The Adhikari: The Rightful One, and the Serious Business of Earning Your Stripes in Life and Yoga

The Indispensable Qualification

It is an established fact, known to anyone who has navigated this dizzying merry-go-round called existence, that life is full of people who simply aren't suited for the roles they insist on playing. One sees them everywhere, rushing headlong into pursuits—be it philosophy, high finance, or indeed, the often-misunderstood disciplines of Yoga—for which they possess precisely zero native aptitude. It is an alarming spectacle of square pegs hammering themselves into round holes, all sound and fury signifying only a distinct lack of tea and crumpets.

But fear not, for in the grand database of Yogic philosophy, a concept exists that neatly tidies up this existential mess: the Adhikari.

The Adhikari (or sometimes Arhat) is simply The Rightful One. This is the individual who, through preparation, temperament, and sheer force of accumulated spiritual capital, can rightfully claim the fruits of a discipline. He, or she, is not merely dabbling; they are ready, willing, and profoundly able to execute the next 'jump in evolution' naturally, driven by their own internal progression, not merely because some well-meaning but misguided soul told them to jolly well hop to it.

In short, the Adhikari is the deserving party. A person who feels they have a right to claim something when they do not deserve it displays arrogance. Conversely, the Adhikari possesses the adhikar (authority or right) due to having taken on "more pain, more suffering, therefore more rights and more duties". The stakes, you see, are higher than a simple sporting fixture; they concern nothing less than the transformation of destiny itself.

The Clarion Call to Self-Willed Evolution

Why do we cling to the illusion that liberation is a cozy state achieved merely by wishing for it? The universe rewards not sloth, but intensity. The path of Yoga, specifically Raja Yoga, is the fourth and highest vehicle (Anuttara Yoga Tantra), demanding that all prior vehicles—Hatha, Mantra, and Kundalini/Laya—have completed their preparatory function. This is a mighty work, a commitment to self-willed evolution.

The goal here is not merely therapy, which seeks balance and harmonization within the existing personality. That is a good starting point, indeed, to reach a point where the person desires evolution. But the Adhikari is focused upon the great destination: the transcendence of the mind to the universal or absolute self, "beyond all identities, qualities, properties, limitations".

This process demands nothing less than the cessation of the mind’s ceaseless fluctuations, known as Chitta Vritti Nirodha. The instant this occurs, the Seer abides in Its Own Nature (Svarupe Avasthana).

I. The Preliminary Checkpoints: Becoming an Arya

Before one can even dream of mastering postures or controlling the breath, the aspirant must first establish a moral and ethical foundation. He must, in the terminology of the Author, become an Arya—a noble person—by internalizing the Yamas (controls) and Niyamas (observances). These are the non-negotiable terms of entry into the serious business of self-evolution.

Category	Sanskrit Term	Lucid Explanation (The Essential Practice)
Yamas (Controls/Counter Factors)	1. Ahimsa	Benevolence/Non-harm (always prioritized over truthfulness).
	2. Satya	Honesty/Truthfulness (must be practiced with Ahimsa).
	3. Asteya	Non-taking/Non-misappropriation.
	4. Brahmacharya	Practice of celibacy (physical and psychological).
	5. Aparigraha	Non-greed/Not being avaricious.
Niyamas (Observances/Evolutionary Factors)	1. Shaucha	Cleanliness/Hygiene (external and internal).
	2. Santosha	Satisfaction/Feeling of completion.
	3. Tapa	Intensity/Fiery detachment (Tapas).
	4. Swadhyaya	Study of the self by the self.
	5. Ishwarapranidhanani	Sacrificing one's life energy to God.

Observe closely: the practice of intensity, Tapas, is not about strain, but a fiery detachment (Vairagya) that allows one to be fully one-pointed. This Tapas reduces impurities (cognitive fallacies) and makes the body and senses perfect.

II. The Five Sequential Qualities for the Adhikari

The systematic path requires five indispensable qualities, a chain without loopholes that must be cultivated in sequential development. No skipping ahead, you understand. Raja Yoga lays out the progression to objective omniscience (samprajnata samadhi) through these five sterling virtues:

1. Śraddhā (Devoted Sincerity): This is the foundation, a genuine devotion to the path and a commitment to one’s cause. Devotion taps into a larger energy, clearing obstacles by generating grace (Anugraha). Without this, the whole enterprise is likely to collapse like a badly stacked house of cards.

2. Vīrya (Courageous Energy): Energy here is not merely activity, but a dauntless quality applied consistently.

3. Smṛti (Transformed Memory): A memory that has been purified.

4. Samādhi (Meditation): This is the state of absorption.

5. Prajñā (Wisdom/Insight): The pinnacle of this progression, leading to discernment (Viveka). Higher discernment means lower avidya (false knowledge).

This path requires discipline (Abhyasa)—the continuous effort toward establishment in the "Still State". As the Author notes, the practice must continue until it becomes effortless, like breathing, which is no longer a practice, but a natural part of our being. The practice itself becomes the practitioner.

III. The Non-Adhikari's Lamentable Condition

Now, here is where we encounter the less fortunate element—the non-Adhikari, the practitioner who, bless his heart, insists on diving into the deep end of the spiritual pool before learning to float.

The great danger for the unprepared is the primal fallacy, Avidya (Wrong Knowing or ignorance). Ignorance, you see, is not merely not knowing something; it is knowing something wrong. This wrong knowledge gives rise to Asmita, or Egoism, which is the delusion of seeing the consciousness of the tool (the body/mind) as the self. The tool then says, "I am rich," "I am diseased," or "I am mortal," thus subjecting the true self to unnecessary limitations.

The Danger of Premature Power

The acquisition of power or advanced techniques, such as Kundalini activation, by one who is not yet an Adhikari, can lead to disastrous consequences. I can recount the grim tale of a Russian boy who, being psychologically fine but not an Adhikari, activated a mantra which led to a kidney injury and a change in his eyes. It is a stark warning that merely attempting the technique is insufficient; the vessel must be prepared.

Vasishta, the ancient sage, observed that many who try to cross the "ocean of the world" are prone to "false reasoning and heresy," falling into difficulties. The truly wise, those who have attained Adhikar, move through the world performing their duties without a sense of personal agency or attachment to results. They are unruffled, their minds clear as the autumn sky.

Key Pillars of the Adhikari’s Approach

For practicality and clarity, here are the non-negotiables for the Adhikari, drawn from the deepest wells of wisdom [The Raja Yoga Sutras, Yoga Vasishta]:

No.	Principle of the Adhikari (The Rightful One)
1.	Intensity (Tapas): Success is proportional to intensity. The Adhikari maintains an intensity of total engagement in every moment.
2.	Discipline & Detachment (Abhyasa & Vairagya): These are the two essential wings of the bird of Yoga. Practice continues until the skill is established as the Self, becoming effortless.
3.	Discernment (Viveka): The methodology to achieve higher levels of subtlety in consciousness; the path of directionality is ruled by the level of discernment, which negates Avidya.
4.	Non-Attachment to Credit: If an action is done "in a flow," it is the flow that has done it, not the individual. Taking credit results in losing access to the flow. Misattributing intuition (or Darshan) to the localized self causes loss of continued access.
5.	Focus on Dharma (Moral Truth): Morality is equated with Sanatana Dharma (universal truth). The Adhikari understands their unique dharma (which is decided by the soul) and synchronizes their life with it, moving toward evolution rather than devolution.

Let us, therefore, cast aside the lazy notion that spiritual advancement is a simple matter of good luck or gentle inclination. The Adhikari is not a passive recipient of grace, but a strenuous claimant, carving out his own evolutionary path with the sheer force of clarity and unwavering focus.

If you desire the highest reward, then develop the highest character! Awaken that devoted sincerity, cultivate that tireless energy, and earn your stripes. Become the Adhikari, the one who is truly worthy, and witness how the universe bends to the will of the self-liberated.