Samkhya Karika 50

आध्यात्मिकाश्चतस्रः प्रकृत्युपादानकालभाग्याख्याः ।
बाह्या विषयोपरमात् पञ्च, नव तुष्टयोऽभिहिताः ॥ ५० ॥

adhyātmikāścatasraḥ prakṛtyupādānakālabhāgyākhyāḥ ।
bāhyā viṣayoparamāt pañca, nava tuṣṭayo’bhihitāḥ ॥ 50 ॥

ādhyātmikāḥ=internal (related to self); catasraḥ=four; prakṛti=nature; yupādāna=material means; kāla=time; bhāgya=luck; ākhyāḥ=are known as; bāhyāḥ=external; viṣaya=objects; uparamāt=due to abstention; pañca=five; nava=nine; tuṣṭayaḥ=contentment; abhihitāḥ=are mentioned;

The nine types of contentment are:

• 4 internal – Nature, Material means, Time and Luck
• 5 external – non-attachment to the five sense objects

The four types of internal contentment (ādhyātmika) pertain to the inner instrument – intellect, ego and the mind:

Nature (prakṛti): this type of contentment involves an understanding of both the unmanifest (avyakta) and the manifest (vyakta) aspects of prakriti. One understands the nature of evolution and its effects and remains satisfied with this understanding. There is no effort made to understand the nature of Purusha and how Purusha and Prakriti are separate entities. This type of contentment (tuṣṭi) will not lead to liberation (kaivalya).

Material means (upādāna): Becoming an ascetic and using means like wearing saffron clothing, carrying a triple-staff, a begging bowl etc. and staying contented with these means. This type of contentment will also not lead to liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita (3.4¹), Lord Krishna says, “One cannot achieve freedom from karmic reactions by merely abstaining from work, nor can one attain perfection of knowledge by becoming a renunciate.”

Time (kāla): In this type of contentment, one believes that liberation cannot come until the time is ripe and is happy to wait until the time comes. It is similar to believing that a crop can grow successfully when the rains come on time.

Luck (bhāgya): This contentment depends on the belief that neither learning nor any other effort (like becoming a renunciate) can lead to liberation. It is all based on one’s luck which is largely based on past karmas and their fruition.

The above four are listed as internal (ādhyātmika)contentment. The other five listed in the karika are external and depend upon gaining a sense of vairagya (non-attachment) to the objects that are attractive to the five senses. One begins to realize the futility of acquisition (arjana), protection of what is acquired (rakṣaṇa), decay (kṣaya), enjoyment (bhoga), and some form of violence during acquisition (hiṃsā) and develops a sense of non-attachment toward the sense objects. This form of contentment derived from non-attachment to the objects of the five senses is stated as “external”.

[Note 1] न कर्मणामनारम्भान्नैष्कर्म्यं पुरुषोऽश्नुते | न च संन्यसनादेव सिद्धिं समधिगच्छति ||3.4||

na karmaṇām anārambhān naiṣhkarmyaṁ puruṣho ’śhnute| na cha sannyasanād eva siddhiṁ samadhigachchhati ||

One cannot achieve freedom from karmic reactions by merely abstaining from work, nor can one attain perfection of knowledge by becoming a renunciate. (BG 3.4)