs to overcome for Self-realization, in 'Atmabodha', he deals substantially with the state of Self-realization itself. There are no words to describe the beauty of his description.These two small books constitute a good summary of the well known Vedantic texts like Upanishads, Brahmasutras etc. They lay the foundation for anyone interested in the path of jnana (path of knowledge) for self-realisation. These two books should be followed by Sri Sadhu Om's 'The Path of Sri Ramana', the best book on the practice of atma-vichara or self-investigation. Shankara's Crest-Jewel of Discrimination: Timeless Teachings on Nonduality - The Vivekachudamani

This volume is a good introduction to Advaita Vedanta. The lengthy Introduction is a comprehensive overview of the philosophy, including a comparison with other Indian philosophies. It is fairly heavy going and would be the more so if you have no prior background to Indian philosophy, but take your time with it, read a little and then absorb it, and you will be well served. The actual translation of Shankaracarya's Atma Bodhi is easy to read and follow. This is a volume I wish I had when I was first grappling with Advaita Vedanta and reading all manner of academic tomes and less elegent translations, receiving the philosophy in a more piecemeal manner. It is a very good starting point for anyone interested just becoming interested in Advaita Vedanta, and a refreshing summary for those who are more steeped in the philosophy already.

Exactly what I was looking for. Nearly half the book is an introduction, but because the concept Brahman is difficult, the commentary is not cumbersome. This book is great for reading in reflection, as well as a great introductory text for someone who wants to work their way into the Upanishads.