Salvation of soul is the cardinal principle of all religions. The seeker of the Absolute Truth has to purify his inner self by dispelling the evil of the ephemeral worldly attractions and attachments.
The ancient scriptures have prescribed certain norms to be observed for achieving this goal, which is denoted by sadhana chatushtaya (four steps for salvation) analogous to yama and niyama, prescribed in Yoga.
1. Nityanitya Vastu Vivek (discrimination between eternal and ephemeral world):
The seeker must develop his power to discriminate between eternal and transient worlds. The skill to segregate the grain from the chaff enables one to distinguish between virtues and vice. One, who is adept in this art, gradually advances towards salvation.
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2. Renunciation:
A true seeker must restrain himself from the desire of worldly pleasures and attachments which are ephemeral and transient. To shun the worldly pleasures and not to be dazzled by the material glories should be the ideal of the spiritual seekers.
3. Sam-damadi sadhan-sampatah (six virtues of a seeker) :
A true seeker must possess the six virtues namely: sam, dam, shraddha, samadhan, uparati and titiksha. Sam means control over mind, dam means control over sense organs, Shraddha means full faith and regard for scriptures and guru, samadhan means advancement on spiritual path with full dedication and determination, uparati means total withdrawal of vritti from the exterior (craving for the sensory pleasures) and direct them towards the inner realm and titiksha means complete detachment and dissociation from all vices.
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4. Mumukchhatva (desire for salvation ):
Firm determination and strong will for salvation, coupled with unflinching faith, are the basic requirements for attaining salvation. All obstacles in the spiritual path must to be conquered.
The main aim of all these efforts is to create an intellectual, emotional and divine atmosphere, and thereby, to pave the way for God-realization and be in the state of everlasting peace and bliss.