Four Means of practice (sadhana chatushtaya), which include Six Virtues (shatsampat), are cultivated on the path of Self-Realization by the school of Vedanta or Jnana Yoga. These allow a clear, steady foundation for the three stages 1. of the practices of listening to the teachings (sravana), 2. reflecting on those teachings (manana), and 3. deep contemplative meditation on those principles (niddhidhyasana). In western phylosophy, it is SQR3= Survey, Queationing, R3: Read, Recite & Resilience.
The sAdhana chatuShTaya is described by Shankara in the vivekachUDAmaNi as follows:
Adau nityAnityavastuvivekaH parigaNyate |
ihAmutraphalabhOgavirAgasttadanantaram ||
shamAdiShaTkasampattiH mumukShutvamiti sphuTam || - Verse 19.
1. viveka
discrimination of Real from unreal.
Bhagawat Gita explains this in the 3th Chapter Skhetra-Skhetragnya Yoga. This is the first chapter in the third part of Gita i.e. Gnana Kand or Jnana Yoga
2. vairAgya
detachment or dispassion from sense objects .
It is also called as a state of mind in which there is absence of worldly desires (As said by Sri Ramana Maharshi in Who Am I).
3. shamAdi ShaTka sampatti (a collective group of six behavior traits).
a. shama
shama means mind-control.
b. dama
dama means keeping the body and the senses under control.
c. uparati
Neutralise likes and dislikes
d. titikShA
Remain neutral (stay alike or tolerate) in pros and cons of life.
e. shraddhA
Unwavering faith in yourself, the sacred scriptures or shAstra, God and Guru.
f. samAdhAna
Single pointed concentration. Or in other words, be content with Surrender to the God or self or fix your mind on Brahman.
4. mumukShutva
Burning desire for liberation
Source: adapted from www.swamij.com, by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/definitions/shamAdi_ShaTka_sampatti.htm (Dr. Ram Chandran), http://vedantamission.tripod.com/Pub/1Read/TBodha-1.htm (Poojya Swami Sri Atmananda Saraswati)
Original source: Vivek Choodamani, Tatva Bodh by Sri Adi Shankaracharya
7 comments:
Thx...could uconfirn if sadhan chatushtay first ref was in vivek chudamani or was it in yog vasishtya ...
Namaste,
Since Yog VAsistha is for advanced seekers, it has to referred later on and not in the beginning.
Tatva Bodh is the most basic Advaitic text. Both Tatva Bodh,Vivek Chudamani and Atma Bodh describes adhikara for sadhakas.
Since Vivek Chudamani is Prakarana granth it has to be referred first.
Also note that original Yog VAsista consisted of 25,000 slokas. Later they were condensed into 5000 slokas and called Laghu Yog VAsista( Laghu means small). Later these 5000 verses were further condensed into 1000 verses which are mostly available. Some authors and saints even take essence from these 1000 verses and call it as Yog Vasistha Sara.
In Sara, I did not find any sadhana chatustha varnan. In the copy which I have I do not recall if I have read sadhana chatusta varnan in Yog VAsistha. May be my memory is failing me.
Aum
Thank you so much... any guidance on which links books to refer for vivek chudamani...
Also, what does prakaran granth mean? Sorry for novice queries..
a Commentary by Swami Madhavananda of Advaita Ashram is freely available.
http://shankaracharya.org/vivekachudamani1.php
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19561568/Vivekachudamani-of-Shri-Shankaracharya
http://www.celextel.org/adisankara/vivekachudamani.html
Try to search scribd.com. you may find a better commentary.
the link given of scribd is same book, but with sanskrit verses.
Aum
Ok many thanks..
Sorry your comment landed in spam,
PrakaraNa granthas are Advaita texts composed by Adi Shankara, which teach the basics of Advaita and Vedanta.
Tatva Bodha, A prakaraNa granth gives definition of mind, jiva, Atman, mAyA, etc.
They are for the beginners to study before studying taking up upanishads.
Aum
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