Sadhana - Daily Devotion
For nurturing of bhakti, it is necessary to fix a daily routine to practice of sadhana. The aim of sadhana is to train the body to sit down and mind to engage regular practice of bhakti.
There are two types of practice that need to be performed.
Practicing devotion in solitude is termed as karm sanyas sadhana. The step-buy-step guide of performing this sadhana is described below
Karm Sanyas Sadhana
Karma Sanyas Sadhana (Devanagari: कर्म सन्यास साधना ISO15919: karma sanyāsa sādhanā) means practicing to do roopdhyan in solitude.
During this time we lovingly remember God in His personal form. Shri Maharaj Ji says without this preparatory mental training, we cannot advance even one step in devotion.
Lovingly perform roopdhyan of your chosen Deity. Roopdhyan is the life and breath of practicing bhakti . Without it, devotional practice - no matter what we are doing - is like a body without a soul.
1. According to your own liking select a beautiful picture or moorti of your beloved Lord, Shri Radha Krishna.
2. Prepare a place of sadhana, in which you should put only the selected image of Shri Radha Krishna and your Guru. It is better for your meditation if a quiet place in your home is designated for this purpose.
3. Set a time aside for your regular daily sadhana.
4. Start your sadhana by visualizing that you are now far away from the rest of the world. Only your Guru and your beloved God are with you.
5. Close your eyes, do roopadhyan - devotional remembrance. Imagine the most beautiful, living and divine form of God is gradually appearing in front of you. This form is your choice of most breathtaking photo (or moorti) you might have seen. Feel His presence. Enjoy the indescribable beauty of His peacock feather crested golden crown, His forehead which is adorned with a shiny tilak, His broad shoulders which are covered by shimmering pitambara, His chest which is adorned with shimmering necklaces and a banmala, His waist which is encircled by a golden bejeweled kinkini, and His lotus feet which are encircled by beautiful anklets.
6. Serve your beloved Lord by fanning Him, washing or pressing His lotus feet or through any other kind of loving service. Do everything in your mind. It is not merely an imagination. Since, He is already seated in your heart, He is observing all your sentiments closely. Continue to strengthen your resolve that He is yours, He alone is yours. Increase your intention to see God in His full divine form during sadhana.
7. To firmly set your mind in sadhana, then perform the following:
- Recite the Daily Prayer composed by Shri Maharaj Ji and as you repeat the words, either out loud or silently, try to understand their meaning and develop a feeling of devotional humility
- Perform the Arti of Guru to increase your love and reverence for Him and to express your gratitude for his grace
- Sing one or two bhajans so you may practice roopdhyan with the help of the meanings of the bhajans which describe Shri Radha Krishna's form, name, qualities, pastimes and abode
- Perform the Arti of Shri Radha Krishna while continuing to visualize their close presence;
- After arti, offer bhog (a light and sattvic food). Bhog is offering is made to God and Guru. This food is later eaten as prasad (blessed food). At the time of offering bhog, try to imagine that God or Guru are seated before you. They are eating or tasting what you have prepared.
Karmayog sadhana
After performing this practice of daily sadhana, all though the day make repeated effort to feel God's presence. This is called karmayog sadhana (Devanagari: कर्मयोग साधना ISO15919: karmayoga sādhanā).
Start your day with seating Hari-Guru in front of you. They are watching you, inspecting your every karma. Then every hour, just for a second, think They are still there watching you. This will interrupt any unproductive thoughts going through your head.
Once you get into the habit of thinking of them every hour then reduce the duration to 30 min. And likewise keep reducing the duration till you cannot forget them.
There is nothing special you need to do to start this daily practice. You can start your sadhana now with the materials provided through the links on this page.
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