In order to elevate the self and to make his life worth a diamond, a man should be vigilant about what he thinks, speaks or does. He should perform the day’s task with the care that is expected of a knowledgeable man or a Raj-yogi and should employ introspection. A man who does not care to examine his day-to-day life, goes out of gear and his sanskãras become vitiated and his mind gets abased and his morality degenerates day by day. Here is a good outline of the day’s programme which one can adopt for his betterment.
(1) Early-Rising
Truly speaking, it is very good to wake up at 3 a.m. At that time there is silence in the atmosphere, the mind is also free from worries of day long occupations and is fresh and calm after a full night’s sleep. It helps to engage the mind in the sweet remembrance of God and to have fixity in that blissful state at that hour so that one feels to have enjoyed enormously. Though one may have to forego about an hour’s sleep thereby, the benefits one derives from this little sacrifice are considerably great and valuable. But, if for any reason, one cannot daily get up at this hour, one ought to be at 4 a.m. for, if one is serious about so high an attainment, one would have to find out some time for the necessary efforts and would have thus to get up betimes.
(2) Our First Thought of the Day
As soon as the sleep is over and the eyes open, the first thought that should enter the mind of a devout spiritualist should be,
“I am a soul”.
This does not take a long time but its influence is there all the day long. One has not to leave the bed, the moment one is awake and has not to engage his mind with some worldly thought or work immediately, but, sitting up at ease, one should spend a few minutes in this contemplation;
- “I am a soul, a conscient dot of light.
- I am a child of Shiva, the Supreme Soul, who is the Ocean of Knowledge, Peace, Bliss and Love, who does good to all and grants them peace and happiness.
- Like Him, I should also be instrumental in doing spiritual good and bringing transcendental happiness to others.
- I came into this world from a higher world, called Paramdhãm or Brahmlök which is my original Abode and where purity and peace supremely prevail.
- After my advent into this world, my life was pure and divine and was replete with complete happiness and peace in the first two eras.
- That is to say, my life in Golden Age (Satyuga) was worth gold and, in Silver Age (Tretã Yuga) it was worth silver.
- I had then deity-status and self-rule and was untouched by any sorrow.
- In Copper Age (Dwãpur yuga) and Iron-Age (Kali yuga) I was a devout worshipper and did have happiness in some measure or of some sort.
- Now in this present Age, the Sangam Yuga (Period of Confluence), I, having been inducted into Godly Knowledge, have had an extraordinary birth.
- I have now understood this thoroughly well that I am a soul, i.e. a point of light, this body is just an inn for me, I am a child of Almighty God Father Shiva and I am now soon to return to my original Abode—the Soul World (Param Dhãm).
- I am fortunate that I have established my link with Him, the Supreme. It is wonderful indeed to have relationship with Him.
- Verily, and most fortunately, He is my Father, He is my Teacher and He is my Preceptor, all in one and, happy for me, He is leading me out of this terrestrial world to the World of perfect silence, i.e. the Soul World and, from there, to the World of Beatitude and Fruition or what is called Heaven (Vaikuntha).
- What a luck that I am now a spiritually adopted child of Prajapita Brahma, i.e. I am a true Brahman, by virtue of the invaluable Knowledge I have heard as spoken by God Shiva, the Knowledgeful through the mouth-organ of Brahma and am now on the way to rendering my life excellently pure, brilliant and valuable like a jewel by dint of this Knowledge & Raj Yoga.' Having meditated for some time on these sweet and deep thoughts, one should attend to one’s daily needs and, after ablutions, have another quiet sitting in the keen and single-pointed remembrance of God, the most beloved Father, till the time for moving to the nearest spiritual Service-Centre comes.
- One must have regard for attending his class at the Service-Centre as compulsory. One must not give in to laziness or sleep but consider class to be an indispensable and necessary means of securing the valuable gems of Godly Knowledge and the only means of acquiring peace and happiness for several lives at a stretch.
- This daily spiritual class is really not to be missed, for it provides the essential strength—giving food for the soul and also a purifying bath for it.
(3) Daily Practice of Yoga and Study of Knowledge in the Spiritual Classes
When in class, you should, first of all, compose yourself and should then set your mind in the remembrance of the Incorporeal Supreme Soul, who abides, in Paramdham and is like a shining star, a sentient point-of-light. Then you switch on to the experience of peace, might, light and purity and establish yourself in that state. There is immense joy in that uninterrupted remembrance which replenishes the soul with strength enough to give you such joy, power, refreshment, and zeal for the whole day as were never there on land or sea. Then you should listen, with rapt attention and due reverence, the Godly Knowledge given to you in the class and should, like a good student, note down the important points in your note-book and, when there is time, should go through them again. Whatever teachings, cautions, directions and instructions there are in the discourses of Knowledge which God Father Shiva delivers for the betterment of mankind, we should apply to our ownself, never forgetting that we have to throw out our defects like useless stones and have to bedeck ourselves with the jewels of merits. We have to look on ourselves as students of Godly Knowledge not only when we are in the class but outside also and later on also. We are to consider ourselves as lucky sons and pupils of God and also, as genuine seekers after divine status, should put in our best efforts to rise in life and to set an example by leading an ideal life practically.
(4) Spiritual Endeavours
After class, our immediate domestic duties have to be attended to. So, we get engaged in them and then have our breakfast or meals so as to get ready for the day’s task. Now, while at meals or breakfast we should not lose the link with God Shiva but should enjoy the ecstasy of His remembrance and should contemplate the divine qualities. Our food should be Sattwic, i.e. clean and conducive to the purity of our mind and should be based on principles of vegetarianism and honest earnings. And while taking it, we should think thus, “I am having this from the stores that are dedicated to Him, or from the pantry that actually belongs to Him. These meals are but the sanctified food (Shiva-Bhoga), these are the sacrosanct edibles (Parasadam) gifted by Him to me. This will have salubrious and salutary effect on me and it will soothe and purify my mind and will make me efficient in the spiritual service of mankind and in the discharge of my duties ’’. We should not eat with attachment or passion or as slaves to taste nor should we indulge in talk unless it is very essential, but keeping fully conscious of the soul and with our hearts set on God, we should take food. It can bear repetition to say that, as many times as we eat or drink we should do so with complete detachment and as a trustee of our body.
(5) The Consciousness
We should have while doing our Daily Work Even while doing our daily work or business, we should remember that we are completely His and whatever we have with us is all His. We are simply His instruments or trustees. While on Godly service, we should not have even a slight touch of arrogance. We should not profane this spiritual movement by yielding ourselves to sexlust, anger, greed, attachment or pride but should deal with people calmly and with sincere love, always being friendly and holy in all respects. We should perform our daily routine considering it as a part of the vast play which is being performed on the world’s state. When an actor is playing the role of a king, on the stage, he remembers that he is really not a king but Mr. so and so,that he actually resides in such and such place and is the son of Mr. so and so that, though he is wearing a king’s costumes and robes, all this he is doing only as an actor in a drama and this part of his will last only for a short time. Even so, a person now inducted into Godly Knowledge should think thus, “I am working as, say, a petty shop keeper or may be as a high official or even as a businessman. The part I am playing as such is short-lived. I am vastly different from what I appear to be ; I am a soul, a self-luminous point, a child of the Supreme Soul and,in fact, I belong to Paramdhãm. These people with whom I have to deal, are in reality, souls, acting their parts here.” If we remember all this, our mind will feel light as if the soul has withdrawn from the body, and we will become sweet, lovely and introvert and a mere trustee.
(6) Contentment and Non-Entanglement
In the world, as it is to-day, we have to face many sort of difficulties and hardships in our household or professional life. Situations resulting in gain or loss, success or failure, etc., also come and have to be encountered. Often these difficulties or adversities do not come alone but in battalions. But the man who has been introduced to this knowledge, should face these dilemmas well. His duty is first to do what is proper and what he can possibly do according to his desires and then, whatever be the result, he should look upon it as the fruit of his own actions and should accept it with contentment and cheer and a sense of detachment. Knowing that all this is but a Drama, we should not be inwardly affected by these situations. But all this is possible only if we are well established in the remembrance of God, the Supreme Father, even while busy in house-hold or other duties. We should not wrongly believe that, while in the midst of our work, the mind cannot think of Him or cannot have the link with God, the Supreme Father. When we know that we are His children and are now to return to Him and to render our accounts to Him, why should we forget Him ? When we very well know that in remembering Him lies our spiritual well-being and our supreme good, why should we lose the mental link with Him? We should love Him truly and deeply because He is the only one to release us from the dreadful claws of Death, give us peace and happiness and lead us, as our righteous Guide (Sadguru), to the World of liberated souls and also the world of Fruition. Man forgets Him only when he, in his daily life, thinks that the daily work he is doing is his burden or his concern. But we should remember that we are the instruments ; we should regard Him as the only One to whom we are bound. The other difficulties we face in our relation with other people are the result of our accumulated actions, done by us during the course of so many past lives. As long as we do not feel fully matured in our communion with God, we should not cease from endeavour, we should not dishearten ourselves with the wrong thought that all this is very difficult or impossible to achieve. We must not feel depressed if time and again we forget the soul and our goal and our mind moves away from God and gets entangled in earthly things. Rather, we should think that our evil propensities, born of ignorance, have taken deep roots and, therefore, we have to intensify our efforts to wipe them off now.
Sadgati or the ultimate fruition is not achieved by shirking, shunning or declining to try. After all, efforts would have to be made to elevate ourselves and to improve our lot. So, now that the world is approaching Destruction and situations have become critical and terrible, we should put forth our best efforts. Even otherwise also when a man is face to face with a difficult situation or a calamity or sees Destruction approaching, he remembers God without any one’s asking and constantly too. So, now that we see Atom Bombs and Hydrogen Bombs stock-piled for Destruction and we also notice the state of appealing poverty or national bankruptcy, critical stage of population-increase or frightening problem of food, we have no reason not to remember God very deeply.
Also, it would be harmful to make such lame excuse and say, “Our problems are too hard and too pressing.” It won’t do us any good to bemoan ; “Our circumstances are not helpful and the environments are not congenial.” Conditions as we see to-day are the shadows of the coming events ; they reflect an approaching catastrophe. Therefore, they draw our thoughts towards God. Still if we feel that the circumstances are adverse, we should change or mould them rather than yield to them or to cry under their heels. As a burning stick of incense makes a whole room fragrant, so our perseverance and constant endeavours, our Yoga and our divine virtues would soon render the world, around us, full of righteousness—this should our faith be and this should inspire our thoughts, speech and actions.
(7) Remembrance of God at least for a few minutes every hour
If even after all this effort, we cannot stabilise ourselves for a considerable period, in the remembrance of God, then, to begin with, we should, necessarily find a few minutes every hour to contemplate specifically on our ownselves and to enjoy the bliss out of the remembrance of God lovefully and devoutly. This is not asking for too much. Anyone should be able to do this. When our doctor asks us to take a small dose of a particular (homeopathic) medicine every two hours, do we not, with a view to recovery, take care to remember this direction and take the medicine at the prescribed interval ? In the same manner, we should not forget to remember God for a few minutes every hour, for, this remembrance is such a unique medicine as brings a man complete health, wealth and happiness for several lives. Do we not observe that he who is addicted to a certain habit, say chewing a betel-leaf, easily remembers it and takes it every two hours or as often as he likes? Why should not we, on our part, cultivate the clean habit of remembering often as we like to ? This habit does not cost us anything but it brings us happiness and strength. It has been perfectly and rightly said that all kinds of intoxication are harmful but the one that comes of remembrance of God and our deity status or ‘Shri Narayanahood’.
In the course of a day, several jobs we work on, do not absorb our full attention and our whole intellect. In-doors or out of the house, in whatever work we are occupied, we can set our mind on God if we care to. Unfortunately, man does not heed this and, while doing his day-to-day work, his mind entertains useless thoughts. Nothing else but if we utilise well the small intervals we get frequently in the mid of our work, or between one piece of work and the other, even then we can improve the chart of our Yoga highly. That is why God Father Shiva says, “Dear Children, if you cannot remember Me constantly the whole of your time, you may give Me at least the time that you would squander away in gossip, in useless contemplation or in other such trash which result only in harming you. Considering that you spend, say, eight hours at your job or in your vocation and about this much time in sleep and other daily needs, you have still eight hours left which you can spend in deep spiritual meditation.”
(8) Our Efforts in the Evening
Having acted thus during the day-time, now after return from our shop, office or factory as the case may be, our professional duties being over, we should rest a while, or attend to household jobs, have a wash and, drawing in our sense-organs like a tortoise, sit alone or with members of our family in the sweet remembrance of God, the Blissful Father. If we mould ourselves in the manner and make our endeavours as has been already indicated, our mind will not wander like a horse without reins, running aimlessly in all directions. He who can detach himself from the sense-organs of his body, and draws his mind inwards and tries to be fixed firmly in the deep and loveful meditation on God, alone attains success in Yoga. Practice of Yoga in the evening has its own dividends. It gives the mind a feeling of freshness and makes one’s thought pure and inclinations righteous. So, we should follow it as a rule to have Yoga in the evening.
Then we have to have our supper and have to attend to our duties of the household and to the society because these are also obligatory. But this does not imply wasting one’s time in gossip and useless conversation and sundry useless topics. Well, if one feels that some sort of entertainment is needed, let it be of a kind that does not leave behind it any evil impressions on our mind or lead to bad habits.
Then about 10 O’clock in the night, after having a talk or a chat about Godly Knowledge, we should be ready for the night’s rest. Here, for one short while, we should remember our beloved Almighty God-Father. Going to sleep with thoughts of Him makes sleep Sattwic (righteous) and keeps it free of any disturbances by the old sanskaras (resolves). Next morning at 3 or 4, we should be up again and should automatically remember that we are souls and we should also meditate on God and only, thereafter, start our day’s work.
