By Dinesh Nath

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 (...

Darshan ( दर्शन ) means vision (of reality). In Indian vedic system, the reality of life have been perceived from six different dimensions and that has taken the form of distinct doctrines or six different schools of philosophy called Darshan Shastras. These school strives for liberation of soul by using different means. There are six Darshan Shastras called the six schools of philosophy. They are: (1) Poorv Mimansa ( पूर्व मीमांसा ) by Sage Jaimini, (2) Vaisheshik ( वैशेषिक दर्शन ) by Sage Kanad, (3) Nyay ( न्याय दर्शन ) by Sage Gautam, (4) Sankhya ( सांख्य दर्शन ) by Bhagwan Kapil, (5) Yog ( योग सूत्र ) by Sage Patanjali, and (6) Uttar Mimansa or Brahm Sutra ( उत्तर मीमांसा या ब्रह्म सूत्र ) by Bhagwan Ved Vyas. All the six Darshan Shastras are in sutra form। Significance of the Darshan shaastras 1. Poorv Mimansa : (Poorv means prior and mimansa means striving thoughts) The Vedic literature is so extensive that it i...