Spiritual Diary
Month : ________________
Questions
Date
1. When did you get up from bed ?
2. How many hours did you sleep ?
3. How many Malas of Japa ?
4. How long in Kirtan ?
5. How many Pranayamas ?
6. How long did you perform Asanas ?
7. How long did you meditate in one Asana?
8. How many Gita Slokas did you read or get by heart ?
9. How long in the company of the wise (Satsanga) ?
10. How many hours did you observe Mouna ?
11. How long in disinterested selfless service ?
12. How much did you give in charity ?
13. How many Mantras you wrote ?
14. How long did you practice physical exercise ?
15. How many lies did you tell and with what self-punishment ?
16. How many times and how long of anger and with what self-punishment ?
17. How many hours you spent in useless company ?
18. How many times you failed in Brahmacharya ?
19. How long in study of religious books ?
20. How many times you failed in the control of evil habits and with what self-punishment ?
21. How long you concentrated on your Ishta Devata (Saguna or Nirguna Dhyana) ?
22. How many days did you observe fast and vigil ?
23. Were you regular in your meditation ?
24. What virtue are you developing ?
25. What evil quality are you trying to eradicate ?
26. What Indriya is troubling you most ?
27. When did you go to bed ?
The Spiritual Diary
The Spiritual Diary is a whip for goading the mind towards righteousness and God. If you regularly maintain this diary you will get solace, peace of mind and make quick progress in the spiritual path. Maintain a daily diary and realise the marvellous results.
Prepare a statement of daily Spiritual Diary for every month as shown on the opposite page and verify whether you are progressing or not. If you want quick spiritual attainments, you should never neglect to record everything in your diary. To change the worldly nature it needs rigorous Sadhana. Apart from these questions you must also mention the following in the remarks column:—
1. The name of the Asanas.
2. The kind of meditation.
3. What books do you keep for Svadhyaya?
4. What is your special diet?
5. Do you keep a Japa Mala?
6. Have you got a separate meditation room?
7. How do you keep the meditation room?
8. Do you read Gita with meaning?
Do not be ashamed to mention your mistakes, vices and failures. This is meant for your own progress only. Do not waste your precious hours. It is enough that you have wasted so many years in idle-gossiping. Enough, enough of the troubles you had all these days in satisfying your senses. Do not say:—“from tomorrow I will be regular.” That “tomorrow” is for the worthless worldly-minded fools. Be sincere and start doing Sadhana from this moment. Be sincere. Take out a copy of the Spiritual Diary and send it on to your Guru, who will guide you, remove all the obstacles in your Sadhana and give you further lessons.
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YOGA-KUNDALINI UPANISHAD
Introduction
The Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad is the eighty-sixth among the 108 Upanishads. It forms part of the Krishna Yajurveda. It deals with an exposition of Hatha and Lambika Yogas. It concludes with an account of the non-qualified Brahman. The Non-dual Brahman is the quest of all seekers.
Though grouped among the minor Upanishads, the Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad is a very important work on Kundalini Yoga. It begins with an analysis of the nature of Chitta. It maintains that Samskaras and Vasanas on the one hand, and Prana, on the other, constitute the causes for the existence of Chitta. If Vasanas are controlled, Prana is automatically controlled. If Prana is controlled, the Vasanas are automatically controlled.
The Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad presents methods for the control of Prana. The Yogic student does not deal with Vasanas. He concerns himself with the techniques of controlling the Prana.
The three methods given in the Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad for the control of Prana are: Mitahara, Asana and Shakti-Chalana. These three methods are fully explained in the first chapter. Light, sweet and nutritious food forms the discipline of Mitahara. The Padmasana and the Vajrasana are two important Asanas used by the Yogic student. Shakti-Chalana is arousing the Kundalini and sending it to the crown of the head.
Kundalini can be aroused by a twofold practice. Saraswati Chalana and the restraint of Prana are the two practices. The rousing of the Saraswati Nadi is Saraswati Chalana.
The process, as described in the Yoga-Kundalini Upanishad, for arousing Kundalini is simple. When a person exhales, the Prana goes out 16 digits. In inhalation it goes in only 12 digits, thus losing 4. The Kundalini is aroused if one can inhale Prana for 16 digits. This is done by sitting in Padmasana and when the Prana is flowing through the left nostril, and lengthening inwards 4 digits more.
