Sadhana – Uplifting the Mind – Part 2

Hari Om and Welcome back! 🙂 Thank you so much for all the love on the previous blog – Sadhana – Uplifting the Mind. It really means a lot when your audience reads and relates to what you write. 

I missed putting up a blog last Sunday due to other engagements. I hope not to do that again. 🙂 

The last blog had spoken about 4 Sadhanas that can help our mental and spiritual well-being – Japa, Yogasana, Meditation and Arpana Buddhi. Today I’ll be writing about 5 more of them to conclude this series. 

1. Satsang – This is a practice at one level but from a higher standpoint – it is a blessing that gradually unfolds. Which allows us to unfold the layers covering our true nature. Satsang translates to company of the good and noble. In the beginning we associate ourselves with brilliant books that elevate our minds and with seekers who are determinedly walking this path of inner upliftment – this itself causes tremendous spiritual growth. At one point with grace alone, we are blessed with the company of spiritually elevated Masters – a sage or a Guru as we know them. In Sri Ramcharitamanas it is said, “Binu Satsang Vivek Na Hoyi” – Without Satsang, you will not be able to discriminate between the Real and the Unreal! 

2. Svadhyaya – Translating to Study, this practice takes time and patience. Here, we reflect upon the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma – like the Bhagavad Gita for instance. By slowly absorbing what these manuals for right living are trying to convey – we bring their instructions into our lives, thereby enriching it. It requires guidance after a point – which in my own experience comes by itself if we are sincere in our efforts. One doesn’t need to start right from the top – for today we have tons of material online in different formats. Below is a list of 3 books you can begin with. In my humble opinion and experience – the Bhagavad Gita is a scripture all of us can begin our study with to know our own selves better. 

3. Bhajana – In popular parlance, Bhajana or Bhajan is devotion expressing in the form of divine music and dance, which is a beautiful sadhana and experience by itself. Another interpretation is given by Shri Adi Sankaracharya in his famous composition, the Bhaja Govindam as whatever we do with an attitude of service to Bhagawan with our body, mind and intellect. That could be singing or any other action – what matters is the attitude of loving service. True Bhajana is therefore becoming an instrument of that Universal Consciousness – knowing, experiencing and living it! 

4. Prasada Buddhi – After Arpana Buddhi which is offering of actions – we come to Prasada Buddhi – that is acceptance of actions. It is a Sadhana that applies to both the practical and emotional mindsets. It means accepting the fruits of our actions as Bhagawan’s Prasada or as the natural fruit of whatever we ourselves had sown. This mindset bestows peace and humility, for we do not dwell too much upon the should-haves and could-haves, the pain or failures then. Imagine the amount of stress we could reduce! 

I had thought of including Shravanam (Listening) but that will take another extensive blog. It also led me to Mananam (Reflection). It will only make sense if I give justice to both of them in the upcoming blogs.

I hope this piece adds value to your life and inspires you to keep working on connecting with your inner Self! For me, all these practices have been helping in fine-tuning my mind to be more receptive to the cosmic energy and make it relatively much more peaceful than it was say a few months ago. 

But my favourite is Satsang! People who know me would know why. 🙂 For associating with the good, is extremely powerful. 

Since we spoke about Bhajana, whenever you find time, do listen to this beautiful song on Shri Krishna as we approach Janmashtami. 

See You Next Sunday! 🙂

Love and Om,

Lakshmi.