A prakarana in old Hindi (one of the regional mixed dialects), Vicaracandrodaya elucidates the basic concepts of Advaita Vedanta in the form of questions and answers. Pandit Pitambar, the author of the text, presents this work as a dialogue between a guru and his disciple. This book is an English translation of Vicaracandrodaya, by S. Bhuvaneshwari. It is spread across 249 questions and their answers, and takes the reader into the essence of the entire Vedantashastra. It also has a Laghu-vedanta-kosha explaining the basic Vedantic terms and a chapter as “index” providing quick reference to the basic concepts of Advaita Vedanta.
The author enunciates that a true knowledge seeker who studies this text under a brahmanishtha guru will get to know the “secrete knowledge” of Vedanta. And this knowledge will dispel darkness from his mind as the rising moon dispels darkness from the world. However, he insists that it should be studied from a guru with shraddha as Vedanta cannot be grasped without the guidance of an enlightened teacher. Also, this book serves as a ready reference to the basic concepts as discussed in Pancadashi of Vidyaranya and Vicarasagara of Nishcaladasa.
This volume is both a guide to the beginners in Vedanta and a text for nididhyasana. It will benefit all the people who dwell in the domain of Vedanta.