The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
38. abhyāsātiśaya jñātā
She who is known through the exceedingly strenuous practice called spiritual discipline.
A question is likely to arise at this point. Is it possible to experience jīvanmukti in this very lifetime? Since we are not highly qualified (uttamādhikri) like the Sages Vyāsa, Vasiṣṭha, and Suka, is it possible for us also to attain such perfection?
This nāma is a response to that question. Complete abidance in the Self (niṣṭa) is both easy (sulabha) and difficult (durlabha). We must remember that the thousand names of the Divine Mother include the two names, sulabha and durlabha. As we advance and mature in our practice, we will attain niṣṭa. Practice (abhyāsa) is constant reflection. Bhagavan Krishna and Sage Patañjali unanimously declare renunciation (vairāgya) and relentless practice (abhyāsa) as prerequisites for attaining niṣṭa. There is nothing that cannot be attained with relentless practice in our worldly and spiritual lives.
Practice is not to be measured in terms of the number of times it is practiced or the length of time it is practiced. Practice must continue until the desired results are attained. That is why Sage Patañjali advised practicing aṣṭāṅga yoga continuously with devotion and discipline. Only with such commitment, a seeker can attain maturity. Unwavering focus and relentless effort will produce the desired results. This is in our experience. The more effort a musician puts into practicing music, the sooner she will master the music. The more experienced a cook is, the sooner she will become a master in cooking. Similarly, when the seeker matures in the practice of viewing the world (not-Self) as an appearance of the Self, the practice will eventually culminate in complete abidance in the Self (ātmā). anātmā (not-self/world) will lose its specificity and dissolve in the Supreme Self. This is brahmaniṣṭa, the unwavering abidance of the Self as the Self in All.