Whatis Sadhahi-

Chatust
BR.SAMAHITACHAITANYA

PART II

In Rctrospect d i s i r i m i n a t i o n ,s t a n d sf o r t h e f i r m
and decisive conviction (niSt'aya)
In the first part of this essay,Pub- th,tat Brahmmt alone is permanent
lished in TapoaanPrasad,Septem- a n d all else- the whole Perceiv-
able world (drSya-prapinca) is
ber 2002, we saw that satlhana-
impermanent. Such a aiaeka, an
chalustayais the four-fold means 'intellectua[-heartfelt-sureness'
is a
that makes one an adhikurt, i.e. a
g r e a t a c h i e v e m e n ti n o n e ' s s P i r i -
qualified aspirantfor the knowl-
tual path. Decisiveness in this
edge of Bra'hman.Of the four, matter has far-reachingresults.ln
1. Vioeka(d iscrimination) fact uioeka is the very foundation
2. Vairagta (dispassion) of sudhana (spiritual practice). It
3. S a m u d i - . E a 1 k a - s a m p a l l i( s i x transformsthe individual into a
d i s c i p l i n e s o r i n n e r - w e a l t h s sadhaka(seekerof Truth) and also
beginning vlith Sama) and paves the way for the birth of the
4. Mumul<;unva(desire for libera- other three aspectsof the sudhana-
tion), chatuE[aya,
we have seen in detail the first
ln this part, we shall elaborate
one, aiueka. on vairttgta, the second aspect of
V i o e k a ,w h i c h I i t e r a t l y m e a n s sadhana-chalusIaya.

Wiragya - (uignta) of attachment (raga) -

Tapovan Prasad 29
 three types: msnda (dull), acquiring, the possibility of pro-
madhyama(mediocre), and fivra longed disease or sudden death
(intense). ever hanging over one's head
like the sword of Damocles. Yet,
a. Manda Vairagya this is not a perfect vairagta as
the individual has dreams of
T h i s i s o n l y a t e m p o r a r y subtler and greater enjoyments
vairagya. When one's near and in more permanent realms like
dear die or when one loses all Swargaloka, Brahmaloka etc. And
one's hard earned wealth due he plans to go there after death
to some unexpected calamity, by living here a life of virtue
there arises an intense sorrow and also meticulously perform-
and in the spur of the moment ing various uedic rituals which
one exclaims, 'Ah! Samsara promise those realms. He be-
(worldly life) is too painful to lieves that he can be truly happy
bear' . At that moment of heart- with those heavenly pleasures.
rending pain, one feels like giv- So the individtral has only sub-
ing up everything. But this feel- stituted the desire of objects of
ing of renunciation is only mo- this world with those of so4ge
mentary. After some time when other higher world. The passion
things become a little better, one for sense-enjoymentshas not
is back to square one faded.
whipped up by desire, once
again sweating and toiling for
the fleeting pleasures of the c. Teevra Vairagya
SENSES. This is true, intense and com-
plete vairagya where one is to-
b. Madhyana Wiragya tally dispassionateto everything
- obiects of this world and also
Though there is dispassion to the higher heavenly pleasures.
things of this world, there is a This arises out of tremendous
strong desire for the pleasures merit (puttya) and from a clear
of the other higher worlds. Due perception that all enjoyments
to a little merit (pu(tya), one un- whether of this world or of the
derstands' pain.ful nature of other can never give one the
sense-enjoyments- the tension permanent happiness for, they
of acquiring and hoarding, then are all born of actions and hence
the fear of losing and even after that which has a beginning will

30 October 2002
surely end. One seesthe imPer- The five-fold
manence of such pleasures and analysisof Wiragya
judges clearly that the seeking
of pleasures can only further a. Hetu - the cause: The
push a person neck deeP into cause for vairagya is aiaeka
samsara.It is such a firm, abso- (discrimination). One sees
lute and true vairag'ta that is the clearly that the sense-pleasures,
means for Knowledge. here or hereafter, are no solu-
tion to the emptiness-within.
One understands that theY are
Wiragya- the definition temporary in nature, are im-
Bhagawadpada Shankara- pure, weak6n the person, create
charya defines tlvra vairagta in raga(fikes) and dve;a (dislikes),
hvekacuQamani: strengthen the vasanas, cause
fur'ther births and thus cause
d*qRi ETqT qTqqiqrqurRnT: t only more trouble rather than
ffiafird qlrrdqR tl bring happiness. When the in-
"Vairag,,ais revulsionfrom all tellect is firmly convinced about
the hollowness of sense-Plea-
things seen, heard etc. and from
no more blindlY
all transientobjectsof enjoyment sures, it will
b e g i n n i n gw i t h t h e b o d Y u P t o rush towards it.
Brahma." b. Svarupa- the nature: Just
Here the word Brahma does as one feels a revulsion
not mean the Supreme Brahman (jugupsa) to one's own vomit or
but stands f or the joYs of the faeces of a crow, one has a
Brahmn-loka,the highest realm of strong dislike towards sense-
worldly enjoyment. Now, we pleasures and even starts fear-
shall analyse vairagya on the ing their enjoyment. Thus there
five-fold criteria as we had done is an absolute cessation of de-
for aizseka". sire and the consequent Pursuit
of worldly enjoyment.
Sant Jnaneshwar in his com-
mentary on the Geetabrings out
" For the five-fold criteria and the
this feeling of revulsion beauti-
analysis oI Viaeka please refer to fully when he gives a series of
'What is sadhana-chatu$layaPart-l',
published in the Septemberissue of
similes to describe the attitude
TapoaanPrasad. of a man of detachment towards

TapovanPrasad 31
 sense-objects.He says that "a Ramakrishna puts it) of this
man of true detachment will run world, up to the extremely
towards sense-objectswith as subtle celestial pleasures of
much enthusiasm as one would Brahma-loka.Brahma-lokais the
rush out to embrace a dead highest and most sublime of the
queen's rotting body, with as fourteen worlds. This indiffer-
much satisfaction as one would ence is like the utter unconcern
decide to quench one's thirst by which one has for, say, a torn
drinking the pus flowing out cloth or a straw that one may
from a leper's wound and with find on the wayside.
as much readinessas one would e. Phala - the result or
enter a boiling cauldron of mol- ftuit: Vairagya gives rise to the
ten iron to take a refreshing next aspect of the sadhana-
bath. It is a powerful way of chatust ct.vct
na mely Samadi- sat ka-
expressing the idea that where sampatti. Certain texts also in-
the intellect has come to a firm dicate samip.ya type* of mukti
conviction about the hollowness with regard to brahma-loka.This
of sense-objects,the mind will secondary result is pointed out
not gush forth towards them taking into consideration [he
with hopes and expectations of death of the seeker before Self-
satisfaction therein". (Quoted realisation.
from Pujya Gurudev's commen-
tary on Verse 21 of Viveka- lmportance of Wiragya
cuQamat.ti). Vrtiraglta is the practical ap-
c. Karya - the effect: This plication of rtiueka.If uiaeka is
is described as the absence of the knowledge that all sense-
desire even for obiects which pleasures are impermanent in
can be enjoyed, for example nature and that they do not give
food, which one has to eat daily. any real happiness, vairagya is
Further, even while experienc- not to hanker after them. What
ing them he finds no sense of is the purpose of Knowledge if
enjoyment as such.
d. Avati - the perfection or
culmination: Indifference Four kinds ctf mukti with respect to
(upek;A)'towards the whole Brahma-loka are pointed out. They are:
l. Sult*yu.2. Sumtpya.3. Sarupya and
gamut of pleasures - right
4. Sayujya. These four form a topic by
from kamini, kancana and klrti themselves and hence will be elaborated
(lust, wealth and fante - as Sri in the later essays.

32 October 2002
one cannot reap the benefit of piness. It is only in the removal
it? Mere aiaeka is as good as of these three false notions that
having wealth that cannot be there is freedom from desire.
used in one's need. Viaeka Satyataamshould be removed
reaches its fulfilment only in by understanding the objects'
vairag,ta and as long as it re- mithyataam (illusory nature),
mains without vairagya one can nityatuam by their anityataam
never see the benefit of spiri- (ephemeral nature) and
tual pursuit. Without vairagYa sukhitaam by their dul.tkhitvam
there is no spiritual progress at (their pain causing nature).
all. Spiritual progress is mea- Once an indlvidual recognises
sured by the amount of vairagYa that the -w5rld of obiects is
one has. Hence vairagya is very illuso,rylike mirage waters, im-
very important. oerrrtanent like the bubbles in
water and are only capable of
How to cultivate Vairagya credting pain and sorrow one
Since aiaekais the foundation would never run after them.
of vairagya, unless aiaekn is Nachiketas of Kathopanishad
strengthened, vairagya will re- fame reveals r:iaeknbeautifully
main shaky. Three wrong esti- when he says to Yama:
mations regarding the obiectsof
the world make a person stag- alh{qn-dgqq<fu
nate in a mire of sensory plea-
sures. They are: HdFffiMiqsfu iq: t
1. Satyataam:the sense of real- qfuFdqffiq
ity about the objects of the
world.
ale q€rwqa.qrffip1
2. Nityntaam: the sense of their "O Death!Ephemeralare these,
permanence. and they wasteaway the vigourof
3. Sukhitaam:the false imagina- all organsthat a man has. All life,
'joy-content'' w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n ,i-s f l e e t i n g
tion that there is
in the objects (technically indeed.Let the chariotsbe Yours
alone;let the dancesand songsbe
called sankalpa).
yours alone."
As long as a sadhaka enter-
tains these three notions about Please note how Nachiketas
,the objects of the world, he can- speaks of the ephemeral nature
not but seek them for his hap- (anityataam) of sense-pleasures

Tapovan Prasad
and how they cause only more clares the greatnessof that state
and more pain (duhkhitvam)bv of total vairagya:
sapping one's strength and vi-
tality. When one applies steadily q {d +q{-qw{ gei Etir-qffi-{:
I
such aiaekn, the mind is slowly
weaned away from its foolish,
qgqi+flrrgqiMfu+: rr
dangerous and many a time qq Hngci d*'wq kai *rq
mere habitual pursuit of sense-
pleasures.
gq{ | wnet Tssd-tf{r€ef:
q\sqftn€q | |
Conclusion "The happiness
of Devendra
The never-ending hunt for (the Lord of the gods)or that of an
joy and comfort from the world emperoris nothingcomparedto
of objects only makes us go in that of a saintdevoidof all attach-
purposeless, joyless circies. The ment,and livingalone.The joy of
sense-pleasures or even the most
sense of frustration and gnaw-
marvellous celestialjoys cannotap-
i.g emptiness within from proachevena sixteenthpart of the
which one tries to escape by joy of a man in whom all desires
revelling in sense-objects only have disappeared." ,*
becomes stronger and stronger
making the whole exercise of May that statebe ours by the
Lord's grace and Pujya
sensuous pursuit futile. Momen-
tary thrills do not satisfy us. Curudev's blessings.
Real joy is oniy in cultivating In the next part of this essay,
aiaeka and vairagya and we shall elaborate on the third
realising the Supreme, which aspect of ,sadhana-chatusta.ya,
alone is satyam (true), Sivam which is ! amudi-satka-sampatti
(auspicious) and sundaram or the six-fold inner wealth of
(beautiful). The Mahabharatade- discipline.

Gien is a book on life, but life is not

*rl;i:ri*if#;;;"
34 October 2002