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III d. Titikṣā or forbearance
तितिक्षा का ?
शीतोष्णसुखदुःखादिसहिष्णुत्वम् ।
titikṣā kā? śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhādisahiṣṇutvam
The fourth of the sixfold inner wealth qualities of a seeker is titikṣā, which refers to forbearance or endurance against the pairs of opposites: heat and cold, joy and sorrow, etc. Śrī Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ refers to this as the foremost of the sixfold inner wealth qualities since it controls all of the other qualities.
What is to be endured?
- Body level: Opposites like heat and cold.
- Mind level: Opposites like joy and sorrow.
- Intellect level: Opposites like praise and criticism.
How do we endure the pairs of opposites?
- Don’t find a remedy for the unconducive situation. Do what needs to be done to fix the issue.
- Without complaint: By complaining we make things bigger than they are.
- Without worry: Don’t keep imagining scenarios that may or may not happen.
How do we bring this into practice? We can transform the endurance of a difficult situation into our spiritual practice, our sādhanā, which will enable us to adapt to any situation as we evolve in our spiritual journey. We could also treat it as part of our karma and accept that situation cheerfully.
III e. Śraddhā or faith
श्रद्धा कीदृशी ?
गुरुवेदान्तवाक्यादिषु विश्वासः श्रद्धा ।
śraddhā kīdṛśī ? guruvedāntavākyādiṣu viśvāsaḥ śraddhā
The fifth of the sixfold inner wealth qualities of a seeker is śraddhā, which refers to unwavering faith in the words of the guru and the scriptures.
Faith is required for things that are unknown whereas it is not required for things that are known. We require a working faith to approach the study of scriptures, similar to the faith we have in trusting that the driver of our car will safely take us to our destination.
What are the things that we require faith in:
- Guru: A guru or spiritual teacher makes the content of the scriptures accessible to us, converts the salt water of the ocean into sweet rainwater as it were. We may encounter confusing terms or paradoxical verses in scriptures. A guru clears all our doubts and delivers an explanation that is customized to every student. A guru does not have an agenda since his only concern is the evolution of the student..
- Scriptures: Scriptures primarily refer to the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. They are the direct experience of our rishis who have realized that which is beyond the senses and mind. Their domain is the subjective world, and they encourage healthy debate and reasoning.
- Oneself: We should have faith in our own ability to study the scriptures and not give up the quest as soon as we encounter something difficult.
- Sādhanā: We should have faith to stay rooted in our sādhanā. We should not give in to self-limiting thoughts that become obstacles in our sādhanā.
- God: We should have faith in God or Īśvara, who is responsible for connecting us with our scriptures and our guru.