Vivekachudamani - Post 25

  Verse 19    

आदौ नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः परिगम्यते ।
इहामुत्रफलभोगविरागस्तदनन्तरम्
शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिर्मुमुक्षुत्वमिति स्फुटम् ॥ १९ ॥

 

ādau nityānityavastuvivekaḥ parigamyate |
ihāmutraphalabhogavirāgastadanantaram
śamādiṣaṭkasampattirmumukṣutvamiti sphuṭam || 19 ||

 

(While enumerating the qualifications , first we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next comes a spirit  of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and  hereafter, after that is the group of six essentials such as sama and last  is undoubtedly a burning desire for Liberation.)

 

Here, in sequence, Sankara repeats the necessary attributes for a student who wants sure success on the spiritual path. While giving a rough outline of these, he elaborates upon the theme of viveka and vairagya. 

 

However much actually intelligent the generation might be, it is the special privilege of a few to have the subtlety of intellect to delve deep into things and happenings and discriminate between the true and the false. 

 

Those who are sufficiently evolved, exhibit a greater keenness of intellect but those who do not have it, should not despair. For, it is not a God given bonus which comes to us from the heavens but it is the aroma of a well-developed and integrated mind and intellect. Where there is a large amount of viveka, it is safe to presume that the individual has a fairly well integrated personality. 

 

As a result of one's discriminative capacity when one differentiates between the Real and the unreal in the world outside or in the world within, all false values automatically drop off. When once a thing is understood to be full of bitterness, pain and imperfection, rare is the man who will continue to court it. 

 

Invariably, we run after a thing only when we hope to get out of it a greater fulfilment of joy or peace. Once we come to the intellectual appreciation that the object is riddled with sorrow, our immediate attempt would be to get rid of it. 

 

Nitya vastu is GOD who is your TRUE SELF. Now there is a longing to get one's TRUE SELF. So far one was happy with the crumbs of happiness given out by life.

 

Now, one understands it is anitya - temporary…. and the interest in gaining anitya happiness and security etc simply drops.

 

Discrimination or Viveka is the 100 percent conviction that the Self alone is real and that objects are apparently real.

 

Discrimination is the sense of right judgement and understanding to differentiate between the permanent and the impermanent.

 

The Anitya or impermanence comes in the form of various situations, opportunities and pleasures while the permanence is the VERY SELF, the TRUE nature of One's SELF.

 

Thus, vairagya born out of viveka is what is meant by 'detachment'. In fact, vairagya is the fulfilment of viveka and wherever the former is strong, the latter gains in essence and efficiency. 

 

The other two requisites mentioned in verse 17 are repeated here - the six qualifications such as sama and a passion to redeem oneself (mumukshutvam).

 

In the next upcoming verses, Sankara takes us through the 4 qualifications in much detail. These 4 qualifications are the foundation, base, on which the edifice of Sadhana is built.

 

No spiritual aspirant with a week base of these qualifications can ever hope to reach to higher level in Sadhana, in the path of wisdom.

 

Love.

Vivekachudamani - Post 24

  Verse 18    

साधनान्यत्र चत्वारि कथितानि मनीषिभिः ।
येषु सत्स्वेव सन्निष्ठा यदभावे न सिध्यति ॥ १८ ॥

sādhanānyatra catvāri kathitāni manīṣibhiḥ |
yeṣu satsveva sanniṣṭhā yadabhāve na sidhyati || 18 ||

(Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment, which when present, one succeeds in the realization of Brahman and in the absence of which the goal is not gained.) 

 

In this sloka Sankara teaches by processes of agreement by presence and agreement in absence - that possession of the four fold means only qualifies for inquiry into Brahman.

 

In the world, if, when something exists there is the non-existence of something else, that something else cannot be the cause of that thing. To put it another way, when in the non-existence of a thing, something exists, the latter cannot be the cause of the former. When a cloth has come into existence in the absence of clay, the clay cannot be the cause of the cloth.

 

Applying this to viveka and to brahmajijnasa (the desire to know Brahman), where there is no jignnasa, there will not be viveka etc. There may be things other than viveka etc. Hence it becomes clear that viveka etc. are the cause of brahmajijnasa. 

 

Therefore, brahmajinasa on which depends brahmanishtaa will arise only when aided by the saadhana chatustaya beginning with viveka, and will not arise in their absence, it is established that these requisites are preliminary to barhmajijnasa which has as its goal what is known as Brahmanishtaa.

 

maniisibhih kathitaani: manisitvam means having knowledge of the import of the sruti.

Many sruti texts support Sankara’s enumeration of saadhana catustaya, and the requirement of nitya anitya vastu viveka. 

kathitaani: are said to be. The Upanishads convey the knowledge of Brahman which is the supreme object of human quest, which cannot be achieved by other means of knowledge and which cannot be sublated in any of the three periods of time. The qualification for such jijnasa accrues only to one who has the qualities mentioned successively in vivekadi (i.e., viveka etc.).

Sankara is emphasizing that a seeker must, first of all, try to see that he is fully equipped with these qualifications; and at all periodical reverses in spiritual progress, the sadhaka, instead of despairing, must intelligently evaluate himself and detect his own deficiencies. 

When a patient looks pale, the doctor will immediately examine him for deficiencies. To make up the deficiency, he will supply him with the necessary ingredients. Similarly, when a spiritual seeker is fagged out, it is never due to an external obstacle as people generally complain, but always because of a serious deficiency in his spiritual constitution.

 

Love.

 

Vivekachudamani - Post 23

  Verse 17    

विवेकिनो विरक्तस्य शमादिगुणशालिनः ।
मुमुक्षोरेव हि ब्रह्मजिज्ञासायोग्यता मता ॥ १७ ॥

 

vivekino viraktasya śamādiguṇaśālinaḥ |
mumukṣoreva hi brahmajijñāsāyogyatā matā || 17 ||

 

(He alone is considered qualified to enquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of calmness and so on, and a burning desire for Liberation.) 

 

If the former verse gives us the broad characteristic of those who are fit receptacles for Knowledge, here we have more clearly etched specifications. 

 

These terms have often been found to frighten away the students since their orthodox interpretations have been rather severe and relentless. But on a closer analysis, they are found to be very healthy instincts present in every bosom. Only a very few of us, however, are conscious of them and even fewer consciously develop these qualities in themselves. 

 

vivekino viraktasya samadigunasalinah mumuksor. 

 

The student must be viveki; he must have discrimination. viraktasya, he must have dispassion; samadiguṇasalinah, he must have six-fold inner wealth, or inner virtues, mumuksor- with the earlier 3 qualifications, the seeker naturally develops intense craving for liberation.

 

Viveka is the capacity to discriminate between the Real and the unreal, between the true and the false, between the permanent and the impermanent. It is a faculty which we employ in almost all our day-to-day decisions but when it is brought to play into the inner constitution of the individual it is called 'viveka'. 

 

Vairagya is commonly translated as detachment. For many, it holds an uncanny fear, for it seems to point more to a condition of a living death than to a state of a better and fuller living. 

 

The 'vairagya' of Vedanta is only a fulfilment of viveka. Having discriminated between the Real and the unreal, it should not at all be agonising to pluck ourselves away from the false (unreal). 

 

When, through discrimination, we are intellectually convinced of the fallacy of our way of thinking, detachment is the fructification of that discrimination. Accordingly, it manifests to the degree to which we have been convinced that my shadow is not really me, it does not take an iota of my energy to rid myself of the sorrows of my shadow. 

 

Even if ten thousand elephants pass over it, I shall still smile and be happy for I know that no matter how much my shadow is trampled upon, it cannot bring me any pain. 

 

'Sama' means calmness. This and associated qualities will be taken up by Sankara in the coming verses and we shall be going into them at length there. For the time being, suffice it to understand that these are the mental values in life, which should be cultivated by a healthy man with an evolutionary urge. 

 

Success in any creative thinking will be directly proportional to the amount of these qualities in an individual. Even in the material world, an individual's success can be increased if only he develops these qualities in himself. 

 

Last but not the least of four qualifications mentioned here is 'mumuksutva' means a burning desire for Liberation. This, in its old drapery, may have the ugly look of an impracticable idea. 

One must have desire for inner freedom and that too intense desire. Because intense desire will be implemented. Casual desires, luke worm desires will not be implemented. 

 

So, tivrah mumukshu alone gets translated externally; therefore mumukshu means the one who has intense desire for inner freedom. That has become a top priority of life. 

 

And for such a person who has DISCRIMINATION, DISPASSION, for inner wealth, we can use the expression DISCIPLINE, and for mumukshatva, we can say DESIRE. 4 Ds. and for such a person alone Yogyata matha; there is yogyata, eligibility; he alone has got fitness; for what? Brahma jijnasa or Brahman enquiry, Athaatho brahma jijnasa, the first verse with which Brahma Sutra starts.

This verse is just an introductory verse on Sadhana Chatushtaya. In the upcoming verses, we would be going through the 4 qualifications in detail.

In the experience of author, there would be atleast some 10 spiritual aspitants who stayed through the intiial abosrbing sessions but left after Sadhana chatusthaya session.

Without qualifying 100% in all these 4 requirements, no seeker can hope to sustain his sadhana and to ultimately get glimpse of “SELF”.

Discriminate between real (SELF) and unreal (world with all its objects), develop dispassion towards all that is unreal, strive to get  all virtuous qualities and then with all the virtuous qualities attained, develop/feel the  intense craving to attain the one reality, your own true nature divine.

 

Love.