What are the qualifications required for a student of the scriptures ?

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Preyas and sreyas are best understood before proceeding with the present topic.

An eligible student for scriptural reading requires the following four-fold qualification:
1 – Discrimination
2 – Dispassion
3 – Discipline
4 – Desire for freedom

Discrimination:
This is called viveka in Vedanta.
We have to learn the discrimination between preyas and sreyas.
Preyas has unpredictability, risks, problems and potential sorrows.
Sreyas gives peace and happiness.

Dispassion:
This is called vairagya in Vedanta.
We definitely need preyas for survival and health. But that should be the secondary goal and the primary goal should be sreyas. We must remember it is a ladder to sreyas. We cannot be using the ladder for ever.
Vairagya is dispassion to preyas. Preyas is healthy as a means and since it is equal to bondage, cannot be an end. We must dedicate our life for the pursuit of sreyas. Hence dispassion is growing out of preyas.

Desire:
This desire for freedom is called mumukshutvam in Vedanta.
This is dropping the passionate hold on preyas and stretching ourselves to reach sreyas.
An intelligent living leads to discrimination, dispassion and ultimately desire for freedom.

Discipline:
This is six-fold inner discipline.

1 – Mind- control:
This is the capacity to regulate and direct our mental energy without suppressing or wasting it.

2 – Sense-control:
This is regulation of sense organs.

3 – Withdrawal:
This is the capacity to physically, sensually and mentally withdraw.

4 – Forbearance:
This is the toughness to withstand the ups and downs of life. As is said “ when the going gets tough, the tough gets going”.

5 - Faith:
We must develop faith by worshipping God, scriptures and mahatmas.

6 – Concentration:
Concentration means short term focussing like freedom from distraction and long term focussing like the ultimate goal of sreyas.

These four-fold qualifications are called Sadhana Chatushtayam in sanskrit.

Love,
Chithra.