Yoga Sadhana

Sadhana means any spiritual practice that aids the aspirant to realise God. It is a means to

attain the goal of life. Without Sadhana no one can achieve the goal. Sadhana differs according to

taste, temperament and capacity.

You can realise the goal of life by four different paths. Just as one and the same coat will not

suit Mr. John, Mr. Smith, Mr. Dick and Mr. Williams, so also one path will not suit all people. These

four paths lead to the same goal, viz., the attainment of the Ultimate Reality. Roads are different but

the destination is the same. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna: “Howsoever men approach Me, even so

do I reward them, for, the path men take from every side, is Mine, O Partha.” The four paths are: the

path of work (Karma-Yoga), the path of devotion or love (Bhakti-Yoga), the path of psychic control

(Raja-Yoga) and the path of self-analysis and knowledge (Jnana-Yoga).

These divisions are not hard and fast. There is no line of demarcation between one another.

One path does not exclude the other. For instance Karma-Yoga is suitable for a man of active

temperament; Bhakti-Yoga for a man of emotional temperament; Raja-Yoga for a man of mystic

temperament; and the path of Jnana-Yoga or Vedanta for a man of will or reason. Each path blends

into the other. Ultimately they all converge and become one. Thus it is hard to say where Raja-Yoga

ends and Jnana-Yoga begins. All aspirants of different paths meet on a common platform in the

long run.

Religion must educate and develop the whole man—his head, heart and hand. Then only

there will be perfection. One-sided development is not commendable. The four paths, far from

being antagonistic to one another, indicate that the different methods of the Yoga System are in

absolute harmony with each other. Karma-Yoga leads to Bhakti-Yoga which in its turn leads to Raja-Yoga. Raja-Yoga brings Jnana. Supreme devotion is Jnana only. Bhakti, it should be borne in

mind, is not divorced from Jnana. On the contrary, Jnana intensifies Bhakti. Karma-Yoga removes

the tossing of mind, Raja-Yoga steadies the mind and Jnana-Yoga removes the veil of ignorance

and brings in the Knowledge of Self. Every Yoga is a fulfilment of the preceding one. Thus Bhakti

is the fulfilment of Karma, Yoga of Bhakti, and Jnana of all the preceding three.

The practice of Karma-Yoga prepares the aspirant for the reception of knowledge of Self. It

moulds him into a proper Adhikari (aspirant) for the study of Vedanta. Ignorant people jump at once

to Jnana-Yoga without having any preliminary training in Karma-Yoga. That is the reason why

they fail miserably to realise Truth. The impurities still lurk in their minds. The mind is filled with

likes and dislikes. They only talk of Brahman or God. They indulge in all sorts of useless

discussions vain debates and dry, endless controversies. Their philosophy is on their lips only. In

other words, they are lip-Vedantins. What is really wanted ispracticalVedanta through ceaseless

selfless service.

Those who follow the path of Karma-Yoga should do work for work’s sake, without any

motive. Two things are indispensable requisite in the practice of Karma-Yoga. A Karma-Yogi

should have extreme non-attachment for the fruits of his works and secondly he should dedicate all

his actions at the Altar of God with the feeling of Isvararpana (self-surrender). Non-attachment

brings freedom and immortality. Attachment is death. Non-attachment is eternal life.

Non-attachment makes a man absolutely fearless. When you thus consecrate all your actions to the

Lord, you will naturally develop devotion towards Him, and the greater the devotion the nearer you

are to the Lord. You will slowly begin to feel that God directly works through your body and senses.

You will feel no strain in the discharge of your works now. The heavy load you felt previously on

account of your false egoism, has now vanished out of sight, never to return.

The doctrine of Karma-Yoga forms an integral part of Vedanta. It expounds the riddle of

life and the riddle of the universe. It brings solace, satisfaction and happiness to one and all. It is a

self-evident truth. Fortunately even the Westerners have begun to acknowledge its importance and

veracity. They have no other go. Every sensible man or woman will have to accept it. “As you sow,

so you reap” holds good not only on the physical plane but in the moral world as well. Every

thought and every deed of yours generate in you certain tendencies which will affect your life and

hereafter. If you do good actions in a selfless spirit, you will naturally soar high to regions of bliss

and peace. Karma-Yoga is the lowest rung in the Spiritual Ladder; but it lifts us up to ineffable

heights. It destroys pride, selfishness and egoism. It helps growth and evolution.

Every work is a mixture of good and evil. This world of ours is a relative plane. You must

therefore strive to do such actions that can bring maximum of good and minimum of evil. If you

know the secret of work, the technique of Karma-Yoga, you will be absolutely free from the taint of

Karma. That secret is to work without attachment and egoism. The central teaching of the

Bhagavad-Gita and the Yoga-Vasishtha is non-attachment to work. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna:

“O Arjuna, work incessantly. Your duty is to work always. But do not expect fruits. The lot of that

man who expects fruits is pitiable. He is the most miserable man in the world.”

Generally people have various motives when they work. Some work in society for getting

name and fame, some for money, some for getting power and position, and some others for getting

enjoyments in heaven. Some build temples and churches with the idea that their sins will be washed

off. Some perform sacrifices for getting children. Some sink wells and tanks so that their names will

be remembered even after their death. Some lay out gardens and public parks with the idea that they

will enjoy such lovely parks and gardens in heaven. Some do acts of charity with the idea that they

will be born in the house of a Henry Ford or a Rockefeller in their next birth.

The greatest service that one can render to another is the imparting of Knowledge of Self.

Spiritual help is the highest of all. The root cause for all suffering is ignorance (Avidya) only. Cut

the knot of Avidya and drink the sweet Nirvanic Bliss. That sage who tries to remove the ignorance

of men is the greatest benefactor in the world. If you remove the hunger of man, it is after all a

temporary physical help. It is removal of physical want for three or four hours. Then again the

hunger manifests. The man remains in the same miserable state. Thus it is safe to conclude that

building of hospitals, poor-houses,dharmasalasor choultries for distribution of free food, clothes,

etc. is not the highest kind of help, though they are absolutely necessary. I say this is not the highest

kind of help, because I ask: How long can these last? Miseries have to be eradicated once and

forever. The world will remain in the same miserable state even if you build millions of hospitals

and feeding-places. There is something that can put an end to all these miseries, sufferings, worries

and anxieties, and that something is Knowledge of Self.

Bhakti-Yoga is the path of devotion or the path of affection that is suitable for people of

devotional temperament or in whom the love-element predominates. Ladies are fit for this path, for

affection predominates in them. Generally there is an admixture of devotional and intellectual

temperaments in all persons. Hence Bhakti-Yoga is suitable for the vast majority of persons. In

Bhakti-Yoga the devotee makes absolute and unreserved self-surrender. He depends upon the Lord

for everything. He is extremely humble and meek. He develops devotion to the Lord gradually to a

very high degree by repeating the Name of the Lord, studying the Holy Scriptures and practicing the

nine modes of devotion. Hearing the Name of the Lord, singing His praises, remembering His

presence, serving His Lotus-Feet, worshipping Him, bowing before Him, attending on Him, loving

Him as a Friend and surrendering of the self entirely to Him are the nine modes of devotion. The

devotee will observe austerities, pray frequently to Him and offer mental worship to Him. He will

serve his fellow-men realising that the Lord dwells in the hearts of all. This is the Sadhana for those

who wish to tread the path of Yoga of devotion.

Sri Sankara, the great Advaita Jnani, was a great Bhakta of Lord Hari, Hara and Devi.

Jnanadeva of Alandi, a great Yogi of late, was a Bhakta of Lord Krishna. Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa worshipped Kali and got Jnana through Swami Totapuri, his Advaita Guru. Appayya Dikshitacharya, a famous Jnani of South India, author of “Siddhanta Lesha” and other monumental

works on Vedanta, was a devotee of Lord Siva.

It behoves, therefore, that Bhakti can be combined with much advantage with Jnana. Bhakti

is a means to an end. It gives purity of mind and removes mental oscillation (Vikshepa). Sakama

Bhakti (devotion with expectation) brings Svarga for the devotee, while Nishkama Bhakti

(devotion without expectation) brings purity of mind and Jnana.

A life without love of God is practical death. There is no power greater than love. You can

win the hearts of others through love alone. You can conquer your enemies through love alone. You

can tame wild animals through love alone. The glory of love is ineffable. Its splendour is

indescribable. The power of love is unfathomable.

True religion does not consist in ritualistic observances, baths and pilgrimages but in loving

all. Cosmic Love is all-embracing and all-inclusive. In the presence of pure love all distinctions and

differences, all hatred, jealousy and egoism are dispelled just as darkness is dispelled by the

penetrating rays of the morning sun. There is no religion higher than Love. There is no knowledge

higher than Love. There is no treasure higher than Love, because Love is Truth, Love is God. This

world came out of Love; it exists in Love and it will ultimately dissolve in Love. A heart without

love is a desert without water. God is an ocean of Love. In every corner of His creation, you can see

ample evidence of His unbounded Love for His children.

It is all so easy to talk of Universal Love, but when you come to the practical field, you

manifestly show signs of failure. If Mr. John speaks ill of you and uses harsh words, you are thrown

out of balance instantaneously. You get irritated, show your angry face and pay him in the same

coin. You do not like to part with your possessions, when you see people in distress. A man who is

struggling to develop Cosmic Love and realise Him through Love cannot keep anything for himself

more than he actually needs for keeping his life going peacefully. He will willingly sacrifice even

this little to serve a needy person and undergo starvation with much pleasure. He will rejoice that

the Lord has given him a wonderful opportunity to serve Him. People generallytalkof Universal

Love but are very niggardly inaction. They show lip-sympathy and lip-love in mere words. This is

nothing short of hypocrisy.

Those who talk of Universal Love should endeavour to develop various good qualities.

They should serve humanity untiringly day and night with disinterested, selfless spirit for many

years. They must be prepared to bear calmly insults and injuries. Then only there is a prospect of

developing Cosmic Love. Otherwise it is all vain, flowery talk and idle-gossiping only.

The saints, seers and prophets of the world have spoken of Love as the end and aim of life.

Lord Krishna has preached Love through His flute. Lord Buddha was an ocean of Love. He gave up

His body to appease the hunger of a tiger’s cub. Raja Sibi gave flesh equal to the weight of a pigeon

from his own breast to satisfy the appetite of a hawk. Lord Rama lived a life of Love and showed

Love in every inch of His activity. Lord Jesus also preached and practiced Love in the fullest

measure. O dear children of Love! Draw inspiration from their teachings and tread the path of Love.

Remember Him. Feel His indwelling presence everywhere. See Him in all faces, in all objects, in all

movements, in all feelings, in all sentiments, in all actions. Meditate upon His form with

single-minded devotion. Become a peerless devotee of the Lord in this very life, nay in this very

second.

The student treading the path of Raja-Yoga has to ascend the Spiritual Ladder step by step,

stage by stage. There are eight limbs in Raja-Yoga, viz., Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama,

Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. By practicing Yama and Niyama at the outset the

student gets ethical training and purification of mind. By developing friendship, mercy and

complacency, he destroys hatred, jealousy and harshness of heart and thereby gets peace of mind.

By practicing Asana he steadies his posture and gets complete control and mastery over his body.

Then he practices Pranayama to remove the tossing of mind and destroy Rajas (passion) and Tamas

(inertia). His body becomes light and elastic. By practicing Pratyahara (withdrawal of the Indriyas

or senses from sensual objects) he gets strength and peace of mind. Now he is fit for concentration

which comes of itself. He practices meditation and enters into Samadhi. By the combined practice

of concentration, meditation and Samadhi (Yogic Samyama), he gets various Siddhis (powers). By

concentration on the senses, egoism, mind, etc., he gets various other powers and experiences. He

now sees without eyes, tastes without tongue, hears without ears, smells without a nose and feels

without a skin. He can work miracles. He simply wills and everything comes into being.

Those who follow the path of Jnana-Yoga or Vedanta should first acquire the four means of

salvation, viz., Viveka, Vairagya, Shat-Sampatti and Mumukshutva. Viveka is discrimination

between the Real and the unreal. Vairagya is indifference or dispassion for sensual objects herein

and hereafter. Shat-Sampatti is the sixfold virtue, viz., Sama, (calmness of mind), Dama (restraint

of the senses), Uparati (satiety), Titiksha (power of endurance), Sraddha (faith) and Samadhana

(one-pointedness of mind). Mumukshutva is intense longing for liberation. Then they should

approach a Brahma-Nishtha Guru (one who is established in Brahman or God), who has fully

realised the Supreme Self and hear the Scriptures directly from his mouth. Then they should reflect

and meditate on what they heard and attain Self-realisation. Now the Jnani exclaims in exuberant

joy: “The Atman alone is, One without a second. Atman or the Self is the one Reality. I am Brahman

(Aham Brahma Asmi). I am Siva (Sivoham). I am He (Sivoham).” He, the liberated soul, sees the

Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.

There are also three other forms of Yoga in addition to the four mentioned above. These are:

Hatha-Yoga, Mantra-Yoga and Laya-Yoga or Kundalini-Yoga. Hatha-Yoga relates to the physical

body, Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras, Pranayama, vow of silence, steady-gazing, crystal-gazing,

standing on one leg, etc. Hatha-Yoga is not separate from Raja-Yoga. It prepares the student to take

up Raja-Yoga. Hatha-Yoga and Raja-Yoga are, therefore, the necessary counterparts of each other.

No one can become a Yogi of a perfect order without a clear knowledge of the practice of the two

Yogas. Raja-Yoga begins where properly practiced Hatha-Yoga ends. A Hatha-Yogi starts his

Sadhana with his body and Prana (breath); a Raja-Yogi with his mind. A Hatha-Yogi gets different powers when the mighty Kundalini-Sakti reaches the Sahasrara Chakra (at the top of the head); a

Raja-Yogi gets psychic powers by the combined practice of concentration, meditation and Samadhi

at one and the same time. Mantra-Yoga relates to the recitation of certain Mantras (sacred words to

which definite powers are ascribed), such asOm Namo Narayana, Om Namo Bhagavate

VasudevayaandOm Namah Sivaya. Laya-Yoga is Kundalini-Yoga. Concentration on the sound

emanating from the heart-lotus is Laya-Yoga. Laya is dissolution. The mind is dissolved in God just

as a lump of ice is dissolved in a tumbler of soda-water.

A Jnana-Yogi can practice his Sadhana even while walking, eating and talking. He is not in

need of any Asana or room. But a Raja-Yogi wants a room and an Asana for his practice. A

Jnana-Yogi is always in Samadhi. He is not affected by Maya or illusion. There is no ‘in Samadhi’

and ‘out of Samadhi’ for a Jnani, whereas a Yogi is affected by Maya when he comes down from his

Samadhi. A Raja-Yogi plugs his mind, as it were, through effort, just as you plug a bottle with a

cork, and thus stops all mental activities. He tries to make the mind quite blank. He remains as a

silent witness of all the activities of his mind and intellect. A Raja-Yogi commences his practice

with his mind. A Jnana-Yogi starts his practices with his will and reason.

A Karma-Yogi does selfless service to kill his little self. A Bhakta or devotee of the Lord

practices self-surrender to annihilate his egoism. A Jnani practices self-denial. The methods are

different but all want to destroy this self-arrogating little “I” the root cause of bondage and

suffering. Karma-Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of Light and Knowledge. It expands the

heartad infinitum. It breaks all barriers that stand in the way of unity and oneness. Bhakti and

meditation are also mental Karmas. There can be no Jnana without Yoga. The fruit of Bhakti is

Jnana. Have you now understood the nature of the four Yogas and their interrelations?

There is a verse in Sanskrit the gist of which runs as follows: “The Sastras are endless; there

is much to be known; time is short; obstacles are many; that which is the essence should be grasped

just as the swan does in the case of milk mixed with water.” I therefore want you to start doing some

kind of spiritual practice or other and realise the goal of life and justify your existence before the

Lord on the “Day of Judgment.”

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Zohaib