I welcome all of you, who
love the god most ,who hate the god most.
Here is a systematized presentation
of the well-known "20 Important Spiritual Instructions" of Swami
Sivananda, and it enlarges upon the prerequisites required for the all-round
discipline that should act as the forerunner to direct meditation, arranged in
their sequential order.
1. Get up at 4. a.m. daily. This is
Brahmamuhurta, which is extremely favorable for meditation on God.
2. Asana: Sit on Padma,
Siddha or Sukha Asana for Japa and meditation for half an hour, facing the east
or the north. Increase the period gradually to three hours. Do Sirshasana and
Sarvangasana for keeping up Brahmacharya and health. Take light physical
exercises as walking, etc., regularly. Do twenty Pranayamas.
3. Japa: Repeat any Mantra as
pure Om or Om Name Narayanaya, Om Namah Sivaya, Om Name Bhagavate Vasudevaya, Om
Saravanabhavaya Namah, Sita Ram, Sri Ram, Hari Om, or Gayatri, according to
your taste or inclination, from 108 to 21,600 times daily.
4. Dietetic Discipline: Take
Sattvic food, Suddha Ahara. Give up chillies, tamarind, garlic, onion, sour
articles, oil, mustard, asafoetida. Observe moderation in diet (Mitahara). Do
not overload the stomach. Give up those things which the mind likes best for a
fortnight in a year. Eat simple food. Milk and fruits help concentration. Take
food as medicine to keep the life going. Eating for enjoyment is sin. Give up
salt and sugar for a month. You must be able to live on rice, Dhal and bread
without any chutni. Do not ask for extra salt for Dhal and sugar for tea,
coffee or milk.
5. Have a separate meditation room
under lock and key.
6. Charity: Do charity
regularly, every month, or even daily according to your means, say six paisa
per rupee.
7. Svadhyaya: Study
systematically the Gita, the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, Vishnu-Sahasranama,
Lalita-Sahasranama, Aditya Hridaya, Upanishads or Yoga Vasishtha, the Bible,
Zend Avesta, the Koran, the Tripitakas, the Granth Sahib, etc., from half an
hour to one hour daily and have Suddha Vichara.
8. Brahmacharya: Preserve the
vital force (Veerya) very, very carefully. Veerya is God in motion or
manifestation—Vibhuti. Veerya is all power. Veerya is all money. Veerya is the
essence of life, thought and intelligence.
9. Prayer Slokas: Get by
heart some prayer-Slokas, Stotras and repeat them as soon as you sit in the
Asana before starting Japa or meditation. This will elevate the mind quickly.
10. Satsanga: Have Satsanga.
Give up bad company, smoking, meat and alcoholic liquors entirely. Do not
develop any evil habits.
11. Fast on Ekadasi: Fast on
Ekadasi or live on milk and fruits only.
12. Japa Mala: Have Japa Mala
(rosary) round your neck or in your pocket or underneath your pillow at night.
13. Mouna: Observe Mouna (vow
of silence) for a couple of hours daily.
14. Speak the Truth: Speak
the truth at all cost. Speak a little. Speak sweetly.
15. Reduce your wants. If you have
four shirts, reduce the number to three or two. Lead a happy, contented life.
Avoid unnecessary worry. Have plain living and high thinking.
16. Never hurt anybody: Never
hurt anybody (Ahimsa Paramo Dharmah). Control anger by love, Kshama
(forgiveness) and Daya (compassion).
17. Do not depend upon servants: Do
not depend upon servants. Self-reliance is the highest of all virtues.
18. Self-analysis: Think of
the mistakes you have committed during the course of the day, just before
retiring to bed (self-analysis). Keep daily diary and self-correction register.
Do not brood over past mistakes.
19. Fulfil duties: Remember
that death is awaiting you at every moment. Never fail to fulfil your duties.
Have pure conduct (Sadachara).
20. Surrender to God: Think
of God as soon as you wake up and just before you go to sleep. Surrender
yourself completely to God (Saranagati).
Swami Chidananda writes, “Swami
Sivananda gave us one aspect of His teachings in the form of the 20
Important Spiritual Instructions. These instructions comprise a harmonizing
of the outer and the inner, the emphasizing of the inner and practicing of the
teachings of the ancient sages and seers of the Upanishads, practicing
of the teachings of all the saints who through the centuries have graced and
blessed Bharatavarsha (India) by their ideal life and teachings. This practice,
together with the normal life is Gurudev’s special teaching to the world, and
summing up, the practical 20 Important Spiritual Instructions give us
the key to Blessedness even while living in the world and through the world
itself.
aravindam
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