Ashtavakra Gita 15.1 -

Spiritual seeking and pursuit are focussed on the intelligence of the seeker. They first purify the mind and sharpen the intelligence. Hearing and reading the spiritual exposition enrich and refine the inner personality, which comprehends the Self, the supreme Truth. Then follows the real transformation.

Though interactions are seemingly with objects outside, they take place inside the body, not outside. All are a creation of the mind alone. Mind initiates interactions, sustains and also terminates them. Despite this fact, the Self appears to be covered by object-imprints. Imprints are mental floats, hence subjective, the Subject’s alone. But this truth does not come to light.

When the mind is pure, it grows lighter and lighter, and to that extent, the Self’s radiance becomes clear, pronounced. The object impressions lose their density and distinction. Instead of the objects shining in the mind, the seeker feels it is the mind that shines.

The Self begins to overwhelm the mind imprints. The mind becomes more a sattva, pure presence, than the object-reflecting medium. Any instruction on true spiritual wisdom and its acme is instantly assimilated by the seeker. Soon he becomes enlightened. The process is easy.

On the other hand, when the mind is not pure, seeking may continue for a whole lifetime. Yet the delusion will not have left. So citta becoming sattva (mind getting purified) is most important.

That is how sādhana-catuṣṭayam, a set of four qualifications is prescribed for the true seeker, right from the beginning. Viveka, the first quality, is skill of discriminating the eternal from the fleeting. This quality instils dispassion, vairāgya. The seeker feels that as the entire world objects are fleeting, he cannot have lasting contentment from them. So the mind spurns them.

There should be a strong yearning for liberation, freedom from the shackles the mind and intelligence suffer from.

In addition are the set of six disciplines: These are as śama, regulating desires; dama, regulation of senses; titikṣā, forbearance of the alternating sukha-duḥkhas arising from contacts with sense-object. Uparati, the habit of withdrawing the senses and making them restful in their own centres; śraddhā, assiduous application of the mind to the task in hand; samādhāna, engaging the mind wholesomely on the supreme Reality, the Lord, leaving all contrary thoughts and refuges.

All these are meant to act on the mind and intelligence, making them purer, until at last they become full sattva, the pure being.

When the sattva state is reached, words of wisdom from Guru and śāstras sink into the seeker fast. Unhesitatingly he absorbs them; and instantly follow the desired spiritual sublimation and enrichment. Delay in any case is only in transforming the citta into sattva. Remember the description ‘sattva-buddhimān’.