by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 20
June. 2002

PREPARATIONS FOR SADHANA -Part 1

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

If there is one question which is very often asked in any informal gathering of spiritually minded people, that is "How do I start my sadhana? Give me some concrete guidelines to follow and questions of that nature. We are so much accustomed to copybook style of learning that we also think that there has to be one single code of conduct for aspiring sadhaks so that they can put that into practice straight away.

While the genuineness and sincerity of many of us aspirants is not to be doubted, yet the very concept that sadhana can be a curriculum type education is a falacy. Subjects like Love, Adhyatma or spirituality, Value systems etc are matters of heart and can not have a curriculum These are matters of tranformation of our physical, mental and psychic characteristics. Bramha sadhana is not related to vidya. It is related to jnana. In Sanatana philosophy we have a fine distinction between vidya or education and jnana or knowledge. A lighted lamp is `light', but the perception of objects by using that light is knowledge. Sadhana falls in this category of preparation towards this perception. It is indeed a self evolutionary process. Without this preparation one may acquire some information but not necessarily the knowledge.

In our olden days of Guru Shishya parampara (teacher disciple tradition) in the hermitages, people desirous of spiritual knowledge were asked to spend months and years in the hermitage without any formal teaching before the teacher thought it fit to begin imparting knowlede. If you think deeply, it is not difficult to find some sense in this system.

Then there is another very interesting aspect. This is unique only to The Sanatana philosophy and none other schools of philosophy can even understand this excepting those who believe in immortality of soul, who believe in continuous upward evolution of soul towards satchidananda, who believe in transmigration of soul, who believe in rebirth.

When the soul or jiva moves from birth to birth, from one life to another life, it carries with it samskaras or acquired influences of each life lived. Each of us who have come to this world and to the present life, have come with our own samskaras. No two beings ever carry same samskaras. The samskaras determine the degree of spiritual development each one of us has acquired. As no two persons have identical IQ or intelligent quotient, in the same way no two persons also have the same SQ or spiritual quotient and thereby what exactly is further needed for their onward progression is different from person to person.

Therefore my sadhana can not be your sadhana. Your sadhana can not be her sadhana. A true Guru recognises this. He kindles the fire in the heart of the disciple, opens his eyes towards the most appropriate path out of many paths, that may be most conducive and beneficial to the disciple, packs him with the basic information of what treasure lies ahead for him, what distractions, what obstacles lie on the road and how to maneuver himself and then sets him on the road to his goal, keeping only a protective eye on him. The journey itself and how it is taken is the effort of the sadhaka sustained by the grace of the Lord, which very often flows through the medium of the Guru. It is then a matter between him and The lord. The Guru is only a conduit, a medium.

The gist behind saying all these is, while we fortify ourselves with all the assistance that we get from all quarters, my spiritual quest is greatly my effort and my initiative. People very often are not ready to accept this responsibility towards themselves.