Atma Bodha (with commentary)
Adi Shankaracharya
Complete verse-by-verse class notes on Atma Bodha (Self-Knowledge) by Adi Shankaracharya, with commentary by Swami Paramarthananda. Covers all 68 verses across 5 chapters with detailed explanations, diagrams, and scriptural references.
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Atma Bodha (with commentary)
Atma Bodha (आत्मबोधः) - “Knowledge of the Self” - is a concise treatise on Advaita Vedanta by Adi Shankaracharya. These class notes provide a verse-by-verse commentary with detailed explanations, examples, analogies, and references to the Bhagavad Gītā and the Upaniṣads.
Verse 1
The four qualifications (Sādhana Chatuṣṭayam) required for Self-knowledge - Tapas, Viveka, Vairāgya, Śama-Ādi Ṣaṭka-Sampatti, and Mumukṣutvam. The spiritual journey begins.
Verses 2-14
Anubandha Chatuṣṭayam, Adhyāsa (Superimposition) as the cause of Samsara, and the Three Bodies (Sthūla, Sūkṣma, Kāraṇa Śarīram).
Verses 15-31
Pañca Kośas (Five Sheaths), Śarīra Trayam, Avasthā Trayam (Three States), and the Sākṣī (Witness Consciousness) - the method of discrimination (Atma-Anatma Viveka).
Verses 32-41
Nididhyāsanam (Meditation on the Self), Atma-Anatma Viveka, and the Neti Neti method of discrimination leading to direct realization.
Original Scanned Pages
View the complete 404-page PDF scan of Swami Paramarthananda’s original class notes with diagrams and layout intact.
Verses 42-68
Phalam (The Benefits of Self-Knowledge), Jīvan Mukti (Liberation While Living), and Videha Mukti (Final Liberation) - the culmination of the teaching.
These class notes were transcribed from lectures by Swami Paramarthananda. The PDF source is 404 pages covering all 68 verses of Atma Bodha with commentary, diagrams, and references to the Bhagavad Gītā, Upaniṣads, and other scriptures. Use the sidebar on any chapter page to navigate between chapters.