Self realization: ten points.

Is it a coincidence or guided incident, I am wondering!!  I was reading this book and I came across these points which I thought I could share with you all and after that when I checked on today’s word prompt it said Ten, and believe it or not there are exactly ten points 😄.

So let me not delay. Below I have cited those points, these are from the book Sai Satcharita which says:-

All persons do not see or realize Brahma or self realization in their lifetime. Certain qualifications are absolutely necessary.

1: Mumukshu or intense desire to get free. He who thinks that, he is bound and that, he should get free from bondage and works earnestly and resolutely to that end and does not care for any other thing, is qualified for the spiritual life.

2: Virakti or feeling of non-attachment with the things of this world and the next.  Unless a man feels disgusted with the things, emoluments and honours, which his actions would bring in this world and the next, he has no right to enter into spiritual realm.

3: Antarmukha (introversion) our senses have been created by God with a tendency to move outward and ao, man always looks outward and not inward. He, who wants self realization and immortal life, must turn his gaze inwards and look to his inner self.

4: Catharsis (eliminating all base ideas and emotions)- unless a man has turned away from wickedness and stopped from doing wrong, and has entirely composed himself, and unless his mind is at rest, he cannot gain self realization even by means of knowledge.

5: Right conduct- Unless a man lead a life of truth, penance and insight, a life of celibacy, he cannot get God realization.

6: Preferring Shreyas (the good), to Preyas (the pleasant)- there are two sorts of things,viz. the good and the pleasant; the former deals with spiritual affairs and the latter with mundane matters. Both these are open to man for acceptance. He has to choose one of them. The wise man prefers the good to the pleasant, but the unwise through greed and attachment chooses the pleasant.

7: Control of the mind and the senses. The body is the chariot and the self is its master, intellect is the charioteer and the mind is the reins, the senses are the horses and sense-objects are their paths.  He who has no understanding and whose mind is unrestrained, has his senses unmanageable, like the stray horse of a charioteer, does not reach his destination (self realization), but goes through the round of births and deaths; but he who has understanding and whose mind is restrained, has his senses under control, like the good obedient horse of charioteer, reaches the destination, i.e. the state of self realization, whence he is not born again.  The man, who has understanding as his charioteer (guide) and is able to rein his mind, reaches the end of the journey, which is the supreme abode of the all pervading, Lord.

8: Purification of the mind -Unless a man discharged satisfactorily and dis-interestedly the duties of his station in life, his mind will not be purified and unless his mind is purified, he cannot get self realization. It is only in the purifiedind that Vivek (dis-attachment to the unreal) crop up and lead on to self realization. Unless egoism is dropped, avarice got rid of and the mind made desireless (pure), self realization is not possible. The idea that “I am the body” is a great delusion and attachment to this idea is the cause of bondage. Leave off this idea and attachment thefore, if you want to reach self realization.

9: The necessity of a Guru – the knowledge of the self is so subtle and mystic that, no one can, by his own individual effort ever hope to attain it. So the help of another person – teacher, who has himself got self realization, is absolutely necessary. What others cannot give with great effort and pains, can be easily gained with the help of such a teacher; for he has walked on the path himself and can easily take the disciple, step by step on the ladder of spiritual progress.

10: And lastly, grace of the Lord is the most essential thing. When Lord is pleased with anybody, He gives him Vivekananda and Vairagya and takes him safe beyond the ocean of mundane existence, “The self cannot be gained by the study of Vedas, nor by intellect, nor by learning. He whom the Self chooses, gains it. To him the Self reveals its nature,” says the Katha Upanishad.

There is a lot which is listed above, which to some extent is difficult though not impossible. But what I learned from all this was to love your own self, respect others do your work sincerely and accept life as it comes keeping full faith in the Supreme power.