Vedanta is to make us understand the oneness of the individual soul in each body and the ultimate Supreme Being, Brahman. There is only one ultimate Reality called Brahman and nothing else. Just as one electricity from the generator appears as individual lights in various bulbs, the same Brahman 20 Adi Sankara lists the essential qualities of a seeker in his magnum opus, VivekaChudamani
Prerequisites for Sadhana S appear as the jivas (individual bodies) as also as controllers (Isvara) by virtue of a power called Maya. Brahman can never be described in words (anirvachaniya) as an energy or matter, with or without form. It can only be directly experienced (aparoksha anubhava), and not through any senses or mind. Brahman or Atman (Self) cannot also be realised through any number of actions, pilgrimages, yajnas or sacrifices. It can only be by right perception (samyag darsanam) derived through Self-enquiry (vichara) as directed by a competent Guru. In order to do Self–enquiry in the right way, i.e. in order to know who we are, we should approach a Guru who has to be a Sthita Prajna, and nothing less. He should be well-versed in scriptures, absolutely sinless and thoroughly free from desires, and one whose mind is completely absorbed in the Brahman. Sri Sankara compares the Guru to the fire that has consumed its fuel. He is outwardly calm, but shining inwardly with spiritual wisdom. He should be a living Guru, and not a dead saint, however great he might have been. The past Gurus and rare saints, such as Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, are essential and praying to them is of great help in purifying the mind and getting inspiration. But a living Guru is a must. If one takes up a departed Guru and feels that he is getting all guidance, it may just be a feedback of what all one has studied and put in his memory.
Sadhana-Chatushtaya
As regards the four prerequisites (Sadhana- Chatushtaya) on the part of a seeker, the first is Viveka (discrimination), the second is Vairagya (dispassion), the third is the six virtues (Shatsampatti) like control of mind, and lastly the desire for liberation (Mumukshutva). Viveka is the mental faculty capable of distinguishing between the permanent and the impermanent objects. Then one comes to the conclusion by right perception that Brahman (the Supreme Being) alone is the Reality, while the entire world and its objects are all illusory. The full divinity exists in all beings. It is surrounded and hidden by the non-Atman things, like the physical body along with qualities of attachment, enmity, anger, desire etc. If only we can distinguish between the Atman and the non-divine portions, and discard the latter, what remains is the Self or Atman alone, resplendent in its divinity. This is Viveka or discrimination. Vairagya is defined in Vivekachudamani as thorough indifference to all objects of enjoyment in this world including body or the heavens, by a natural disinclination even to see or hear about them. There are several popular misconceptions about the significance of the term Vairagya. Many think that a complete hatred towards the world, and thorough lack of attraction towards enjoyable objects is Vairagya. It is not so. Elsewhere in some scriptures, the loosening of our attachment (raga) or hatred (dvesha) towards the objects is called Vairagya at this preparatory stage.
Vairagya
Only through Viveka one goes to Vairagya, and Vairagya is essential for Sama, i.e. control of mind etc. Thus, each preceding sadhana is necessary for the succeeding sadhana. How to develop this Vairagya for worldly objects? It is by contemplating and seeing the various defects involved in the objects, for example, their evanescent nature. The third pre-requisite is a group of six virtues starting with Sama (control of the mind). To keep the mind, fixed unmovingly on one's own life's goal, - God with form or God without form- is called Sama or control of mind. The cause for all our mental agitations and lack of peace is our desire for something or other. If only we can develop an exclusive interest for God alone it will be easy to leave off all desires for the objects. This will be control of mind. It is the various senses like the eyes, the ears, the tongue etc. which get attracted towards the objects through form (rupa), sound (sabda), taste (rasa) etc., and they feed the mind which begins to develop a desire for them. Not allowing the senses of perception (eye, ears etc.) to go towards objects and making them remain immobile without any reaction towards any objects is called Dama (control of senses). The senses are likened to horses and it is the refined mind which, like the rein, restrains them (senses) from going out. When the thoughts by themselves, without any effort, cease to go towards any objects and thus remain independent without any support, it is called Uparati – a complete withdrawal. This ensures that the mental modifications remain fixed and firm. No dependence on outside objects means that one cannot have such dependence as to say, for example,” I cannot sleep at all unless I have a cot”. The next virtue is forbearance or tolerance (Titiksha) of all sorrows. This is not simple. There are some conditions attached to it. One should bear all sorrows uncomplainingly. One should not worry about the consequences of the cause of such sorrows by remaining without remedying them. The next item is Sraddha which is wrongly interpreted by many as sincerity. It is complete faith in the instructions of the scriptures as well as of the Guru: That they represent truth. This is almost like Viveka where we depend on our intellect, which gets refined. In Sraddha, we depend on the intellect of the authors of the scriptures and the Guru. The last and the sixth item is Samadhanam – Quiescence. This is keeping the mind one-pointed on the Brahman (Supreme Being). Sri Sankara places his emphasis on vairagya and desire for liberation. Without these, all the six virtues including Sama will not be effective.
Sri Swami Shantananda Puri