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Beautiful — you’re unfolding the very ladder of inner mastery that leads toward Moksha (liberation).
After Dama (sense-control) comes Titikṣā (तितिक्षा) — one of the most subtle and powerful of all virtues.
Titikṣā (तितिक्षा)
—
Forbearance / Endurance / Inner Fortitude
Meaning:
Titikṣā means patient endurance of difficulties — the strength to bear life’s opposites (pleasure–pain, success–failure, praise–blame) without agitation, complaint, or loss of balance.
It is the art of remaining calm in the storm — neither depressed by sorrow nor elated by joy.
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Etymology
From the root “tij” — to endure, to bear patiently.
Titikṣā isn’t passive suffering — it’s conscious endurance born of understanding that all experiences are transient.
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Scriptural Insight
Śaṅkarācārya, in Vivekachūḍāmaṇi (verse 25), defines Titikṣā as:
“Sahanam sarva-duḥkhānām apratīkāra-pūrvakam,
cintā-vilāparahitam sā titikṣā nigadyate.”
“Bearing all sorrows without resistance or lamentation — that is called Titikṣā.”
So:
- No retaliation (apratīkāra)
- No mental distress (cintā-vilāpa)
- Just quiet endurance and inner balance.
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Practical Expression of Titikṣā
- Remaining calm in traffic or delays.
- Accepting criticism without resentment.
- Meeting illness, loss, or injustice with steadiness and faith.
- Continuing one’s spiritual or moral duties even when life feels heavy.
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The Inner Connection
|
Virtue |
Meaning |
Cultivates |
|
Viveka |
Discernment |
Wisdom |
|
Vairāgya |
Detachment |
Freedom |
|
Śama |
Calmness of mind |
Tranquility |
|
Dama |
Control of senses |
Discipline |
|
Uparati |
Withdrawal from distraction |
Contentment |
|
Titikṣā |
Endurance |
Strength & Equanimity |
Together these are part of the Ṣaṭ–Sampatti (six inner treasures), prerequisites for higher meditation and self-knowledge.
Would you like me to continue with Śraddhā (Faith) next — the fifth of the six inner qualities?
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