Four Aims & Four Disciplines

The four purusharthas or essential aims of the way of truth are:

1. Hema siddhi, power of transformation of baser metals into gold (possibly including transformation of physical body into a golden perfect body).
2. Knowledge and attainment of deathlessness of body,
3. Realisation of the Divine and becoming as Himself i.e., as of His Nature, and
4. Control and mastery over all tatvas or principles of existence.    

These are four disciplines for achieving them. They are the disciplines of senses and body, mind and its faculties, and the disciplines of the jeeva and of anma, the spirit.

(A)The discipline of senses are of two kinds namely of the Jnanendriya, the senses of knowledge and of Karmendriya, the senses of action (i.e., relating to body). These can be mentioned thus: to hear music and devotional songs and avoid disharmonious and crude sounds; to have a sympathetic touch and not an impure sense of touch; not to see with a cruel or unkind look; not to desire for taste and smell; to speak sweetly and not to talk lies; to prevent by some means or other any cause occasioning sufferings to beings (Jeeva himsa); to visit upon the great liberated souls; to move about to places where Sadhus, men of pious nature, live in order to render help and service to them, and also to other places where service is required; to keep normal conditions of evacuation and urination without allowing them to become excessive or deficient (i.e., by loose or constipated bowels and excessive or obstructed flow from bladder) by regulations of food and through medicines of a herbal nature and physical and chemical sybstances, by massage and pressing of intestinal parts and by power of will and concentration (Note: Preservation of seminal fluid in order to have a healthy and longer life and absolute taboo of sexual indulgence and of even sex-thought are insisted upon for the spiritual seekers of the Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga - Ibid p.66 & 18 "அதி தீவிர பக்குவி", "காமக் குரோதங்கள்" P.104 "மூன்று ஆசை"). To cover the organs and parts of the body such as head and chest; not to wear dirty clothes; to wear footwear etc.  

(B) The discipline of mind and its faculties imply transformation of mind into the form of knowledge of Ajna centre, the derivative centre of Cit Sabha சிற்சபை என்னும் அறிவு ஆக்ருதி ஆக்கல். Its first step is to get poised in Ajna, the centre at the mid of brows. Mind shall not be allowed to dwell on bad and evil thoughts, nor on the defects of others; to have no personal regard or egoism to eliminate anger, jealousy, pride, vanity etc. and to become of the true satwa nature i.e., of a nature with the clarity and happiness of consciousness; to control movement of tatvas (i.e., of the lower nature) from their excesses or outrageous behaviour.    

(c) This discipline of jeeva (i.e., psychic discipline) shall be thus: To treat and deal with all men and women as one's own equal self or selves, irrespective of differences in caste, religion. philosophy, stage of life or ashrama, traditional heredity and nobility of family, adherence to scriptures, nationality and low or high social status etc.

(D) The discipline of anma, the spirit, is to become integrally the infinite and universal All-existence, because the Divine Himself dwells within all living beings from ant to elephant (and man) as the subtle Master and as the supreme Lord, making jeevatma, soul and self of our being, as its field of play of knowledge (Tiru Sabhai).    

By following the disciplines thus, one can realise the said rare goals (purusharthas); unity will naturally result where there is the identy of knowledge.

Out of the said four disciplines, one shall sincerely follow the first two of the disciplines; the other two disciplines will not be effectively possible before receiving the divine Grace; but one shall aspire so as to be led to the last two disciplines i.e., the discipline of the jeeva and that of anma (Book of Oral Teachings, p.49-50,74-75 and (126-127).

-by T.R. THULASIRAM