THE FOUR MEANS OF LIBERATION (Sadhana Chatushtaya)
Jnana Yoga of
Brahma Vidya or the science of the Self is not a subject that can be understood
and realized through mere intellectual study, reasoning, ratiocination,
discussion or arguments. It is the most difficult of all sciences.
A student who
treads the path of Truth must, therefore, first equip himself with Sadhana Chatushtaya - the "four means
of salvation".
1.
discrimination, (Viveka)
2.
dispassion, (Vairagya)
3.
the sixfold qualities of perfection, (Shad-Sampat )
4.
and intense longing for liberation, (Mumukshutva)
Then alone will he
be able to march forward fearlessly on the path. Not an iota of spiritual
progress is possible unless one is endowed with these four qualifications.
These four means
are as old as the Vedas and this world itself. Every religion
prescribes them; the names differ from path to path but this is immaterial.
Only ignorant people have the undesirable habit of practicing lingual warfare
and raising unnecessary questions. Pay no attention to them. It is your duty to
try to eat the fruit instead of wasting time in counting the leaves of the
tree. Try now to understand these four essential requisites for salvation.
Viveka is discrimination between the real and the
unreal, between the permanent and the impermanent, between the Self and the
non-Self. Viveka dawns in a man through the Grace of God. The Grace can come
only after one has done unceasing selfless service in countless births with the
feeling that he is an instrument of the Lord and that the work is an offering
to the Lord. The door to the higher mind is flung open when there is an
awakening of discrimination.
There is an
eternal, changeless principle amidst the ever-changing phenomena of this vast
universe and the fleeting movements and oscillations of the mind.
The aspirant
should separate himself also from the six waves of the ocean of Samsara - birth
and death, hunger and thirst, and exhilaration and grief. Birth and death
belong to the physical body; hunger and thirst belong to Prana; exhilaration
and grief are the attributes of the mind. The Soul is unattached. The six waves
cannot touch Brahman which is as subtle as the all-pervading ether.
Association with
saints and study of Vedantic literature will infuse discrimination in man.
Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree. One should be well
established in it.
Vairagya is dispassion for the pleasures of this
world and of heaven. The Vairagya that is born of Viveka is enduring and
lasting. It will not fail the aspirant. But the Vairagya that comes temporarily
to a woman when she gives birth to a child or when one attends a funeral at a
crematorium, is of no use. The view that everything in the world is unreal
causes indifference to the enjoyments of this world and the heaven-world also.
One has to return from heaven to this plane of existence when the fruits of
good works are all exhausted. Hence they are not worth striving for.
Vairagya does not
mean abandoning one's social duties and responsibilities of life. It does not
mean abandoning the world, for life in a solitary cave of the Himalayas.
Vairagya is mental detachment from all worldly objects. One may remain in the
world and discharge all duties with detachment. He may be a householder with a
large family, yet at the same time he may have perfect mental detachment from
everything. He can do spiritual Sadhana amidst his worldly activities. He who
has perfect mental detachment in the world is a hero indeed. He is better than
a Sadhu living in a Himalayan cave, for the former has to face innumerable
temptations every moment of his life.
The third requisite is Shad-Sampat,
the sixfold virtue. It consists
of Sama, Dama, Uparati,
Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana. All these six
qualities are taken as one because they are calculated to bring about mental
control and discipline, without which concentration and meditation are
impossible.
1. Sama is serenity or tranquillity of mind which
is brought about through the eradication of desires.
2. Dama is rational control of the senses.
3. Uparati is satiety; it is resolutely turning the
mind away from desire for sensual enjoyment. This state of mind comes naturally
when one has practiced Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama.
4. Titiksha is the power of endurance. An aspirant
should patiently bear the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold, pleasure
and pain, etc.
5. Sraddha is intense faith in the word of the Guru,
in Vedantic scriptures and, above all, in one's own self. It is not blind faith
but is based on accurate reasoning, evidence and experience. As such, it is
lasting, perfect and unshakable. Such a faith is capable of achieving anything.
6. Samadhana is fixing the mind on Brahman or the Self,
without allowing it to run towards objects. The mind is free from anxiety amid
pains and troubles. There is stability, mental poise and indifference amid
pleasures. The aspirant has neither like nor dislikes. He has great inner
strength and enjoys unruffled peace of mind, due to the practices of Sama,
Dama, Uparati, Titiksha and Sraddha.
Mumukshutva is intense desire for liberation or
deliverance from the wheel of births and deaths with its concomitant evils of
old age, disease, delusion and sorrow. If one is equipped with the previous
three qualifications (Viveka, Vairagya and Shad-Sampat), then the intense
desire for liberation will come without any difficulty. The mind moves towards
the Source of its own accord when it has lost its charm for external objects.
When purification of mind and mental discipline are achieved, the longing for
liberation dawns by itself.
The aspirant who
is endowed with all these four qualification should then approach the Guru who
will instruct him on the knowledge of his real nature. The Guru is one who has
a thorough knowledge of the scriptures and is also established in that
knowledge in direct experience. He should then reflect and meditate on the
inner Self and strive earnestly to attain the goal of Self-realization.
A Sadhaka should reflect and meditate. Sravana is
hearing of Srutis, Manana is
thinking and reflecting, Nididhyasana is
constant and profound meditation. Then comes Atma-Sakshatkara or direct realization.