Sadhana Chatushtayam
Sadhana Chatushtayam:
The ultimate goal of any life is removal of all sorrows. This is possible only by realization of the nature of the Self. For this one has to know the nature of Self as the same as Brahman and the conviction arising from that knowledge is what helps the seeker achieve the ultimate goal. Now we also have to know who is competent for this knowledge. Vedanta answers this as: ‘One who is endowed with the four fold qulalifications is competent for the study of Vedanta’. There needs to be no separate study for the knowing the Self as every being is conscious of its own existence. But due to ignorance, the true blissful nature of the Self is forgotten and there rises a need to know the nature of the Self. It is this knowledge that removes the illusory ignorance. For this knowledge, the competence is obtained by the four virtues or Sadhana Cahtushtayam.
Though everyone is eligible for this knowledge as it is but verily Self, and not something arising new, for gaining the conviction and realizing the nature of Self, a normal seeker has to undergo Sadhana. The Sadhana Chatushtayam are the virtues that will help the seeker in reaching that goal which is realizing the true nature of Self.
In this mail, let us try to learn what these Sadhana Chatushtayam are.
The first of these is Viveka:
Nityanitya Viveka is the discrimination of the eternal from the non eternal. It is the conviction derived from the scriptures and the words of the Guru that the Brahman alone is unchanging and permanent while the world is impermanent. It is very essential for a seeker to discriminate between the eternal and non eternal. Or in other words a seeker must have strong conviction about the illusory nature of the world and the eternal nature of Brahman. Only that which is eternal can give eternal happiness, hence it is very essential to discriminate THAT eternal entity from the non eternal entities. If there is no discrimination then there is always a risk of getting attached to impermanent objects of sensual pleasures. The changing world of duality has to be known as non eternal.
The next is Vairagya:
Viragya is dispassion. Dispassion towards worldly objects that can never lead to eternal happiness has to be achieved by a seeker. This includes removing all attachments and bondings. The objects of pleasure are to be known as illusory and impermanent through discrimination and renounced. Attachment to the objects to the world always bars the knowledge. If the mind is delved in thinking about money and other objects of sensual pleasures and affected by the happiness and miseries due to them, then how can a seeker turn inward and concentrate on the true knowledge? Hence, vairagya is one of the essential qualifications for a seeker.
Acharya Sankara in his Aparoksha anubhuti says that the indifference to the worldy objects even from those in Brahma loka to those in this world should be such as the indifference shown to the excreta of the crow by normal people. All sense objects should be valued with such an attitude. As Sri Ramakrishna also says, Kamini and Kanchana have to be stayed away from. The attachment to the sensual pleasures and money have to be broken. Vairagya is thus very necessary for a seeker to vanquish all the desires of the mind and turn it towards the knowledge of the Self.
The next are samaadi sadaka sampatti: This consists of a group of six virtues. They are:
1) Sama: It is the capacity of mind to turn away from objects of senses and wordly pleasures and focus it on the reality. A seeker has to control the mind from straying away to the objects of the world. Abandoning all sensual desires at all times is Sama.
2) Dama: It is the capacity to control the functioning of organs of desire and knowledge; includes the body and its desires.
3) Uparthi: It is performing actions without any desire for fruits. As we have Nishkamya karma has to be practiced at all times. One must abstain from the desire of the fruits of all actions.
4) Titiksha: It is the capacity to bear all sufferings and enjoyments of past deeds with out any happiness or sadness. The world and its happenings has to be known as illusory and the mind should not be affected by the happenings in the world. Titiksha is the capacity to be unaffected by happenings due to the result of previous karmas. Great Saints like Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramakrishna have shown us this by their life, pain or pleasure, cold or heat, the mind should never be distracted or affected and one must always remember the ultimate reality underlying everything.
5) Samadhana: Patience and fixing the mind on things and thoughts ideal for spiritual practice. Unwavering concentration of the mind on the reality is Samadhana. The goal should be pursued with all patience and concentration.
6) Shraddha: It is the unshaken faith in teachings of Guru and words of Vedanta. There must be complete faith in the reality propounded by scriptures and in the words of Sadguru, only then will the conviction be strong. Even minute disbelief, suspicions on the import of the scriptures will only lead to the downfall of a seeker. Faith is hence very necessary.
The last of the Sadhana Chatushtayam is Mumukshutva:
It is the eargerness to attain moksha. There should be desire for any work, passion for what is sought out. And Vedanta accepts only one desire, only one passion for a seeker, that of Moksha. It is the only desire allowed. The attitude and the intensity of eagerness a seeker should be like that of a person caught in a house on fire who runs from the fire without bothering about the house nor its objects. Just like that a seeker must be capable of abandoning all the pleasures and objects of the world and seek out the reality with earnest desire. Sri Ramakrishna says that this eagerness should be so intense like that of a person gasping for air under water. It is only when such eagerness is there that the seeker attains the goal.
Thus all these qualities are necessary for a seeker. If one has the discriminative power and is yet devoid of the dispassion or the eagerness to attain liberation, then there is no use. Similarly, if one has dispassion towards all objects of world but no eagerness, and mind subject to anger or sorrow then also it is useless. Hence it is insisted that there should be all the four said qualifications. Only when all these are present that the seeker is competent for the knowledge.
May the ever present all pervading Lord bless us all with these Sadhana Chatushtayam.
Hari OM
With regards,
Mallika R
What you have is God's gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to God
The ultimate goal of any life is removal of all sorrows. This is possible only by realization of the nature of the Self. For this one has to know the nature of Self as the same as Brahman and the conviction arising from that knowledge is what helps the seeker achieve the ultimate goal. Now we also have to know who is competent for this knowledge. Vedanta answers this as: ‘One who is endowed with the four fold qulalifications is competent for the study of Vedanta’. There needs to be no separate study for the knowing the Self as every being is conscious of its own existence. But due to ignorance, the true blissful nature of the Self is forgotten and there rises a need to know the nature of the Self. It is this knowledge that removes the illusory ignorance. For this knowledge, the competence is obtained by the four virtues or Sadhana Cahtushtayam.
Though everyone is eligible for this knowledge as it is but verily Self, and not something arising new, for gaining the conviction and realizing the nature of Self, a normal seeker has to undergo Sadhana. The Sadhana Chatushtayam are the virtues that will help the seeker in reaching that goal which is realizing the true nature of Self.
In this mail, let us try to learn what these Sadhana Chatushtayam are.
The first of these is Viveka:
Nityanitya Viveka is the discrimination of the eternal from the non eternal. It is the conviction derived from the scriptures and the words of the Guru that the Brahman alone is unchanging and permanent while the world is impermanent. It is very essential for a seeker to discriminate between the eternal and non eternal. Or in other words a seeker must have strong conviction about the illusory nature of the world and the eternal nature of Brahman. Only that which is eternal can give eternal happiness, hence it is very essential to discriminate THAT eternal entity from the non eternal entities. If there is no discrimination then there is always a risk of getting attached to impermanent objects of sensual pleasures. The changing world of duality has to be known as non eternal.
The next is Vairagya:
Viragya is dispassion. Dispassion towards worldly objects that can never lead to eternal happiness has to be achieved by a seeker. This includes removing all attachments and bondings. The objects of pleasure are to be known as illusory and impermanent through discrimination and renounced. Attachment to the objects to the world always bars the knowledge. If the mind is delved in thinking about money and other objects of sensual pleasures and affected by the happiness and miseries due to them, then how can a seeker turn inward and concentrate on the true knowledge? Hence, vairagya is one of the essential qualifications for a seeker.
Acharya Sankara in his Aparoksha anubhuti says that the indifference to the worldy objects even from those in Brahma loka to those in this world should be such as the indifference shown to the excreta of the crow by normal people. All sense objects should be valued with such an attitude. As Sri Ramakrishna also says, Kamini and Kanchana have to be stayed away from. The attachment to the sensual pleasures and money have to be broken. Vairagya is thus very necessary for a seeker to vanquish all the desires of the mind and turn it towards the knowledge of the Self.
The next are samaadi sadaka sampatti: This consists of a group of six virtues. They are:
1) Sama: It is the capacity of mind to turn away from objects of senses and wordly pleasures and focus it on the reality. A seeker has to control the mind from straying away to the objects of the world. Abandoning all sensual desires at all times is Sama.
2) Dama: It is the capacity to control the functioning of organs of desire and knowledge; includes the body and its desires.
3) Uparthi: It is performing actions without any desire for fruits. As we have Nishkamya karma has to be practiced at all times. One must abstain from the desire of the fruits of all actions.
4) Titiksha: It is the capacity to bear all sufferings and enjoyments of past deeds with out any happiness or sadness. The world and its happenings has to be known as illusory and the mind should not be affected by the happenings in the world. Titiksha is the capacity to be unaffected by happenings due to the result of previous karmas. Great Saints like Ramana Maharshi, Sri Ramakrishna have shown us this by their life, pain or pleasure, cold or heat, the mind should never be distracted or affected and one must always remember the ultimate reality underlying everything.
5) Samadhana: Patience and fixing the mind on things and thoughts ideal for spiritual practice. Unwavering concentration of the mind on the reality is Samadhana. The goal should be pursued with all patience and concentration.
6) Shraddha: It is the unshaken faith in teachings of Guru and words of Vedanta. There must be complete faith in the reality propounded by scriptures and in the words of Sadguru, only then will the conviction be strong. Even minute disbelief, suspicions on the import of the scriptures will only lead to the downfall of a seeker. Faith is hence very necessary.
The last of the Sadhana Chatushtayam is Mumukshutva:
It is the eargerness to attain moksha. There should be desire for any work, passion for what is sought out. And Vedanta accepts only one desire, only one passion for a seeker, that of Moksha. It is the only desire allowed. The attitude and the intensity of eagerness a seeker should be like that of a person caught in a house on fire who runs from the fire without bothering about the house nor its objects. Just like that a seeker must be capable of abandoning all the pleasures and objects of the world and seek out the reality with earnest desire. Sri Ramakrishna says that this eagerness should be so intense like that of a person gasping for air under water. It is only when such eagerness is there that the seeker attains the goal.
Thus all these qualities are necessary for a seeker. If one has the discriminative power and is yet devoid of the dispassion or the eagerness to attain liberation, then there is no use. Similarly, if one has dispassion towards all objects of world but no eagerness, and mind subject to anger or sorrow then also it is useless. Hence it is insisted that there should be all the four said qualifications. Only when all these are present that the seeker is competent for the knowledge.
May the ever present all pervading Lord bless us all with these Sadhana Chatushtayam.
Hari OM
With regards,
Mallika R
What you have is God's gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to God
posted by vedanta at 7:05 PM
1 Comments:
1) Sama: It is the capacity of mind to turn away from objects of senses and wordly pleasures and focus it on the reality. A seeker has to control the mind from straying away to the objects of the world. Abandoning all sensual desires at all times is Sama.
Sama is not abandoning sensual desires – it is the peaceful state of the mind, the calm state of the mind. Of course, this is possible when desires are removed only but still definition of SAMA is CALMNESS of the MIND (and this is not directly “abandoning all sensual desires”).
2) Dama: It is the capacity to control the functioning of organs of desire and knowledge; includes the body and its desires.
DAMA is just control of sense organs – it is not related with the body and its desires but it is just related with the sense organs. The SAMAADI SHATKA SAMPATTI are qualities of the mind and hence they have no relation at all to the gross body.
SAMA is internal control of the mind whereas DAMA is external control of the mind through control of sense organs.
3) Uparthi: It is performing actions without any desire for fruits. As we have Nishkamya karma has to be practiced at all times. One must abstain from the desire of the fruits of all actions.
This is a wrong definition of UPARATHI. UPARATHI is withdrawal of sense organs from their sense objects. This means “not doing any actions at all”.
6) Shraddha: It is the unshaken faith in teachings of Guru and words of Vedanta. There must be complete faith in the reality propounded by scriptures and in the words of Sadguru, only then will the conviction be strong. Even minute disbelief, suspicions on the import of the scriptures will only lead to the downfall of a seeker. Faith is hence very necessary.
Chinmaya categorizes knowledge into two – direct and indirect. The scriptures are indirect knowledge in the form of books or past experience of saints whereas GURU is the direct knowledge as he is the living embodiment of the scriptures.
Only when all these are present that the seeker is competent for the knowledge.
It is not that only he who is endowed with the above qualities is competent for knowledge, but that he alone will be able to apprehend the knowledge propounded to him or experience intuitively the knowledge which he has heard or learnt. Thus knowledge fructifies only for him who is endowed with the above qualities.
HARI AUM
Thanks
Hariram
Let a moment not pass by without remembering God
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