Tattva Bodha SCS: Viveka of Nitya & Anitya The Acharya began the text by invoking the blessings of his Guru and taking the resolve to write this text for a student qualified with four essential qualifications. The beauty of this text is that it is written in a question answer form reflecting the glorious tradition of passing on this knowledge as a one to one intimate communication between the teacher & the taught. In the Vedic pattern of learning knowledge was not passed on as an unquestionable piece of philosophy but every student who came to the Guru for Self knowledge undertook this journey by having faith in the scriptures and the Guru, followed by a freedom to question & clarify one's doubts.
What are the fourfold qualities? The capacity of discrimination between that which is permanent & that which is not; dispassion for any object either of this world or even that which is beyond; the six qualities beginning with Shama; the intense desire for attaining total freedom.
What do you exactly mean by the Viveka of Nitya & Anitya objects? Nitya-anitya vastu implies appreciation of the fact that 'Brahman' alone is the one permanent & eternal thing in this world, rest all is changing, ephemeral & thus not permanent. Saadhan Chatushtayam kim? The Acharya begins by putting on the shoes of a student and putting forth the first question. Having taken the resolve to share this knowledge the teacher hints at writing this text for a student qualified by certain very specific attributes called 'Saadhan chatushtaya sampatti'. With the introduction of such terminology the Acharya represents a students mind and promptly comes up with a question to know what is Saadhan chatushtaya sampatti. The question is thus answered: 1. Nityaanitya vastu vivekaha 2. Ihaamutraarth fal bhog viraagah
3. Shamaadi shatkasampattihi 4. Mumukshutvam cha iti The four-fold qualities are : 1. Viveka or the capacity of discrimination between that which is permanent & that which is not. 2. Vairagya of dispassion for any object either of this world or even that which is beyond. 3. Shamadi Shatak Sampatti or the six qualities beginning with Shama. (Shama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha & Samadhana) 4. Mumukshutvam or the intense desire for attaining
Vedanta Sandesh