12.2. Virtues Helpful in Spiritual Progress

For a true devotee, to develop good virtues and to eradicate untoward elements and vicious habits is an integral part of spiritual perfection. The discipline, qualities, and virtues that ought to be acquired and developed with sincere systematic efforts and constant goal-awareness and practice are discussed hereunder.^[1]

The nature and place of each one in the life of a seeker is also mentioned here.

indriyasaṃyamo māyāvikārādividāraṇam |
ekāntadharmapuṣṭiśca svātmani brahmarūpatā ||^[2]
māhātmyasahitaḥ samyaṅniścayaḥ paramātmanaḥ |
mokṣaḥ sarvārthasiddhirhi pratyakṣabrahmasaṅgataḥ ||^[3]

“Control over the senses,^[4] eradication of worldly desires,^[5] nourishment of ekāntik dharma,^[6] realizing one’s ātman as brahmarūpa, a complete conviction in Parabrahman along with the knowledge of his glory,^[7] mokṣa,^[8] and achievement of all there is to be achieved, all this is realized through association with the manifest Akṣarabrahman Guru.”

utsāho'bhyasanaṃ dhairyaṃ viśvāsaḥ saṃyamo balam |
suhradbhāvastathaikyaṃ ca dāsatvaṃ gurusevanam ||^[9]
prārthanā ca mumukṣā ca sahaśca guṇagrāhitā |
prāpyādikā'nusanghānamanantardṛṣṭisthahnikam ||^[10]
etāni sādhanāni syurguruprasannatā yataḥ |
sākṣād bahmaprasaṅstu teṣvapi pramukhaṃ bhavet ||^[11]

“Enthusiasm,^[12] repeated practice of spiritual endeavors,^[13] passion,^[14] faith,^[15] self-control,^[16] strength,^[17] fraternity, unity,^[18] humility, service towards the Brahmasvarūpa Guru,^[19] prayer,^[20] a desire for mokṣa,^[21] tolerance,^[22] perception of the good in others^[23] awareness of such concepts is the significance and glory of that which we have attained in the form of satsaṅga, introspection, and daily offerings of bhakti. These are spiritual endeavors through which one earns the Guru’s grace. However, amongst all of these, association with the Brahmasvarūpa Guru itself is truly the foremost endeavor.”

Thus, here, we have discussed the virtues briefly to be attained by a devotee in the Svāminārāyaṇa Vedanta.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

paramadivyabhāvanarasitapratyakṣaparamātmaikāntikabhivāñchā (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.3)
śreyasābhikāḍakṣā tatparamaprasādalābhaḥ (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.3)
bāhyāntaḥ karaṇasaṃyamanalakṣaṇaṃ tapaḥ (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.3)
vedāntādiśāstrāṇāṃ vacaneṣu cā''stikyādirūpaḥ paramo viśvāsa ityadi | (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.4)
yaḥ sarvajñaḥ sarvavidyasya jñānamayaṃ tapaḥ | (Brahmasūtra 1/1/1, p.6)
hi yataḥ tataḥ paramātmasaṅkalpalakṣaṇābhidhyānādeva asya jīveśvarātmanaḥ bandhaviparyayau jāgratsvapnāditattadavasthasu gamanarūpaṃ bandhanaṃ tad viparyayeṇa tattadavasthatovasthantaraprāptilakṣaṇā muktiścetyubhaubhavataḥ | (Brahmasūtra 3/2/5, p.287)
taṃ svāccharīrāt pravahenmuñjādiveṣīkāṃ dhairyeṇa | (Brahmasūtra 3/2/13, p.294)
avivakṣitārthavyudāsako mātraśabdaḥ | (Brahmasūtra 3/2/16, p.295)
sevyasevakabhāvādyāpādako bhedasambandha iṣyata ityatrāha | (Brahmasūtra 3/2/28, p.303)
parabrahmaprāptiparamopāyatayā setutvena vyapadeśāt | (Brahmasūtra 3/2/30, p.304)

[2]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 136

[3]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 137

[4]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/8, 2/1

[5]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā III/18

[6]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/19

[7]:

Vacanamrut Loyā 7

[8]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/54

[9]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 140

[10]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 141

[11]:

Svāminārāyaṇa Siddhāntasudhā Kārikā 142

[12]:

Vacanāmṛta Kāriyānī 10

[13]:

Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 11

[14]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/29

[15]:

Vacanāmṛta Sārangpur 18

[16]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/2

[17]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/12

[18]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/61

[19]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā II/7

[20]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/47

[21]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/70

[22]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/27

[23]:

Vacanāmṛta Gadhadā I/6