Necessities of Sadhana - II

It is necessary for a new initiate in the world of Sadhanas not to be frustrated or lose hope by the initial failures. This is a wonderful article for the new Sadhaks which they shall find really heartening and encouraging.
 
All Sadhanas and spiritual practices have a particular sequence and process. Till all rules are not followed success in Sadhanas remains doubtful. Sometimes success remains elusive to a Sadhak even after hard work. This could be due to the bad Karmas of one's past lives,
Sometimes we also see evil and corrupt individuals earning respect, fame and wealth in life. On the other hand those devoted to the Lord are seen suffering from pain and sorrow. Following are some interesting facts reading which a person could learn low to neutralise past bad Karmas and earn success in Sadhanas.

    1. Health   The biggest obstacle to success in any field is bad health. A person can successfully accomplish Sadhanas only when he is perfectly healthy and free from diseases. It is almost impossible to attain to success in Sadhanas through the medium of an unhealthy body. Hence one should be punctual in sleeping, rising, eating etc so that the body could be always fit. Natural healthy food, regular exercise and Yogic postures or Asans go a long way in keeping the body healthy.

  2. Food    The second obstacle is unhygienic food that not only corrupts the health rather also gives rise to worry and mental disturbance. This is why our ancient texts stress so much on the purity of the food one consumes. There is a saying in the texts - Jaisa Ann Vaisa Mann!

The food one eats determines the purity of one's thoughts. The type of food that one consumes definitely has an effect on one's thoughts. mind, actions. There are said to be three categories of food according to the ancient texts - First category consists of sour, spicy, hot food which is called Raajasi. The second category consists of stale food, leftovers, meat and wine called Taamsik food. The third category consists of food obtained through pure means, which is neither too spicy nor too hot. It is called Saatvik. It is this type of food that one should eat.
Eating Taamsik and Raajsik food leads to lust, anger, greed, infatuation, arrogance and jealousy. It leads to loss of physical and mental health. Thus a Sadhak could deviate from path of Sadhanas. So one should eat pure and less food.

  3. Doubts    The third obstacle on the path of Sadhanas is doubt. When the Guru directs a new person on the path of Sadhanas success is not attained at the very first go.
For example suppose a Sadhak is engaged in an eleven day Sadhana and even by the fourth or fifth day he has no divine experience, then he might be plagued by doubts. Suppose one is doing a Lakshmi Sadhana then during the period of Sadhana the expenses might shoot up. But if one persists and completes the Sadhana then without doubt the Goddess of wealth is pleased and blesses one with financial success. One's stars might have planned a poverty ridden life for the individual and accomplishing Sadhana for wealth would mean fighting against Nature. This struggle could result in a sudden rise in spendings in the beginning. And naturally some Sadhaks might start to doubt the efficacy of the Mantra and the Sadhanas. They might become doubtful whether Gods and Goddesses are actually there or they would ever appear before them. There might be doubts whether t he Sadhana is correct or the Yantra being used is actually Mantra energised. They start to think that if the Sadhana or Mantra were efficacious then the result would have manifested.Because success has not accrued there must be something wrong with the Sadhana or maybe the Guru has guided us wrong. Doubts start to assail their minds and as a result the Sadhak gives up the Sadhana even before he begins it. And even if they do accomplish the Sadhana they do it filled with doubts due to which they are not able to succeed.
Lord Krishna has said in Bhagwat Gita -

Ashraddhyaa Hutam Dattam Tapastaptam Kritam Cha Yat. Asadityuchyate Paarth Na Cha Tatpretya No Iha. 
 
i.e. Havan or Yagna, charity, Tapa and Sadhanas accomplished without faith and devotion are but useless and they bring no rewards.
Devotion and faith are the biggest assets of a Sadhak. He should have faith in the Guru, in the Mantra, Yantra, gods, goddesses and deities. A real Sadhak should accomplish all Sadhanas determinedly like Lord Buddha.

Ihaasane Shushkayatu Me Shareeram Tvagasthimaansaam Pralayanch Yaatu.
Apraapya Bodham Bahukalp Durlabham Nevaasnaat Kaaymanashchlishyate.
 
i.e. Lord Buddha had pledged when doing Tapa - My body might perish, my skin might shrivel and the bones might crumble but I will not get up from this Sadhana seat till I have had total realisation.
A Sadhak should have such a determination so that he could make actual progress in his Sadhanas. More he progresses more he realises that Sadhanas are not imaginary but real.

  4. Sadguru   Sadguru does not mean some human being. Sadguru is an entity who can bestow real knowledge, who can make one rise high in life, who can bestow totality in life, who can direct one to right path.
One needs to reflect on these facts because today there are very few real, experienced and realised Sadgurus. There is no dearth of people claiming to be Gurus. In every street you will find a Guru. But most of them are just arrogant individuals who are only after wealth, fame and physical pleasures. Without having accomplished any Sadhanas they claim to be Yogis and some even call themselves God. In such a crowd of pseudo Gurus it becomes very difficult for a common man to find and choose a real master.
It is the greatest fortune for a disciple to find a Sadguru in his life. A Guru is needed in life to guide the Sadhak onto the path of Sadhanas, to help him overcome obstacles on the path of Sadhanas and to instil divine energy into him in order to overcome problems. The Yogis who are expert in the science of Tantra state that through Diksha obtained from a Guru a Sadhak gains divinity and all his sins are absolved.
Changing Gurus frequently also leads to problems in Sadhanas. Although all Sadhanas lead to the same goal yet the paths are different. Today you might start Prannayam and tomorrow on advice of some other person you could take to Hatth Yoga. Third day you might even give up Yoga and start chanting some Mantra and fourth day you might take to listening to divine discourses. Wandering from one path to another or changing Gurus cannot help one make progress.
Lord Krishna has said in Gita -

Tad Viddhi Prannipaaten Pariprashnen Sevayaa. Upadekshyanti Te Gyaanam Gyaaninas-tatvadarshin. 
 
i.e. To gain real knowledge go to those who have realised Supreme Element. By bowing before such Yogis, by serving them selflessly, by asking them questions sincerely one can learn a lot. These are means to please them and then they become willing to impart true knowledge.But this knowledge can be gained only from a Sadguru.

  5. Fame    One big obstacle for a Sadhak on the path of spiritualism is fame. When people living around realise that a Sadhak has successfully accomplished a particular Sadhana they become devoted towards him. They start to give him regard through their words and gestures. The Sadhak too is but a human being and he too likes to be respected and honoured. When he gets these from the society he starts to crave for more and more. As a result he forgets his aim of worshipping the Supreme and joins the race of earning more fame and name. This results in loss of Sadhana power. He loses his innocence, humility and becomes arrogant. Purity of mind and heart is lost and one is filled with anger and false pride. So a Sadhak should never reveal his powers to the society. One must rise high in the spiritual world and not in the material world. This is the real way to progress.

  6. Celibacy    Another obstacle on path of spiritualism is sex. Until there is enough energy in Sadhak's body he cannot succeed in Sadhanas. One needs power of the physical body, mind, senses and soul and this energy is conserved and boosted through Brahmacharya or celibacy. Hence a Sadhak should not indulge in excess sex. He should shun negative company and not eat food that could delude the senses and lead to loss of celibacy.
Even the married Sadhaks should observe celibacy as much as they could, to preserve vital energy. More one restrains oneself more the energy that builds up and faster one succeeds in Sadhanas.
Lord Hanuman remained a celibate throughout life and as a result he had immense physical strength. He was brave, powerful and very spiritual. He was most devoted to the Lord. He possessed all knowledge and all divine powers called Siddhis. It was due to these powers that he could assume a giant form or become smaller than even a fly. When crossing the ocean on his way to Lanka he assumed a huge form and jumped over the ocean. And when entering Lanka in order to avoid being detected he assumed a form smaller than a fly.
Bheeshma observed celibacy throughout life and as a result he was blessed with the power that death would not come to him till he so desired. Lord Parshuram who was invincible and who had defeated everyone on earth had to face defeat after a battle of 23 days with Bheeshma. This was the result of the celibate life Bheeshma led.

  7. Wishes    The Sadhak who does not become free of material wishes has to face many obstacles on the path of Sadhanas. Wishing and desiring leads to anger, infatuation and greed and as a result the Sadhak loses his balance of mind. Hence once should always keep the mind free of desires.

  8. Criticising others   Finding faults in others is the biggest obstacle for a Sadhak. A Sadhak should not waste his time in such activities and not worry what others are doing. The Sadhak should always remain concentrated in his own Sadhanas so that there is no time left for such useless activities.
Those who fall into habit of criticising others cannot progress well in Sadhanas, for they are wasting a lot of their thought power in a useless exercise. One should always remember the words of the great saint Kabeer -
Buraa Jo Dekhan Mein Chalaa, Buraa Na Miliyaa Koy. Jo Dil Khojaa Aapanaa, Mujhasaa Buraa Na Koy.
 
i.e. When I started to look for bad qualities in others I ultimately realised that there is no more bad person than me.
Remember that if you point one finger at others in accusation three fingers shall be pointing towards you. What I mean to say is that before accusing others even once evaluate your own self at least thrice. One should look at one's own thoughts and try to remove one's faults instead of finding the same in others.