Sadhana and Guru: Part 2

February 17, 2004

In this part of my three parter post, Sadhana and Guru, we'll try to understand sadhana. In the beginning, we would get rid of some wide spread mis-conceptions about sadhana.1. Sadhana is not magic or a magic wand: If you expect to get the unexpected through sadhana, if you are willing to witness something very miraculous, if you are looking for quick-fix solutions to your problems; sadhana is not for you. Let's understand it better. Suppose, you are looking for a job, you have the required qualification, experience, skills etc. and you wish to increase your chances of getting the job with sadhana; then yes, within a few months, you'll be able to strengthen your luck. Yes, you read it right. Months, not weeks, not days, not anything less. On the other hand, if you are thinking that a little sadhana will make sure that you get whatever job you wanted, no matter whether you are

qualified for it or not; you are making a fool of yourself. This just won't happen. If you read somewhere that "In 11 days or so (chanting around an hour a day), you'll succeed in 'this' sadhana and will have everything at your disposal"; trust me, it was not meant for a newbie.2. Sadhanas are not driven by emotions: One of the common (often wrong) phrases, you can find on the web about sadhanas, is "Have true love for the deity, open up your heart and you'll succeed in no time." Well, let me ask, how can we 'open up' our hearts? Isn't that the job of a surgeon? Even in emotional terms, it is not something easy to do. Most emotions are controlled by 'Anahat Chakra', located right behind your heart and fourth of the seven chankras of the Kundalini. Awakening the first chakra is a tough task even for a seasoned Sadhak, requiring months of rigorous sadhana; let alone the idea of awakening the fourth chakra by a newbie. Furthermore, 'true

love for a deity' is a very, very high thing; something easier said than done. Please, don't compare it with the love you may have for your girlfriend/boyfriend. Emotions do play a vital role in sadhanas; but, they are not everything.3. Sadhana won't make you rich overnight: Many believe that through sadhana, one can become the richest person alive in just about no time. Yes, there are sadhanas that can make you rich beyond reason; but, to reach that level of success, you'll have to perform sadhana seriously for months, if not years. Even if you have the blessings of the most powerful Guru, nothing would change overnight and nothing would happen without work. In this money madness, you may end up loosing the little you have to a pseudo guru.4. Sadhana is not a mechanical process: Nowadays, a sort of mad rush for mantras is going on. Message boards and mails boxes of a few (including me) are being stuffed with mails saying "I have this problem. Give

me a mantra for it.", "I want to chant this mantra mantra. Please, elaborate on the procedure.", "How can I perform this sadhana. Please, explain with as much details as possible.", "I am starter and I am in a hurry. Give me a mantra to succeed everywhere. But, keep in mind that I can not chant for more than 5-10 minutes." and this can go on forever. People think that they'll grab a mantra somewhere, chant it for a while and 'Voila' - they'll be in Lady Luck's arms. Slow down, folks; I am sorry to wake you up; but, these things don't work this way.Moreover, the sounds and rhythms contain the strength of a mantra, not the words and characters. The web, books, scriptures etc. can't give you those sounds and rhythms; only and only an able Guru can.5. Not every sadhana is suitable for you: And only an able Guru can tell you what's good for you and what's not. Therefore, unless you are performing sadhana with a mantra given to you by your Guru, you are

dwelling in the fools' paradise, playing with a ticking timebomb.6. Sadhana is a science. Neither bhakti nor superstition: There are those who haven't yet dared to perform a sadhana; they ask whether a sadhana really works and can it be proven through the laws of science; though, they never perform one themselves and never consider the fact that the laws of an inferior science, i.e. physics or mathematics etc., can't be used to prove the much superior science of sadhanas. And, there are those who are lucky enough to be able to perform a sadhana; yet aren't sure about the level of their success because all of their efforts were directed towards begging God for mercy, money, job, food etc. without realizing their actual potential.Understanding SadhanaStill with me? Okay, here we go. The word 'Sadhana' means 'training'. In this context, it means training the mind. Our mind is a super power generator. It has everything required to create, control

and destroy the entire universe. But, unfortunately, even Albert Einstein never used more than 5% of his mind's total potential. Then, most of the little part of our potential, that we can access, is lost in useless thoughts; thoughts of greed, lust, fear, ego and so on. Whatever remains, after dealing with all negativities from bad karma, can only get us worries and miseries; certainly, not the divinity that we deserve. The only difference between humans and gods is the available amount of mind's power.There are many ways of increasing the available amount of mind's power. Mantra Sadhana is one of them. The idea is to get rid of all futile thoughts and converge all energies on a single point, a single will that you wish to accomplish. Only this way, your sadhana can be successful. This is why many believe that God is withing us. How many of you remember, "Om Purnamadah Purnamidam Purnat Purnamudachyate. Purnasya Purnamadaya

Purnamevaavashishyate."?The sole goal of a Sadhak (the one who performs sadhana) is to train the mind and the body to access as much of the mind's power as possible; to lead the life to completeness. In the end, sadhana is essentially a battle between (imperfect) you and your (perfect) self. As a Sadhak, who is lucky enough to be a disciple of the best Guru of all times, I feel, the roadmap to success in sadhana should be:i: Get rid of as much negativities as possible. Give up, if you haven't already, all bad habits including, but not limited to, smoking, drinking alcohol, drugs (This is for junkies, not for those who have a medical condition), eating non-veg food, gambling, sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse and being too much inclined towards sex.ii: Give up laziness; be active. Rise early and go to bed early. Give up impatience; be consistent. Eat healthy; stay fit. Only an active and healthy body can have a

powerful mind. Exercise regularly; it facilitates an even flow of energy through out the body and helps you perform a longer sadhanas by breaking physical barriers. Every Sadhak must have some sort of physical training routine to prevent sore bodyparts from being obstacles in sadhana. It could be anything; weight training, yog, aerobics, running, swimming, dancing, anything.iii: Conserve your energies. Stop worrying; your worries would only make the situation worse. Take charge of your thoughts. Stop emotional outbursts; limit your anger, laughter, sorrow etc. Get rid of greed, lust, fear and ego. Make self-evaluation and self-correction your daily routine.iv: Our mind is like a huge pitcher which is full of water, but, has a lot of holes with thoughts flowing in every direction. Sealing all holes but one is a very, very difficult task. Chanting the Gayatri Mantra for an hour before or at sunrise everyday would be a great help. The Gayatri Mantra may

not show results unless you chant it regularly for a few months.v: Chant the Chetana Mantra for, at least, an hour every day. It increases your energy levels by many folds and prepares you for success in all sadhanas.vi: Chant the Guru Mantra, at least, 1100 times every morning. It creates an active connection between you and your Guru; protects you from all sorts of trouble; and leads you to success in every aspect of life. If you don't have a Guru yet, it makes sure that you get to your Guru as soon as possible.I know, for many of you, the above mentioned things are impractical and impossible; but, they are not. If I can, why can't you? You certainly can and I am sure, you will.May Gurudev bless you with success. Waiting for your feedback eagerly.Tantra Shaktimantra_tantra_yantraOm Ayeim Hreem Kleem Chamundayei Vichche

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