PRINCIPLES OF SADHANA

PRINCIPLES OF SADHANA
By HG Vraja Bihari Prabhu

SESSION 1

What exactly do we mean by Sadhana?
Sadhana means ‘practice,’ the executive stage of Bhakti where we follow rules.
The effective stage of Bhakti is the attainment of love of Krishna

Purpose of Sadhana
What is the essence of all the rules we are practicing? – Somehow fix our minds at the lotus feet of lord Krishna. Most basic, profound and sublime concept Always remember Krishna.

What does it practically mean to remember Krishna?
The ability to see Krishna’s hand in our daily life.

Yoga exercise compared to Bhakti yoga
Yoga means “Connecting with Krishna.”
Yoga asanas – both breathing and stretching are required. In Bhakti yoga – breathing is compared to remembering Krishna, stretching is compared to service.

How is ‘Sravanam’ Yoga?
Sravanam or Hearing about Krishna is the most effective way of remembering Krishna. Just by sitting and hearing, we are practicing yoga, because we are connecting to Krishna through sound vbration.
Sravanam – hearing from a representative of Vyasadeva is the traditional scientific paramparic system through which Krishna enters our heart. It requires HUMILITY to sit and hear.

Common Commitment to Sadhana
In a kanishta community everyone wants to be a leader, and does not want to express his heart. An undercurrent competition.
Kanishta community grows to Madhyama community when they come together and hear sincerely. Intelligence starts getting adjusted. And heart starts getting purified – abhadrani.

Don’t underestimate
We pretend to be more advanced than what we are. But when we hear, we honestly accept that we are not so advanced.
We many times under estimate sravanam – we may be fooled to believe that there is something higher than hearing and chanting.

Just Hearing is not sufficient
Simply hearing is not sufficient. Hearing is not just accumulating information in the brain. Sravanam has to be followed by mananam. We need to contemplate and churn on what we hear.
We need to hear attentively with an intention to internalize what we hear.
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