The Five Cardinal Principles of Vedantic Teaching

• The first principle: Lasting or permanent peace, security, and happiness are possible only in mokṣa.
• The second principle: mokṣa is possible only through spiritual knowledge.
• The third principle: Spiritual knowledge is possible only through systematic education with the help of a guru and śāstra.
• The fourth principle: Systematic spiritual education is possible only with a prepared, pure, or mature mind.
• The fifth principle: A prepared mind can be accomplished through many and varied spiritual exercises.

The Single Path to Liberation

• The convergence of paths: While there are innumerable optional paths for purifying the mind (such as charity, japa, īśvaradhyānam, prāṇāyāma, rituals, and pilgrimages), there is only one singular path for the subsequent stages.
• The sequential journey: After purification, every person must come to spiritual education without choice. Through spiritual education, one gains spiritual knowledge. Through spiritual knowledge, one attains mokṣa. Through mokṣa alone, lasting peace and happiness are achieved.

The Author and His Contributions

• Substantiating the principles: ādiśaṅkarācārya logically and thoroughly establishes each of these cardinal principles across all his literature, including his voluminous commentaries on the gītā, the upanishads, and the brahma sutras, urging seekers to remember them constantly.
• The author of the verse: This specific verse is authored by sureśvarācārya, a famous disciple of ādiśaṅkarācārya. He earned the title vārtikakāra because he wrote massive verse sub-commentaries (vārtikam) on his guru‘s works, including 12,000 verses on the bṛhadāraṇyaka bhāṣyam and a commentary on the taittirīya bhāṣyam.

Preparing the Mind Through Spiritual Exercises

• Purification practices: sureśvarācārya points out that the mind can be prepared through several methods. One can undertake a pilgrimage (gaṅgāsāgaragamanaṃ kurute) to take a dip in the Ganges at Kashi, Allahabad, or Ganga Sagar, or perform rituals like śrāddha and tarpaṇa.
• The value of vows: Another method is the observance of vows (vrataparipālanam). Even without resources for pilgrimages, one can follow simple vows like ekādaśī upavāsam or chanting the name of bhagavan.
• The greatest disciplines: Highlighting the hierarchy of spiritual disciplines, the text quotes a famous verse:
  नान्नोदकसमं दानं न द्वादश्याः परं व्रतम् ।
  न गायत्र्याः परो मन्त्रः न मातुर्देवतं परम् ॥
  nānnodakasamaṃ dānaṃ na dvādaśyāḥ paraṃ vratam |
  na gāyatryāḥ paro mantraḥ na māturdevataṃ param ||
  This means the greatest charity is offering food and water (annadānam and jaladānam); the greatest vow is ekādaśī upavāsam; the greatest mantra is the gāyatrī; and the greatest directly available deity is one’s own mother. (However, the śāstra advises prioritizing health if medical conditions prevent fasting).

The Indispensability of Spiritual Knowledge

• Knowledge as the ultimate requirement: After mental preparation, systematic spiritual education is compulsory. A person lacking spiritual knowledge (jñānavihīnaḥ) cannot attain mokṣa (muktiṃ na bhajati).
• The role of other disciplines: Practices like karma, bhakti, upāsanā, or kundalini cannot directly grant mokṣa; they only purify the mind. mokṣa is attained strictly through spiritual education.
• The ultimate sequence: Without spiritual knowledge, even taking dips in the Ganges for a hundred lifetimes (janmaśatena) will not result in liberation. However, these purification actions should not be abandoned, as they are essential for preparation. The ultimate sequence of vedānta is to prepare, learn, know, and be free.