Dashashloki

Dashashloki is the first Vedantic composition by Sri Adi Sankaracharya. It appears to be simple at the first glance, but is profound and filled with deep and subtle Vedantic precepts. In this text Sri Adi Sankaracharya encapsulates the entire Vedanta and presents it as the reply to his Guru's query: 'Who are you?'

The text uses the classical two-fold approach to reveal the Self, the unique methodology of negation and assertion. Negation dispels all the erroneous notions with respect to the Self, while assertion affirms the Self’s true nature as Sat-Chit-Ananda. The Self is not entirely unknown to us, but is presently erroneously comprehended. Hence by pointing out what the Self is not, the real identity of the Self is discovered.

Mahavakya-vichara is the very crux of Dashashloki's teaching. The first 3 verses broadly deal with the individual – the ‘tvam’ pada. The next 3 verses explain the various concepts pertaining to the Reality with respect to the Totality – the ’tat’ pada, and the last four verses broadly assert the identity of the individual with the supreme Reality.

Course content: A total of 9 video/audio sessions by Swami Advayananda divided into 4 lessons are made available to the registered participants.

What You will Learn

• The nature of the problem – superimposition
• The process of assertion and negation
• The nature of the ‘tvam’ pada – the erroneous concepts pertaining to the individual
• The nature of the ‘tat’ pada – the erroneous concepts pertaining to the Reality underlying the Totality
• The process of systematically doing the inquiry
• The process of ‘negation‘ to arrive at the Self
• The nature of the Self on negating the erroneous conceptions

Why should I do this Course?

• The Course gives perfect clarity on the nature of Reality.
• It will help you in the methodological enquiry to discover the Truth.
• The text follows the unique pattern of guiding a seeker from the ’known‘ to the ‘unknown’.
• To learn the deeper and advanced concepts of Vedanta

Requirements

• Knowledge of Sanskrit is not a prerequisite, but will be of help
• Basic/prior knowledge of Vedanta will help in easy comprehension
• Good internet connection

Course Details and Duration

• The course comprises 4 lessons covering 9 audio/video sessions and 4 objective type questionnaires.
• The recommended duration for completion of the Dashashloki course is 2 months. The suggested maximum duration is 3 months.

Course Access, Query Resolution Process, Grading and Certification

• Students can access the course following the User Guideline document that is also sent to registered students to their email address.
• Students have to attempt the lessons sequentially. For each lesson the student should watch the audio or video file and then attempt the questionnaire.
• All questionnaires are objective based and on completion of each Lesson/ questionnaire the marks and grade for that lesson will be displayed to the student on the dashboard.
• Students can download the answer key on completion of a questionnaire.
• In case of queries or doubts on the subject matter students are encouraged to use the discussion forum. Details of the same will be sent to students on registration. A detailed query resolution process guideline will also be provided.
• The Course is deemed complete on completion of all lessons /questionnaires, and a final grade will be awarded.
• Grading system for certification.
• 80% and above 'O' Grade
• 60% and above 'A+' Grade
• 50% and above 'A' Grade
• Below 50% 'B' Grade

• Those who successfully complete the course will be given a ‘Course Completion Certificate’ of merit signed by Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission. You could collect the ‘Course Completion Certificate’ either during our convocation programme on Adi Sankara Jayanti day (around April - May every year) or opt for postal delivery.

How do I Purchase the Text?

A soft copy of the text will be made available to all the registered students on the dashboard.

Course Content

The course on Dashashloki comprises 4 lessons. A brief description of what is covered in each lesson is given below:

• Lesson 1: Introduction
• Lesson 2: Negation with reference to ‘tvam’
• Lesson 3: Negation with reference to ‘tat’
• Lesson 4: Asserting the identity through Negation

For more details of the Course please click here

Course Contributors

Brni. Bharati Chaitanya

Arvind Kannan

Sumedha Kulkarni

Home Study Course Scholarship Initiative

Envisioned to be a platform to impart knowledge, CIF has always made it a point to make the courses accessible to all the sincere seekers. Students, who are keen to pursue a particular course but have difficulty affording the course fee, can send an email to the homestudycourses@chinfo.org stating the same. They will be given financial assistance to enrol for the course based on the genuineness of request, keenness to study and eligibility.

One can also be a part of this noble venture by contributing to the Home Study Course Scholarship Fund. To know more, send an email to the homestudycourses@chinfo.org

For Queries