Dear i,
there is one beautiful story as told by Sri Bhagavan: Once two persons were sleeping in a hall. Both were poor. During the sleep, one man was dreaming. He dreamt that he is a very rich person and he has stacked all the gold and currency in a cupboard. And a thief comes and takes away all the gold and currency, and runs away. The dreaming man shouts in shock: "O! the thief is running away with all my wealth, Please catch him, please catch him...." The other man woke up. He was not dreaming anything, neither the thief, nor the gold and currency. What shall he do? Will he run out to the front yard to catch the thief? Will he rush to the police station to complain? He will simply wake that wailing man from sleep and dream.
Self Enquiry or any other Sadhana, or any other way that one practices, is only to discern the truth alone, the practice of sadhana itself is nothing. The moment the Clarity has been seen, there is no more requirement of any sadhana.
It is like taking all precautions in trying to figure all about the ghost was seen, but there after practice of Vichara or any sadhana, one discerns that there is no ghost and after all it is just a light post or something.
One realises basically, there is nothing to destroy or even discover. He simply reposes knowing thus.
One may use any sadhana for temporary relief, one may use even Self Enquiry for temporary relief, but it is certain that it is just temporary relief, and therefore, slowly, one gets disgusted with such temporary relief, when such disgust raises, Vairagya results, and one aspires, and dedicates his whole to sort out the matter, no matter what, to find out the truth of it all.
I discern, there are 2 kinds of Sadhakas, Dear i, one who are devoted, but the thirst for realisation is not upto mark, they are just content with daily prayers and and aware that they have to attain liberation, but they do not do anything consciously at the moment, for they realise they want to enjoy the phenomenon world, they want to enjoy relationships, they want to enjoy family, luxury, so on, in a right way. But there is another kind of sadhaka, whose only waking purpose is to attain liberation, and all else is only secondary to him, no matter he may be in worldly life and operating and fulfilling his duties properly, he does not relish or have attachment to anything. His only aim is to attain liberation alone. Such a one truly realises very soon.
The first kind of sadhaka may use Self Enquiry as a temporary relief, but the second kind of devotee uses Self enquiry or any sadhana for realisation alone. This is the subtle difference, he is not bothered about temporary pains and temporary dukhas or sufferings. He realises that imagining Mayas as Maya is the greatest Maya.
Prostrations to Bhagavan