To attain सिद्धि is the primary drive for all. No matter what we do or when we do anything, we are always keen to gain सिद्धि. Without the drive for सिद्धि, there is no value in pursuing anything at all. So what are the ingredients to attain सिद्धि? Can one who has intelligence attain सिद्धि in all endeavours? No. Intelligence alone is not sufficient. विवेकचूडामणि names two ingredients for सिद्धि – विवेक & वैराग्य. विवेक is the ability to discriminate (between right and wrong) and this can be taken as intelligence.

Let us take up विवेक first – what does it mean? Who is intelligent or what is intelligence? Intelligence is the ability to conceive of a situation and take an action in the light of such perception. Dictionary definition of the word is “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills”. Thus, it is all about acquisition and application. So the one who has accumulated more data points than the other ends up having a better opportunity to be intelligent. And accumulation of more data points is a function of memory. So memory gives a ready database for one to dip into knowingly or unknowingly and use such information (and thus apply intelligence) to perceive life.

But there is a problem here. There could be a problem of information overload. Only who merely acquires but does not apply will not learn. But equally, one who applies without acquiring may or may not learn. He will learn if he has the ability to learn from experience. Most repeat the same errors again and again and do not learn. So both acquisition and application are essential for one to develop their intelligence.

Next let us take up वैराग्य – this means the ability to be objective in undertaking any action. The basis for the action must not be राग & द्वेष – meaning that prejudice in terms of liking or dislike must not be the trigger for an act. Instead, one must take up any action because it is the most valid thing to do in a certain situation and time. Such an action which is the Dharma of the person indeed must be the trigger for any action. Simply put, an act of वैराग्य may be taken as the most appropriate similar action any two different persons who are in the same position, situation, time, etc would have undertaken.

Both विवेक & वैराग्य are thus seen as essential for us to do any work efficiently and effectively. Just having capability is of no use if the mind is too attached to the action and just being objective in a situation is of no use if one is not capable of acting. Both are therefore seen as two wings of a bird where both are necessary to fly.

Now we come to the crux of the matter at hand. We have stated that both विवेक & वैराग्य are essential to attain सिद्धि. So what do we mean by सिद्धि? How does one measure it? सिद्धि happens when one is able to get रस out of a certain experience. रस is not happiness in an ordinary sense. So if one absolutely adores a chocolate cake, goes to the market, buys and eats it, he will be very happy and be unhappy if no cakes are available. There may be no रस in this experience. So when does रस occur in an experience? Let us take an artist who plans a beautiful piece of art. She plans for this piece for months in her brain, accumulates materials for some more time and finally draws the piece for another span of time. And then when she sees the final piece, she is in ecstasy. No one else needs to see the art piece – the artist joy in watching the full art after working on this for long time is  रस. No one in the world may see this, no one may buy this… It does not matter. Same way, a writer who reads his complete book or a cook who sees the cooked food after preparation experiences रस. The joy that arises from within oneself purely on account of a job well done may thus be taken as रस here. And as the whole of life is nothing else but one experience after another, one who is able to attain रस after every experience gained after an action is undertaken may be taken to have attained सिद्धि.

Now one may want to make an argument here. Is any action not undertaken for a certain outcome? Outcome in Sanskrit is known as कर्मफल. We draw for a certain purpose, we cook for a certain purpose, we write books for a certain purpose, etc. What if we undertake all the actions but we do not get the outcome for which we have undertaken the action? What is the use of such an action? What is the use of cooking if the eaters do not appreciate the food? What is the use of writing a book which no one reads or the readers criticise severely? Should the measure of सिद्धि not be seen in terms of what कर्मफल one gains after an action is undertaken?

Here we need to turn to one of the most famous Shlokas of the Gita which is reproduced below:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषुकदाचन। मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा तेसङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि।।2.47।।

2.47. Let your अधिकार lie on कर्म alone and never on the फल; you should never be a cause for the fruits of action; let not your संग be to अकर्म.

Our position in certain situation requires us to undertake a certain कर्म. And one who performs such a  कर्म is said to have performed his Dharma. After all, what is within our own zone of control, which is a matter of our personal choice, is to undertake कर्म as per our free will. And once we undertake such a कर्म, if undertaken with विवेक & वैराग्य such a कर्म done in itself is meant to give us रस and if we obtain such a रस, we have attained success or सिद्धि – nothing else is required at all.

But we do get a कर्मफल, is it not? Sometimes, we may get the कर्मफल which may have been as a result of a कर्म well executed or sometime, we may not get the desired कर्मफल even though we may have undertaken the कर्म with विवेक & वैराग्य. Equally, sometimes, we may get a कर्मफल even though our own delivery may have been sub-optimal. How does one take account of this कर्मफल which may not be in sync with our own efforts? The answer is simple – whatever कर्मफल we gain, we are meant to accept it as a प्रसाद, a gift of the One. As Bhagavan says in the Shloka above, we do not have any अधिकार over the कर्मफल. Therefore, if we stick to our अधिकार which is to focus on doing any action with विवेक & वैराग्य, the कर्मफल needs to be accepted as our deserved outcome. What is more important therefore is not the कर्मफल but whether we have experienced रस from the कर्म undertaken – if yes, we should be joyful and if not, we should still be joyful for having learnt that some aspect of either विवेक and/ or वैराग्य may not have been fully invested by us. And even this learning should give us enough रस to work further on enhancing the विवेक and/ or वैराग्य quotient of our life. Avoid wasting time in experiencing happiness if a certain कर्मफल is obtained or experiencing unhappiness if it is not. Instead, be one who continually lives to gain a रस in all his or her experiences – satisfaction for a job well done or joy for learning our weaknesses so as to enhance the quality of our efforts in future – one who is in this state alone can be said to have attained सिद्धि.

OM TAT SAT