Sadhana and Guru

[Guest guest]

The world of sadhanas is very complex. The harder you try to solve

the puzzle, the deeper you sink in the mystery. Try finding answer to

one question and a thousand more will arise instantly; and yes, the

original question remains unanswered. Try further and the web will

multiply exponentially.

 

No wonder spirituality has become a billion dollar business. Those

who ride your miseries and play with your problems while calling

themselves your 'Guru' are becoming richer every moment and enjoying

your hard earned money at the fullest. The advent of the world wide

web has worsened the situation like never before. Self-styled Gurus

pop-up every now and then with their trendy websites featuring eye-

jacking stories of miracle. They would, probably, beat the best

salesman of this world in luring you with their 'divine' solutions

for your problems. Then, there are people like me who, being a victim

of their own 'out-of-control' urge for fame, read some books, visit

some websites, steal some stuff here and there; and start spreading

their 'knowledge' to 'help' you out. The end result - DISASTER.

 

First, 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 mailboxes 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.

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 Sadhana

 

Still 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 within 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.