Pearls of wisdom or Prashnottara Ratna Malika, is a multiple set of 67 question and answers given by Jagat Guru Sri Adi Shankaracharya for universal benefit. The Q&A instructs on philosophy, morals, human behavior and offers friendly advice as well. The questions can be grouped as dharma, guru, personality development, warnings, right and wrong conduct. This work is useful for sanatana dharma followers, Hindu culture enthusiasts, spiritual aspirants, sadhakas and vedanta students. Sadhaka is a person practicing tenets of spirituality, yoga, austerities, and is on the path of self-inquiry. Briefly, the structure of the question and answer format is as follows 1. The Q&A instructs tatwa (universal truth) and morals. In addition many Q&A gives friendly advice. 2. Reviewing question 11 and one particular sloka from Shankaracharya's another work Bhaja-Govindam, the similarities that exist suggests that this 67 Q&A was authored by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. 3. The emphasis is on right conduct (achara) with regard to daya (compassion), daana (charity), dharma and paropakara (benevolence, helping others). 4. The enquiry (vichara) is on the fleeting nature of world (samsara), relationships, greatness of good company and renunciation, and difficulty of liberation. 5. In questions that ask who is lame, who is deaf etc. Acharya is answering it using a technique known as anyokti (allegorical expression) and should not be taken literally. Among the 67 questions there is a wealth of suggestions. Each Q&A has many sub-parts sometimes linked and other times not linked. There are at least 136 question and answers. A, B, C refer to same question number but a sub part. Several inverted form of questions serve as a warning. Here is an example: #8B what is the cause of greatness? An inverted question is as follows: What factors make a person not great? Or what factors make one a lowly person? Acharya gives the answer in another Q# 32 as: What is the cause of ignominy (also see 18B, 57D). Based on my understanding, top ten suggestions are as follows: 1.Always follow Dharma and speak truth. 2.Follow the orders of teacher (Guru). 3.Serve parents and avoid bad deeds at each stage of life. 4.Do not let sense-objects control life, reduce wants. 5.Develop friendship with good people, literature, and discourses. 6.Let reason decide right and wrong, not anger, greed. 7.Do service and charity without return expectation. 8.Read scriptures and reflect the meaning of teachings. 9.Worship and follow avatara-purushas, sages and mahatmas. 10.With self-effort cultivate devotion. I have collected supporting notes from numerous discourses, slokas from Bhagavad Gita, Puranas, and books written by reputed authors. Specifically I have used discourses given by Sri Chaganti Koteshwara Rao, Sri Samavedha Shanmukha Sarma, Sri Vaddiparti Padmakar Garu, and Swami Harshananda. In addition, I have used books written by Sri K.N.Rao, ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada, and other Acharyas, Masters, Gurus, and Swamis of different organization. I have also done original research to answer some questions. Specific examples are A.Greed is destroyer of all good qualities. Lust is the common enemy. B.Good deeds and bad deeds and its stages and its remedies. C.Three types of samskaras and its effect on a person.
