Vivekachudamani 5 Six Disciplines for Self-Control- By Swami Tattwamayananda

When we pursue spiritual life, our emotional system should be ready to absorb the spiritual ideas.If a follower of Vedanta thinks” “I am Brahman, therefore, I don’t have to do any spiritual practices”, he is mistaken. Through spiritual practices, he has to purify and refine his mental system. Then it becomes like a clean mirror that reflects the divine spark within, and he can understand spiritual ideas.Six enemies within  have to be removed. These six enemies are: ego, competition, jealousy, extreme liking, extreme hatred, and inclination to enjoy sensory objects.To purify the mental system, four qualities are needed in a spiritual seeker. First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. Third is a set of six disciplines for self-restraint Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana.  Fourth is a strong urge for liberation.21st verse: “Renunciation means repulsion towards forms of empirical enjoyments – that are of transitory nature, that is perceived by the mind and five senses of perception. It also means giving up desires for enjoyments both in this world and in heaven.”Only Rahman is Real. A thing is Real in Vedanta if it meets the following criteria: (1) It is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. (2) It remains the same in past, present and future. (3) It remains the same in waking, dream and deep sleep states. Towards anything that is not Real, we should have a sense of renunciation.22nd verse: “Sama refers to self-restraint and mind control. It is the ability to withdraw the mind from external objects and focus it on the supreme goal of human life. Again and again, we should tell ourselves that the objects of the empirical world are defective, they are transient.”We can find the quality of sama in great scientists, painters and musicians who can focus their mind on their goal and detach from everything else.We should remind ourselves that too much love for money takes us closer to spiritual death. We need money, but obsessive attachment is dangerous. The verse says: “again and again, we should remind ourselves.”23rd (a) verse: “Dama is the ability to retain the senses of perception and action in their own respective centers.”23rd (b) verse: “Uparati is the ability to keep the mind unaffected by all external things.”When we see an object with our eyes, the eyes and mind come together, and the mind takes the shape of that object. That is how we are able to recollect the object. When we practice Uparati, the mind does not take the form of external objects. It remains free as itself. “The five senses are active, but the mind is withdrawn – this is uparati.”When we practice uparati, the mind can focus on what it is doing without dissipation of energy. Shankaracharya achieved a lot in a short span of 32 years. He was able to do so because his mental system was fully purified and his mind was totally focused on what he was doing.24th verse: “Titiksa is the ability to endure all problems and afflictions with a reaction, complaint or lament. We may react but it does not affect the mind.”25th verse: “Shraddha is a strong conviction that the teachings of the scriptures and the Guru are true. Shraddha always carried with it a sense of sanctity, sacredness and seriousness in the teachings.”Shraddha is most difficult to achieve in modern times because people look upon spirituality as a commodity. They look upon it with a utilitarian approach on how it will benefit them. When we commercialize spirituality, it is no longer spirituality.Without a strong conviction in the truth of the teachings of the Guru and scriptures, one cannot progress in spiritual life. Shraddha is the price one pays to pursue a serious spiritual life.26th verse: “Samadhana is the ability to keep the intellect always established in Brahman, the supreme, spiritual goal. It is the ability to not pamper the mind when it pleads for various sensory enjoyments.”Vivekachudamani is meant for the introspective, spiritual life of the individual spiritual seeker. This is different from the setting of Gita, where Lord Krishna was teaching Arjuna, who was a soldier (not a serious spiritual seeker) shying away from an unpleasant duty towards the society.Vedanta does not reject puranic concepts such as lokas or higher levels of consciousness. It goes beyond them.