The Four Gatekeepers to Moksha

Rama, there are four gatekeepers at the entrance to the Realm of Freedom (Moksha). They are selfcontrol,spirit of enquiry, contentment and good company.The wise seeker should diligently cultivate the friendship of these, or of at least one of them.

VASISTHA continued:

With a pure heart and a receptive mind,and without the veil of doubt and the restlessness of the mind, listen to the exposition of the nature and the means of liberation,O Rama. For, not until the Supreme Being is realised will the dreadful miseries of birth and death come to an end.

If this deadly serpent known as ignorant life is not overcome here and now, it will give rise to interminable suffering not only in this but in countless lifetimes to come. One cannot ignore this suffering, but one should overcome it by means of the wisdom that I shall impart to you.

Self-control

Self-control, O Rama, is the best remedy for all physical and mental ills. When there is self-control, even the food you eat tastes better, else it tastes bitter. He who wears the armour of self-control is not harmed by sorrow.

He who even while hearing, touching, seeing, smelling and tasting what is regarded as pleasant and unpleasant,is neither elated nor depressed-he is self-controlled. He
who looks upon all beings with equal vision, having brought under control the sensations of pleasure and pain, is selfcontrolled.He who, though living amongst all is unaffected by them, neither feels elated nor hates even as one is during sleep-he is self-controlled.

Enquiry

Enquiry (the second gatekeeper to liberation) should be undertaken by an intelligence that has been purified by a close study of the scripture, and this enquiry should be unbroken. By such enquiry the intelligence becomes keen and is able to realise the supreme; hence, enquiry alone is the best remedy for the long-lasting illness known as samsara.

The eye of spiritual enquiry does not lose its sight even in the midst of all activities; he who does not have this eye is indeed to be pitied. It is better to be born as a frog in the mud, a worm in dung, a snake in a hole, than to be without this eye. What is enquiry? To enquire thus: "Who am I? How has this evil of samsara (repetitive history) come into being?" is true enquiry. Knowledge of truth arises from such enquiry; from such knowledge there follows tranquility in oneself; and then there arises the supreme peace that passeth understanding and the end of all sorrow.

(Vichara or enquiry is not reasoning or analysis: it is directly looking into oneself.)

Contentment

Contentment is another gatekeeper of liberation. He who has quaffed the nectar of contentment does not relish craving for sense pleasures; no delight in this world is as sweet as contentment which destroys all sins.

Satsanga

Satsanga (company of the wise, holy and enlightened persons) is yet another gatekeeper of liberation. Satsanga enlarges one’s intelligence, destroys one’s ignorance and one’s psychological distress. Whatever be the cost how-ever difficult it may be, whaterver obstacles may stand in its way, satsanga should never be neglected. For,satsanga alone is one’s light on the path of life. Satsanga is indeed superior to all other forms of religious practices,like charity, austerity, pilgrimage and the performance of religious rites.

These four-contentment, satsanga (company of wise men), the spirit of enquiry, and self-control-are the four surest means by which they who are drowning in this ocean
of samsara can be saved. Contentment is the supreme gain. Satsanga is the best companion to the destination.

The spirit of enquiry itself is the greatest wisdom. And,self-control is supreme happiness. If you are unable to resort to all these four, then practice one: by the diligent practice of one of these, the others will also be found in you. The highest wisdom will seek you of its own accord.Until you tame the wild elephant of your mind with the help of these noble qualities, you cannot have progress towards the supreme even if you become a god, demigod or a tree. Therefore, O Rama, strive by all means to cultivate these noble qualities.

Source: From Vasistha’s Yoga, by Swami Venkatesananda