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endeavours is certainly assured. Wherever there is a seeker who is struggling on the path and not gaining any definite progress, he can observe for himself that he has not in him any, or, all of these qualifications.
By this, Sankara is trying to emphasize that a seeker must, first of all, try to see that he is fully equipped with these qualifications, and at all periodical reverses in spiritual progress, the Sādhak instead of physically getting despaired, must intelligently evaluate himself and discover the deficiencies in him.
As a doctor would put it, when a patient is pale, the deficiency in his constitution is to be immediately determined and in order to it make up, he must be fed upon those necessary ingredients. Similarly, here also when a spiritual seeker fàgs out, it is never due to any external obstacle, as generally people complain, but it is because of a dangerous deficiency in his spiritual constitution !!
आदौ नित्यानित्यवस्तुविवेकः परिगण्यते। इहामुत्रफलभोगविरागस्तदनन्तरम् ॥
शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिः मुमुक्षुत्वमिति स्फुटम् ॥ १९॥ ādou nityānityavastuvivekah pariganyate ihāmutraphalabhogavirāgastadanantaram śamādişatkasampattih mumuksutvamiti sphutam 19.
3471 - In the beginning, first, arca sa q aaf: - discrimination between the real and unreal, परिगण्यते • is counted, इह-अमुत्र PFASHIT FACTT: - freedom from desires for the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter (iha and amutra), JETTA - after that, TANCA+ AF917: - the six great qualifications like calmness, etc., मुमुक्षुत्वम् - a burning desire for liberation, इति - thus, स्फुटम् - clear.
(While enumerating the qualifications) first we count the faculty of discrimination between the real and the unreal; next comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of