Practical Sadhana

What to do to attain God

Practical Sadhana

Is Worship of Idols Right?

Question God's form is divine. He cannot be casted into a material objects. Why then, do people worship idols made of stone, or pictures? Answer The word idol is translation of Sanskrit word moorti. To really answer this question three things have to be understood. First understand the

Practical Sadhana

A Sure Shot Cure For All Your Troubles of the Body and Mind

Although our scriptures suggest many other expedients to realize God, but Shri Krishna clearly says –  न साधयति मां योगो न साङ्ख्यं धर्म उद्धव । न स्वाध्यायस्तपस्त्यागो यथा भक्तिर्ममोर्जिता ॥  भा 11.

Practical Sadhana

Planning a Teerth Yatra? Avoid This Common Mistake

Most people who believe in God are always eager to visit places of pilgrimage, e.g: Mathura, Vrindaban, Ayodhya, Kashi, Haridwar etc. They think that a visit to these holy places, will release them from the clutches of Maya. Let us reflect on this matter, as there is a great

Practical Sadhana

From Romance to Real Love: Rethinking Valentine’s Day

Today is Valentine’s Day. People have been celebrating this day as a day of love and romance since the 1300s.  On this day people demonstrate their love by exchanging cards, candy, flowers or gifts with their special “valentine”. "Love" is considered pure, selfless and eternal. Does the&

Practical Sadhana

How Praise Corrupts the Seeker

Most of us like to be praised and do not like to be criticized. Parents use praise to encourage their children do better in their studies, participate in extra-curricular activities, adopt socially-appropriate behavior etc. Spouses too use praise to demonstrate appreciation for each other. In games like the Olympics, medals

Practical Sadhana

Want to See God? Here’s How!

Question Scriptures say that God is so attractive that one who gets even a slightest glimpse of Him, falls in love with Him forever. I too want to fall in love with God. How can I see Him? Answer Yes, this is true, that God is all-attractive and those who

Practical Sadhana

The Magnetic Pull of Earnest Longing

When a devotee, earnestly calls out for The Supreme God, then He spares no time and graces the devotee. He manifests Himself in His divine form in front of the devotee. According to Bhagavat  the milk maidens of Braj, called Gopis, were neither educated nor followed the instructions of the

Practical Sadhana

The Wish That Set the Bar for Selfless Devotion

The Festival of Holi reminds us of Prahlad, the crest jewel of all saints (Bhakt Shiromani), and his steadfast devotion towards the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna. One day creator Lord Brahma's 4 divine son called Kumars went to visit Lord MahaVishnu in His divine abode Baikunth. Upon reaching

Practical Sadhana

Want a Fulfilling Diwali? Celebrate It This Way

Diwali (दिवाली) also called Deepawali (दीपावली) is considered to be the most popular festival in India. The word deep (Devanagari: दीप ISO15919: dīpa ) or diya (Devanagari: दिया ISO15919: diyā) means earthen lamp and avali (Devanagari: अवली ISO15919: avalī) means line. Hence, Deepavali is celebrated

Practical Sadhana

The Art of Attentive Listening in Bhakti

Question We have heard Shri Maharaj Ji's lectures numerous times. And we understand them and also believe what he is saying to be true. Then why do the teachings of saints not have any impact on us? Answer Jeev is eternal and so is God. Jeev has taken

Practical Sadhana

When Does God Reveal His Divine Form

We all strive to attain pure, ever lasting, ever new, ever increasing bliss. The bliss can only be attained by having complete, unwavering faith in God. Our scriptures tell a beautiful story about Dhanna Jat to elaborate this point: Dhanna Jat was a poor uneducated man who lived in a

Practical Sadhana

Is God to Be Loved or Feared?

God is Love and He is also the most lovable personality. However, out of ignorance, most people fear Him more than loving Him. Fearful of incurring His wrath, they perform devotion to Him with their physical bodies like their hands to perform aarti, lips to sing keertans. While they do

Practical Sadhana

When Faith Becomes Power

Once upon a time, thousands of years ago, there lived a notorious highway robber by the name of Ratnakar. Though Ratnakar was born in a Brahmin family, had chosen robbery as his profession to financially support his family.  He was a cruel, ruthless and merciless person. His modus operandi was

Practical Sadhana

I Solemnly Pledge

Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj was born in Mangarh, a small village in north India in the state of Uttar Pradesh. In 1966 for the very first time Shri Maharaj Ji organized a month long Sadhana program in Mangarh. Its sole purpose was to give the seekers of God an

Practical Sadhana

Mastering the Monkey Within

Mind is the doer. Actions performed by the mind or with the association of the mind are considered as actions. Actions performed by the senses alone without the involvement of the mind are not considered as actions. But the mind, by nature, is fickle, unrestrained, and ponders over things. The

Practical Sadhana

Why am I not Growing Spiritually?

Question  I have been practicing devotion regularly and put in my best effort towards doing roopdhyan. Still, why is there no noticeable improvement in my devotion? Worried about your devotion? Know your gotchas. Follow the remedy written by Shri Maharaj Ji. Answer The word sadhana means to make a conscious,

Practical Sadhana

Why Doesn’t My Devotion Grow?

Question  I have been practicing devotion regularly and put in my best effort towards doing roopdhyan. Still, why is there no noticeable improvement in my devotion? Answer The word sadhana means to make a conscious, disciplined effort and practice to achieve a goal. The practice of devotion is called Sadhana

Practical Sadhana

Turning Crisis into Divine Opportunity

We discussed about COVID-19 and its effect on health and its subtle effect on our mindset, our life and several issues related to COVID-19. Read  Crisis-Part 1 Main points in the article * COVID-19’s Impact Beyond Health * Financial Hardship and Destiny * Mindset of Acceptance * Worldly vs. Divine Happiness * Power of

Practical Sadhana

Set Your Eternal Intentions This Year

Make a firm resolve to remember God Many people around the world like to make New Year resolutions such as a resolution to stay fit and healthy;  exercising 3-times a week, losing weight, eating less sugar etc.. They stay on course and willingly or unwillingly continue to carry out these

Practical Sadhana

Unlock Rapid Progress in Sadhana

Question I spend 45-60 minutes daily for Sadhana, but I don't feel that I am making adequate progress. What should I do? Answer Sadhana means "practice". The aspirants of divine love need to practice focusing their mind on Divine Hari and Guru. To increase the speed

Practical Sadhana

Unshakable Truth: Sadhana is a Must

Sadhana means the practice of remembering God and focusing your mind on His divine form. When you commence your Sadhana, your mind will continue to wander back into this world. But you should not get disheartened and continue to practice, just the same way as you did when you were

Practical Sadhana

Is Selfless Love a Recipe for Unhappiness?

Question - Our scriptures tell us that we should love God selflessly, with the sole objective of serving Him to please Him. This gives rise to a question that if we should love God selflessly, just to please Him, then what about our own happiness? After all, we deserve to

Practical Sadhana

Transforming Desire into Divine Bliss

Question We have a deep rooted desire is to be blissful. When we try to find bliss, some saints/scriptures say that we should first give up worldly desires and then worship God. Yet other saints/scriptures say that if we worship God, then the worldly desires will automatically vanquish.

Practical Sadhana

Navigating the Storm of Anger

Question I get upset with my 4-year-old daughter but I don't know why? What should I do? Answer The main reason for getting upset or angry are our unfulfilled desires. The fulfilment of a desire gives rise to greed, and the non-fulfillment of a desire gives rise to

Practical Sadhana

Sacred Compass: Navigating the Journey to Divine Union

The eternal holy scriptures describe three ways of emancipation-from-Maya or God realization. लक्षन्तुचतुरो वेदा लक्षमेकं तुभारतम्॥lakṣantu caturo vedā lakṣamekaṃ tu bhāratam॥  Ved Vyas divided the Vedas (also known as vinirgat granth) into 4 books and all together they encompass 100,