Regularity in Meditation Whatever spiritual practice you do, either Japa, practice of Asana, concrete meditation on Saguna-Murti or Pranayama, do it systematically and regularly every day. The reward of this practice is immense. You will get Immortality or Eternal life (Amritatvam). All desires will melt there. You will get Nitya Tripti. Meditate, meditate. Concentrate, concentrate, my dear friends. Never miss even a single day owing to laziness. Laziness is the greatest enemy of a Sadhaka. Life is short, time is fleeting and obstacles are many in the spiritual path. Conquer them one by one by exertion and prayer. If you are sincere you will get various sorts of help from within, from without, from the helpers of the astral plane, from Jivanmuktas who are scattered in all parts of the world and from Amara-Purushas such as Sri Vyasa, Vasishtha, Kapila Muni, Dattatreya of Girnar Hills, Agastya Muni of Podia Hills, Tirunelveli. Just as you take food four times, morning, noon, afternoon and night, so also you will have to meditate four times a day if you want to realise quickly. You must be systematic and regular in your meditation. Just as cannabis indica, opium or alcohol gives you intoxication, even if you take a small quantity, and lasts for some hours, so also the God-intoxication that you get from regular meditation, lasts for some hours if you meditate for half an hour daily. Therefore be regular. When you meditate, when you develop divine or Sattvic virtue, a spiritual road is constructed in the mind. If you are not regular in meditation, if your dispassion wanes, if you become careless and non-vigilant, the spiritual road will be washed away by the flood of impure thoughts and evil Vasanas. Therefore be regular in your meditation. Regularity in meditation is of paramount importance.When you practise meditation, Japa, Kirtan, Pranayama or enquiry, worldly thoughts, cravings and Vasanas are suppressed. If you are irregular in meditation and if your dispassion wanes, they try to manifest again. They persist and resist. Therefore, be regular in your meditation and do more vigorous Sadhana. Cultivate more dispassion. They will be gradually thinned out and eventually destroyed.

Aids to Meditation Mula Bandha in Meditation: When you sit in the Asana for doing Japa, contract the anus. This is termed Mula Bandha in Hatha Yogic practice. This helps concentration. This practice prevents the Apanavayu from moving downwards. Kumbhaka in Meditation: Retain the breath as long as you can comfortably do so. This is Kumbhaka. This will considerably steady the mind and help concentration. You will feel intense spiritual bliss. Yogic Diet: Take Mitahara, Sattvic diet. Overloading the stomach with rice, vegetable, dhal and bread brings sleep and interferes with Sadhana. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man cannot practise meditation. A diet of milk renders the body very, very light. You can sit in one Asana for hours together with ease and comfort. If you feel weak, you can take for a day or two a little rice and milk or barley and milk or any light diet. Those who are in the field of service and who do platform lectures and other intense spiritual propaganda activities need solid, substantial food. You will find very often these terms in the Gita: Ananya Chetah-no thinking of another; Matchitta, Nitya Yukta, Manmanah; Ekagram Manah and Sarva-Bhava. These terms denote that you will have to give your full mind, entire cent per cent, to God. Then only you will have Self-realisation. Even if one ray of mind runs outside, it is impossible to attain God-consciousness. Be silent. Know thyself. Know That. Melt the mind in That. Truth is quite pure and simple. Asanas for Meditation Sit in Padma, Siddha, Svastika or Sukha Asana for half an hour to start with. Then increase the period to three hours. In one year you can have Asana-Siddhi. Any easy, comfortable posture is Asana. Padmasana This is the lotus-pose. Place the right foot on the left thigh, the left foot on the right thigh. Put the hands on the thighs near the knee-joints. Keep the head, neck and the trunk in one straight line. Close the eyes and concentrate on the Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows. This is called lotus-pose or Kamalasana. This is very good for meditation. This Asana is beneficial for householders. Siddhasana This is the perfect pose. This is a beautiful Asana for meditation. Place one heel at the anus or Guda, the terminal opening of the alimentary canal or digestive tube through which the excreta or faecal matter is thrown out. Keep the other heel at the foot of the generative organ and the hands on the knees. Close the eyes. Concentrate on the Trikuti or on the tip of the nose. Keep the head, neck and trunk in one straight line. Keep the hands as in Padmasana near the knee joints. This Asana is beneficial for Brahmacharins and Sannyasins. Svastikasana Svastika is sitting at ease with the body erect. Place the right foot near the thigh and bring the left foot and push it between the right thigh and calf muscles. Now you will find the two feet between the thigh and calf muscles. This is Svastikasana. Sukhasana Any easy comfortable posture for Japa and meditation is Sukhasana. The important point is that the head and the trunk should be straight. Here is a special variety of Sukhasana which is very comfortable for old people. Take a cloth 5 cubits long and fold it lengthwise. Raise the knees to the chest level. Keep one end of it near the left knee. Take the other end, going to the back by the left side and right knee come to the left knee and make a knot there. Keep the hands between the knees. As the legs, hands, back-bone are all supported, one can sit in this Asana for a long time. Benefits of Asanas Asana removes many diseases such as piles, dyspepsia, constipation, and checks excessive Rajas. The body gets genuine rest from the posture. If you are established in Asana, if you are firm in your seat, then you can take up easily exercises in Pranayama. This is the third Anga or part of Ashtanga Yoga or Raja Yoga of Patanjali. First, there is self-restraint or practice of Ahimsa, Satyam, Brahmacharya, etc. Second, there are religious canons or observances, such as Saucha, Santosha, Tapas, Svadhyaya, etc. Next comes Asana. When the Asana becomes steady, you will not feel the body. When you have obtained mastery in Asana, qualities of the pairs of opposites such as heat and cold will not trouble you then. You must sit in the Asana on an empty stomach. You can take a small cup of milk, tea or coffee before doing Asana. Asana steadies the body. Bandhas and Mudras make the body firm. Pranayama makes the body light. Nadi Suddhi produces steadiness of the mind. Having acquired these qualifications you will have to fix the mind on Brahman. Then only meditation will go on steadily with ease and happiness. For meditation, concentration and Japa, Padmasana or Siddhasana is prescribed. For general health and keeping up of Brahmacharya, Sirshasana, Sarvangasana, Matsyasana, Pachimottanasana are good.

How Many Hours to Meditate To start with, you can meditate for half an hour in the morning from 4 to 4.30 and for half an hour at night from 8 to 8.30. Morning time is best for meditation. The mind is refreshed after sound sleep. Further, Sattva predominates in the system as in the surrounding atmosphere. In the Yoga Vasishtha, Sri Vasishtha says, “O Rama, give mind for meditation in the beginning; mind for recreation; mind for study; mind for service of Guru. Then mind for meditation; mind for recreation; mind for study; mind for service of Guru.” Here recreation means acts like washing, cleaning, etc. It does not mean golf play or rugby. This recreation is meant for relaxation of mind or diversion of mind after concentration and meditation. Otherwise the mind feels tired and refuses to work. Then give mind for meditation; mind for study. Increase the time of meditation gradually. After two months, increase the period to one hour, 4 to 5 a.m. and 8 to 9 p.m. After a year, increase the time to 1 hours in the morning and 1 hours at night. In the third year two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening; in the fourth year three hours in the morning and three hours at night. This is for the vast majority of persons. An earnest Sadhaka with strong vitality and subtle intellect can meditate for six hours in the first year of his Sadhana. You must study congenial books as the Upanishads, the Yoga Vasishtha, the Gita, Viveka Chudamani, Avadhuta Gita along with meditation. Such study is very elevating. Six hours’ study and six hours’ meditation is very beneficial. This will eventually push you on to Nididhyasana for twenty-four hours. Three Sittings for Meditation At the commencement, have two sittings only, one in the morning from 4 to 5 a.m., one at night from 6 to 8 p.m. After six months or one year, according to your mental calibre you can have three sittings, a third in the afternoon from 4 to 5 p.m. You can increase the period of concentration to two hours at each sitting. In summer, it is rather irksome and difficult owing to perspiration. So, have only two sittings during summer. The loss can be made up in winter. Winter is very favourable for meditation. You will find Rishikesh, Muni-ki-reti, admirably suitable for contemplative purposes. Winter and early part of spring are the best seasons for beginners to commence meditation. In winter the mind is not tired at all. You can meditate even for 24 hours without the least exhaustion. That is the reason why Sadhus select Rishikesh for meditation in winter. The period of meditation should be gradually increased with caution. The meditation should not be by fits and starts. It should be well-regulated and steady. You must always use your commonsense and reason throughout the Sadhana period. You should ascend the summit of Yoga gradually, slowly, stage by stage and step by step. You must not give up the practice even for a few days.Meditation for one hour in the morning and for one hour in the evening must be practised by all to start with. The hours of practice must be gradually increased. Another important point is that the Brahmic feeling must be kept up all the twenty four hours. There must be an unceasing continuous flow of consciousness. You must not forget the idea of “Aham Brahma Asmi” or the Divine presence even for a single second. Forgetfulness of God is genuine death. It is real suicide. It is Atmadroha. This is the highest sin.

Qualifications for Practising Meditation Before saturating the mind with thoughts of Brahman you will have to assimilate the divine ideas first. Assimilation first and then saturation. Then comes realisation at once without a moment’s delay. Remember this triplet always: ASSIMILATION- SATURATION-REALISATION. Your will should be rendered strong, pure and irresistible by more Atma-Chintana, eradication of Vasanas, control of the senses and more inner life. You must utilise every second on Sundays and holidays to your best spiritual advantages. If you have tasted Rasagulla-a Bengal-sweetmeat-for a month, mental adhesion to Rasagulla comes in the mind. If you are in the company of Sannyasins, if you read books on Yoga, Vedanta, etc., a similar mental adhesion takes place in the mind for attaining God-consciousness. Mere mental adhesion will not help you much. Burning Vairagya, burning Mumukshutva, capacity for spiritual Sadhana, intense and constant application and Nididhyasana (meditation) are needed. Then only Self-knowledge is possible. Leading a virtuous life is not by itself sufficient for God-realisation. Constant meditation is absolutely necessary. A good virtuous life only prepares the mind as a fit instrument for concentration and meditation. It is concentration and meditation that eventually lead to Self-realisation. You will find very often these terms in the Gita- “Manmanah, Matparah.” These terms connote that you will have to give your full mind, entire 100% mind, to God. Then only you will have Self-realisation. Even if one ray of mind runs outside, it is impossible to attain God-consciousness. Just as you render the turbid water pure by the addition of clearing nut (strychnos potatorum), so also you will have to make the turbid mind, filled with Vasanas and false Sankalpas, pure by Brahma-Chintana (thinking and reflecting on the Absolute). Then only there will be true illumination. You must not be too hasty in longing for the fruits at once, when you take to meditation. A young lady perambulated the Asvattha tree (Filicus Religiosa) 108 times for getting an offspring and then immediately touched her abdomen to see whether there was a child or not. It is simply foolishness. She will have to wait for some months. Even so, if you will meditate for some time regularly then the mind will be ripened and eventually you will get Atma-Sakshatkara (Self-realisation). Haste makes waste. It behoves well that advanced Grihastha Yogic students (householders) will have to stop all the worldly activities when they advance in meditation, if they are really sincere. Work is a hindrance in meditation for advanced students. That is the reason why Lord Krishna says in the Gita “For a sage who is seeking Yoga, action is called the means; for the same sage who is enthroned in Yoga (state of Yogarudha), serenity (Sama) is called the means.” Then work and meditation become incompatible like acid and alkali or fire and water or light and darkness. You must daily increase your Vairagya, meditation and Sattvic virtues such as patience, perseverance, mercy, love, forgiveness, purity, etc. Vairagya and good qualities help meditation. Meditation increases the Sattvic qualities. Have the one all-pervading Brahma Bhavana (feeling). Deny the finite body as a mere appearance. Try to keep up the feelings always. Why do you close your eyes during meditation? Open your eyes, and meditate. You must keep your balance of mind even when you are in the bustle of a city. Then only you are perfect. In the beginning when you are a neophyte you can close your eyes to remove the distraction of mind, as you are very weak. But later on you must meditate with eyes open even during walking. Think strongly that the world is unreal, that there is no world, that there is Atman only. If you can meditate on Atman even when the eyes are open you will be a strong man. You will not be easily disturbed. You can meditate only when the mind is beyond all anxieties. In meditation and concentration you will have to train the mind in a variety of ways. Then only the gross mind will become subtle (Sukshma). All Vrittis such as anger, jealousy, hatred, etc., assume subtle forms when you practise Japa and meditation. They are thinned out. They should be destroyed in toto through Samadhi. Then only you are safe. Latent Vrittis will be waiting for opportunities to assume a grave and expanded form. You should be ever careful and vigilant. Resist the fatal downward pull by the dark, antagonistic forces through regular meditation. Check the aimless wanderings of the mind through clear and orderly thinking. Hear not the false whispers of the lower mind. Turn your inner gaze to the divine centre. Do not be afraid of the severe setbacks that you will encounter in your journey. Be brave. March on boldly till you finally rest in your centre of eternal bliss. In a big city there is much bustle and sound at 8 p.m. At 9 O’clock there is not so much bustle and sound. At 10 p.m. it is still reduced and at 11 p.m. it is much less. At 1 a.m. There is peace everywhere. Even so in the beginning of Yogic practices there are countless Vrittis in the mind. There is much agitation and tossing in the mind. Gradually the thought-waves subside. In the end all mental modifications are controlled. The Yogi enjoys perfect peace. When you pass through a market in a big city, you will not be able to notice small sounds, but when you sit for common meditation with some of your friends in a quiet room in the morning, you will be able to detect even a little sneezing or coughing. Even so you are not able to find out the evil thoughts when you are engaged in some work or other, but you are able to detect them when you sit for meditation. Do not be afraid when evil thoughts pass through your mind when you sit for meditation. Do vigorous Japa and meditation. They will pass off soon. When you meditate, disregard

Requisites for Meditation When the mind becomes Nirvishaya (free from thinking of sense-objects and their enjoyments) it is meditation. God has hidden Himself in this world (immanent) and is seated in the cavity of the lotus of your heart. He is an absentee landlord. You will have to seek Him through concentration and meditation with a pure mind. This is the real play of hide and seek. For purposes of meditation everything is to be rendered Sattvic. The place of meditation must be Sattvic. The food must be Sattvic. The wearing apparel must be Sattvic. The company must be Sattvic. Talking must be Sattvic. The sound that you hear must be Sattvic. Thinking must be Sattvic. Study must be Sattvic. Everything must be Sattvic. Then only good progress in Sadhana is possible, particularly in the case of beginners (neophytes). Requisites (a) A cool Sattvic place like Uttarakasi, Rishikesh, Lakshmanjhula, Kankhal or Badrinath is necessary for meditation, because the brain gets hot during meditation. (b) There must be capacity for Sadhana. (c) There must be good, Sattvic, substantial, light and nutritious food. (d) There must be a good spiritual teacher (Anubhava Guru) to guide you. (e) There must be good books for study. (f) There must be burning Vairagya, burning Mumukshutva and strong Viveka in you. (g) You must have a sharp, subtle, calm and one-pointed Buddhi to understand the Brahma-Tattva or Brahma Vastu. Then and then only Realisation is possible. Many do not get the above favourable conditions for spiritual Sadhana. This is the reason why they do not make any spiritual progress. Meditation is possible when the mind is full of Sattva Guna. The stomach should not be loaded. There is an intimate connection between the mind and the food. A heavy meal is harmful. Take a full meal at 11 a.m. and half a seer of milk at night. The night meal should be light for those who meditate. Every human being has within himself various potentialities and capacities. He is a magazine of power and knowledge. As he evolves, he unfolds new powers, new faculties and new qualities. Now he can change his environments and influence others. He can subdue other minds. He can conquer internal and external nature. He can enter into superconscious state. In a dark room if a pot, containing a lamp inside it, is broken, the darkness of the room is dispelled and you see light everywhere in the room. Even so, if the body-pot is broken through constant meditation on the Self, i.e., if you destroy ignorance (Avidya) and its effect such as identification with the body, and rise above body-consciousness, you will cognise the supreme light of the Atman everywhere. Pose or Asana is really mental. Try to have a mental Padma or mental Siddha Asana. If the mind is wandering, you cannot have steady body or a steady physical pose. When the mind is steady or fixed in Brahman, steadiness of the body automatically follows. Constantly think of God. The mind should always move towards God. Fasten the mind with a fine silk-thread to the Lotus-Feet of Lord Siva or Hari. Do not allow any worldly thought to enter the mind. Do not allow the mind to think of any physical or mental enjoyment. When it indulges in these thoughts, give it a good hammering. Then it will move towards God. Just as the Ganga flows continuously towards the sea, thoughts of God should flow continuously towards the Lord. Just as the harmonious sound produced from the ringing of bells falls upon the ear in a continuous stream, so also the mind should come towards God in one continuous stream. There must be a continuous divine Vritti-Pravaha from the Sattvic mind towards God through continuous Sadhana. To think of nothing is to attain the highest contemplation. In Nididhyasana or profound and continued meditation, thinking ceases. There is only one idea of “Aham Brahma Asmi.” When this idea is also given up, Nirvikalpa Samadhi or Sahaja Advaita-Nishtha ensues. Man tries to grasp the abstract through forms. After the mind has been purified, an abstract image is formed in the purified mind by Sravana (listening to spiritual discourses and holy scriptures) and Brahma-Chintana. This abstract image melts later on in deep Nididhyasana. What is left behind is Chinmatra or Kevala Asti (Pure Existence alone). The mind should be adored as Brahman. This is intellectual worship. This is Upasana-Vakya. Mind is Brahman or God in manifestation. Mind is God in motion. As Brahman is approachable by means of the mind it is only proper to meditate upon the mind as Brahman. If the readers of works dealing with Atma-Jnana, who do take delight therein will not be hasty in longing for the fruits at once but will meditate regularly and gradually upon them, then the mind will by degrees be ripened and in the end, the endless Atman will be reached. When you read a book with absorbed interest and attention, your mind gets fixed to the ideas. Even so, in Nirguna meditation of Brahman (formless Dhyana) the mind is fixed on one idea, viz., that of Atman. You want for meditation a properly trained instrument (mind). It should be calm, clear, pure, subtle, sharp, steady and one-pointed. Brahman is pure and subtle and you need a pure and subtle mind to approach Brahman. Sit in a lonely place in the Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana. Free yourself from all passions, emotions and impulses. Subjugate the senses. Withdraw the mind from objects. Now the mind will be calm, one-pointed, pure and subtle. With the help of this trained instrument and disciplined mind, contemplate on that one Infinite Self. Do not think of anything else. Allow the one Brahmic idea to flow gently and continuously. Drive out foreign or extraneous worldly ideas gently. Try to keep up the Brahmakara Vritti by repeating OM or ‘Aham Brahma Asmi’ mentally very often. The idea of Infinity, the idea of an ocean of Light, the idea

When and Where to Meditate Practise meditation in Brahmamuhurta. This is the best period for meditation. Always choose that part of the day or night when your mind is clear and when you are least likely to be disturbed. You can have a sitting just before retiring to bed. The mind will be calm at this time. You can have good meditation on Sundays, because it is a holiday and the mind is free. Do vigorous meditation on Sundays. You can have very good concentration when you live on milk and fruits alone, or when you fast. Use your common-sense always and try to bring good outturn in meditation. Meditate at night. A second sitting is necessary. If you have not got sufficient leisure you can meditate even for a few minutes, say 10 or 15 minutes at night. You will have no bad dreams at night. The divine thoughts will be carried during sleep also. The good impressions will be there. An aspirant who meditates in a solitary upstair room in a town will have as much quiet there as in a forest. But he will not have the congenial spiritual vibrations there as in Rishikesh, Uttarakasi or Gangotri. Vibrations play a vital part in the elevation of mind and in producing Ekagrata of mind. In these holy places the vibrations of Rishis are lodged in the ethereal space and the aspirants are highly benefited by these vibrations. Vairagya, Sattvic Bhava and the meditative mood come by themselves without effort or struggle in these holy places. Some ladies got down from the train at the Rishikesh station. The moment they saw the Himalayas they uttered: “Who is son? Who is father? Everything is Maya. Everything is false!” Such is the powerful influence of vibrations on the mind. It is only sages and Yogis who can know at once the nature of vibrations of a place for meditation. You have been given a key to unlock many of the secrets of life. That key is meditation. Meditate regularly in the morning between 4 and 7 a.m. and attain eternal bliss and immortality. The banks of the Ganga or Narmada, Himalayan sceneries, lovely flower-gardens and sacred temples are the places which elevate the mind in concentration and meditation. Have recourse to them. A solitary place where the climate is cool with spiritual vibratory conditions is best suited for concentration of mind.You will have a clear and calm mind in the early morning hours. There is a spiritual influence and mysterious silence then. All saints and Yogis practise meditation at this period and send their spiritual vibrations to the whole world. You will be highly benefited by their vibrations if you start your prayer, Japa and meditation at this period. You need not exert. The meditative state of mind will come of itself.

How to Meditate Preparation for Meditation Keep the head, neck and back in one straight line. Read the 11th and 13th Slokas of chapter VI of the Gita, wherein a description of the Asana is given. Spread a four-folded blanket and over this spread a piece of soft, white cloth. This will do nicely. If you can get a good tiger-skin or deer-skin, it is all the more better. A tiger-skin has got its own advantages. It generates electricity in the body quickly and does not allow leakage of electric current from the body. It is full of magnetism. Face East or North. A spiritual neophyte should observe this rule. In facing North he is in communion with the Rishis of the Himalayas and he is mysteriously benefited by their currents. How to Meditate Habitual meditation and habitual silence are great assets for you in the spiritual path. Meditation gives a lot of spiritual strength, peace, new vigour and vitality. If a meditator gets irritated very often, it shows he is not having good, uninterrupted meditation. There is something wrong with his Sadhana and contemplation. You will have to meditate with a calm mind. Then only you will enter into Samadhi quickly. If you control the Indriyas and if you become desireless you will have a calm mind. Keen longing for liberation and thoughts of God will destroy all desires. He who has a calm mind, is an Emperor or emperors, the Shah of Shahs. The state of one who has a calm mind is indescribable. In meditation and concentration you will have to train the mind in a variety of ways. Then only the gross mind will become subtle (Sukshma). Whatever you meditate on in silence should be manifested in daily life. You should keep up poise and harmony in action. You will be ever peaceful. Then only you will enjoy the real fruit of meditation. Process of Meditation Keeping the upper parts (the chest, neck and the head) erect and equal to the (other parts of the) body, subduing within the heart the senses together with the mind, let the wise by the raft of Brahman (OM) cross over all the fearful torrents of the world. Keeping down the senses (Pranas), subduing his desires, and gently respiring through the nostrils, let the wise diligently attend to the mind, as the charioteer to a car, drawn by vicious horses. When in the Yogi’s body, composed of earth, water, light, air and ether, the fivefold qualities which mark concentration as described below are manifest, then there is no disease or age or pain for him, who has obtained the body burning with the fire of concentration. When the body is light and without diseases, the mind without desire, when the colour is shining, the voice sweet and the smell pleasant, when the excrements are few, they say, the first degree of concentration is gained. General Hints Just as you saturate the salt or sugar with the water you will have to saturate the mind with thoughts of God, with divine Glory, divine Presence, with sublime soul-awakening spiritual thoughts. Then only you will be established in the divine Consciousness always. Five things are indispensable if you want to practise vigorous meditation and attain Samadhi or Self-realisation quickly. They are Mouna, light diet or a diet of milk and fruits, solitude with charming scenery, personal contact with a teacher and a cool place. You will enter into deep meditation only if you lead a moral life. You may try further to build up discrimination and the other steps in your mind. You can cultivate the mind in concentration and can finally devote yourself to meditation. The more you lead the moral life, the more you meditate, the greater likelihood will then be for you to enter into Nirvikalpa Samadhi which can liberate you from the round of births and deaths and can confer on you Eternal Bliss and Immortality. What does Lord Krishna teach by holding the flute in His hands? What is the symbolic philosophy of the flute? Flute is the symbol of Om. He says, “Empty your egoism. I will play on your body-flute. Let your will become one with My will. Take refuge in OM. You will enter into My being. Hear the inner soul-stirring music of the soul and rest in everlasting peace!” Samadhi is possible by the practice of concentration and meditation with light diet. Meditate for 2 or 3 hours. If you get tired, take rest for half an hour. Take a cup of milk and then again sit for meditation. Repeat the process of meditation again and again. You can have a stroll in the verandah in the evening. Do not allow the mind to entertain any worldly thought even for a few minutes. Just as the student creates interest in his study of mathematics or geometry, although it is disgusting in the beginning, by imagining the advantages that he will gain by passing the examination, so also you will have to create interest in meditation by thinking on the incalculable benefits that will be derived by its constant practice, viz., Immortality, Supreme Peace and Infinite Bliss. When you have disinclination for work and a desire for meditation only, you can lead a life of complete seclusion, living on milk and fruits alone. You will have good spiritual progress. When there is inclination for work, when the meditative mood vanishes, take up work again. Thus by gradual practice the mind should be moulded. Put a piece of iron in the blazing furnace. It becomes red like fire. Remove it. It loses its red colour. If you want to keep it always red, you must always keep it in fire. So also if you want to keep the mind charged with the fire of Brahmic Wisdom, you must keep it always in contact or touch with Brahmic fire of knowledge through constant and intense meditation. You must keep up an unceasing flow of the Brahmic

Cave-Life for Meditation Cave-life is extremely good. The ancient Rishis and seers of India lived in the caves of Himalayas and did rigorous Tapascharya. The temperature is quite even in caves. Caves are very cooling. The heat of scorching summer cannot penetrate inside the cave. It is quite warm in winter. All external sounds are shut out in a cave. You can have very beautiful, uninterrupted meditation. There is solitude in caves. The spiritual currents are elevating. There is no mundane atmosphere there, because modern civilisation has not penetrated there. Such are the advantages of cave-life. There is the beautiful Vasishtha Guha in the Himalayas, which is fourteen miles away from Rishikesh. Maharshi Vasishtha did Tapas here. Hence the name “Vasishthaguha.” Guha means a cave. You can get milk from the neighbouring villages. Bamrugha Guha, near Tehri, Himalayas, is another good cave. There are caves near Nilakanth hills six miles from Rishikesh. Cave-like is not suitable for aspirants who have modern education and delicate constitution, and who are timid. It is meant for aspirants who have a strong sturdy frame, who are fearless and who have intense power of endurance. Those who have some Divya Siddhis can live there. Those who have a good knowledge of Butis or Himalayan herbs, who have strengthened the body by means of special Kayakalpa, who have a body which is proof against bites of poisonous insects or creatures by taking a course of Nimi Kalpa or purified nux vomica, those who have Mantra-Siddhi, who have control over wild animals, who can bear heat and cold, hunger and thirst, those who have lost all attractions for the world, sense-objects, work of any kind, who can meditate for a long time, who have internal dispassion, can remain in a cave. Some young raw aspirants with weak body and indifferent health, in whom a ray of Viveka and dispassion has recently dawned through study of some religious books, through some mishap or some difficulties in life, run to the Himalayan caves without any previous preparation or bodily and mental discipline. Just as the mercury in the thermometer runs to 106 degrees in high fevers, so also juvenile bubbling emotion runs to 112 degrees to the crown of the head. It cools down quickly. They find it difficult to pull on there and leave the place in a few days. For some, cave-life is not suitable. They develop some sort of skin-diseases and pale-bloodedness owing to lack of ventilation. Artificial caves like Kaivalya-Guha, Ananda Kutir, with good ventilation can be built underneath the ground in any solitary place, even in your own compound or village. Two walls with a hollow in the middle and pipes to bring in cool air and take away hot air, will keep the cave quite cool. All real aspirants who remain in the world should build one for their meditation. They will be immensely benefited. There is another disadvantage in cave-life. He who lives in the cave for a long time becomes Tamasic. He is unable to do any kind of work. He cannot mix with people. He is terribly afraid of multitude of people. His mind gets distracted soon if he is in the company of a few persons, if he hears a little noise. This is not balanced life. This is one-sided development. He who dwells in the cave must be able to keep his balance, even when he comes to a busy town. This is the sign of his spiritual growth. The real snug, well-furnished, marvellous, awe-inspiring cave is in your heart. It is the Hridaya-Guha of the Upanishads, wherein Dattatreya, Sankara, and Yajnavalkya dwelt in days of yore. Even now, modern Rishis and sages abide there, withdrawing the outgoing senses and mind. They drink the nectar of Immortality there, and remain ever-blissful.May you all dwell in this mysterious, magnificent cave in the heart alone in communion with your Inner Self, the secondless Brahman or the Absolute, the Goal, the Sole Refuge of all!!!

Places for Meditation “One should perform his Yogic meditation in concentration on a level place, free from pebbles, fire, wind, dust, dampness and disturbing noises, where the scenery is charming and pleasing to the eyes and where there are bowers, caves, good waterplaces which help the practice of concentration.” -Svetasvataropanishad: 11-10. The world will not suit you for meditation when you advance in the spiritual path. There are many disturbing causes. The environments are not elevating. Your friends are your worst enemies. They take away all your time through vain talks. It is inevitable. You are puzzled. You are worried. Then you try to get out of the environments. To save time, money, wanderings, I shall mention some good places for meditation. You can select one of these places. The place must have a temperate, even climate, and must suit you during summer, rainy season and winter. You must stick to one place for three years with firm determination. As all places combine some advantages and disadvantages, you will have to select that place which has more advantages and less disadvantages. Everything is relative in this world. Even if you wander from pole to pole, you can hardly get an ideal place that can satisfy you from all viewpoints. You will have to create your own spiritual atmosphere through Japa, meditation and prayer. To get an ideal place is an impossibility. You must not shift when you get some inconvenience. You must put up with it. There is no benefit in frequent wanderings. Do not compare one place with another. Maya tempts you in various ways. Use your Viveka and reason. Mussoorie will appear to you most charming when you are at Simla. Simla will appear more delightful when you are at Mussoorie. Do not believe the mind and senses any more. Enough; enough of their tricks. Be on the watch to guard you off from sense-deceptions and temptations. First, I suggest Rishikesh and Munikireti. They are wonderful places for meditation. They are admirably adapted. The charm and spiritual influence are simply marvellous. You can put up your cottage here. Uttarakasi, Brahmapuri, Garudachatti, Nilakanth (near Rishikesh), are other nice places. Almora, Nainital, are also good. Any village on the banks of the Ganga, Narmada, Yamuna, is beautiful. Kulu Valley and Champa Valley are quite suitable. If you want a cave-life, go in for Vasishtha Guha, fourteen miles from Rishikesh. It is a beautiful cave, where Swami Rama Tirtha lived for some time. Milk is available from neighbouring villages. Rama Guha in Brahmapuri near Rishikesh is another good charming place. You can get dry rations for fifteen days from Kali Kamliwala’s Kshetra. Bamrughi Guha, near Tehri, Himalayas, is a good cave. You will find many villages near Tehri for contemplation. Muralidhar has built up fine, pukka Kutia with a fine garden. You also can have this. Mount Abu is a beautiful cool place. Cool places are needed for meditation. The brain gets tired very soon in a hot place. In a cool place, you can meditate all the twenty-four hours. You will not feel exhaustion. Maharajahs of Alwar and Limbdi have built nice caves in Mount Abu and arranged food and other conveniences for good, educated Sadhus only. Lakshmanjhula is another good place. There is ample space for erection of new cottages. Brahma-Varta, near Kanpur, is a suitable place. There are many good places seven miles beyond Mathura on the banks of the Yamuna. Uttarakasi has beautiful, spiritual vibratory condition. You can stay in a solitary place called Laksheshvar. Important Places for Meditation 1. Rishikesh (Himalayas) 2. Haridwar 3. Uttarkasi (via Tehri) 4. Kankhal (near Haridwar) 5. Badri Narayan (Himalayas) 6. Devaprayag (Himalayas) 7. Gangotri (Himalayas) 8. Ayodhya 9. Mount Abu 10. Nasik 11. Varanasi 12. Brindavan (Mathura) 13. Srinagar (Kashmir) 14. Almora 15. Nainital 16. Bangalore 17. Puri 18. Dwaraka 19. Pandharpur 20 Tiruvottiyur 21. Alandi, near Poona 22. Tiruvengoi Hills, Musiri, S. India 23. Tirupathi Hills 24. Papanasam (Tirunelveli Dt.) (Select some secluded spots in these places.) Any place or village on the banks of the Ganga, Yamuna, Cauveri, Godavari, Krishna, Tamraparni, will suit you for meditation. You can select any place which has an even climate. Of all the places, Rishikesh is the best place in the world. The spiritual vibrations are soul-elevating. The scenery is highly charming. It is a beauty-spot. Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Simla, Ooty, Kodaikanal, and all hill-stations are cool places. They have a beautiful scenery also. But they are Rajasic centres. They have no elevating spiritual vibrations. People go there for enjoyment and taint the atmosphere. Hence they are not suitable for meditation. You must have some conveniences also such as library, medical aid, a railway station, in the beginning. You must be able to get some fruits and milk. Otherwise it is difficult to continue your Sadhana in one place for a long time. When you are advanced in Sadhana, when you go above body-consciousness, you can remain in any place. Solitude and intense meditation are two important requisites for Self-realisation. The banks of the Ganga or Narmada, Himalayan scenery, lovely flower gardens, sacred temples-these are the place which elevate the mind in concentration and meditation. Have recourse to them.A solitary place, spiritual vibratory conditions as at Uttarakasi, Rishikesh, Badri Narayan, a good place and temperate climate-these conditions are indispensably requisite for concentration of mind.

Meditation Room Have a separate meditation room under lock and key. This is a sine qua non. Convert a room into a forest. Do not allow anybody to enter the room. Keep it holy. If you cannot afford to have a separate room, convert a small corner of the room as the meditation room with screens or curtains. Burn incense or scented sticks and camphor in the morning and evening. Keep a photo of Lord Krishna, Siva, Rama, Devi, Gayatri, Guru, Lord Jesus or Lord Buddha. Place your seat in front of the picture. Keep some books such as the Gita, the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, the Upanishads, the Vivekachudamani, the Yogavasishtha, the Brahma-Sutras, the Bible, the Zend-Avesta, the Koran, etc., in the room. Decorate the room with inspiring pictures of great saints, sages, prophets and world-teachers. Take a bath before you enter the room. Or wash your face, hands and legs before you enter the room. Sit on the Asana in front of the deity. Sing devotional hymns or repeat Guru Stotras. Then take to the practice of Japa, concentration and meditation. The room should be regarded as a temple of God. You should enter the room with a pious and reverent mind. Thoughts of jealousy, lust, greed and anger should not be entertained within the four walls of the room. No worldly talks should be indulged in there. For every word that is uttered, every thought that is cherished and every deed that is done is not lost. They are reflected on the subtle layers of ether encircling the room where they are done and hence affect the mind invariably.When you repeat the Mantra or the name of the Lord, the powerful vibrations are lodged in the ether of the room. In six months’ time you will feel peace and purity in the atmosphere of the room. Whenever your mind is much disturbed by worldly influence, sit in the room and repeat the name of the Lord for half an hour. Then you will find entire change in the mind immediately. Practise and feel the soothing, spiritual influences yourself. You will find a local Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Simla, Ooty in your own house. You need not go to a hill-station for change. Nothing is like Spiritual Sadhana or Yoga practice.