Adhikari: The competent learner Vedanta is not a teaching for the masses. It is for the thoughtful enquirer of truth. Vedanta is for one who has questioned life regarding purpose and ultimate fulfillment of the human search. He is fully committed to pursuing liberation from the human condition that involves dependency and pain from birth to death (Mukushutvam). The Adhikari is committed to pursuing truth, no matter how subtle or how difficult the pursuit may be. He distinguishes between the permanent and the impermanent (Viveka) and recognizes that only the permanent can be the ultimate fulfillment. All forms of effort, physical or mental, result in impermanent results alone. The impermanent is a temporary condition that fades away in time and cannot be the ultimate purpose. The permanent is not a product of efforts, and hence has to be discovered through the grace of a teacher.
The changed priorities makes the learner let go of dependence on impermanent results, no matter how attractive they are (Vairagya). Everything else is secondary to the pursuit of ultimate fulfilment. Every accomplishment is impermanent, including the promise of eternal heaven and the pleasures therein.
The competent learner enjoys the 6 fold qualities (shat sampatti) of mindfulness (shama), self regulation (dama), non-involvement with activities (uparati), ability to endure difficult circumstances (titiksha), trust and confidence in the teacher and the scriptures (shraddha), and inner harmony (samaadhana).
The competency of the learner helps him to assimilate self knowledge and profit from the learning. Deficiency in these abilities reduces the chances of the student assimilating self knowledge and missing the implication of Vedanta despite the learning.
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