In our day to day life, we encounter people who are cheerful and miserable. We can explain this by saying that people who are miserable have a harder context, health and finance wise. Those that are cheerful probably have an easier context, health and finance wise. If we analyze more closely, there are some people who are miserable inspite of having easy context (health, finance, family wise). We should think about what the reason for this is. This is vichara. One way vichara can be visualized is as a key (right thinking) to handcuffs (limitation). Vichara is rightful thinking. Wrong thinking makes us feel limited. One who overthinks, projects that people are always judging them. Right thinking makes one feel limitless. One who thinks through a challenge and acts accordingly, feels like a winner and finds peace in that.

For the last six years, Tuesday study has been focused on Vichara. The first course that we engaged in as a community was the “Foundation Vedanta” course. Focus of the course during a period of three semesters was texts “Self Unfoldment” and “Bhaja Govindam”. These texts teach introspection pulling us away from enquiry to inquiry. For another three semesters, advanced Vedanta primarily utilized “Vivekachudamani” and “Ishavasya Upanishad”. Advanced Vedanta course took us from introspection to detection. It made us think more about ourselves by asking who we are and where we have come from. It made us question about our dreams, fear, responses. Following the Advanced Vedanta course, was Bhagavad Gita course. Focus of this course was negation. When we introspect, we detect our weaknesses, vices and ignorance more. Prince Arjuna was the best in everything and yet ignorance of his dharma made his confidence crack. Only when we know our weaknesses, do we feel their impact on us and others. Ego never wants to be humiliated and this is why we should be ashamed at our anger, frustrated with our jealousy. We should resist these vices by substitution. We did this by taking up four semesters of studying Meditation and Life. We learnt to substitute vices with the opposite virtue; substitute anger with acceptance, jealousy with appreciation and this should be in all our interactions and at all times. This was practice of “Meditation in Life” . After we had learnt substitution, using the texts, Aparokshanubhuti and Drig Drishya Viveka, we are learning emancipation. After having completed all the prior steps, we will be free! Aparokshanubhuti gave us a macro viewpoint of emancipation. Drig Drishya Viveka, through its 31 verses, will give us a micro viewpoint of emancipation. All the verses emphasize the message of Seer and Seen over and over again. This is how we should do vichara, over and over. Sw. Tejomayananda shares that Maya cannot handle full time vichara. The study of Upanishad course will follow the study of Drig Drishya Viveka.

The authorship of Drig Drishya Viveka is unknown. Some believe it was written by Acharya Shankara and some others attribute the text to Sw. Vidyaranya. Regardless of who the author is, both the great saints knew that “how” than “what” is important when it comes to thinking (vichara). In the commentary by Sw. Tejomayananda that we will be using for our study, Swamiji has attributed the authorship to Acharya Shankara and hence we will accept him as the creator of this glorious text of Self inquiry.

Acharya Shankara’s parents, Shivaguru and Aryamba, were granted the boon by Lord Shiva himself of having an extraordinary child who would achieve great heights but only live for 16 years. Since there can be none other than the Lord himself, who could be of such extraordinary caliber, Bhagavan himself incarnated as Acharya Shankara. He was a missionary, who follows and furthers happiness. Impressed by his work and contributions, Rishi Veda Vyasa granted him another 16 years of life so that he can continue to study and share Sanatana Dharma.

Drig has its origins in the word “Drik” which means “seer”, Drishya means “seen” and Viveka means differentiation. In our current forgetfulness, we mix up the seer and the seen as one. With right thinking, we know that happiness and sadness; light and darkness are mutually exclusive. Similarly, The seer and seen are mutually exclusive and we need Viveka (root word is “Vich”= extract, filter, separate) is needed. We are limited by that which we identify with. In our present waking state, we identify with our body. In the dream, however, this identification is lost and hence is temporary. In the Kaliyuga, everything happens fast. This text forces us to slow down. It is a text on Dhyana (meditation). A few ways to prepare for the upcoming two semesters of study of Drig Drishya Viveka are :

1. Slow down (manage your thoughts), 2. Step back (and find where you have come from and think of coming years), 3. See more (seeing what is real and unreal) and 4. Smile on!

Let us be serious about this course that is a journey of life on the road to enlightenment! Let us be present and prepared in a vigilant way. Steadiness leads to sincerity. Let us begin….!