---
type: Reference
bundle: upanishadic-core
id: panchadashi
title: "Pañcadaśī"
description: "Vidyaranya's fifteen-chapter Advaita compendium; discrimination of the Self across koshas and states."
tradition: Advaita Vedānta
author: "Vidyāraṇya (Mādhava Āraṇyaka, c. 1296–1386 CE)"
language: Sanskrit
approximate_date: "c. 14th century CE"
key_concepts_in_bundle: [sakshin, turiya, sushupti, nirguna-brahman, upadhi, brahmabhavana, laksana-brahman]
timestamp: "2026-07-01"
okf_version: "0.2"
license: "CC BY-SA 4.0"
---

# Pañcadaśī — पञ्चदशी

"Fifteen [chapters]." A systematic Advaita Vedānta treatise in 15 chapters organized in three groups of five (Viveka-pañcaka on discrimination, Dīpa-pañcaka on consciousness, and Ānanda-pañcaka on bliss). By Vidyāraṇya (also known as Mādhavācārya), the Advaita scholar-sage who established the Vijayanagara empire's intellectual tradition. More accessible than the Brahmasūtra Bhāṣya; widely used as a teaching text in Vedāntic monasteries.

## Key Passages for Bundle Concepts

| Passages | Concept | Content |
|----------|---------|---------|
| 1.6–10 | Lakṣaṇa-Brahman | Taṭastha vs. Svarūpa Lakṣaṇa; the self-luminous Cit |
| 1.16–25 | Svapna | Prātibhāsika reality of dream; implications for Māyā analysis |
| 3.1–15 | Upādhi | Upādhi of Brahman in creation; crystal analogy |
| 3.15–25 | Ānandamaya Kośa | Causal body as Upādhi |
| 7.1–10 | Sākṣin | Sākṣin vs. Pramātā; self-luminosity; Suṣupti as evidence |
| 9.1–25 | Brahmabhāvanā | Ātma-Tattva-Viveka: the active cultivation of Brahman-identity |

## Chapter Structure Relevant to Bundle

- **Chapter 1 (Tattva-Viveka)**: The nature of Brahman; Taṭastha vs. Svarūpa Lakṣaṇa
- **Chapter 3 (Pañca-Koṣa-Viveka)**: The five sheaths and their analysis
- **Chapter 7 (Tṛptī-Dīpa)**: Sākṣin as the witness of all three states
- **Chapter 9 (Ātma-Tṛpti-Dīpa)**: The bliss of recognizing the Ātman; Brahmabhāvanā

## Recommended Editions

- H.P. Shastri translation (Shanti Sadan)
- Swami Swahananda translation (Ramakrishna Math — 2 vols.)
