Vivekachudamani 6 Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti - By Swami Tattwamayananda

Title: Sadhana Chatushtaya SampattiVerses:  16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26Vivekachudamani is one of the introductory texts on Vedanta.The 18th verse introduces the concept of chatustaya (quadrangle or four steps). To purify the mental system, four qualities are needed in a spiritual seeker. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not.The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti.The four qualities in Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti are: nitya anitya vastu viveka, Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga, Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti, and Mumukṣutvam.First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Only the Atman is Absolutely Real (Nitya). The world is not absolutely unreal, but it is not absolutely real either. It is only relatively real (Anitya).Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. We should develop a sense of aversion towards enjoyments in this life or in heaven.Shankaracharya warns about the danger of going after worldly pleasures through the 325th verse: “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, when we forget about Nitya and if the mind goes after Anitya, one falls in spiritual life.” A higher goal in life, that is not worldly in nature, restrains the mind and directs it to the right path.Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits:  Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation. When we understand what relay matters (Nitya), we develop a desire to achieve that.The next few verses describe the six qualities for self-control, mentioned in the 19th  verse.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.”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.”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.”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.The 16th verse describes who is fit for spiritual enquiry. It says: “He should have proper intelligence. He should be able to listen and understand what he listens to. He should be able to retain in his mind what he studies. He should be an expert in the following two qualities: (1) Uha, the ability to accept what is to be accepted (2) Apoha, the ability to reject what is to be rejected.One is never late to start the spiritual journey and any effort made towards spiritual progress is never lost.