The 5/10/15 Rule
Inquiry is the nature of the jiva. Seeking, however, is different from inquiry. Seeking ends with self-knowledge, but inquiry lasts till the day you die. A lot of people think that the end of seeking is the end for the non-eternal jiva. It is, but only if the fruit of self-knowledge – tripti, total satisfaction – comes with it. However, there is another stage after freedom from ignorance (direct knowledge). The stage after firm direct knowledge is called nididhyasana. It is the disappearance of the doer, the part of the self that is depressed, bored or ambitious, for instance. The residual emotional dissatisfaction indicates ego remnants (sattvic/rajasic/tamasic pratibandakas) that should be removed if you have compassion for the jiva and want to give it perfect satisfaction. So nididhyasana, which is just sadhana without the seeking, is required. It takes care of any residual mental/emotional impurities. There is a basic formula, the 5/10/15 rule. Of course it varies from individual to individual, but it is not necessarily an exaggeration. Five years for manana, hearing the teaching. Ten years for resolving doubts (manana) created by the teaching and 15 (nididhyasana) for getting rid of jiva-hood, i.e. the sense of doership. Tripti is complete satisfaction. A mithya jiva remains, but it is totally happy with itself and the world. It has no desire whatsoever for things to be different from what they are. It is called Isvara pranidanam,surrender to Isvara, or non-dual devotion (bhakti).