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Sadhana Chatushtaya – Four fold qualities of a seeker
I. Viveka – discrimination or discernment
नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः कः ?
नित्यवस्त्वेकं ब्रह्म तद्व्यतिरिक्तं सर्वमनित्यम् ।
अयमेव नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः ।
nityānityavastuvivekaḥ kaḥ ?
nityavastvekaṃ brahma tadvyatiriktaṃ sarvamanityam .
ayameva nityānityavastuvivekaḥ .
Definition of Viveka or Discrimination
Viveka or discrimination refers to the firm conviction that the only permanent thing in this world is Brahman, the one reality. Other than That, everything else is impermanent. To get this feeling, we need to give ourselves time and space for quiet reflection so that we can examine our lives. We seem to have lost our capacity for reflection in today’s day and age where it is very tempting, instead of examining our lives, to go to a gadget.
Types of impermanence
Anything that is an effect of a cause is impermanent. For example, a friendship (effect) arises from meeting someone in college (cause). When college ends, the friendship may end as well. Also, anything that is made up of parts is also subject to impermanence. E.g. a laptop comprises several parts, any of which may break down anytime. Even the joys that we experience in life are mostly mixed with some degree of sorrow. E.g. Even though we enjoy a vacation, it is mixed with the sorrow that the vacation will come to an end soon.
An easy acronym to remember the types of impermanence is BEEP:
1. Birth
2. Effect
3. Experience
4. Parts
Analysis of verse
1. Cause of Viveka: Examination of life
2. Nature of Viveka: Discrimination between what is permanent vs impermanent
3. Effect of Viveka: We keep thinking of the impermanence of this world
4. Culmination of Viveka: Realization that there is something other than this world which is permanent
5. Fruit of Viveka: Vairagya or Dispassion