SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (SADHANA)
INTRODUCTION
Sadhana is spiritual movement consciously systematized. Sadhana is the
purpose for which we have come to this place.
Abhyasa and Sadhana are synonymous terms. The object of Sadhana is to
release life from the limitations with which it is bound.
Sadhana is a lifelong process. Every day, every hour, every minute, is
an onward march.
Obstacles are innumerable in this great voyage. But, so long as you hold God as thy guide, there is nothing to worry about. You are sure to reach the other shore.
Obstacles are innumerable in this great voyage. But, so long as you hold God as thy guide, there is nothing to worry about. You are sure to reach the other shore.
Some people have curiosity for the spiritual line. They have no real
thirsting for liberation. They think that they will get certain powers or
Siddhis (psychic powers) if they do some Yogic practices. When they do not
attain the powers, they lose patience and give up the practices, abandon the
spiritual path, and pooh-pooh the Yogis and Yoga.
Mere curiosity will not help you to attain any spiritual progress.
Curiosity-mongering is more abominable than mischief-mongering. Introspect.
Analyze your thoughts and find out whether you have real spiritual hunger or mere curiosity-mongering. Transmute curiosity-mongering into real thirsting for salvation by constant Satsang (association with the wise), study of good religious books, prayer, Japa, and meditation.
Analyze your thoughts and find out whether you have real spiritual hunger or mere curiosity-mongering. Transmute curiosity-mongering into real thirsting for salvation by constant Satsang (association with the wise), study of good religious books, prayer, Japa, and meditation.
You must have interest and liking in your Sadhana. You must understand
well the technique and benefits of Sadhana. You must select a Sadhana that is
suitable for you. You must have the ability and capacity to do Sadhana. Then
alone you will have joy in do ing the Sadhana and full success in it.
ASPIRATION AND ACHIEVEMENT
Good intentions alone will not do. They must be backed up by good
actions. You must enter the spiritual path with the best intention of attaining
Atma-Jnana (Self-knowledge), but unless you are vigilant and diligent, unless
you do intense and rigorous Sadhana, unless you guard yourself against lust,
anger and egoism and selfishness, the good intentions alone will not enable you
to achieve success.
Moral purity and spiritual aspiration are the first steps in the
seeker's path. Without a strong conviction in moral values, there can surely be
no spiritual life, or even a good life.
Stern self-discipline is absolutely essential. Self-discipline does not
mean suppression, but taming the brute within. It means humanization of the
animal and spiritualization of the human.
You will have to break the virgin soil before you sow the seed. The seed
breaks itself before it sprouts out as a plant. Destruction precedes
construction. This is the immutable law of nature. You will have to destroy
your brutal nature first before you develop divine nature.
The spiritual path is rugged, thorny, and precipitous. The thorns must
be weeded out with patience and perseverance. Some of the thorns are internal;
some are external. Lust, greed, wrath, delusion, vanity, etc., are the internal
thorns. Company with evil-minded persons is the worst of all the external
thorns. Therefore, shun ruthlessly evil company.
During the period of Sadhana, do not mix much; do not talk much; do not
walk much; do not eat much; do not sleep much. Observe carefully the five
'do-not's'. Mixing will cause disturbances in the mind. Talking much will cause
distraction of the mind. Walking much causes exhaustion and weakness. Eating
much induces laziness and sleepiness.
START SADHANA NOW
Act now. Live now. Know now. Realize now. Be happy now.
Every death is a reminder. Every bell that rings says, "The end is
near". Every day robs off from you one part of your precious life.
Therefore, you should be very earnest in plunging yourself in constant Sadhana.
Never fall a victim to fruitless regret. Today is the best day. Today is
the day of your new birth. Start Sadhana now. With folded palms, bid good-bye
to past mistakes and faults. You have learnt your lessons. March forward now
with new hope, determination, and vigilance.
Waver not. Fear not. Doubt not. Do something substantial in the path of
Sadhana instead of wasting your time in idle pursuits and lethargy. You have
infinite strength within you. There is a vast reservoir of power within you.
Therefore, do not lose heart. Obstacles are stepping stones to success. They
will develop your will. Do not allow yourself to be crushed by them. Defects
remind you of perfection. Sin reminds you of virtue. Chose the positive path.
If you think, "I will take a bath when all the waves of the sea
subside", this is not possible. The waves will never subside and you will
never take a bath. Even so, if you think, "I will start spiritual Sadhana
or meditation when all my cares, worries and anxieties cease, when all my sons
are fixed up in life, when I have ample leisure after retirement", this is
not possible. You will not be able to sit even for half an hour when you become
old. You will have no strength to do any rigorous Tapas when you are in
advanced senility.
You must start vigorous spiritual practices when you are young, whatever
your conditions, circumstances and environments may be. Then only you will reap
a rich spiritual harvest when you become old. You
will enjoy the everlasting peace of the Eternal.
Peace, Love, Harmony