Humility / Absence of Pride (amānitvam)
Genuine humility doesn’t draw attention to itself. It refuses the comfort of praise and keeps us
listening to our inner self. The knowledge of our own strength does not need validation from
external sources. This was true of Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi; though they appeared to
care little for themselves, they personified humility, had a clear view of their purpose, and had
universal love
Nonpretentiousness (adambhitvam)
Pretentiousness arises from our own fabricated accomplishments and abilities. A pretentious
person claims achievements that are not their own or feigns to have abilities that do not exist.
Nonpretentiousness on the other hand, is liberty from conceit and freedom from self delusion.
It is the ability to look at oneself honestly and about projecting ourselves truthfully. It is
empowering because truth is possible only if we have utter and quiet confidence in ourselves,
supreme inner strength and absolute selfrespect.
Nonviolence / Noninjury /Nonviolence (ahimsā)
is one of the three cornerstones of Hinduism, the other two being Truth (satyam)
and Selfcontrol (brahmacaryam). ahimsā is more than mere physical nonviolene.
It is about living the principle in the physical, verbal, and mental plane. Respecting that God has created unequal beings for a higher purpose, understanding every living being has a purpose in this world, and remembering that the truly strong never attack the weak, will bring us closer to the principle of nonviolence.
Forbearance / Forgiveness (kṣāntiḥ)
Forbearance is the capacity and ability of an individual to accept in a spirit of accommodation the physically and emotionally uncomfortable situations that we confront on a daily basis without complaining or worrying about it. It is a cheerful exercise in patience. Forbearance is not easy to practice; it asks us to tolerate those things that we find intolerable. The English word forbearance has a connotation of resigned sufferance. However, the sanskrit word kṣāntiḥ refers to patience born out of positive acceptance.
Uprightness (ārjavam)
Uprightness also referred to as straightforwardness, integrity, or, frankness is a key quality necessary to clear the mind and prepare it for knowledge. In practical terms, it is being sincere and honest. Uprightness means consistency in thought, word and action. That is one should say exactly what one thinks, and act according to exactly what one says. When greed and personal fulfillment come into play, being consistent in thought, action and deed, does not work so well. One might lie to get a job, or make money; cheat to get good grades. However in the long term being dishonest creates agitations within oneself, leaves one in a state of fearfulness, and causes diffidence in oneself. On the other hand, the life of an upright person will be worryless, fearless, pious, and therefore righteous.
Service to the Teacher (ācāryopāsanam)
The willingness to serve, a state of being where there is respect and devotion to an extent that nothing is too small or large to give this attitude is referred as the ‘Service’ to the teacher. The contemplation on the teachings of the Guru and complete surrender and service to the teacher,
leads an individual further up the path of spiritual knowledge. It is of importance to remember
though, that the service and surrender is to what the teacher stands for and not to the individual alone. True service and surrender lies in the student trying to attune to the principles advocated by the master.
Purity (śaucam)
Purity implies cleanliness in every aspect of living body, mind, intellect and environment. Inner purity in thoughts and emotions, intentions and motives, passions and urges are as important as physical cleanliness. Just as one’s physical activities pick up external impurities and dirt, so
too, in interactions with people, the mind gathers undesirable thoughts and feelings. Purity involves the removal of such impurities ego, anger, envy, etc.
Steadfastness (sthairyam)
Steadfastness means perseverance or firmness in resolve. It implies a commitment to the completion of one’s pursuit, irrespective of obstacles. Once a worthwhile objective has been set, the steadfast person acts with a firm resolve by working steadily towards it, and ensures
that laziness, excuses, and other distractions do not come in the way of reaching the target.
Self-Control (ātmavinigrahaḥ)
Self-Control is the ability to make a choice on how we think and act rather than do so on an
impulse. If we cannot direct our own thoughts and desires we cannot hope to keep our minds
concentrated on the journey toward God. SelfControl begins at the body level, in controlling the
senses. Our eyes wish to see beautiful forms and colors, the tongue craves good food, nose
likes to smell pleasant fragrances, skin invites soft sensations, and the ears want to hear
pleasant sounds. When we meet the demands of one or all of the senses continuously our
passions will simply consume us. Five senses can be compared to five horses drawing a
chariot. Mind is the charioteer. If mind loses control of even one horse, the chariot would not
move in the proper direction. However SelfControl does not mean total denial either. Denial
could lead to frustration, bitterness and lead to an outburst of suppressed desires. Just like a
tortoise that withdraws all its limbs when in danger , we should also withdraw when we feel that
we are going to fall prey to our senses.
Detachment from the SenseObjects (indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam)
vairāgya is dispassion for sensual objects. It is an advanced state of mind that has transcended
the struggle for control. As long as we are living in this world, it is not possible to avoid contact with sense objects. What we need to do is develop a method of healthy contact with sense objects. When desires are slowly minimized, and completely removed from our mind, the sense objects lose the power to distract us, the mind then prompts us to direct our lives towards spiritual saadhana, and contemplation of the glory of the Lord.
Absence of Egoism (anahaNkāraḥ)
Ego is that which makes us say, “I”. It is this which makes us have attachments to our actions, emotions, possessions, and fear. In our everyday parlance, ego is connected to our sense of who we are: our name, our talent, our achievements. When there is an overestimation of this and the feeling that it is the “I” who has achieved everything that is perceived as successful, then the ego has triumphed. The ego is a good servant but a bad master. In the latter situation it leads to conceit, selfexaltation, pretentiousness, and impure thoughts. To be free of ego means to feel God’s presence everywhere, at all times, in all ways.
Clearly seeing the Defects of Pain in Birth, Death, old age, and Sickness (janmamrtyujarāvyādhiduḥkhadoṣānudarśanam)
Every physical body goes through modifications such as birth, growth, sickness, old age and
ultimately death. Each of these metamorphoses causes pain to a living being. The only way to
end this pain is to release the self from the cycle of birth and death. Until we recognize the
futility of this cycle of birth and death, we cannot realize the Self. It starts with a realization that
all happiness is only temporary. The only lasting happiness is to be found when we become
one with the allpervading, omniscient, infinitely blissful Brahman, the Supreme.
NonAttachment (asaktiḥ)
Nonattachment is the ability to perform our duties without worrying about the results of our actions. Neither failure, nor success; profit or loss, shall affect the Self. Mind by nature, is extroverted and gets attracted towards a thing or being. The relationship of the mind with the object of fascination is called attachment. Once that relationship ends, the attachment also ends. For instance, how do millions of people enjoy watching a movie with a tragic story line? It is, quite simply, detachment. We look at the pictures on the screen just as a viewer. When we get involved with the characters, or develop an attraction, it is source of sorrow. So it is with the world. When we look at the world impersonally, and objectively, as a viewer, it is beautiful and wonderful. We enjoy every bit of it. But we become miserable and suffer, if we get attached to
the things and beings we interact with, in the world!
Nonidentification of Self with Son, Wife, Home & other possessions (anabhiṣvaṅgaḥ putradāragṛhādiṣu)
Our association with another person or group to the extent where there is an assumption of the
qualities, characteristics, or views of that contact is referred to as identification. This form of identity can be with an idea, country, religion, principle, our own mind or body. Children, Spouse, and home are the most common examples of this state of being and represents the range of possessive thoughts that we are entangled in on a daily basis. This quality is about discarding mental identification with our possessions; our feeling of possessiveness and of
“mineness”. King Janaka was one of the richest men. Sudama was a pauper. Yet both were stalwarts in detachment ; they never identified with anything this world offered . This calls for completion of duty with affection and care, but with objectivity. Nonidentification
frees us from the fear of being nothing, because in fact we are ‘nothing’.
Constant EvenMindedness (nityam samacittatvam)
A person whose mind is undisturbed in sorrow or in joy is said to possess the quality of
constant evenmindedness. It is a balanced internal state where mind is unagitated by
adversities, delusions or emotions. Evenmindedness should not be mistaken for apathy or
indifference. In fact it is the very opposite. It is not lack of emotion, but positive emotion lacking
in bias and partiality. The quality of equanimity has a practical meaning even in the material
world. We make our best decisions when our mind is calm and clear. Great leaders think calmly
and rationally even under critical conditions before making a decision. Can we trust an angry
President of the United States with access to powerful nuclear weapons? Or will we respect a
leader who trembles with fear in times of adversity? Hence being evenminded is a great virtue
to possess.
Unswerving Devotion (ananyayogena bhaktiḥ)
Devotion or bhakti is the love which flows toward God. It is a state when love for the Supreme fills the heart and every other love we harbor, is reduced to nothing. To develop love for the divine, it is necessary to subjugate the ego. Bhakti is enumerated in a ninefold discipline which can be practiced to achieve Divine Bliss: SravaNam, Keertanam, SmaraNam, pAdasevanam, archanam, vandanam, dAsyam, sakhyam and Atmanivedanam.
Seeking Solitude (viviktadeśasevitvam)
The mind that seeks solitude is one that wants to be with itself and is free from the fear of loneliness. While in loneliness mind is frantic and seeks an outlet through companionship, in solitude the mind is calm and in pursuit of higher goals. The only mode of communication possible with the Self is silence, and hence the Wise seek solitude. It is in solitude and through solitude that one reaches a state of tranquility and through serenity, bliss is achieved.
Love For Quietude (aratirjanasamsadi)
A man of wisdom resorts to solitary places with an aversion for the society of men. The seeker spontaneously withdraws his mind from the multifarious activities around him. It is a natural inversion of the mind towards noble thoughts, not a deliberate aversion to external influences and attractions. The seeker is self-reliant and not dependent on society for his happiness and peace. Naturopaths believe that if you give sufficient rest to the body, it will correct itself and get rid of diseases. Similarly the sages believe that by giving “rest” to the mind intellect
equipment through meditation, it will revive itself. Quietude is relaxing and refreshing.
Constancy in the knowledge of the Self (adhyātmajñānanityatvam)
Satisfaction in the knowledge that We are whole and complete within ourselves bring about a realization that happiness is not available in external things and objects cannot fulfill desire. The principle by whose mere presence the intellect thinks, the mind feels, and the body perceives, is the Supreme Reality. A spiritual seeker is ever conscious of this understanding and every
thought and act with the outside world is a reflection of this realization. The knowledge of the Self is to be lived and not merely learned.
Understanding the end of true knowledge to be liberation (tattvajñānārthadarśanam)
The end of true knowledge is to perceive the Lord in everything. It is to feel the oneness of the universe and through that feeling become closer to the divine within and without. It takes a lot of inner strength to remember God at all times, and keep the love for God flowing. One of the practical ways to bring God in our daily life is to keep repeating His name. Doing Japa helps when we find ourselves forgetting or when we just can’t see God at all, let alone everywhere. The goal of true knowledge is twin attaining perfect inner enlightenment to perceive the Lord
in everything and through this attain liberation. The twenty virtues that Lord Krishna has enumerated are correlated, taking a seeker, step by step, progressively further in the pursuit of this Knowledge.