Skip to main content

Stepping Stones to Gain Spiritual Wisdom

Adi Shankara gave road map for the success on the spiritual path. He prescribed four qualifications to gain spiritual wisdom. Once practices with sincerity and surrender, success is ascertained.


1. Viveka (Discrimination): First qualification to walk on the spiritual path is to have viveka (power of discrimination): Discrimination between what is real and what is unreal. Whatever that changes is unreal and whatever doesn't change is real.

2. Vairagya (Dispassion): The second qualification to gain spiritual wisdom is to have vairagya (dispassion), once the first qualification (ability to discrimination between real and unreal) is gained, dispassion automatically follows it. Dispassions is not droping things in life it is just droping the feverishness to gain or get rid of something. It is simply going beyond craving and aversion.

3. shat Sampatti (Six Wealth): The third qualification to gain spiritual wisdom is to have what is called shat Sampatti (six wealth). Now this might look like the end result of spiritual practices, but scriptures say to have these qualities is a qualification to gain spiritual wisdom as it prepares the mind to gain the spiritual wisdom. Here are six wealth:
i. Sama (calmness of mind)
ii. Dama (self control; restraining the organ of both perception and action)
iii. Uprati (self settledness; a ability of mind to hold the sense organs which are calmed by sama & dama from drifting back to sense objects)
iv titiksha (forbearance; the quality to bear favorable and unfavorable)
v. Samadhana (complete concentration on Brahman or a sense of solution by vision of big universal consciousness)
vi. Shraddha (faith; ability of mind to go beyond the realm of reason transcending all doubts and negativity) 
Equipped with these qualification seeker is one step closer to gain spiritual wisdom.

4.  Mumkshutwam (Intense desire to be Free): Fourth qualification to gain spiritual wisdom is to have mumkshutwam (having a intense desire that may I be liberated). Desire is a fuel of all activities. It is a must as long as there is some thing to be achieved or even realised. The clarity & intensity of desire alone helps bring about the concerted & dynamic action. Therefore intense desire to be liberated makes the final qualification and make one ready for subjective awakening by realization of knowledge.

For More details please read Atma Bodh by Adi Shankara.
All Glory to Gurudev!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Meditation & its secret-1

Meditation is an art by which one go beyond the reflexive, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness where mind dissolve and pure timeless, space less, blissful consciousness BEING which is described as सत्चिदानंद satchidanand (सत् -चित्-आनंद) sat-chit-anand (Truthful-consciousness-blissful) by the enlightened MASTERS. About Meditation there are so many myths and concepts. And the truth is what you experience that is reality for you. Here in this post "Meditation & its secret-1" and upcoming series of post on this title, I will be writing about my direct experiences of the inner journey, the obstacles and blissful experiences which keep coming as journey goes on :) As we sit for meditation what we do we sit STILL with EYES CLOSED that is for withdrawing reflexive mind from visionary senses, other obstacle is auditory disturbances (therefore quiet place is preferable). Now journey start as wondering mind has lost most of distractions which...

Some more Q & A

Here are few more Q & A with Swami ji: Q. What is consciousness? A. Everything is consciousness! Whether you can see it or not, feel it or not! Q. What is the purpose of my life? A. On this question, Swami ji asked the participant to pat himself and said congratulate to yourself that mind is opening up and going beyond the day to day life, my job, my family, prestige etc. Then he said I will tell you three things in reference to this question: i. One who know will never tell you the answer. ii. Those who are telling don't know the answer. iii. Keep asking your question and whatever answer comes keep putting them in trash and one day you will get the answer to this question :-) Q. Who am I? A. Again for this question Swami ji asked the participant to congratulate himself and he said again follow the three things I told you in answer before. i. One who know will never tell you the answer. ii. Those who are telling don't know the answer. iii. Keep asking your question and what...

Patanjali Yoga Sutra Part-6

Keep the faith:- Shraddhveerya smrutisamadhiprajnapurvaka itaresham (Sûtra 20) meaning "By faith, by vigour or courage, by memory of having experienced the self and through the deep state of equanimity, a state of heightened awareness is gained." This is a vital sûtra. Shraddha means faith. Faith makes your consciousness stable, steady and solid. Doubt in the consciousness makes you vulnerable, fearful and uncertain. Faith brings out the totality in you. It pulls together all loose ends of consciousness. It integrates your whole personality. Doubt scatters you. Doubt destroys you. Doubt disseminates you and your energy. Doubt is something that pulls you apart. Dissemination of energy is doubt. Consolidation of your energy is faith. Are you getting what I am saying? The very feeling of your having faith is a sort of consolidation. That is why Jesus always said that faith is your strength. They are synonymous — faith and strength. When you are strong and bold, you have faith. ...