Fourfold Sadhana

Fourfold Sadhana

by Swami Sivananda

FOURFOLD Sadhana of the student in the path of Jnana Yoga consists of Viveka, Vairagya, Shadshampat or sixfold virtues and Mumukshutva or strong yearning for liberation.

Viveka dawns in a man, through the grace of God, who has done virtuous actions in his previous births as offerings unto the Lord without expectation of fruits and without egoism. Viveka is the discrimination between the real and the unreal, the permanent and the non-permanent, Atman and Anatma.

You must first develop Viveka or discrimination between the real and the unreal and Vairagya or dispassion for the enjoyment of objects herein and hereafter. Then only you will have success in the practice of Sama. Vairagya born of Viveka only will be of a lasting nature. Such a Vairagya only will be helpful to you in your spiritual practices. Karana Vairagya due to loss of property of death of wife or son will be temporary. It will be of no use to you. It is volatile like ammonia.

Sama is serenity of mind produced by the constant eradication of Vasanas or desires. Whenever desires crop up in your mind do not try to fulfil them. Reject them through discrimination, right enquiry and dispassion. You will get tranquillity of mind and mental strength by constant practice. The mind is thinned out. The mind is checked directly from wandering. Its out-going tendencies are curbed. If the desires are eradicated, the thoughts also will die by themselves. The mind is detached from the manifold sense objects by continually observing their defects and is fixed on Brahma. In the practice of Sama, the five Jnana-Indriyas or organs of knowledge, viz., ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose are also controlled.

Dama is the control of the external organs, i.e., the organs of action or the five Karma-Indriyas, viz., organ of speech, hands, feet, genitals and the anus and the external instruments, the organs are withdrawn and fixed in their respective centres.

The eyes run outside to see a beautiful object. If you at once withdraw the eyes from that object, it is called Dama. You should restrain the other Indriyas also by the practice of Dama.

Some say, Practice of Dama is not necessary. It is included in Sama. The Indriyas cannot work independently. They can work only in conjunction with the mind. If the mind is checked, the Indriyas will come under control automatically.

The mind will come under control very easily if Dama also is practised. It is a double attack on the enemy from within and without. He is crushed or subdued soon. If the front and back doors are closed simultaneously, the enemy is caught quite readily. There is no escape for him on any side. by practice of Dama you do not allow either the Indriyas or the mind to come in contact with the objects. You do not allow the mind to come through the external instrument, viz., the eye, to assume the form of the object. In neophytes the mind never remains self-centred despite rigorous practice of Sama. It tries to run outside towards external objects. If Dama is also practised, it will be of immense help to curb the mind efficiently. If you tie the hands of a mischievous boy, he tries to do mischief with the feet. If his feet, also are tied he keeps quiet. Sama corresponds to the tying of the hands and Dama to the tying of the feet. Therefore the practice of Dama is also necessary.

Dama is a practice of a student of Jnana Yoga. Pratyahara corresponds to the practice of Dama. Pratyahara is the practice of a Raja Yogi. In the former it follows the practice of Sama; in the latter it follows the practice of Pranayama. In the former the Indriyas are withdrawn by calming or restraining the mind; in the latter the Indriyas are withdrawn by restraining the Prana. The Indriyas can be withdrawn more effectively by the process of double withdrawal, by withdrawing the mind and the Prana at the same time. It is the mind that moves the Indriyas. It is the Prana that vivifies or energises or galvanises the Indriyas. Sama and Dama are strictly speaking Raja Yogic practices.

Now we come to the practice of Uparati. Some define Uparati as renunciation of all works and taking up Sannyasa. Uparati follows the practice of Sama and Dama. Uparati is self-withdrawal. It consists in the mind-function ceasing to act by means of external objects. Uparati is extreme abstention. It is the turning of the mind from the objects of enjoyment.

The mind of the student who is established in Uparati will never be agitated even a bit when he sees a beautiful object. There will be no attraction. He will have the same feeling which he experiences when he sees a woman as when he looks at a trees or a log of wood. When he looks at delicious fruits or palatable dishes, he will not be tempted. He will have no craving for them. He will have no craving for any particular object or dish. He will never say, I want such and such a preparation for my food. He will be satisfied with anything that is placed before him. This is due to the strength of mind he has developed by the practice of Viveka, Vairagya, Sama and Dama. Further the mind is experiencing a wonderful calmness and transcendental spiritual bliss by the above practices. It does not want these little, illusory pleasures. If you have got sugar-candy, your mind will never run after black sugar. You can wean the mind from the object to which it is attached by training it to taste a superior kind of bliss. If you give cotton-seed extract to a bull or a cow, it will not run towards dry grass or hay. Mind is like the bull.

Those who practise Brahmacharya must be fully conversant with the technique of Sama, Dama and Uparati. Then only they will be established in the practice of celibacy.

Titiksha is the power of endurance. A Titikshu is able to bear pain, insult, heat and cold. He does not care to redress them. He is free from anxiety. He does not lament on this score.

Sraddha is unshakable faith in the existence of Brahman, in the teachings of Guru and scriptures, and faith in one’s own Self. If any one possesses these qualifications he will get Samadhana or one-pointedness of mind and burning desire for liberation. The mind will move naturally towards the inner Self always. The student should now approach a Brahma-Srotri, Brahmanishtha Guru, hear the Srutis, reflect and meditate on the significance of the Tat Tvam Asi Mahavakya constantly. He will attain Self-realisation or Atma-Sakshatkara.

If you have Viveka, Vairagya will come by itself. If you possess Viveka and Vairagya, Sama will dawn by itself. If you are endowed with Viveka, Vairagya and Sama, Dama will come by itself. If you have Sama and Dama, Uparati will come by itself. If you have all these qualifications, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana or one-pointedness will come by themselves. If you possess Viveka, Vairagya, Sama, Dama, Uparati, Sraddha and Samadhana, Mumukshutva or burning desire for liberation will manifest by itself.

Even in a Jivanmukta or a liberated sage the eyes will move towards the objects through the force of habit. But he can withdraw them completely and make them mere empty sockets if he wills. When he sees a woman, he does not see her outside himself. He sees the whole world within himself. He feels that the woman is his own self. He has no sex idea. There are no evil thoughts in his mind. He has no sexual attraction for her. Whereas a worldly man sees the woman outside himself; he entertains lustful thoughts. He has no idea of Self. He is attracted towards her. This is the difference between the vision of a Jnani and a worldly man. There is no harm in looking at women but you must not entertain evil thoughts. Feel that women are manifestations of Mother Kali. Feel that the beauty of the woman is the beauty of the Lord. Feel that all forms are images of the Lord. Your mind will be elevated at once.

Some students ask, Shall we practise Viveka, Vairagya, etc., in order, one by one, after mastering each Anga or shall we practise all the Angas simultaneously? If we practise one by one, perhaps we will not be able to get mastery over one or two Angas in this life. We may require several births for perfect mastery over all Angas. Life is very short. What shall we do? It depends upon the temperament, taste and capacity of the students. Some like to get perfect mastery over each stage and then proceed to the next step. Some like to practise all the limbs at the same time. For six months concentrate your mind in cultivating Viveka, Vairagya and Sama. For the next six months try to acquire Sraddha, Samadhana and Mumukshutva. Devote more time in developing that virtue which you are seriously lacking. If you are earnest and sincere in your attempt, you can develop the four means and attain Self-realisation in this very birth.

Another Vedantic student says, Swamiji, there is no necessity for acquiring these four means of salvation, Viveka, Vairagya, etc. It is a long, tedious process. I will not be able to acquire them even in several births. The shortest way is to think of Brahman always. I will acquire all the virtues automatically. Then I will be able to practise deep meditation. He is right. A first class type of student can adopt this method because he had cultivated the four means in his previous births. A mediocre student will not be able to think of Brahman at the very outset. How can one think of Brahman when the mind is filled with impurities, when the mind is turbulent and the Indriyas are jumping and revolting? Absolutely impossible. He may sit for thinking on the Self. He will be building castles in the air and will be thinking of other objects. He will foolishly imagine that he entered into Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He will mistake deep sleep for Samadhi. Many are deluded in this manner. They do not have any spiritual progress. They can have no idea of Brahman. It is only the mind that is rendered pure by the practice of Viveka, Vairagya, Sama, Dama, etc., that can have definite conception of Brahman. Ideas of Brahman cannot be lodged in a restless, impure mind.May you all live drowned in the ocean of Brahmic Bliss in an illumined state through the practice of Viveka, Vairagya, Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana!

Fourfold Sadhana – Discipline, Purity, and Preparation for Self-Knowledge

Fourfold Sadhana is the spiritual preparation required for understanding Vedanta and realizing the true self. In Sanskrit, it is often called Sadhana Chatushtaya, which means the fourfold qualification of a seeker. These four disciplines prepare the mind for self-knowledge, just as fertile soil prepares a seed to grow. Without inner preparation, even the highest teachings may remain only words.

Vedanta teaches that the real self is pure consciousness, beyond body, mind, ego, and all changing experiences. But this truth cannot be grasped by a restless, impure, or distracted mind. Therefore, Fourfold Sadhana is necessary. It purifies the heart, sharpens discrimination, weakens attachment, strengthens discipline, and awakens a deep longing for liberation.

The first part of Fourfold Sadhana is Viveka, or discrimination. Viveka means the ability to distinguish between the eternal and the non-eternal, the real and the unreal, the self and the non-self. The body changes, the mind changes, possessions change, relationships change, and worldly achievements change. The witnessing self alone remains unchanged. Reflecting on this difference again and again gives clarity.

Viveka helps the seeker understand the nature of life. Pleasure and pain come and go. Praise and blame come and go. Success and failure come and go. Even the body that is loved so much is temporary. When the seeker sees this clearly, they stop expecting permanent happiness from temporary things. This discrimination becomes the foundation of spiritual life.

The second part is Vairagya, or detachment. Vairagya does not mean hatred for the world or rejection of duty. It means freedom from blind attachment to objects, pleasures, power, fame, and comfort. A detached person may live in the world and perform responsibilities sincerely, but inwardly they remain free. They use things wisely without becoming their slave.

Fourfold Sadhana teaches that Vairagya is born from Viveka. When the mind sees that worldly objects are changing and limited, attachment naturally becomes weaker. The seeker does not force detachment through bitterness. They develop it through understanding. True Vairagya is peaceful, mature, and balanced. It allows the seeker to love, serve, and work without possessiveness.

The third part is Shat Sampatti, the sixfold inner wealth. These six qualities are Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Shraddha, and Samadhana. They are called wealth because they make the seeker inwardly rich. Outer wealth may give comfort, but inner wealth gives strength, steadiness, and fitness for knowledge.

Sama means calmness of mind. The mind is usually pulled by desires, memories, fears, and distractions. Sama trains it to become quiet and balanced. Without mental calmness, study and meditation become difficult. A calm mind can listen deeply, reflect clearly, and remain steady in spiritual enquiry.

Dama means control of the senses. The senses constantly run toward forms, sounds, tastes, touches, and smells. If they are uncontrolled, the mind becomes restless. Dama does not mean violence against the senses; it means wise regulation. The seeker learns to enjoy what is proper, avoid what is harmful, and remain master of the senses rather than their servant.

Uparati means withdrawal or inner quietness. It is the ability to turn away from unnecessary external involvement. The seeker performs duties but avoids useless distraction, gossip, and restless activity. Uparati gives the mind space for contemplation. It helps the seeker live simply and remain inwardly centered.

Titiksha means endurance. Life brings heat and cold, pleasure and pain, insult and praise, gain and loss. A seeker cannot become disturbed by every small difficulty. Titiksha gives patience and strength. It teaches one to bear unavoidable conditions without complaint, hatred, or loss of balance.

Shraddha means faith. It is not blind belief. It is a respectful trust in the scriptures, the Guru, and the path until direct realization arises. Without Shraddha, the mind remains doubtful and scattered. With Shraddha, the seeker studies sincerely, practices steadily, and remains open to truth.

Samadhana means concentration or one-pointedness of mind. It is the ability to keep the mind fixed on the higher goal. A scattered mind cannot realize the self. Samadhana gathers inner energy and directs it toward truth. It supports meditation, reflection, and steady spiritual practice.

The fourth part of Fourfold Sadhana is Mumukshutva, the intense longing for liberation. This is the deep desire to be free from ignorance, ego, bondage, and sorrow. Without this longing, spiritual life remains casual. With Mumukshutva, the seeker becomes sincere, disciplined, and steady. Liberation becomes the central aim of life.

Mumukshutva does not mean running away from responsibilities. It means remembering the highest purpose while performing duties. A person may work, serve, study, and live in society, yet keep the heart directed toward freedom. This longing gives direction to all actions.

Fourfold Sadhana is not practiced only once. It must be developed daily. Every situation can become a field of practice. Success can strengthen humility. Failure can strengthen endurance. Desire can strengthen discrimination. Work can become service. Difficulty can become a test of patience. Study can become contemplation.

In the end, Fourfold Sadhana is the essential preparation for Vedantic realization. Through Viveka, the seeker knows what is eternal and what is temporary. Through Vairagya, attachment becomes weak. Through Shat Sampatti, the mind becomes disciplined and pure. Through Mumukshutva, the longing for liberation becomes strong. When these four qualifications mature, the seeker becomes fit for self-knowledge and moves steadily toward peace, wisdom, and freedom.

Vedantic Sadhana