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LESSON 3

Sdhana-catuaya

N THE LAST lesson, we examined broadly the fundamental differences

between prakaraa-granthas and stra-granthas, saw why texts begin with

an invocation (magalcaraa) to both the Lord and/or the Guru and learnt
that every prakaraa-grantha is prefaced with the anubandha-catuaya (four
preliminary considerations) adhikr, viaya, prayojana and sambandha. In
essence, these four preliminary considerations define respectively the
characteristics of a person qualified to study the text, the main subject matter
in the text, the result of studying the text and the relationship of the text to the
subject matter (of the text). Books in the present day have a foreword and
preface that serve a similar purpose.
In this lesson, we will study the characteristics that enable an individual to
become an adhikr or qualified aspirant of Vednta and, in doing so, also
discover how we too can become a true adhikr.

Adhikr
Success in any field of work requires prior qualifications. Whether doctor,
engineer or artist, a person needs the appropriate education backed by sufficient
work experience. For a doctor to specialise as a surgeon, he should study
further after the basic education is over. The qualification levels become higher
and more subtle as the nature of the work itself becomes more difficult and
more precise. The spiritual realm is no exception to this general rule. The goal
of spiritual seekers being the greatest infinite and true happiness it can be
attained only by the well qualified. The qualifications in the spiritual realm,

Lesson 3

which will be elaborated in this lesson, are more of the nature of purity of the
mind (citta-uddhi) and single-pointedness of the intellect (citta-ekgrat). An
individual who has in full measure the required qualifications to study Vednta
is termed adhikr. Only an adhikr gets the full benefit of Vedntic studies
and becomes liberated.
This is not to discourage others who are not yet fully qualified. Individuals
benefit to the extent they are qualified. Also, the very study of Vednta and
the practice of the various spiritual disciplines advocated therein enables one
to become better qualified and, in steady steps, one becomes an adhikr.

Fourfold Qualification
Vedntic texts refer to the qualifications required for an individual to become
an adhikr as sdhana-catuaya or the fourfold qualification. These are:
(1) Viveka or Differentiation
(2) Vairgya or Dispassion
(3) amdi-aka-sampatti or the six Disciplines (or virtues) of the mind
beginning with ama
(4) Mumukutvam or the Desire for Liberation
These fourfold qualifications, the 4 D-s so to say, are analysed in this lesson.
1. Viveka or Differentiation
The word viveka means differentiation1. This is the faculty of the intellect,
given to all, with which we distinguish one thing from the other. We
differentiate between noble and ignoble, pleasure and pain, honour and
dishonour and so on. Sometimes this faculty is used for wrong purposes to
discriminate between people of one race and another, between one religion
and another, between one country and another and so on.
Vedntic differentiation is between the Permanent and the ephemeral.
1. Viveka is commonly translated as discrimination. Since the word discrimination has nowadays
come to have a negative connotation (as discrimination with regards to gender, race, caste, religion
and so on) we have chosen to translate viveka as differentiation.
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Sdhana- C atuaya

akarcrya defines viveka in his work Tattva-bodha:

inTyvSTvek< titir< svRminTym!.
nityavastveka brahma tadvyatirikta sarvamanityam.
Viveka is the understanding that Brahman alone is permanent and
everything apart from It is ephemeral.
The ability to analyse or distinguish is not unique to humans. Other living
beings, such as plants, animals and birds, also have the capacity to differentiate.
They can distinguish between heat and cold, impulses of joy and sorrow, their
own offspring from that of another and so on. This ability in animals to
differentiate is based on instinct. Human beings, however, are capable of a
higher kind of differentiation based on right understanding; they are capable
of distinguishing the right from the wrong and the noble from the ignoble.
We can become even more subtle in our viveka (the faculty of differentiation)
by learning to distinguish the Permanent from the impermanent. This ability
to distinguish the Permanent from the impermanent termed nitya-anityavastu-viveka is a rare privilege and blessing accorded to the most advanced
among humans; and it is they who become qualified to enter the portals of
Vednta.

Let us now investigate the nature of this viveka or differentiation between

the Eternal (Permanent) and the ephemeral. This world, and everything in it,
has a beginning and therefore will have an end. Our body, which we mistakenly
take to be our Self, is impermanent. The experiences of heat and cold, joy and
sorrow, honour and dishonour that we experience through our body, mind
and intellect are also impermanent. All that is seen, heard, touched, tasted,
smelt, felt and known in short, the whole gamut of our worldly experiences
is fleeting and perishable. Many suns have been born and have had their
natural death. Many universes have gone by in the march of time. Everything
is in a state of flux and nothing is permanent. Change alone is changeless.
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Lesson 3

But every change needs a changeless substratum. Vednta points out that
transcending this world of change and flux is the realm of pure Brahman, the
changeless substratum. Brahman alone is permanent, all else is impermanent
this understanding, this differentiation between Brahman and all else is
termed viveka in Vednta.
No doubt, a student is not likely to have this perfect wisdom right at the
beginning of his spiritual journey. When viveka is presented as a preliminary
requisite for a seeker, what is meant is that when the Teacher explains that
Brahman alone is permanent and all else is impermanent, he should have
the capacity to clearly understand this.
This viveka is the very basis of the remaining three aspects of sdhanacatuaya vairgya, amdi-aka-sampatti and mumukutvam.

2. Vairgya or Dispassion
The second aspect of the sdhana-catuaya is vairgya or dispassion. Many
fear the word vairgya; they assume that vairgya is giving up ones home,
wealth, wife and children and leading a life of a recluse. But dispassion has
more to do with the mind than with anything merely physical.

The Readiness to Lose

Once an ascetic was travelling in a boat with some silver water-pots for his hermitage. The
boatman, who was also carrying some pots, scoffed at him saying, You call yourself a
renunciate but you carry silver pots. I am a mere householder, but I have only clay pots with
me. Who is more dispassionate, I wonder!
The ascetic calmly threw all the silver pots into the river and said to the boatman, I have
thrown away all I have. Can you do the same?
The boatman couldnt!
Dispassion is not about what you have or dont. It is about ones readiness to lose anything
at any time.

Sdhana- C atuaya

Vairgya is a natural disinclination towards worldly enjoyments and occurs

automatically in a person who is endowed with a strong viveka. Steady
vairgya can arise out of firm viveka alone. If viveka points out that everything
except Brahman is ephemeral, the next logical step is to stop seeking the
ephemeral. That is vairgya. Understanding the finite and painful nature of
worldly pleasures is viveka and not pursuing the finite pleasures of the senses
is vairgya.
It is important to educate and convince the mind about the futility of seeking
ephemeral joys from the impermanent world of objects so that it can turn
inwards towards the Self. We can cultivate vairgya by repeatedly bringing to
mind that all worldly enjoyments have the following defects:
They have a beginning and an end.
They are riddled with pain.
They dissipate ones energy.
They leave a gnawing sense of incompleteness at the end.
They create attachment which leads to a never-ending cyclic chase

pleasure.... memory.... pleasure.... memory leading only to more and

more disillusionment.

What about the exalted pleasures of heaven (svarga)? Arent they ever-lasting?
No. The pleasures of heaven too have a beginning and, therefore, necessarily,
an end. As a result of meritorious actions done in this world, one goes to
heaven and enjoys those exalted pleasures, but when ones puyas (merits)
get exhausted, one has to return to this world, to be born again and thus the
cycle of birth and death continues with fresh vigour. A person endowed with
dispassion seeks the Eternal and has no interest in the ephemeral joys of either
this world that we live in or the other world of the gods (svarga or heaven).
Dispassion is the real strength of seekers; it helps them turn within and
progress faster in the spiritual path. Tattva-bodha defines vairgya as:
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Lesson 3

#hSvgRaeg;
e u #CDaraihTym!,
ihasvargabhogeu icchrhityam.
The absence of desire to enjoy the pleasures of this world and heaven is
vairgya.

3. amdi-aka-sampatti
The third aspect of sdhana-catuaya is amdi-aka-sampatti, a set of six
disciplines or virtues of the mind-intellect equipment. This term literally means
the sixfold (aka) wealth (sampatti) beginning with ama (amdi). The six
disciplines of the mind-intellect referred to are: (1) ama (2) dama (3) uparama
(4) titik (5) raddh and (6) samdhna. We shall next take up for study each
of these six disciplines.
3.1. ama or Mastery over the Mind: This is the wilful control of the mind.
The mind is a continuous flow of thoughts. Preventing the mind from its mad
onrush towards the world of objects is called ama. Tattva-bodha defines ama
as follows:
mnaeinh>,
manonigraha.
The mastery of the mind is called ama.
The mind is habituated to being extroverted and runs berserk at the slightest
provocation. A mind that wanders riotously is the greatest danger for a seeker
who endeavours to turn his attention to the Self within. To firmly harness this
wild and restless mind is ama. If viveka is the differentiation between the
Permanent and the impermanent, and vairgya is the disinclination for
impermanent worldly enjoyments, then ama is the wilful control of the mind
whenever it becomes extroverted (due to strong attachments and past habits)
and seeks the impermanent worldly pleasures.
Mastery over the mind and curtailing its extroversion helps the seeker to
turn within and glide effortlessly into the higher realms of spiritual pursuit.

Sdhana- C atuaya

Only when controlled with the combined strength of will as well as

understanding is the mind completely sublimated.
3.2. Dama or Mastery over the Senses: Dama is the wilful control of the
senses. The mind, which is addicted to sense pleasures, will not easily let go
of them. It will continue to ruminate on its past encounters with pleasures,
plan for their further attainment and, thus, all the while, mentally dissipate
itself. The power of vsans (habitual tendencies), collected through many
births, renders one incapable of easily controlling the mind.
However, one can still control the sense organs, even though the mind has
not been controlled, by desisting from the actual physical enjoyment. It is the
sense organs the gateways to the mind that generally trigger most of our
mental activities and, hence, managing them is an effective beginning to
managing the mind. Also, it is easier to begin with handling and overcoming
the sense organs, because they are more gross than the mind; from the gross
to the subtle is the easier path to adopt.
Tattva-bodha defines dama as follows:
c]uraid-baeiNy-inh>,
cakurdi-bhyendriya-nigraha.
Dama is the control of the sense organs such as the eyes.
If viveka is strong, vairgya becomes natural, ama or mastery of the mind
is automatic, and dama or sense control is natural or effortless. But if viveka is
weak, vairgya becomes difficult and ama is impossible. Still, by the right
exercise of will, we can control the senses and save ourselves from plunging
headlong into what is not going to be good for us in the long run though it
may be pleasurable right now.

An instance from daily life to explain ama and dama

The mother was watching her child glued to the television. She kept telling him, as many
mothers do, Dont watch this movie. It is not for you. There is too much violence in it. The
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Lesson 3

child retorted, I know it is make-believe it is not real I am not affected by it! But even
as the movie proceeded, she saw her child beginning to sweat, his fists were clenched and he
was sitting on the edge of his seat. She came to a quick decision and instantly shut off the
television saying, Enough is enough. You look terrified. Go to bed!
Had the child (or you or me) not been affected by the television programme even while in
front of it, it would have been a classic situation of ama. But since the mind was affected, the
child had to be physically distanced from the source of disturbance, which is the practice of
dama.

A note of warning: Dama can be an emergency brake saving us from imminent

fall; but one has to make ones viveka and vairgya strong enough, gradually,
so that dama becomes natural. Or else, the continual forced control of the
senses will lead to the suppression of the mind rather than its natural and
effortless sublimation.
3.3. Uparama or Withdrawal: Uparama, also called uparati, is the natural
withdrawal of both the mind and the senses from external objects; it is the
sublimation of the mind and the effortless curtailment of the senses that have
completely stopped hankering after sense pleasures. Effortlessness characterises
uparama and distinguishes it from ama and dama, which call for the deliberate
exercise of effort and use of will. Uparama is the condition of the mind that is
peaceful, not tempted, not wandering and not rushing towards the world of
finite pleasures.
akarcrya in his work Vivekacmai defines uparama as follows:
ba-AnalMbn< v&>e @;aeprit> %ma,
bhya-anlambana vtte eoparati uttam.
The best uparati is that condition of the thought waves in which they are
free from the influence of external objects.
When one has built the edifice of ama and dama on the strong foundations
of viveka and vairgya, uparama is its natural culmination.
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3.4. Titik or Forbearance: Life is a series of experiences gained through the

body, mind and intellect. Heat and cold, joy and sorrow, praise and insult
these pairs of opposites, called dvandvas in Sanskrit come in waves, almost
alternating each other and they cannot be stopped. The capacity of the mind
and the intellect to take these pains, sorrows and insults the little pinpricks
of life in their stride without becoming overly preoccupied with them is called
titik.
Tattva-bodha defines titik as follows:
zItae:[-suo>oaid-sih:[uTvm!,
toa-sukhadukhdi-sahiutvam.
Titik is the endurance of heat and cold, pleasure and pain and so on.
A mind that is not overpowered with pleasure, joy, praise and honour will
not be overcome by their opposites pain, sorrow, insult and dishonour. If
one has learnt to be equanimous in joy, then one will be balanced in sorrow
too! Swami Chinmayananda explains titik: When the intellect is fully
convinced of its accepted values of life, of the sacredness of its Goal, thereafter
in trying to gain it, the mind smilingly faces all difficulties and obstacles. This
capacity of the mind to accommodate cheerfully all the vicissitudes of life and
patiently ignore any obstacles that might come its way is titik.
3.5. raddh or Faith: Faith is essential in the spiritual path, for it paves the
way for the Experience of the Self. St.Augustine beautifully explains the nature
and potency of faith when he says: Faith is to believe in what you do not see,
the result of which is that you see what you believe.
raddh or faith is often confused with blind belief, but the two are
poles apart. Blind belief is not subject to verification, whereas faith is. The
difference between blind belief and faith is subtle but powerful, to the extent
that, in a crisis, blind belief is often shattered but faith strengthened. In blind
belief, one just fanatically believes; there is no rhyme or reason for the belief.
But faith is trust that is founded on the bedrock of understanding. raddh or
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Lesson 3

faith is thus an intellectual trust. Swami Chinmayananda defines faith as belief

plus understanding. An integrated mind and intellect is brought into play in
raddh mind being the source of belief and intellect the source of
understanding.
In Vednta, raddh or faith is to clearly visualise the potential of truth in
the words of the Guru and the Scriptures. akarcrya defines raddh in his
work Tattva-bodha as follows:
gu-vedaNt-vaKye;u ivas> a,
guru-vednta-vkyeu vivsa raddh.
Faith is the trust in the words of the Guru and Vednta.
3.6. Samdhna or Concentration: Samdhna is single-pointedness or
concentration of the mind. The mind, which is no more dissipated in the world
of objects because of the diligent practice of ama (mind control), dama (sense
control), uparama (withdrawal) and titik (forbearance), and the intellect,
which has been vitalised by raddha (faith), are to be directed towards spiritual
pursuits. Samdhna is defined in Tattva-bodha as:
icEkata,
cittaikgrat.
Samdhna is single-pointedness of the mind.
There is no success without concentration and spiritual life is no exception
to this general rule. In fact, spiritual life needs a much more intense
concentration. Concentration becomes natural and effortless when one has
cultivated the earlier disciplines like ama, dama and so on.

Mahtmas (spiritual masters, literally great souls) who possess a plentiful measure of these
virtues are seen to have tremendous powers of concentration even in worldly things even
without any specific practice.
During his maiden visit to the USA, Swami Vivekananda was watching a few boys

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trying to shoot eggshells floating on a pond, and missing more than hitting! The boys saw
him and typical of their age sarcastically asked him, Would you like to try? They were
hoping for a good laugh at his expense but to their astonishment, Swamiji aimed and shot
twelve eggshells in twelve shots, not missing one!
He had never trained with a gun ever!

These six ama, dama, uparama, titik, raddh and samdhna are
grouped under one head: amdi-aka-sampatti, the six wealths beginning
with ama. Needless to say, these six virtues are the real wealth of a sdhaka
(spiritual aspirant). Even though their real role and strength lies in the spiritual
realm, they contribute much to worldly success, peace, achievement and
excellence also.

4. Mumukutvam
The fourth and the last aspect of sdhana-catuaya (fourfold qualification) is
mumukutvam. Mumukutvam is the burning desire for Liberation. Success
in any pursuit primarily depends upon ones personal drive. Greater the drive,
higher the intensity of effort. Mumukutvam is a compelling desire for
Liberation. Just as a person whose hair catches fire seeks water urgently and
can brook no delay, so too, a mumuku (the individual who aspires for
Liberation) is one who seeks Brahman with fiery passion and urgency.
Mumukutvam (desire for Liberation) is defined in Tattva-bodha as follows:
mae]ae me Uyat! #it #CDa,
moko me bhyt iti icch.
The desire Let me become liberated is called mumukutvam.
Spiritual pursuit is not a half-hearted evening hobby or a part-time affair; it
is a full-time dedicated pursuit. A seeker who is ready to live every moment
of his life in the diligent pursuit of the Truth can alone be called a mumuku.
He is, so to say, totally possessed by his desire for Self-Realisation.

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Lesson 3

Overview of Sdhana-catuaya
The following table will give you an overview of the sdhana-catuaya (fourfold
qualification):
Fourfold Qualification

Definition

Viveka

Differentiation between the

Permanent and the impermanent

Vairgya

Disinclination towards the

impermanent worldly pleasures

3.1

ama

Wilful control of the mind

when it becomes extroverted

3.2

Dama

Wilful control of the senses

when they become extroverted

3.3

Uparama

Natural cessation (or sublimation)

of the extroversion of he mind and
the senses

3.4

Titik

Endurance of the pairs of

opposites such as heat and
cold, pleasure and pain, honour
and dishonour and so on

3.5

raddh

Faith in the words of the Guru

and Vednta

3.6

Samdhna

Single-pointedness of the
mind-intellect equipment

Mumukutvam

The burning desire for Liberation

We have thus examined the qualifications that are prescribed as sdhanacatuaya. The one who is endowed with all these fourfold qualifications is an
adhikr (qualified aspirant); through the teachings of the Guru, the Self is
revealed effortlessly to him.

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Those who are not endowed with a high level of sdhana-catuaya will
gain intellectual knowledge to begin with. Only as they become accomplished
in sdhana-catuaya by cultivating viveka, vairgya and so on will they become
spiritually mature, with their knowledge becoming transformed from a mere
academic understanding to the true Experience of the Self.

Practice Tip
How do you rate yourself as an adhikr? What aspects of sdhana-catuaya do you feel you
should cultivate so as to become a true adhikr?
A good idea would be to make a weekly sdhana-catuaya self-rating chart with each of the
sdhana aspects to be practised and see how effectively you are practising them each day.
Every night before you go to bed, fill the columns with your approximate ratings on a tenpoint scale. A week later, compare the present weeks ratings with those of the earlier weeks.
Practise this and you will see a tangible progress in your spiritual pursuit.

Verses for Reflection

shn< svR>oanamtIkarpUvk
R m!,
icNtaivlapriht< sa itit]a ing*te.
sahana sarvadukhnmapratkraprvakam,
cintvilparahita s titik nigadyate.
Titik is the capacity to endure all sorrows and sufferings without struggling
for redress or for revenge, being always free from anxiety or lament over
them. (Vivekacmai of akarcrya, verse 24)
za< c tkRpql< c ibeit gNtu<
y xavit mumuRrStzm!,
a tu t bdrIxvidVymUteR>
ivSpvI][ivxaE tv sEv c]u>.
stra ca tarkapaala ca bibheti gantu
yatra pradhvati muhurmuhurastaakam,
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Lesson 3

raddh tu tatra badardhavadivyamrte

vispaavkaavidhau tava saiva caku.
Where Scriptures and logic dread to approach, there, raddh (faith), however
unhesitatingly, enters and re-enters, again and again. O Lord of Badri! For a
clear perception of thy Divine Form, she (raddh) alone is the seeing eye.
(Badra-stotram of Svm Tapovanam, verse 3.12).

Questions
I. Define these terms
1. Anubandha-catuaya
2. Adhikr
3 . Viveka
4 . Vairgya
5 . Uparama
6. Titik
7. Samdhna
8. Mumukutvam
II. Answer briefly
1. What are the defects of worldly enjoyments?
2. Differentiate ama from dama.
3 . Compare blind belief and raddh.