Sadhana should be as much a part of your daily life as eating, drinking and breathing. – Swami Sivananda
ASPIRE
Give up thirsting for sensual objects. Cling fast to the faith in the Divinity. Aspire fervently and constantly. You will have pure mind.
Never hurt another person in thought, word or deed. Always do good and kind acts. Purge yourself of all miseries and sorrows. Merge in calmness and silence. You will attain supreme peace and eternal happiness.
Destroy the tossing of the mind through Viveka, constant meditation and ceaseless Brahma Vichara – Atmic inquiry. Direct your attention to selfless service and worship of the Lord. You will attain supreme joy.
STICK TO YOUR PRINCIPLES
Follow the Truth always. Strive for it ever in thought, word and deed. Be compassionate. Be bold. Resign yourself to the Lord. There is no room for lamentation and despair.
Stick tenaciously to your principles and ideals. Do your duty without looking to the fruits or consequences of your actions and God will be with you. Become dispassionate. Learn to discern. Know thyself and be free from attachment. You will go beyond “Time” and “Death”.
DETERMINATION
Be always cheerful and smile away your worries. Follow the correct principles of living. Be temperate in eating, drinking, sleeping, amusements and in all other things. Cultivate a very strong faith in God.
Silence the surging emotions and bubbling thoughts. Do not be carried away by the temptations of the World. Be careful. Be wise. Get away from the company of worldly minded persons. Put your heart, mind, intellect and soul even in your smallest act. Always act with faith and determination. Be firm in your resolve and fiery in your determination.
YOUR VOWS
Do your duties properly. Be firm in your vows and true in speech. Possess good character. Be kind to all. Conquer wrath. Become master of self. Get rid of envy. You will soon attain God Realisation.
Take refuge in God. Do not think very often of your defects and weaknesses. Aspire. Grow in spirituality. You will attain Divinity.
Meditate on the glory and splendour of the Supreme Being who illumines everything, who is indivisible, the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute. You will attain the Supreme.
NEVER DESPAIR
You have got Svatantrya in action. You can do your Karma in any way you like. You can become a Yogi or Jnani by right thinking and right action. Your are not a helpless being. Use your free will in your Sadhana. Overcome all your unfavourable circumstances. Have courage. Be bold. Never despair. You will succeed. There is nothing in the World which cannot be achieved by an aspirant by effort.
Wake up now. Open your eyes. Become a virtuous person. Do good actions. Have constant Satsanga. All evil habits will be eradicated. Purify. Concentrate. Meditate. You will realize the Sadhana goal.
AS YOU THINK, SO YOU BECOME
“As a person thinks, so they become” is one of the greatest laws of nature. Think you are pure, pure you will become. Think that you are brave, brave you will become. Think you are Brahman, Brahman you will become. Become an embodiment of good nature. Do always good actions. Serve. Love. Give. Observe Brahmacharya and Mouna. Control anger. Make others happy. Live to serve others. Then only will you enjoy happiness.
DRAW STRENGTH FROM WITHIN
Do not allow the mind to go its own way altogether. Keep your Prana and senses under your control. Bring the mind under your control with the help of the intellect strengthened by Sattva.
Be slow to make a promise but be quick to carry it out. Cultivate an amiable, loving nature and adaptability. Be courageous. Never despair. Draw strength from within. Feel the divine presence everywhere. Dive deep into the Divine source. You will realize the Infinite Bliss.
CONQUEST OF NATURE
Life is a series of awakenings. Conquer the mind and the senses, as the mind and the senses hold you back in your Sadhana. Live under lifelong vows. Conquer your internal and external nature. Conquer the dark antagonistic evil forces, through Japa and Meditation. Soar high always in the realms of higher spiritual knowledge. Show your manliness and spiritual strength now.
THIS WORLD IS A GREAT SCHOOL
This world is a great school. It is a platform for attaining experiential knowledge and education. Be wise. Be in the spirit of Yoga. Utilize all opportunities to apply to this learning. There is no such thing as bad. Your capacities and willpower will develop. You will receive more of Divine Light, Knowledge, Purity, Peace and Spiritual strength.
Smile with the flowers and the green grass. Shake hands with the shrubs, ferns and twigs. Develop friendship with all neighbours, dogs, cats, cows, human beings, trees, in fact.. with all nature’s creations. You will then create a rich life.
Open your eyes now. Wake up from your deep slumber and profound inertia. Regain the lost divinity. Thou art Divine. Thou art Atman. Realize this and be free.
THE WORLD IS YOUR BODY
Actions produce Samskaras or impressions. The repeated impressions and form tendencies. Tendencies develop into habits and character. The sum total of the tendencies of a person is their character. Character generates Will. Therefore, if the character is pure and strong the Will also will be pure and strong.
Therefore sow the seed of good habits at once. Good habits will grow gradually. Good habits will then gain a seat in the body and mind. Work develops sanguine success. All the old morbid habits will be destroyed. Feel that the whole world is your own home or body. Feel that God dwells in all creatures of this universe. “Isavasyamidam sarvam“. You will attain the Supreme.
THE SECRET OF KARMA YOGA
Look at the stupendous and magnanimous work turned out by Lord Buddha, Sri Sankara and other Karma Yogins of yore. Their names are handed down from posterity to posterity. Their names are still remembered.
Can you attribute a grain of selfish motive to their actions? They lived for doing service to others. They had absolute self renunciation.
Work cannot bring misery. It is the attachment and identification to work that brings in all sorts of worries, troubles and unhappiness. Understand the secret of Karma Yoga and work without attachment and identification. You will soon attain God Consciousness. This is Jnana. This is Jnanagni – the fire of wisdom – which burns all fruits of actions.
KARMA YOGA GIVES JOY
Do you expect anything from your small son or daughter, if you do something for them? In a similar manner you will have to work for others also without expecting anything. You will have to expand and think that this whole world is your own Self.
It gives you a little pain in the beginning, because you have never worked up to this time in this line of selfless and disinterested service.
When you have tasted a bit of the Bliss of Selfless Service, you can never leave it. The force of Selfless Service will induce you to work more with great zeal and enthusiasm.
You will begin to feel that this whole world is manifestation of God. You will gain immense inner strength and purity of heart. Your heart will be filled with sympathy, mercy and pure love. Your spirit of Selfless Service and self sacrifice will grow immensely.
KARMA YOGA LEADS TO KNOWLEDGE
Work is worship. Work is meditation. Serve everyone with intense love, without any idea of agency, without expectation of fruits of reward.
You will soon realize God. Service of humanity is service of God.
“The Lord dwelleth in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, by His illusive power, causing all beings to revolve as though mounted on a potter’s wheel“. (Bhagavad Gita.XVIII-61).
The spirit of service must deeply enter into your very bones, cells, tissues, nerves, etc. The reward is invaluable. Practice Karma Yoga and feel the cosmic expansion and Infinite Ananda – Bliss. Reveal your intense zeal and enthusiasm in work. Be fiery in the spirit of Selfless Service.
A KARMA YOGI IS VERY NEAR TO GOD
A Karma Yogi says: “Do all works without expectation of fruits. This will produce Chitta Suddhi. Then you will get knowledge of the Self. You will get Moksha or Eternal Bliss and Immortality”.
You will get purity of mind if you work in the spirit of the above doctrine. Imagine the exalted conditions of an aspirant of pure mind. This aspirant has unbounded peace, strength and joy. This aspirant is very near to God. This aspirant is dear to God. This aspirant will soon receive the Divine Light.
Work without any sort of motive and feel its effects, purity and inner strength. What an expanded heart you will have! Indescribable! Practice, feel and enjoy this state.
KARMA YOGA IS THE BEST YOGA
Even if you do a little service to the country or to the society or to the poor sick people, it purifies your heart and prepares the Antahkarana for the reception of the Knowledge of Atman.
The Samskaras or impressions of these good actions will be embedded in your subconscious mind. The forces of these selfless actions will again propel you to do some more good actions. Sympathy, love, the spirit of service will be developed.
FEEL ONENESS WITH ALL
Serve any Society, Ashram or religious institution for 2 hours daily in any way you like, with Nishkama Bhava. This will purify your heart. Remember that God is the foundation of that Society. Remember the whole world is the manifestation of the Lord – Virat Rupa. The Earth is God. Milk is God. The Tree is God. If you serve with Narayana or Atma Bhava, you will have a changed angle of vision. You will live heaven on earth.
Keep the mind fully occupied. Get rid of every mental weakness. Do not allow the Indriyas to run your life. Be ever vigilant and diligent. Hear the Divine whisper in silence. You will enjoy the transcendental life.
EXPAND and EVOLVE
Convert all activities into Yoga. Walk on the path of righteousness. Wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Avoid lower chakra persons and live with Sattvic company. You will have much peace.
Expand. Evolve. Have a large heart. Mix with all. Be humble. Take refuge in God. All torment will disappear. You will enjoy supreme Peace.
SCRUTINIZE YOUR MOTIVES
Work unselfishly with a disinterested spirit. Scrutinize your motives. Your motive should be absolutely pure. Never care for the fruits of your actions. Do not become a victim of inertia. Pour forth all your energies in the service of humanity. Plunge yourself into selfless service.
The manual work will become automatic, mechanical or instinctive. You will have two minds. A portion of the mind will be in Meditation and Japa. Repeat the name of the Lord while at work also. Ashtavadhanis do eight things at a time. This is a question of training of the mind. You can train the mind in such a way that it can work with the hand and can remember God at the same time. This is Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga combined. This is the best Yoga.
WRITE IN YOUR SPIRITUAL DIARY
Develop Sattvic virtues. Conserve energy. Keep your body strong and healthy by regular exercise. Keep a true diary with a clean conscience daily. Develop attention. Become a Spiritual Hero.
Always think rightly and act rightly. Never envy your neighbours. Entertain noble and sublime thoughts. Have supreme self confidence and courage. Whatever you do, do with a will to succeed in your attempts. This is the Sovereign secret.
Remember saints and sages. Draw inspiration from their teachings. Tread the path of love. Drink freely the honey of devotion. Commune with God and reach the eternal abode of God Consciousness.
PRACTICE SADHANA NOW
This is the time when you should spend your time happily by doing regular Japa and meditation. God has given you all conveniences and opportunities. Remember Him and thank Him always.
Sing His glories during Kirtan at night with all the members of the family. Be bold. Be cheerful. Be calm. Be contented. Be good. Do good. Be pure. Be alert. Become a Jivanmukta in this very birth.
DO CONSTANT SADHANA
Keep your mind always busy in doing Japa, concentration, meditation, study of religious books, Satsanga or in doing something useful.
Regularity in Sadhana is of paramount importance. Remember this point always.
May you lead a contented and happy life singing God’s name at all times by doing selfless service and by regular Japa and Meditation.
BE REGULAR IN YOUR SADHANA
Keep a balanced mind always. Be cheerful and happy. Drive the feelings of depression and gloom at once by inquiry, singing Divine songs, prayers, chanting of Om, Pranayama, a brisk walk in the open air and thinking of the opposite quality, for example the feeling of joy. You will be happy.
Apply yourself diligently to Yoga. Employ your skill and promptness. Kill any thought or desire. Do not become a fatalist. Stand like a lion. Exert. Aspire. You will attain independence.
Steady the mind. Fix it on God. Plod on patiently. Be persevering. This is real Sadhana. Be regular in your Sadhana. This will give you freedom, bliss, peace and immortality.
BE STRONG THROUGH LOVE
Be regular in your spiritual Sadhana. Regularity is of paramount importance. Love all. Embrace all. Behold God in all. Develop cosmic love. Grow spiritually strong day by day. Attain Liberation. Enjoy bliss of the Self and be free.
May you all be happy! May you all be free from disease! May you realize what is good! May you abide in the Lord for ever!
SADHANA AND SANTOSH – THE SECRETS OF HEALTH
The best medicine for all diseases and for keeping good health is Kirtan, Japa and regular Meditation. The Divine waves electrify, rejuvenate, vivify, energize the cells, tissues, nerves, etc.
Another potent drug is to keep oneself always joyful and cheerful. Study the Bhagavad Gita daily one or two chapters… with meaning. Keep yourself fully occupied, which is a remedy to keep off thoughts of worldliness.
EQUIP YOURSELF WITH THE FOUR MEANS
Stand firm on the rock of Truth. Have a firm grip of the Reality – the self luminous, immortal Atman or Soul. Equip yourself with the four means.
Try to do daily as many virtuous actions as possible. Repeat mentally or silently or with the breath, the name of the Lord such as Hari Om, Sri Ram or your Ishta Mantra. Performance of virtuous actions is the beginning of spiritual life.
Lead a simple natural life with high sublime thinking. Develop ethical virtues, control the Indriyas and mind, practice meditation, realize the higher Self and be free for ever.
BE SELF CONTROLLED
Spiritual life is not an idle talk. It is actual living in the Atman. It is a transcendental experience of unalloyed bliss. It is a life of fullness and perfection.
Be self-controlled. Be… just. Know the right. Keep your promise. Be noble and impartial. Be like the ocean in depth of devotion, like the Himavan in firmness.
Cultivate peace in the garden of your heart by removing the weeds of lust, hatred, greed, selfishness and jealousy. Know and feel always that you are the all pervading, immortal consciousness, the undying eternal Atman.
BE INDEPENDENT
Be courageous, candid and modest. Respect your superiors. Be ever vigilant. Have perfect control over anger. Become the source of all good. Act according to the words of sages and saints. Rely on your own Self. Endure suffering patiently. Be patient. Persevere. Help is bound to come.
Be devoted to God. Purify the mind. Sit in a solitary place for one hours daily. Withdraw all the senses from their objects. Bring the mind under control. Turn it towards God. The Divine grace will descend upon you.
NATURE
Entertain holy desires. You will shine in Divine glory. Place yourself in holy surroundings such as Uttarakashi, Himalayas, Prayag where you can perform Tapas, Sadhana and Meditation amidst holy persons and can experience deep Self Realisation.
Under the security of the changeless law of cause and effect, an aspirant can serenely proceed to achieve anything they desire to accomplish. Therefore entertain Divine thoughts. You are sure to succeed in your well directed efforts. In Nature nothing is lost. Again as Bacon said: ‘Nature is conquered by obedience’.
VAIRAGYA
Do not think any more of your worldly concerns than is necessary to determine your duty. Do your duty and leave the rest to God. Carry your ideals, mantras and principles. Adhere to them strongly and steadily. Do not deviate from your ideals and principles even a fraction of an inch.
Remember the goal and the purpose for which you have taken this physical body. Watch the mind. Watch the Vrittis or thoughts. Drive them. Acquire mental Vairagya, mental Sannyasa.
FAITH
Cultivate a very strong faith in God. Faith is the gateway to God. Faith can work wonders. Always act with faith and determination. Be firm in your resolve and fiery in your determination.
Remember the saints and sages. Do prayer, Japa, Kirtan regularly. Have contact with your Guru. Read religious books like BhagavadGita, Ramayana and Bhagavatam. These will sow the seed of Faith and increase it till it becomes quite firm and unshakable.
FAITH and JNANA
The goal of life is God Realisation. Life is faith and illumination. Faith is an important qualification for an aspirant. No faith, no devotion. No faith, no Jnana.
Bad company, lust, greed, infatuated love for wife, son and property and unwholesome food are the enemies of faith. Take bland, light, substantial food.
Meditate. Realize God intuitively and enjoy the Bliss of the Self.
BE FRIENDS WITH GOD
Lord Hari manifested in the form of Lord Krishna and Rama for the protection of the good, for the destruction of evil doers and for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness. Lord Krishna says: “The foolish disregard Me when clad in human semblance ignorant of My Supreme Nature, the great Lord of all beings”.
Do not be carried away by the turbulent senses and the influence of the Mayaic forces. By devotion and faith know God in essence. Through God’s grace attain Supreme Bliss, Supreme Peace and Supreme Knowledge.
MEDITATE
Conserve every bit of energy within. Do not waste the time and energy by entering into hot discussions, lingual warfare and intellectual gymnastics. Give up arguing and discussions entirely. You will progress in the spiritual path.
Expel delusion and cultivate devotion unto Siva, the Lord of Lords, the Deva of Devas, the Yogi of Yogis.
If you meditate for half an hour, you will be able to face the daily battle of life with peace and spiritual strength for one week through the force of Meditation. Such is the beneficial effect of Meditation. As you have to move with different minds of peculiar nature, get the requisite strength and peace from Meditation and be free from worry and trouble.
ANNIHILATE AJNANA
Lead a life of austerity and Meditation. Come out of your small narrow egoistic circle and have a broad vision. Beware of lower chakra company. Even a sober man begins to drink in the company of drunkards.
Be patient in difficulties, danger, troubles. Stand adamant and overcome obstacles. Have a burning desire for Liberation. Annihilate Ajnana through Satsanga, Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana.
Master your emotions and impulses. Be strong in your determination. Be firm in your resolution. You will get success in any walk of life.
THE THREE KINDS OF TAPAS
Practice Ahimsa and Brahmacharya in thought, word and deed. Practice Saucha and Arjava – straight forwardness. Keep a balanced mind. Be cheerful always. Keep up Shuddha Bhava. Practice these three kinds of Tapas – physical, verbal and mental and control your actions.
Be careful in your speeches. Speak little. Speak sweet loving words. Never utter any word of harshness that can affect the feelings of others. Try to speak the truth. Thus put a check on the Vak Indriya and the impulses of speech.
Kill the evil thought with the sword of Viveka when it tries to enter the fort of the mind. Thus you can build a noble character.
DRINK THE NECTAR
Purify your mind. Withdraw all the senses from their objects. Bring the mind under your control. Introspect. Direct your attention towards the knowledge of God.
Become a true Brahmachari. Get established in mental and physical Brahmacharya. Take Sattvic food. Develop Vairagya. Have perfect faith in God.
Put on the armour of discernment. Wear the shield of dispassion. Blow the conch of courage. Kill the enemies of doubt, ignorance, passion and egoism and enter the illimitable kingdom of the blissful Brahman. Drink the Nectar of Immortality.
IMMORTALITY IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT
Courage, power, strength, wisdom and joy are your Divine heritage, your birthright from the Absolute. You are the centre of thought, influence and power. Never forget this.
The world is assailed by death. Days and nights are falling incessantly like bolts. When one day passes away, remember that a part of one’s life wears away with it.
Apply yourself diligently to Yoga. Remember the Sages and Saints. Be sincere. Develop mercy, love, friendship, feeling of brotherhood. You will become one with all. You will see God in every face. You will enjoy the unalloyed Bliss.
YOUR GOAL
Try your best to keep cool and calm in difficulties, adversities and trying conditions of life. Pray fervently from the bottom of your heart and wait. Help is bound to come. Have firm, perfect and one pointed Faith in God.
Develop universal sympathy and cosmic love of a pure nature. Lead a life of Oneness and Unity. Have deep concentrated compassion and love.
Keep on course toward your spiritual goal. Everyday place a step further towards that goal. Maya will assume various forms to test your diligence. Watch, pray and conquer obstacles.
ACHIEVE THE GOAL
Remember the spiritual goal and the purpose why you have taken this physical body. Do not give indulgence or leniency to the mind. Watch the Vrittis or thoughts arise. Send them away and replace with positive thinking.
GOAL OF LIFE IS GOD REALIZATION
The goal of life is God Realization. God can be realized by pure, subtle reasoning. There is not an iota of happiness in material objects, because they are insentient. There is mental uneasiness, discontentment and restlessness even in multi-millionaires and kings.
All sorts of fears, miseries and troubles will melt away when the knowledge of God dawns. You will be freed from the Samsaric wheel of births and deaths. Form a strong habit of remembering God at all times. Control the senses. Be balanced in pleasure and pain, heat and cold, praise and censure. Have unshakable Faith and unflinching Devotion towards God.
LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT
Do not think of the past, nor plan for the future. Live in the present moment. Believe in the glory of the Self. Regard all alike. See and help the higher Self in all beings.
Tear the veil of ignorance into pieces. Catch the fickle mind with the snare of inquiry and Brahma Chintana. Ride the elephant of intuitive Self Knowledge and reach the highest peak of Supreme Wisdom of the Self.
Melt all illusory differences. We are all one on Earth. Remove all notions of separation between the beings of humanity. Remove all notions of separation between you and Nature’s creatures. Constantly think of the higher Self, the Atman.
In part from the DLS article Power by Swami Sivananda