Our Work · Youth & Value Education
विवेक दीपिनी — The Light of Discernment
Vivekadeepini
175 questions on the arc of human life, carried into classrooms across India.
175
Questions — the full arc of a human life
1,000+
Schools across Karnataka
1 lakh+
Students at the Mahasamarpane
800+
Teachers trained and deployed
10
Indian language translations
1 lakh+ students · Mahasamarpane, Palace GroundsPrashnottara Ratna Mālika
भगवन् किमुपादेयम् ?
गुरुवचनम्
What is to be accepted (obeyed)? The words of all the elders and teachers.
Question 1 of 100
All 100 questions from the Prashnottara Ratna Mālika — click through to explore them one by one.
The Source
Prashnottara Ratna Mālika
The Prashnottara Ratna Mālika is a Prakarana Grantha — a concise philosophical treatise structured as question and answer, composed by Adi Shankaracharya to illuminate the essentials of righteous and ethical conduct. In 175 precise questions, it covers the gamut of an individual's life: thought, action, relationship, profession, and purpose.
Its genius is its directness: each answer carries the full weight of Advaitic insight in language a child can begin to understand, and a scholar can spend a lifetime deepening. What was true guidance for a student in 8th-century India remains true today, because the questions it asks are not historical — they are permanent.
Vasudhaiva Kuṭuṃbakam is not a sentiment — it is the logical conclusion of Advaita Vedanta. The values embedded in these 175 questions are not bound by any country's customs. They are universal.
Vedanta Bharati curated select verses from the Prashnottara Ratna Mālika — chosen for their direct relevance to children and students — into the Mārgadarshi, a companion guide that explains the significance of each question and shows, concretely, how it applies to daily life.
The underlying conviction: these values are best embedded early, before the world has had a chance to suggest otherwise. The Mārgadarshi is not a textbook — it is a companion for the formation years.
The Movement
The Abhiyāna
From one guide to a movement in 1,000 schools
800+
Teachers Trained
In its first year, Vedanta Bharati trained 800+ teachers from across Bengaluru. Each teacher carried the Vivekadeepini into 10–15 schools — the shlokas, their meanings, and their application taught in sessions woven into the moral education curriculum.
1,000+
Schools Reached
The Abhiyāna reached 1,000+ schools across Karnataka, with sessions woven into the moral education curriculum — the shlokas, their meanings, and their application to daily life taught in every school that joined.
1 lakh+
Mahasamarpane
The Abhiyāna culminated in the Vivekadeepini Mahasamarpane at Palace Grounds, Bengaluru — over one lakh students chanting together in one collective voice, a civilisational statement about where India's children are rooted.
Recognition
National Recognition
Dignitaries on stage · MahasamarpaneThe Vivekadeepini Mahasamarpane drew recognition at the highest levels: Union Home Minister Amit Shah attended and addressed participants on January 18, 2020; Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa announced state government approval to teach Vivekadeepini in all schools across Karnataka; the Director of Public Instruction granted formal permission for its inclusion in the moral education curriculum; and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu presided over the release of the abridged student edition.
“Vedanta Bharati's efforts to impart Adi Shankaracharya's Viveka Deepini to one million students and to translate these teachings into various Indian languages are highly commendable. Such initiatives play an important role in preserving and propagating India's rich Vedic tradition.”
— Shri Amit Shah, Union Home Minister
Scale
10 Indian Languages
National launch · New DelhiTranslated into 10 Indian languages, with international editions underway.
Get Involved
Bring Vivekadeepini to Your School
For Schools
Enrol Your School
Introduce Vivekadeepini into your moral education or value education period. Vedanta Bharati provides trained teachers, the Mārgadarshi guide, and materials in Kannada, Sanskrit, and Telugu.
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