A slight overloading in the stomach will upset meditation. The mind has direct connection with gastric nerves of the stomach. You will get drowsiness also. You must train yourself to ‘Mitahara’.
When you have diet restriction, in the beginning you will imagine that you are getting leaner and weaker. To add to this your friends and relatives will frighten you. Do not hear them. In a few days you will be quite all right.
In case of indigestion and constipation, take a long brisk walk in the morning. As soon as you get up from bed drink large quantity of water. Do Paschimottana, Mayura, Trikona Asanas, Nauli and Uddiyana. Do physical exercises also. In case of chronic constipation try a change in diet. If you take rice, then take wheat, and see. If you are in the same state, try fruits and milk diet. Then you will be quite all right. Change of diet is a sure remedy.
If you have the evil habit of drinking wine, toddy, coffee, etc., and if you want to stop it, go to the meditation room and promise before the deity that you will stop the bad habit from that moment. Proclaim this determination to your friends. If your mind goes to the same habit, you will naturally be ashamed to continue the habit. Several times you will fail. Still struggle hard. Take to Satsanga. Study religious books. You can destroy all impure habits. If you find it very difficult to give up, the last remedy you will have to take is in running away from the present society and you must flee to a place where you cannot at all get all these. Out of compulsion you can leave the bad habit.
If you want to stop taking mutton, fish etc., just see with your own eyes the pitiable, struggling condition at the time of killing the sheep or fish. Now mercy and sympathy will arise in your heart. Then you will determine to give up flesh-eating so that the poor innocent lives may be spared. If you fail in this attempt, just change your environments and live in a Brahmin hotel where you cannot get mutton and fish and move with that society where there is only vegetable diet. Always think of the evils of flesh-eating and the benefits of vegetable diet. If this also cannot give you sufficient strength to stop this habit, go to the slaughter house and butcher’s shop and personally see the disgusting rotten muscles, kidneys and other nasty parts of the animal and the bad smell. This will induce Vairagya in you and a strong disgust and hatred for mutton-eating.
A Mantra is a mass of Tejas or radiant energy. It transforms the mental substance by producing a particular thought movement. The rhythmical vibrations produced by Mantra regulate the unsteady vibrations of the five sheaths. It checks the natural tendency of objective thoughts of the mind. It helps the Sadhana Shakti and reinforces it. Sadhana Shakti is strengthened by Mantra-Shakti. Mantra awakens superhuman powers.
“Only the knowledge imparted by a Guru through his lips is powerful and useful; otherwise it becomes fruitless, weak and very painful.”
“Siddhau visvasah prathamalakshanam”—For success, firm belief is the first condition.
Develop the power of endurance (Titiksha), learn to bear happiness and misery evenly and to pass through all phases of life, all experiences.
The endurance of all pain and torture with patience and contentment means the exercise of a distinct force which spiritualises the whole nature. The greater this force, the speedier the spiritual growth. Patience and faith should continue undiminished all through the Sadhana period.
Chitta-Shuddhi is purification of mind. Nadi Shuddhi is purification of Nadis. Bhuta-Shuddhi is purification of elements. Adhara-Shuddhi is purification of Adhara. If there is Shuddhi (purification), Siddhi (perfection) will come by itself. Siddhi is not possible without Shuddhi.
Humility is the highest of all virtues. You can destroy your egoism by developing this virtue alone. You can influence the whole world. You will become a magnet to attract the whole world. It must be genuine. Feigned humility is hypocrisy.
Control anger by practice of Kshama, Dhairya, patience and Nirabhimanata, absence of egoism.
When anger is controlled it will be transmuted into an energy by which you can move the whole world.
Anger is a modification of passion. If you can control lust, you have already controlled anger.
Drink a little water when you become angry. It will cool the brain and calm the excited, irritable nerves.
Count twenty, one by one. By the time you finish counting twenty, anger will subside.
Watch the small irritable impulse or thought-wave carefully. Then it will become more easy for you to control anger. Take all precautions. Do not allow it to burst out and assume a wild form.
If you find it extremely difficult to control it, leave the place at once and walk for half an hour. Pray to God. Do Japa. Meditate. Meditation gives immense strength.
Very often depression comes in meditation in neophytes owing to the influence of Samskaras, influence of astral entities, evil spirits, bad company, cloudy days, bad stomach and loaded bowels. It must be quickly removed by cheerful thoughts, a brisk walk, singing His Name, and laughing, prayer, Pranayama, purgative and a dose of carminative mixture.
If you want to enter into Samadhi quickly, cut all connections with friends, relatives, and others. Observe Akhanda Mowna, Live on milk alone. Plunge in meditation.
Laziness and fickleness of mind are the two great obstacles in Yoga. Light Sattvic diet and Pranayamas will remove laziness. Do not overload the stomach. Walk briskly in the compound hither and thither for half an hour.
“Diseases are generated in one’s body through the following causes, viz., sleeping in day-time, late vigil overnight, excess of sexual intercourse, moving in crowd, checking of urine and faeces, taking of unwholesome food and laborious mental work. If a Yogi is affected by any disease due to these causes, he says that the disease is due to his Yogic practice. This is the first obstacle in yoga.”
“Disease, mental inactivity, doubt, indifference, laziness, tendency to go after sense-enjoyments, stupor, false perception, non-attainment of concentration and falling away from that when attained on account of restlessness, are the obstructing distractions.” (Yoga Sutras I-30).
If a practitioner is gloomy, depressed and weak, surely there is some error in his Sadhana. If aspirants themselves are gloomy and peevish how can they impart joy, peace and strength to others? A cheerful and ever-smiling countenance is a sure sign of spirituality and Divine life.
O emotional, enthusiastic young aspirants! Do not take the movements of rheumatic winds in the back from chronic lumbago for ascent of Kundalini. Do your Sadhana with patience, perseverance till you get Samadhi. Master every stage in Yoga. Do not take up any higher courses before you completely master the lower steps.
O impatient aspirant! Do not bother much about awakening Kundalini. Premature awakening is not desirable. Do your Sadhana and Tapas systematically and regularly. Just as the gardener who waters the trees daily gets the fruits when the proper time comes so also you will enjoy the fruits of your Sadhana when the time comes. Purify and steady the mind now. Purify the Nadis. Then Kundalini will be awakened spontaneously.
The aspirant, even though he would have awakened the Kundalini by some means, will not be benefited at all if he has not developed the necessary qualifications. It is not possible for him to feel, and manifest all the benefits of awakening Kundalini.
There are some developed souls who are in a state of Samadhi naturally from their very birth. They have not acquired this by any exertion in this birth. They are called born Siddhas. They have finished their Sadhana in their previous births.
By continence, devotion to Guru and steady practice, success comes in Yoga after a long time. The aspirant should always be patient and persevering.
“Svastika, Gomukha, Padma, Hamsa—these are the Brahmic postures (Asanas). Vira, Mayura, Vajra and Siddha Asanas are the Raudra postures. Yoni is the Sakta posture. Paschimottanasana is the Shaiva posture.”
