EDUCATIONAL INSIGHT

SSpiritualpiritual lifelife cancan bebe likenedlikened toto cclimbinglimbing Sadhana a mountain.mountain. EEachach eexperiencexperience offersoffers oopportunitiespportunities toto progressprogress ttowardoward tthehe ppeak,eak, whichwhich representsrepresents iilluminationllumination aandnd Self-Transformation uunionnion wwithith tthehe DDivinityivinity tthathat lliesies wwithinithin uus.s. TThehe iinnernner climbclimb toto tthathat sspiritualpiritual Through Spiritual Effort ssummitummit ddepends,epends, likelike earthyearthy mountainmountain cclimbing,limbing, onon rrigorouslyigorously aapplyingpplying provenproven mmethods,ethods, ccalledalled sadhanasadhana inin Sanskrit.Sanskrit.

adhana refers to disciplines undertaken to reach a specifi c spiritual goal—steady and persevering prac- tice of a method or exercise prescribed for spiritual S ends. Of course, goals vary widely among the dif- ferent Hindu traditions. Wikipedia’s explanation of sadhana’s goals highlights that diversity: “enlightenment, pure love of God, liberation from the cycle of birth and death, or a par- ticular goal such as the blessings of a Deity, as in the bhakti traditions.” ¶The idea of employing various means of spiri- tual accomplishment and thereby moving closer to the goal of God realization is appealing to all devout . On the other hand, the demands of modern life—work, school and commute time—give many the sense that there is not enough time to fi t spiritual practice into an already overly busy sched- ule. Many pilgrims to our monastery confi de to me they are caught in this dilemma. My advice is to establish a daily vigil, even if it is just 15 minutes, preferably in the morning, before you are caught up in your day. Try it for two weeks and see how it works out. Make it a habit, an appointment with your- self. Those who establish a daily vigil fi nd that it makes them more effi cient, more centered, more patient, more content and more productive. So it is time well spent! Once a strong habit is established, it becomes not only easy, but the day’s most important appointment. The nature of your sadhana routine is up to you and your guru. It is your island of quiet, a time to worship the Divine, perform puja, do , study scripture and get in touch with your innate Divinity. And, like anything else, the more effort you put into your vigil and thomas kelly thomas thomas kelly thomas devraj agarwal the more consistent you are, the greater the benefi ts will be.

ATI O C N U A

D L Through devotion, , scriptural study, austerity, pilgrimage E Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

I and other practices, we develop character, gain control over the N S S T I G H

instincts and bring forth the innate purity and perfection of our soul. devraj agarwal january/february/march, 2011 today 55 narayani peedam The The true Hinduism isascience way that, hour by hour, he is have gathered toconceal the by which anindividual may beauty and divinity of histrue, to-day life insuch asystematic therefore tolive advised hisday- reality, manisGod.Man true Hinduism, asolution to the content of Hinduism. unmistakable termsthat, in of perfection. There is,inthis own self-effort comprise of allthose imperfections that and international problem. every individual, social,national consciously evolve by his eternal nature. The methods consciously cleansing himself Upanishads hinduism today 56 swami chinmayananda proclaim in

devraj agarwal ceremony. Atright,devotees perform asubconscious cleansing Sacred waters: at dawnasanactofprayer andsupplication. Atleft,apriest sadhana onthe banksofthe sacredWailua RiverinHawaii. bathes aDeity imagewith sandalwoodwater blessedata W An Inspired Talk Given by Satguru Sivaya Discipline forSelf-Transformation Subramuniyaswami toaGathering of Devotees Who setsthe course of sadhana? The course of sadhanacan besetby anel-

Establishing Your Sadhana home, inthe forest, by a control of the breath the mind becomes peaceful. Sadhanaispracticed inthe ergies of the bodyand nerve system,and we experience that through the der of the Hindu community. It canalsobesetby one’s satguru. Your mother and father, who are your great civilizations of history. Thus upon the wall of afamous ancient Greek gurukulas or wherever a pure, serene atmosphere canbefound. A temple and oracular center at Delphi was inscribed “Know thyself.” The in you. This isancient wisdom recognized not only inIndia, but among many is often taken before serious sadhanaisbegun. The their children. Oritcanbe setby yourself, from abook. There are many ing religion real inone’s life. Through sadhanawe learn tocontrol the en- books available outlining the basics of yoga, sa dhana and meditation. between oneself, one’s guruand the angelic beings of the inner worlds to perform the disciplines regularly, conscientiously, at the same time each day. Where does sadhanabegin? It begins the within home, and itbegins with- Below, afamily offers milkinto the Ganges discipline for self-transformation, isone stepdeeper in mak- our religious duties. The performance of personal sadhana, essarily performing deep sadhana.We are simply dispatching hen westudy andpractice ourreligion, wearenot nec- fl owing river, under afavorite tree, inthe temple, in fi rst gurus,canalsosetthe course of sadhanafor vrata isapersonal pledge fi re vrata, vow, fi ne ne Then we are ready tostudy the mind initstotality. The conscious mind isour external mind. The subconscious mind con- The Five States ofMind you come more and more into the inner knowing of yourself. you enjoy will agreater abilitytodiscipline your body, your breath, your your own inner knowing. Afteryou are well established inyour sadhana, held, itisimpossible for more thanone thought toremain vibrating in ed and how the pranas move through it.Thisenables ustounderstand of your daily you sadhana vigil, soon will are quieted through diaphragmatic breathing, itisimpossible tobefrus- the subtle the systemwithin bodythat controls the thinking mind. icence. By disciplining your mind, bodyand emotions through sadhana, ism, islong since gone, but remaining temple toitsmagnif- ruinstestify religion of the Greeks, which was inmany respects not unlike Hindu- nerve systemand your mind. into your subsuperconscious mind and complement that study with troubles and fears, without having topsychoanalyze them. inner learning, into the great vacuum you, within allof your problems, trated, and itispossible toabsorb yourself, within into the great hallsof the mind at atime. You experience will that when the nerve currents fest. The subsuperconscious mind works through the subconscious the subconscious mind holds the seedsof karmasthat are not yet mani- tains our memory patterns and allimpressions of the past.The subof study and understand the breath, the lungs, how the bodyisconstruct- sible for the thinking mind torunwild, and when the breath isslightly You will We We Through the regular practice of scriptural study, which part isavital fi rst have tolearn that inorder tocontrol the breath, we have to fi rst discover that when the breath isregulated, itisimpos- fi nd that itispossible totouch january/february/march, 2011hinduism today “Aum Namah Sivaya.” Relax into the sounds

Aum,” asitswater runsover the rocks. Listen hinduism today While you are alone sitting by the side of the The cosmos isperfect, you know. Its laws are worries, doubts, ill-conceived and unresolved life, aproblem or dif hands inloving appreciation for doing this the mind—when athought arisesfrom your thought you placed into it.Then pluck a mystical way, see it asyour own superconscious river of your own nerve system,life force and river issymbolically representing the inner great service for you. Remember, the outer river carrythe will leaf away along the with into the leaf and place itinto the river. The river being one the with perfect universe—the of life, and merge inSiva’s ocean of oneness. experiences of the past.Flow the with river energies, taking away these problems, consciousness that earth, the air, the divine, itstiming closely tothe water connecting tothe rocks and day. So, asyou look upon the water, ina and humbly offer itinto the river both with a tree or bush, mentally put the problem and tobeintune try the with perfect universe. and you hear will the sacred mantra of life, subconscious, something about your daily saying “Aum Namah Sivaya, Sivaya Namah ANGA SADHANA Sit by ariver and listentothe river

fi fl re, the water and the akasha, awless, itsdesign unique. fl ows through you night fi culty, pluck aleaf from fl ower ower 57 narayani peedam We could have amillion sadhanas,and we do. Every word is asadhana,every that that, for one untethered moment, we the lifeline, or washing the grains by Bounteous, Vema, listen. From sadhana,works result the tune appeal. Eaten over and Hummed over and over, more does movement isasadhana.There are those us toaplace that isclear and serene understanding their life force, their in the world. Beloved of the over, even neem becomes sweet. as cutting the vegetable by honoring so that we cansitinourselves—so can beawareful of who we are. cosmic sentiency. Sadhanabrings 58 hinduism today fl ow back into the elements, such vemana, 17thcentury mystic swami mayatitananda

dreamstime Yes, sadhanabegins inthe home, and itbegins you. with It must bepracticed This iswhy inyour sadhana Consistency IstheKey half hour aday. Inthe agricultural era, itwas easyto ous kinds of sadhanasare performed, such asscriptural study, chanting the of their newly acquired abilities of absorbing their dif everyone ding. Your superconscious mind iswhere intuitive according once tohiswill, he has,through the grace of Lord Siva, attained a names of the Lord on the japa beads,group chanting of bhajanas, the singing ing argument and confrontation. Inthese found, enables them toget along admirably well one with another because then are off totheir daily work. The regular practice of sadhana,they have rise together early inthe morning, perform their sadhanaasagroup, and not asgreat asthey are now, inthe technological age. next and then forgetting about itfor three or four days because you are too regularly, at the same time each day—not two hours one day, one hour the mind, and intuition mind, consciously, without the other states interfering. full inner knowing of how toremain inSatchidananda, the superconscious spective gurukulasdedicate their time tothe performance of sadhana.They sadhana two tothree hours aday. Why? The demands of external life were busy external with affairs, but every day, at the same time. Meeting thisap- pointment yourself with isinitself asadhana.Inthe technological age nearly plished mystic canconsciously beinone country or another instantaneously, Brahmacharis and brahmacharinis, celibate men and women, intheir re- fi nds itdif fi cult tosetone hour aside inwhich toperform sadhana. fl ows daily asaresult. Creativity isthere at your bid- vrata, or vow, you promise todedicate only one gurukulas, fl ashes occur. The accom- found worldwide, vari- fi nd time toperform fi culties, thus avoid- Ask yourself what you put When you The more disciplined What ComesFirstinYour Life? within, internalizingwithin, the knowledge of the physical body, the breath Questions andChallenges humanity, your search for Godand peace yourself within come one point and bringing itback tothat one point each time itwanders. of come come doubt come es come couraged ifyou don’t want toknow yourself. Don’t bediscouraged when the mind around thisperiod of sadhana,justasinareligious Saivite home life all this will beovercomeall thiswill and a awkward way, and you may come toknow yourself inaway that you and the intellect pure. It isthrough the regular practice of concentra- revolves around the shrine room and each one’s daily personal vigil. na at the same time each day, every day without fail. Daily life revolves quietly for one-half hour on aregular daily basis. Ifyou persist,soon runs wild asyou sitquietly and are unable tocontrol it.Don’t bedis- inside of you? What are your priorities? through the regular practice of sadhana that the mind becomes tion that awareness detaches itself from the external mind and hovers Devarams fi rst? Doesyour intellect come fi Putting sadhana rst? Doesyour striving toovercome worries and fears and fi are preparedonasilvertrayfor morningpuja; rst begin your daily sadhana,itislikely tobegin inan fi and the yogic concentration of holding the mind rst inside of you? Doesyour creativity, your love for all meditates atdawn;(lowerleft)sacraments fi nd that you are unable toeven choose atime tosit (right) reading from scriptureafter puja. (right) readingfrom gurukulas fi rstinyour daily life. Doyour emotions fi religiously administrate group sadha- fi rmness of mind befelt, will for itis rst inlife: fi rst? Doyour instinctive impuls- (Left)Adevotee fi xed on fi fi rm rst january/february/march, 2011hinduism today

thomas kelly T

yoga, sel yoga, hymn singing, japa and chanting are often you starttothinkabout the activities of the day, you must establish adaily The vigil. ideal time is vigil, butvigil, ifthat seemsimpractical, startwith tilaka, andtilaka, sit inaclean, quiet place for religious these busy modern times. Here isthe traditional to budget the necessary time for sadhanain that you follow will each day, for example: a ten totwenty minutes. Plan asimple routine puja yoga ritesof bhakti are performed. Hatha pattern: Each day hundreds of millions of Hindus being—living ajoyful, positive, harmonious life. brief puja, japa, then meditation. held Avigil before you engage the with day’s responsibilities initiated practice advanced , but only as meditation, listening tothe sound current and included. Then follows scriptural study and fresh clothing, apply sectarian marks, called directed by their guru.Through the day, karma contemplating the moonlike inner light. The duly disciplines. Facing eastor north, the devotional doing, Hindus practice the central yoga of early inthe morning, justafterbathing, before at every opportunity. Besides these yogas of awaken for the last at the same time every day isanexcellent way and plans. Ahalfhour isagood length for the VIGIL HE DAILY To give sadhanaitsrightful place inyour life, fl ess religious service, is performed fi fth of the night, bathe, don 59 WRITING AS SADHANA writing is.writing Ifeel itissomewhat like talking tonew disciples. As life, about our experiences with to relive profound experiences forgetful mind of allthe many that often encouraged in the spiritual life. It is the Guru says, when we talktonew intimidating about writing Guru. There canbesomething us towriteabout the spiritual it to writing, weit towriting, canoften be good experiences we have had good qualities and reminds our and strengthen our aspiration. same writing; with ithelps us seekers, itbrings tothe fore our surprised at how bene thomas kelly clear some space and devote 60 fi hinduism today rst sentence, but once we tejvan, adevotee of srichinmoy fi cial

thomas kelly That means stretching your mind and emotions and endurance tothe limit The Bene your job asanemployer or asan employee inthe most excellent way possible. you,within enabling ashakti, you tomove the forces of the world inaposi- you from or make you indifferent tothe world. Rather, itbrings upastrength vigor inaneffort toattain results immediately. Sitting two or three hours half anhour of sadhanaat the same time every day; Saturday and Sunday, no come associated Hindu with sadhanago toextremes and proceed great with come calm, you become self-con can easily slide backwards. What happens when you slide backwards? You conquest of karma.Ifyou go toextremes or are sporadic inyour sa dhana, you and the emotions. Concentration of the forces of the body, mind and emo- a day, they wear themselves out and then stop. Here’s aformula for begin- ful tive way. What ismeant by “moving the forces of the world”? That means from the world. The practice of sadhanaIhave described does not detach It isoften feared that meditation and religious devotion cause awithdrawal time, and should bedone at the same time every day. Oftenseekers who be- nalized awareness. tions brings usautomatically into meditation, fused. What happens when you move forward? You become brave, you be- ners: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, twenty minutes toa sadhana. become fearful, you become angry, you become jealous, you become con- The spiritualpractice should bereasonable, should not take uptoomuch The keys are moderation and consistency. Consistency isthe key tothe fi lling realistic goals that you setfor yourself. That means performing fi ts ofSadhana fi dent and your mind isclear. dhyana, and into deeper inter-

hinduism today “Aum Namah Sivaya,” keeping the vibration of the home alive high with his written memoriesinabronzecauldron; ayoung mansits Puri in aringof sadhana, ortapas, that grants control ofthe instincts; the experiences that upsethisequipoise;another seeker burns mantra Aum Namasivaya, written inEnglishandTamil. will helpwill you educate your children properly in helpwill you overcome these instinctive barriers topeace of mind and strongwill sothat you canmove the forces of the physical world with your neighbors or close friends and relatives. They allmentally chant we shallcome toknow the breath, and we shallcome toknow the mind love and understanding, rather thanthrough anger, hatred, antagonism, cunning, jealousy and greed. Daily sadhanaperformed inthe right way each day, they give you psychic protection. They hover around you and of you through your daily practice of sadhana.Sadhanaisone of the of inner knowing at the feet of the Gods,there tobeabsorbed, dissolved of the dross of your subconscious, throw into itwithin, the great cavity come to know the emotions, we shallcome toknow the nerve system, of material abundance that automatically comes asyou progress inyour keep away the extraneous thought forms that come from the homes of and therefore getting stronger and stronger day by day. You are involved and disappear. Allthis and more canbeunfolded from each within one great boons given tousinour religion. the fullness of being. Ifyou have children, the rewards of your sadhana in the world, and the world isinatechnological age. thoughts and mantras sothat the atmosphere isscintillating, creating in itstotality. Each one of you soon beable will tomentally pick upall inner life. sities and seethat allof their physical needs are met through the When the devas your within home seeyou performing your sadhana The sadhanathat you perform make will your mind steadyand your Through daily sadhanawe shallcome toknow the body, we shall fi cation: fi re inthe hotUjjainsun,performing anextreme (Clockwise from above)Adevotee (Clockwise writes from down fi ne schools and univer- fl january/february/march, 2011hinduism today ow ow S

Watch Agni, the Godof Fire, destroy the dross When

yourself tothe eternalnow. Forgetting the hinduism today with lifewith day today. Thissubconscious home, family, hurts, health, money, sex, work journaling must bedone by hand, pen with the emotions from the experience and bring the subconscious into the external mind, them inany ordinary times while meditating on the meaning. through your hand, through the penand is past, concern yourself the with now, moving japa be writtendown that concerns you: friends, been carrying. Release the past.Anything can because inthe process the prana from the releasing the suppressed emotion asthe freedom from emotional burdens you have memory memory more pages, your experiences and dif released when the paper isburned. ¶ of your deep subconscious mind. Experience consumes the paper. Write indetail, inone or one’s mantra over and over 108 or 1,008 out inthe opentobeunderstood, defused and embedded in the paper, bringing the memory and regretted behaviors. The idea istoremove and paper. Writing isuniquely effective isanother powerful sadhana,writing ADHANAS OF PEN ANDFIRE Writing down problems and burning fi nished, burn itupinanordinary fl ows from your subconscious fi re brings them from fi Lekhana culties. culties. fi 61 re re fi re. re. devraj agarwal last from the world’s illusion. like Him,one isfreed at the becoming more and more the Lord, who, the One, Immortal, imperishable Perishable ismatter. from death toimmortality. to reality. Leadme from Lead me from unreality brihadaranyaka upanishad 1.3.28 on Him, with Him,uniting also the soul. Meditating controls the perishable and darkness tolight. Leadme shvetashvatara upanishad 1.10 krishna yajur veda, shukla yajur veda,

hinduism today ways reaching uptothe Sun. you perform your sadhana,you enjoy will spiritualexperiences your- within will beginwill toexperience the creativity of the subsuperconscious mind, asthe vonic world isinvolved isone more good reason why you must choose aspe- Experiential Religion derstand each new concept as you persist inyour daily religious practices. As does the yoga; it’s the kundalini seeking itssource, like the tree growing, al- don’t feel anything, you are not awake. Getthe most out of every experience conscious mind as“the watcher” and experience itssubconscious asthe experience that Lord Siva’s superconscious mind isidentical toyours; there ci only have anappointment yourself with but the with devas aswell. yamas kundalini begins toloosen and imperceptibly riseinto itsyoga. That’s what a result, you beable will tobrave the forces of the external world without and you have haduplifting experiences your within home shrine. Now, as as within theas within temple, because you become quiet enough toknow thisand riences, which you were born tolive through, offer. In doing so, slowly the that the temple offers, the guruoffers, the devas offer, that your life’s expe- in the puja. Ifyou don’t feel them, ifyou are justgoing through ritualand the most advanced. You have already encountered the magic of the temple, in your heart. You soon will begin to forming your daily sadhana,your religion becomes closer and closer toyou forces of the First World are motivated through love asyou ful is no difference inSatchidananda. From thisstate, you experience will the By performing the for you aproper environment todelve yourself. within The fact that the de- self on the path of self-transformation. sen dharmainliving Siva. with storehouse of intellectual and emotional memory patterns. Indaily life you fi Thus our religion isanexperiential religion, from itsbeginning stages to It isup toyou tomake the teachings apartof your life by working toun- It isuptoyou toput your religion into practice. Feel the power of the Gods c time for sadhanaand religiously keep tothat time each day, for you not and niyamas pancha nityakarmas (cardinal virtues) tothe bestof your abilityand per- fi nd that GodSiva you iswithin aswell ( fi ve obligatory duties) fi ll your cho- , living the

thomas kelly You are simply resting yourself. within Therefore, ifyou are ever bothered A great yond, and the mind hasbecome absolutely quiet. Thisisbecause you are yourself.within Thiscalmness that you experience asaresult of your medi- you have chosen. Because your daily sadhanahasregulated your nerve sys- you leave the physical body, you are inyour body, astral your subtle body. Control ofthePranas herself and the children toperform sadhana.That brings the prana under deepen thisinner state by being aware that you are aware. out of control. It takes alot of skilland strength on the partof the individual control. Ifthe prana isnot under the control of the individual, itiscon- a superconscious state, meaning “beyond normal consciousness.” So, simply a clear perception of how you should behave inthe external world, aclear are not tomove trying the forces of the world your with willpower faculty. get disturbed.Once that happens, your energies are like ateamof horses gregation worldwide because each one hasdecided todiscipline himself or ten asyou can.You might callityour “home base.” From here you canhave not using your memory faculty. You are not using your reason faculty. You tation iscalled Satchidananda, the natural state of the mind. To arrive at that tem, the qualityof your work inthe world improve, will and your mood in to get those pranas back under control. ual helps the group. Ifyou badcompany, mixwith then the pranas begin to their pranas canhelp you. The group helps the individual and the individ- trolled by other individuals. The negative control of prana isacontrol, and state, the instinctive energies have beenliftedtothe heart chakra and be- by the external partof you, simply return tothisinner, peaceful state asof- being disturbedby them and ful perception of your future and aclear perception of the path ahead. Thisis performing becon itwill pany,” because ifyou can’t control your prana, other people who do control positive control of prana is a control. That’s why we say, “Seek good com- When your sadhanatakes hold, you may experience aprofound calmness The control of prana isequally important on the inner planes. When fl ow of prana is beginning tooccur among the families of our con- fi dent and serene. fi ll your dharmainwhatever walk of life jan uary/february/march, 2011hinduism today C “Unless your heart melts inthe sweet ecstasy

The practice of yoga, too, isanexpression of Tirupati Temple; awomanprays while Germany, menperform the arduous helplessness, self-effacement and resignation. love of God,asitisonly God’s with grace that Bowing tohigherpowers: the temple, do sointhe spiritof total, unconditional submission toGod, the higher energies. these devoted ones, having beentransformed, their individuality, not asaseparate thing, the consciousness of “usand ours,” “we and the devotee—and itisablissful moment—into total surrender, sadhana ofrollingfor twomilesto the bathing inthe riverGanga; inHamm, feet ofVishnu,seeking blessingsatthe left)Adevotee touchesfrom the stone temple behindachariot procession. but asashared oneness all.Thereafter, with ground, hands outstretched before the image never possess”( often coupled the with attitude of personal day after day, year afteryear afteryear. oneness,” and inseparable love, thus claiming of God,Godsor guru,those energies are of the lower istotal, bodyand face on the of their individual paths. Once the giving up concept of the need for self-effacement and of love—my Lord, my treasure-trove, you can around them that they work day with after are able touplift others, toharmonize forces all sects merge inoneness, at the ful spirit of giving upthe lower energies to surrendering tothe of will the Deity, inthe success isachieved. RishiTirumular states: surrendered into the higher chakras within SURRENDER OMPLETE Each time you prostrate in Tirumantiram prapatti, Prapatti that the members of ispure bhakti, (Clockwise 272). It isinthis prapatti, fi llment 63 dreamstime Just asa lamp spontaneously Just aslight shines, dispelling The Self cannot beattained by becomes merged inthe Self. There by right means, hissoul Self shines, dispelling ignorance. But ifone who knows strives the weak, nor by the careless, nor through aimless disciplines. is no higher gain thanthe Self. one meditates unceasingly and goes out ifnot fed oil, with so also the ego becomes extinct if darkness, soalsothe Supreme enters the abode of God. mundaka upanishadmundaka 3.2.4 sarvajnanottara agama

devraj agarwal your physical bodyat death? You are magnetized todesires, uncontrollably have control of your astral body. Then where do you go when you drop off learning tointerpret and understand the experiences of life. To avoid the living the within astral bodyand resonating tothe energy of the higher of people who are ful own actions and the experiences that follow. Indoing so, no blame canfall cepts are not active intheir lives until they accept the responsibilities of their of the past.Yes, our actions inthe pasthave generated our life’s experiences consciousness goes down into lower chakras. Only incontrolling your astral of prana. It chakras. after death. Many of you have hadastral experiences and how cantestify ally. Then you know will it.”He taught that much knowledge comes through also tobelived. “See Godeverywhere. Thisispractice. First do itintellectu- magnetized toful upon another. It isallour own doing. Thisisthe sadhana today. AllHindus accept karmaand reincarnation intellectually, but the con- not fail torealize that each challenge isbrought tousby our own actions the physical body. However, ifyou don’t have control of your prana, you don’t quickly you canmove here and there when your bodyisdetached astral from immediately. And, of course, you do thisinyour sleep, inyour dreams and rare more It isnot made of sadhana say, “thirty-two kinds of dirtwrapped upinskin.”The bodyismade astral body do you have conscious control of your soul body, which is,of course, path of striving,” explaining that itisareligion not only tobestudied but My satguru, Siva Yogaswami, spoke of Saivism asthe sadhana marga fi ed prana, actinic energy. Wherever you want togo, you’ll bethere fl oats. It can istoavoid understanding the challenges of life. We must fl esh and bones like your physical body—asthe Buddhists fi lling unful fi lling similarunful fl y. It’s guided by your mind, which iscomposed of fi lled desires. You are magnetized togroups fi lled desires, and generally your marga marga, —the path “the Turning inward: headwaters of the Ganga; (right)apilgrimto Kauai seeker strivesto transcend the thinking mind. meditates insideIraivanTemple; (lowerleft)ayoung You woke upearly thismorning. That may have beendif vidual ismature and awake on the inside. world rightly, dynamically, intelligently, quickly and make something Sadhana andLife’s Stages how much they know about yoga. So, we don’t learn yoga. We mature hana, and ifthey don’t perform itthemselves—and no one cando itfor of producing inthe world, and that hurts other people. They have to of their lives. Such devotees should not bestimulated by competition. got the bodyup, you got the emotions up, you got the mind up, and your twenty-four-hour-a-day vigil. instinctive mind did not want todo allthat. Did it?No! Spirituallife isa meditation, you canteach yoga, but it’s alljustwords unless the indi- into it.We don’t learn meditation. We awaken into it.You canteach mind and intellectual mind tocome onto the yoga them—they never will have agripstrong enough over their instinctive to perfection. tions tobeable toget enough energy tomove the forces of the world In today’s world most people have tobestimulated by competition to Devotees who are doing sadhanaand who are inthe be stimulated by their home’s breaking up, and that hurts other peo- between age twenty-four and forty-eight, should move the forces of the people don’t study yoga. They are not taught yoga. They are taught sad- ple. And they have tobestimulated by allkinds of other lower emo- ple. They have tobestimulated by con produce anything worthwhile, even ifthat means hurting other peo- To beawake on the inside means waking upearly inthe morning. The sadhana marga Asadhusits insilence atthe frigid leads usinto the yoga fl ict toproduce anything worthy pada quitenaturally. But grihastha ashrama, marga fi cult. Butyou , no matter ja nuary/february/march, 2011hinduism today B

Yogaswami’s advice and closely witness your hinduism today Then and only then are you experiencing your perfect state of inner being. you have todo is towatch your mind think. walking and observing the details of every watch the mind. Here and there the mind way discolored by what itre he isgoing there. You must not misseven a Follow himand note, he isgoing here. Now the watcher. And asthe mirror isinno the witness of your thoughts. Try tobe thoughts. Bethat stationary awareness. All there, deep you. within Yogaswami told the mystic inhisperfected state—your perfected state, too, asthe watcher isright is hopping. One, two, three, ahundred. miss one topic of thought; identify them other objects. Then sitfor awhile and be all. From the mystic’s point of view, he is aware of everything you thinkabout. Don’t and shapes of the plants, trees, water and aspect of nature that you see—the colors a devotee: “When you are inmeditation, single one.” Asyou sitinmeditation, follow WITNESS E THE Begin the witness sadhanaby fl ects, sois 65 With you must setfoot and proceed Mela; hatha yoga performed Himalayas; ashecommences his (Clockwise from below)Apilgrim (Clockwise from honor the Ganga’s rushing waters head, blessinghim;twosisters powerfully asasadhana. puja, apriestperforms ahand Efforts attranscendence: on the path of sadhana. at Haridwar during aKumbha feet restinglightlyontop ofhis treks aloneto sacredsites inthe mudra whilevisualizinghisguru’s application, perseverance, details, and fortitude intrials, careful attention toeven small istockphoto fi rm faith, practical swami sivananda

narayani peedam ashramas very important stage of life, because that isthe time when you caninspire listening toand seeing on the TVand news and reading about—atrocities, have hadalong the way. We are allhuman beings, and every one of us— clined tocome here and perform amore strenuous us. sadhanawith enabled himtocome here to perform sadhana.Ifhisparents had not been difference. draw on the forces of the soul tomove the forces of the world and make a excellence inthe and sadhanastothe very bestof their ability. at seventy-two, isthe time toenjoy and deepen whatever realizations you from one of our families inMalaysia that performs sadhana.That sadhana the sons, the daughters, sothat everyone isful the family isattached to, aregular with routine for the mother, the father, is the duty. It must beperformed by everyone. Ifyou want tohelp some- mankind from the inner planes—is duty bound tohelp everyone else. That to do something, whether itbegood or bad.Those who perform sadhana including the their life goes along asitshould. Later, the body else, perform regular sadhana. performing sadhanaintheir home regularly, he would not have beenin- perience, their knowledge and their wisdom gained through the portunity tointensify their sadhanaand give back tosociety of their ex- We hadaseventeen-year-old youth here asaguest inour monastery Traditionally, aHindu home should beare I was asked recently what to do about allthe things that you cannot avoid It isduring the latter stages of life that family devotees have the op- . The sapta vanaprastha ashrama, brahmacharya rishis,seven great sages who help guide the course of students and inthe families, toseethat age forty-eight toseventy-two, isa sannyasa ashrama, fl ection of the monastery that fi lling their rigorous duties beginning fi rst two “Only on planet Earthinaphysical bodycanyou realize the Self, because were raised schools inChristian hold that perspective. Butfrom the which you cannot you proceed inyour sadhana,disconnect from the lower and proceed helpful, and they are the uplifters of mankind. Others are born angry, hear about daily innewspapers, on TVand on the Internet. here on planet Earth.Philosophers and mystics have for centuries said, experience what they are experiencing and which you read about and only here, inthisworld, do you have alltwenty-one chakras function- cal foundation. Agood philosophical foundation allows ustounder- crime, murders, poverty, unfairness—which may tend todisturbone’s are going through asimilarevolution upthe spinalcolumn tothe topof are born peaceful because of merits attained inpastlives. They are born shutterstock the head, through the door of Brahman and tors, of mankind. Butallhave anequalplace here on planet Earth.All is punishing mankind. He ishelping mankind. And many Hindus who individuals who are going through the lower phasesof life and must ing.” You need the lowest inorder torealize the highest. Some people in uplift mankind and help relieve human suffering your within sphere of into the higher. Asafamily person, itisyour dharmatoserve society, it all.By our karmaswe are creating our future thisvery moment. So, as scheming, conniving, resentful, and they are the doubters, the detrac- stand why we have the highest and the lowest human expressions sadhana. To perform good sadhana,we have tohave agood philosophi- perspective of Sanatana Dharma, the oldest religion inthe world, we do fl From the Western religionist’s point of view, Godisdoing itall.He uence. Butdo not to try fi x, which isthe karma, the action and reaction, of fi x, or even entertain the desire to fi nally out. fi x, that january/february/march, 2011hinduism today H

yoga sadhanasoften include advanced forms yoga isthe central spiritualenterprise. The most the breath isusedtocontrol the forces of life Like a physical, but, at itsheart, isfar more. Hatha body and mind when hatha yoga isengaged greater accomplishments, apath that seems Certain mastersusethe ancient posesto build new heights of physical and mental balance. meditation. There ismuch puri renews the nerve system,releases toxins that mind into amore perfect union. Hatha yoga of breath control, called dull the sensesand diminishvitality, awakens each day. The yoga slowly molds bodyand are wisely ampli and the mind loosened. Such extreme practices appetites harnessed, willpower strengthened as awareness isquieted, senseswithdrawn, a disciple’s willpower, driving himtoever always guided by anexperienced guru. ardent devote themselves to hours of practice seriously and disciplined with regularity. self-awareness and prepares the seeker for dinodia fi ne dancer, the yogi isreaching ever AS SADHANA ATHA YOGA For millions, the practice of hatha fi ed by other sadhanas and pranayama fi cation cation of . Inthese, 67 kailash ashram FASTING AND SECLUSION

dukha, which issuperseded by no other knowledge—the attainment of that vam, Satyam, Sundaram, Parabrahma, Swarupam, Devi, Narayana, want. Satchidananda. how development takes place. Ourgreat rishisreferred tothisas human being. Thus, desire and non-desire drive our actions. That is are prone tocontinuous change. Inbetween thisswirl of change is activities are continuously bringing usacombination of and that the rishishave experienced and called by various names: Shi- People who have reached that attainment are called is alsochanging. What we like today we may not like tomorrow. We ing, the external reality ischanging, and the mind of the individual But achieving that bliss isnot soeasy. Nature isconstantly chang- from that action. Thisprocess goes on right from the birthof every ness, Inaturally continue that action. Ifitisaverse tome, then Idesist fruit and amixture of both. to the us towards activity. The result of activity, which iskarma,according sadhana. It issadhanathat brings usthe eternal,undiminishing bliss bliss comes through sadhana.” bene I Sri Jayendra PuriSwami, SpiritualHead of 68 Adi Shankara wrote: “That bene We aspire continuously for asenseof bliss, for uninterrupted joy. When the fruitof acertain action isconducive tojoy and happi- upadeya. Upadeya fi Gita, herited from nature, and thistendency continuously prompts n ourancient scriptures,therishispointoutthat activ- ity isabasic tendency of the human being. Inthe t, that joy which issuperseded by no other joy, that knowledge hinduism today january/february/march, 2011 Heya Gita, joy and sorrow. Sadhanadirects ustowards Lord Krishnasays that activity isborn out of nature, in- isthe force of aversion from what we do not want. hasthree typesof fruits: the desired fruit,the undesired isthe force of inclination toward what we Interview byChoodieShivaram,Interview Bengaluru Sadhana fi t which issuperseded by no other means toachieve by effort. parama-sukha kailash ashram siddhas Sri KailashAshram, Bengaluru, India, Speakson Sadhana sukha Bhagavad . Our heya and ,

The scriptures say that out of tenmillion people, only one bewill They are for one typeof sadhana:solitary con The nas. ta, daily usein justany manner. We have had many people request per- done isdiscussed inour etc., but atetc., some time you will common typeof vow, such asrefraining from eating atypeof food japa while abstaining from the pleasures of life. a serious sadhaka.The caves are here for the serious sadhakas who ashram inacommunal room in preparation for histime of solitude. are not for the curious or uncommitted. Complete medical testsare required, and each candidate must mission tostay inacave, but we have beenvery selective. The caves must for ahigher level of achievement. These seven caves are not for the purpose of the sadhanacaves we built here at KailashAshram. the ultimate bliss that transcends the joys and sorrows of thisworld. ing “IamThat.” quiring “Who amI?”asexempli iary texts. Speci that he isdoing it. that one likes immensely. Restraint itself isaform of sadhana is severe penance, dwelling insolitude, engaged inmeditation and scripture. son cando abstract sadhanaindaily life without anybody knowing perfecting the yoga people who want faster advancement. These are referred toas The various typesof sadhanaand when and how they are tobe There are various forms of sadhana:meditation, bhajans, japa, pujas, In our or vow. The

vrata Dravya yajna He who knows Godasthe Life of life, the Eye of the indeed comprehends fully the Cause of allcauses. eye, the Earof the ear, the Mind of the mind—he Puranas, of Mahatma Gandhi was Abstinence alsotruth. isanother Jnana yajna fi vrata c sadhanas,or spiritualpractices, are mentioned for iscontinuous performance of the rishishave indicated the importance of asanas, of King Harischandra was isthe continuous questioning of oneself, in- Vedas, Agamas,Puranas or postures. fi brihadaranyaka upanishad 4.4.18 nd the necessity of isolation. That is fi ed by RamanaMaharshi,or assert- kailash ashram fi rstspend 15days living at the Svadhyaya yajna fi nement. Isolation isa Hatha yoga yajna satya, homas and the auxil- truthfulness. . isstudying Tapo yajna . Aper- vra- yaj- is

“Who amI?”“What isthe purpose of my life?” lead Thiswill ustobliss. Throughout the fast, only one typeof food isgiven— This fast consists of simple food—served inclay pots, one designed world. When you want toachieve something greater, you naturally be- holds, fasting and hana, the faster you progress. Successfully performing acertain vrata Sadhana isabsolute experimentation upon oneself to Similarly, we must question continuously: “Where have Icome from?” cial discipline for this,aregimen of fasting called come tousethem. diet. The retreat should beplanned the with guidance of amaster. everybody. It should include satsang, self-study, japa and acontrolled con of thisworld seeks solace inthe ultimate. vratas amidst difficulties and day-to-day affairs gives you wonderful self- goals. Aguruissupremely important in thispursuit, because he re- gin performing sadhana.Aperson who hasbeenscorched by the heat til thetil full-moon day, at which time the person comes out of the cave. the new-moon day. Then the sizeof the pots gradually increases un- for each day—that diminishes inportion tothe sizeof athumb on In modern parlance “retreat” isaperiod of sadhana.Retreat isamust for moves ignorance. It isthe meticulous pursuit of adiscipline that lead will you tohigher something that iscontinuously troubling or intriguing usfrom within. sire from being directed toward eating. be something beyond the porridge of rice, daland vegetables. Thismonotonous diet prevents de- dreamstime Swami; the caves hebuiltatthe ashramto encourage In touchI withLife: in anovelsculpture,manshakes handswith nature day, untilthe faster eats this asinglebite tinyone; from solitary sadhana;thesolitary 15claypots growsmallereach A scientist achieves hisgoals because he questions continuously. The ideal time alone inacave isone month. We have prepared aspe- The more dif The urge toperform the sadhanaariseswith thought that there must fi t dence. Self-con are valid still today and offer excellent means for advancement. h fi it culties you have and overcome while performing sad- h mauna Li fi dence isthe key tosadhana.Intraditional house- f (silence) was a form of fl (Leftto right)Sri Jayendra Puri uctuating joys and sorrows of thismaterial ( L ft t i h t) SiJ vrata chandrayana vrata kichari, fi , or sadhana.Such nd the answer to d Pi abalanced . jan uary/february/march, 2011hinduism today B

We are allbeautiful children of God.Each your soul. Thisisdone by looking into your we do, we are seeing GodSiva inaction. this very moment, and we have only to there isonly one being, not agroup of the same asothers and not separate. You the senseof oneness that pervades them trees, animals, the nature that surrounds you and focus be whole. Our energy and God’s energy in trees, birds, animals and people. When unitary consciousness that isfound inthe forms that you become aware of Godas is tofocus sointently on the life inthese in apark and look at the humans and into amirror the with purpose of seeing day we should toseethe try life energy discover and live up to thisperfection to consciousness and energy essence of the soul. Inthisperspective, on the life all—the within people, plants, energy them. within Step two istowander eyes and seeing the sparkle, the pure life are the same, ever coming out of the void. all things. Deep inside we are perfect are ineveryone. Focus on the underlying all, the “Life of life.” Consider yourself separate individuals. We are the undying EING THE LIFEOF Step one of thissadhana istolook fi sh and birds. Step three fl owing through 69