Essentials of Practice

Grounding in the Practice
1)Meditation
Understanding Meditation through quotes of Spiritual Guides:
1. Why do we need to meditate?

As Babuji said, the whole purpose of meditation is to make a reversal in this fact of life that the mind is
our Master. We have to become the Master of our mind.
The methods to mould the mind and regulate its activities are also very simple (…) The proper
method to control the activities of the mind is to fix it on one sacred thought just as we do in meditation,
and dispel from it everything unwanted or superfluous. In course of time after constant practice, the mind
gets disciplined and regulated and much of the inner disturbance is eliminated.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Reality at Dawn, pp.35-36)
Ancient teachers, both in the East and the West, have taught that as one meditates so one becomes.
It therefore follows that what we meditate upon we get or become and, inversing this formula, if we want
to become something we must meditate upon that and nothing else. Therefore, if our aim is Realisation or
the attainment of oneness with the Ultimate, the object of meditation must be that Ultimate, and nothing
else.
(P. Rajagopalachari, ‘Yoga as an Instrument of Human Evolution’, Principles of SahajMarg, Vol.1, p.17)
What is important in meditation is that it must lead to constant remembrance. That upon which I
meditate frequently, regularly, will become the object of my continuous thought. Meditation only helps me
to establish the thinking of that particular object, in this case my Master, so that even when I’m not
meditating I’m thinking of him. Therefore, through meditation comes constant remembrance, which is the
object of meditation. Meditation does not lead to self-realization – please, whatever literature may say,
whatever other gurus may say, whatever even the Vedas may say. Meditation leads to your ability to
concentrate, which makes thinking of that chosen object of your meditation permanent in your heart –
constant remembrance – then that becomes the object, which I shall become automatically by His grace.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, He, the Hookah and I, p.64)
2. What is the best time for meditation? Why?

Rise before dawn. Offer your prayer and puja (spiritual practice) at a fixed hour preferably before
sunrise, sitting in one and the same pose…
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Commentary on the Ten Maxims of SahajMarg,
p. 191)
(…) it should be done before sunrise as Babuji has instructed. Master has clarified that at the time when
the night meets the day and the day meets the night, there is a balance in Nature. And when we meditate
at that point of balance in Nature, it helps us very much in our progress to achieve quickly our goal. Of
course, this applies to normal situations when there is a day and a night! Please don’t ask me what we
should do in the North Pole or the South Pole! But wherever and whenever possible, this is how it should
be done.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Practice of SahajMarg, pp. 7-8)
How will you know what is Reality at Dawn unless you are ready before dawn to face that reality? (...) So
please get into the habit of getting up before dawn, let us say at four thirty in the morning. And paying
attention to bodily and mental purity, sit in meditation. Keep one hour as a standard. Set your alarm.
Until it rings, don't get up. Empty stomach.
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(P. Rajagopalachari, Change of Satsangh Timings, 31st May, 2009, Delhi)
Have a shower or bath if you feel unclean. (The idea is that you start your meditation as early as possible
without spending time on routine activities like newspaper reading, physical exercise, etc.) (Basics of
SahajMarg)
3. Why is it important to have a fixed time and have fixed place to do our morning meditation?
(…) and he [Babuji] has clarified that it must be at the same time, in the same place, because then the
mind automatically becomes attuned to what it has to do. So it is advisable to have these practices
ordered and in a regulated manner. Because then we automatically slip into meditation at the right time.
You know, when cows are being milked with machines, electrical machines, if they are not milked at the
right time, the milk starts dropping automatically. See, that is the value of regularity. And the British used
to say, they used to insist, that people come to work shaven, clean shaven, you see. And you know the
reason? Because the act of shaving prepares you for the action of working. Because the first thing a lazy
man abandons is shaving. He says, you know, he does something like this (he rubs his cheek) and says,
Okay, I think I’ll shave tomorrow.
So you see these are rituals intended to put us into the right frame of mind for that which we have to do.
So having the same place, the same time saves us a great deal of preliminary time in sitting down and
starting meditation immediately. So, to that extent, they are for our speedier progress.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Role of the Master in Human Evolution, p. 98)
It has been generally advised - and Western culture too supports the view - that a separate place must be
reserved for each type of work so that relevant thoughts conducive to the nature of the work may spring
up on arriving at the place. Man possesses power which he has derived from his thought connection with
the Reality. When one resolves to do a thing, the connecting link between the thought and the work
becomes intensified, and one begins to draw power from the real source in accordance with the strength
of his thought. When the power begins to flow in, and we associate it with a particular point of time, then
the remembrance of the work begins to revive in our heart and we begin to feel attached to it in some
way or the other. The room or place we sit in for meditation is also charged by our thought force and a
feeling of sanctity begins to prevail all over there. The influence taken in by the place helps us further in
the accomplishment of the task. Now it depends upon one's individual capacity to expand it as much as
he can.
pp. 196-197)
4. What is the object of our meditation?

In our own system of meditation, the meditative effort is to realise this Ultimate, but the goal being
abstract (the Ultimate is a very real thing, but abstract in nature), it is impossible to meditate directly
upon it. Therefore, Master has chosen light as illumination (not as a source of light, viz. a flame or an orb,
etc.) and as the object of meditation, and what we are required to do is to seat ourselves calmly and
imagine the presence of the Ultimate in the heart, shedding His divine radiance or effulgence
which sets the inner cavity of the heart aglow. Here also it is important to remember that by heart,
Master does not mean the physical heart.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol.1, p.139)
Therefore, SahajMarg does not use any names, or mantras or forms for meditation, but because the
ordinary human being cannot meditate on the abstract, my Master uses Divine light as the closest to the
abstract principle, because light has no form, light has no substance even, light has no - well, practically
nothing to it. And my Master explained it, or rather one of his preceptors explained it, that it is like using
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a diving board in a swimming pool to dive. It gives us something on which we can gain a little momentum
before we take off and dive into the pool. Therefore, light is not the goal of our meditation, please
remember that. It is only the starting point of the system: accepting the human limitation what we cannot
directly meditate on the abstract.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.2, pp. 210-211)
(…) one cannot assume divine light to be God but it is the presence of God in the heart which sheds divine
light. You are required to have the idea – which my Master says is a mere suggestion or supposition –
that there is divine light, but you should not try to see it or anything like that.
5. What posture can we adopt during meditation?

We sit comfortably because during the period of meditation, the body should not interfere and
break our meditation. In the SahajMarg system there is no special asana prescribed. Patanjali himself
described asana as something which you can hold comfortably over a period of time. So we are allowed to
choose a position in which we can comfortably sit for one hour. But we are not allowed to lie down and
meditate, because if we lie down and meditate, the relaxation produced will put us to sleep. During
meditation, if we have to change our position it is permitted, because the object is to be in such a
situation that the body does not disturb.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Practice of SahajMarg,Vorauf, 2nd of May, 1985)
The upright position of the back-bone, neck and head in an erect straight line during meditation has been
thought to be most advantageous from very ancient times, because the flow of Divine grace is believed to
descend straight upon the abhyasi in that posture. In our way of practice, however, this is not insisted
upon. I advise the abhyasis generally to sit in a natural easy posture. Moreover, even those who assume
a tight straight pose, are found to give way automatically to a suppliant, slightly forward drooping
posture, as the state of blissful absorbency sets in. As such, it may be considered to be more natural even
for the purpose of an ascent into higher states of consciousness.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, pp.338-339)
6. In what attitude do we offer the prayer before our morning meditation?

Begin your puja with a prayer for spiritual elevation with a heart full of love and devotion. Prayer is
the sign of devotion. It shows that we have established our relationship with the Holy Divine. (…) The
reason why prayer should be offered with a heart full of love and devotion is that one should create within
himself a state of vacuity so that the flow of Divine Grace may be diverted towards him.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Commentary on the Ten Maxims, pp. 205-206)
● Before morning meditation we say the prayer once.

● We say the prayer only before our meditation in the morning. We do not say the prayer when we
meditate at any other time during the day, neither before an individual sitting or Satsangh.
7. Can you explain why in SahajMarg we meditate on the heart?

The first is that, the heart is the seat of Divinity in the human system, as in all other systems. This is
something which is universally accepted. All religions seat the Lord in the heart, not in the head or the
stomach but in the heart. So when you want to approach Divinity through your system, you approach Him
by His presence in your heart, which is known as the antaryamin- one who resides within. The Gita says,
the Lord says in the Gita: “I am in the heart of every created being.”
(...) Secondly, we describe the human being by his heart. For instance we use terms such as: “He is
a kind hearted person” or “She is a cold hearted woman” or “He has a soft heart” or “He has a bitter
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heart” or “His heart is as black as coal” or somebody’s heart is hard as stone. So human qualities, human
character is defined by the heart. This is how the human being is treated. If the heart is there, he exists.
If he doesn’t, it is gone.
The third important reason is that the humanlife itself seems to be centered in the heart, because
everything else can fail, you can cut off a man’s hands and legs, you can cut off his fingers, you can cut
off his nose, but if the heart stops, everything stops. That is another important reason.
The fourth very important reason according to my Master is that when we concentrate on the heart or
meditate on the heart, we are in a sense affecting the whole system in a total way because the blood
circulation starts and ends with the heart. (...) And therefore we purify the heart, put love into
the heart, which is what we try to do in Sahaj Marg. It is, in a sense, trying to make pervasive the
application of a unique force, the power of love, the power of the Master’s spiritual attainment into the
heart, from where it spreads through the whole system. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of
SahajMarg, Vol. 8, p.180)
The human heart has infinite capabilities well beyond those attributed to the organ of flesh - considered
as the main organ of the body. The heart is the seat of the soul. Very clearly specified now - not in the
brain, not in the big toe, but in the heart. The heart is the seat of the soul. This knowledge is not
widespread; it is reserved for followers of spirituality, capable of going further into knowledge.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Eternal Connection, 24th of July, 2007, Tiruppur, India)
8. For how long should we meditate?

The prescribed period is one hour and not less.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Practice of SahajMarg,Vorauf, 2nd of May, 1985)
That is why Babuji used to say when he was asked, "Why do you ask for meditation for one hour?", he
said, "In the beginning, when we start meditation, it is possible that you may not be able to really
meditate, even for one minute in that one hour." And progressively we are able to meditate, really
meditate, for longer and longer times. Because when we start, much time is wasted in adjusting ourselves
to the situation, trying to gain control over our own minds, putting it on the object of meditation and
keeping it there (…) First we have to make the body comfortable; and very often you will find that people
are not able to do that even during the whole period of meditation. They are twisting and turning and
trying to find a comfortable position. After that, we have to start marshalling the forces of the mind, the
senses.
So if you think over these things, you will really appreciate that to meditate properly takes a great deal of
time.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Role of the Master in Human Evolution, p. 97)
Babuji has said that, as far as possible, we should not meditate for more than one hour at a time.
So we have to exercise some sort of discriminatory control over our meditation time. It can happen
occasionally that we meditate for more. But if it is a regular affair, then we should perhaps keep an alarm
clock and get out of it. Because in SahajMarg too much meditation puts a pressure on the brain - at one
sitting. Because Babuji has said we can meditate for one hour at a time, as many times as you have time
for in the day, but not more than one hour at a time.(P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 190)
9. Why is it recommended that we eat lighter and more subtle food once we start meditation?
When we say non-vegetarian, we should rather be saying gross food – because it is like fuel. For a car,
the fuel is different; for aviation it is different. You cannot put petrol for a car into a plane and make it
run. The engine is designed for subtler and subtler fuels. As I go on my spiritual path, my body is being
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divinised, and it needs subtler and subtler — not only food through the mouth, but intake through the
eyes, intake through the ears, intake through the touch; all are food for us. I must not see gross things.
Do you follow? Babuji has himself given the example of a man going out, watching a girl dancing on the
street. He is fascinated but he is able to [wave it away], and walk on. Another man goes ten steps and
comes back and says, “Let me watch it fully” – bandhgaya [trapped].
So all inputs have to be subtler and subtler and subtler. In the Upanishad it says, “Let me see only what
is noble in my eyes. Let me hear only what is divine by my ears. Let only noble thoughts come into me
from anywhere in the universe.” You must be knowing it: “Aa no bhadraahkratavoyantuvishvatah.” So to
think that it is only for food is a very limited idea of what our life should become. Subtler and subtler in
everything – then he will understand. Meat is very gross. Liquor also, because liquor interferes even with
our consciousness. And then how can we meditate if we are not in a level of consciousness which is
essential?
(Q&A session with P. Rajagopalachari, 29th of May, 2011, Gurgaon, Delhi, India)
10. Why is it important to maintain the condition after meditation? How can we do it?
It is generally not advised to sleep immediately after meditation. Master says that sleep is a gross
state and has the effect of neutralising the condition of subtlety obtained through meditation. In case you
meditate too early in the morning and go to bed again, you should meditate again after getting up.(Basics
of SahajMarg)
After every meditation sit silently for some minutes; brood over your condition, he said. That means put
your mind into your condition and see what it says to you. Most of you have heard Babuji saying, “The
condition speaks to me.” When I have a headache, it speaks to me; I don’t look for it. Isn’t it? When I
have indigestion, it speaks to me. Why on earth will my spiritual condition not speak to me? Because I
don’t listen (...) So please learn to sit in meditation. After meditation, sit for some time patiently,
five minutes, ten minutes. Brood over your condition like the period of rest after a meal. Allow
it to digest. Are we digesting what we have received? These are very important aspects of your sadhana
to which we have to refer again and again.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Go Deep into Yourself,9th November 2009, Kharagpur, India)
Discipline means coming to Satsangh at least ten minutes before time, and not rushing away immediately
after Satsangh. People are expected to sit in meditation when the sitting is finished. Sit quietly,
let the transmission pervade yourself, digest. And then, when you feel balanced again with the
outer atmosphere, get up and walk.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart Speak 2008, Personal Discipline shows in Courtesy, pp.38-39)
The effect thus being imperceptible he often complains that he feels nothing during meditation. This is
chiefly due to the fact that he remains in touch with the divine force only for a few minutes of practice.
Thus the real thing gained during meditation remains with him only for a while. (…) On the other hand,
there is a man who tries to retain the effect gained by meditation for the most part of the day,
and abides in the same state for as long as he can. He is, in a way, in constant remembrance of
God and his progress is easy and rapid.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Reality at Dawn, p. 83)
11. How to deal with the thoughts that arise during meditation?
If during the process of meditation other thoughts interrupt or flow into the mind, we are advised to
gently ignore those thoughts and become inattentive to them. An important aspect of my Master’s
teaching is that thoughts gain power solely by our attending to them. Thoughts draw the power to affect
us from the mental power that we devote to them. If we ignore them they fall off and have no further
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power to disturb or to distract us (P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Set 1, Vol. 1, “Need
for Need”, pp. 62-63)
Here, it is necessary to understand that all these thoughts come from inside us, our own thoughts in
the form of samskaras. If we attend to the thoughts when they rise, they become powerful, they
multiply and they go back inside. But when we are not attending to them, we allow them to fall off, the
inner store of samskara becomes exhausted quickly; that is how we reach a state of thoughtlessness
during meditation. It is of course necessary to remember that thoughtlessness is not our goal.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Practice of SahajMarg,Vorauf, 2nd May 1985)
If even then they [thoughts] trouble you think they are Master's, not yours. This process of
meditation is very effective, and can never fail in bringing about the desired result.(Ram Chandra,
Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, SahajMarg Philosophy, p. 342)
12. What does Master say about experiences during meditation? How are we supposed to treat
them?
Q: I used to have a lot of visions, but now I don't have them anymore.
A: Visions are very common.
Q: But now I don't have them.
A: Yes, that means there is no samskara, or almost none. All that we see during meditation is the
release of our samskara. It's like a record playing music. Whatever it is, it comes. You know, if you are
cooking potatoes and you stir the pot, you get the smell of potatoes. So we have samskaras here, and
when you are meditating it is released and it comes in contact with the mind, so you get the same
impression which made the samskaras first. It is not really important, it only shows that something is
coming out. A common example, you know, like a child when it eats something and vomits, it can only
bring out what it has eaten, it cannot create something and bring it out. So nothing can come which has
not been inside. That is why we say,don't give importance to these things.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 56)
Please do not worry what comes out of you in meditation, because these things are coming out to leave
you forever, if you think of them and keep them in your thoughts, they will go back inside and will never
be cleaned out. One has to wait for things to leave and not force it. If you are inattentive to these things,
they will disappear automatically.
Do not be attentive to the fact that the feeling you have about your meditation has to affect you. If you
feel, “My meditation is good,” – good! But you see, some people get worried: “Oh, my meditation was
good yesterday, it is not so good today.” You might have had a good meditation without being aware of it.
Also, if you dwell on a condition your evolution might stop. So, please do not try to experience the
same condition again. There will be change, changes, many changes. SahajMarg is change. It is good
to be impatient if you are impatient to reach the goal, but it is not so good to get nervous and pessimistic
if things do not go your way. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol.1, p.121)
The feeling of loneliness and sadness comes after meditation because during meditation the soul is
reminded of its original home and a sense of nostalgia follows which makes us feel, at the human level,
sad. This is a welcome sign of your inner longing for spiritual progress.
13. What is transmission and its importance in SahajMarg?

Transmission is the utilisation of divine energy for the transformation of man.
(P. Rajagopalachari, An Attitude of Holiness, 15th March, 2010, Kharagpur, India)
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Pranahutiis a process of yogic transmission; derived from prana – life andahuti – offering. Offering of the
life force by the Guru into the disciple’s heart. (Welcome to SahajMarg, p. 45)
So the Master’s transmission works without resistance because it is the power of love, if we may say
that, which is reflected back in us as the power of love. (P. Rajagopalachari, Yatra, Vol.1, p. 301)
By this transmission, the Master is able to put into our hearts his own energy. That is, now we have the
possibility of growing by someone else’s energy which is put into us. (..) Because he gives that food for
the soul which we need to quickly develop, quickly develop beyond what we believe to be the possibility
for human beings hitherto, precisely because he is able to put his wealth into us. It is as if we get a
million dollars, we become rich overnight. (...) He makes us spiritual millionaires, as it were, by putting
into us his own wealth of spiritual attainment. (P. Rajagopalachari, Yatra, Vol.1, p. 144)
On a different occasion Master described transmission in terms other than what I have stated above. He
said, "The body is alive only because the soul is in it. At death the soul flies away, and then we say the
person is dead, and call the body a corpse. So the body lives by the soul. How does the soul live? I will
tell you. The soul lives by transmission which we can think of as the essence of Divinity. Dr.
Varadachari has called this 'Soul of the soul.' It is a correct description that he has given. He told me in
Sanskrit it is PranasyaPranaha which means the soul of the soul. So, really speaking, without transmission
the soul is like a dead thing. The very first transmission makes the soul alive. It is the touch of Divinity
itself.
The first and almost immediate effect of the transmission is to give peace and calmness which can hardly
be expressed in words. This experience in meditation helps to gently remind us of the source to which we
must return and repeated experience strengthens the remembrance of our original home, and so loosens
the bondage of the present life. As the transmission takes us to deeper and deeper levels of
remembrance, our journey to the source becomes firmly established.
(Ram Chandra, Messages Universal, p. 106)
14. What can you say about the Friday 9 pm sitting with Master?
The nine o’clock meditation on Friday nights is open to all abhyasis and does not need any special
permission. If you are going to participate in the sittings, it is necessary that you receive a sitting from
another preceptor, physically face to face...
(P.Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol.1, p.168)
15. What can you say about individual sittings regarding importance, frequency and attitude?
Actually two individual sittings per month with a preceptor are enough. Under special circumstances there
may be more sittings.
Don’t try to interfere with the normal process of bhoga by taking more individual sittings,
there has to be a period of digestion between sittings and this may please be understood as a very
necessary limb in the practice – an aspect of the process.
(…) transmission always comes from Master – and no one else! The preceptor only uses his
personal will power to do the work – the transmission is always from Him. The second fact is that no
preceptor can do anything to harm an abhyasi, ever. This is just not possible in the SahajMarg system! (P.
Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol.1, p.165)
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Rev. Master has re-affirmed that the time gap of taking individual sittings after Group Satsangh should
certainly be FIVE hours. However, individual sittings can be given before Group Satsangh on Wednesdays
and Sundays, but only cleaning need be done in those individual sittings. On the rest of the days of the
week, when the Group Satsangh is not held, the question of five hours of time gap before Group Satsangh
does not arise.
(Message from Brother U.S.Bajpai, SahajSandesh No.: 2006.74 - Friday, October 6, 2006)
16. Satsangh – Group Meditation: What is the importance of Satsangh? Why do we need to
make an effort to attend Satsangh often and regularly?
In addition to our personal daily practice, the Master asks us to attend at least one group meditation per
week, and preferably two or more.
(SMRTI, April 2001 - taken in part from a sheet distributed by the Chennai Centre)
(…) He [Babuji] offered three reasons. The first was that when we all sit down and meditate together, the
effort is magnified, and is much more than the sum of individual effort. The second reason is
when we come together on occasions like this, inSatsangh, in group meetings, first we learn to tolerate
each other, then we learn to have mutual respect for each other, and finally, it is hoped, that
we shall love each other, too. That is the second reason for group Satsangh. The third reason is a very
simple one. He wishes it, therefore we obey His wish.
Satsangh is very important. BabujiMaharaj said that whenabhyasis are present at group
Satsangh, he can see them as if they are on a television screen, and when they are not present,
he does not see them.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Understanding of SahajMarg, 7th February, 2010, Kolkata)
Ideally there should be no talking among abhyasis before Satsangh, and more importantly
after Satsangh. It is good to prepare oneself for meditation by being silent and receptive before
meditation starts. After the meditation, BabujiMaharaj has said, “It is very important to remain silent and
brood over one’s condition which improves reading capacity.” This period of silence must last for at
least ten minutes. Thereafter it is good to read something from the SahajMarg literature aloud
so that all abhyasis can listen for half an hour and then disperse. You may read this out at Satsangh
so that everybody understands the significance.
You may please continue to attend Satsangh, but sit with the idea that Master is transmitting to
you. In fact this should be done regularly, and you will surely feel the difference. (P. Rajagopalachari, The
Spider’s Web, Vol.1, p.178)
17. Bhandaras – Large Gatherings: What is the importance of bhandaras? How can we preserve
what we receive during bhandaras?
Master’s Divine Blessings no doubt flow everywhere, but it is also a proven and experienced fact that it
flows in special measure at such celebrations, as is always the observed spiritual phenomenon at Basant.
Before making any comment on bhandara, I wish that you attend one and feel the difference. Bhandara is
a necessity for love, brotherhood, etc. For those unable to participate due to paucity of finance, ill health,
etc., they should participate in the sittings held in the respective centres on those days when the Divine
Grace will flow on full.
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Every sitting [during bhandara] is important, because each sitting adds to the effect of the previous one.
And if you have missed one, you have missed it; the chain is broken and you start again all over now. So
Satsangh at bhandaras, as we call them, or annual functions, birthdays, et cetera, is very important.
Satsangh and presence at every sitting is very important. (P. Rajagopalachari, He, the Hookah and I,
pp.173-174)
Your daily sadhana is the foundation of your spirituality. What you receive in these bhandaras, gatherings,
is the superstructure. So please remember that it is necessary to come, it is necessary to receive, it is
essential to preserve what we have received. And for that you have to be regular in your daily sadhana
which must go deeper and deeper into yourself so that when we meet again your receptivity is much
more. You can receive much more. As Babuji said, if you take a small bag to the vegetable market, how
much can you bring home? So this [heart] must digest, absorb, so that when you come, your capacity is
enlarged and in the same three sittings you get much more than you would have gotten today or last year
or the year before last.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Importance of Daily Sadhana,16th May 2010, Tiruppur)
18. What attitudes are we requested to adopt during meditation?
Please put your heart into your daily sadhana, doing it with a heart full of love and devotion, and do not
consider it just another ‘chore’ to be done.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol. 3, p.104)
Are we aware that each sitting that we take, when we close our eyes we should be something, when we
open our eyes we should have moved on? I am afraid that sense of urgency is lacking in almost all
abhyasis.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Attend to the Call of the Heart, 1st January 2010, Chennai)
When we meditate, it has to be a dynamic process in which the goal is always in our view. (P.
Rajagopalachari, What is SahajMarg?, p. 50)
If meditation and cleaning are done out of love for the Master, regular practice becomes easier. In
meditation we are truly with Him and receive reassurance of His presence within us. He never leaves
us, but we tend to create distance from Him. Please apply your will to do the daily practice, take
individual sittings and attend Satsanghs. By constant remembrance you will be able to experience
Master's presence with you always.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider's Web, Vol. 3, p.245)
Meditation should not be attempted with force. Try to relax and adopt an attitude of submission
to the Master’s will, so that it can work upon you without restraint.
Have faith in what you are doing. Remember that when you meditate you are with God. Remember that
when you are not meditating also He is there, because He is here (indicates the heart). My meditation is
only to establish a contact with Him, like telephoning a friend and making sure he is there. Or calling,
“Mummy, mummy,” and she says, “Yes, darling. I am in the kitchen.” This is all that is necessary.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Religion and Spirituality, pp. 134-135)
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19. Can you explain the difference between meditation and concentration?
Meditation is different from concentration. Concentration directly refers to suppression of thoughts … The
basis of meditation is purely spiritual, while that of concentration is only the ego. When you concentrate,
‘you’ are there, quite definitely, but when you meditate, you wait for something higher, hence you are
away from the idea of self.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 2, “Concentration”, pp.74-75)
Concentration is nothing but a stage in which the mind can reston a particular object at my choice, at
my will, for as long as I choose. That is concentration. Concentration is not an act, it is a state of
mind, a state of existence. Then the mind, which has now become capable of concentrating under my
command, is my instrument.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 5, p. 70)
... most systems treat meditation as concentration. Now, meditation has nothing to do with concentration,
at least not in the process. My Master says that meditation is the process that leads to the result which is
concentration. The successful practice leads to concentration. In fact, what weachieve by meditation is
a state of mind where the mind can be said to be concentrated. That is, we do not concentrate
but our mind is in a state of concentration. ... So, the practice of meditation enables us to achieve
finally that state in which we can say the mind is in a state of concentration.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol.1, p. 111)
I am surprised to see your report about headache during meditation. There is nothing to worry about
because this only means that instead of meditation, you are trying to concentrate and that always
produces a headache. So please, do not try to concentrate but have a general awareness of the
light in the heart and do not try to see it or fix your mind on it or anything like that. If the mind
wanders, gently bring it back without struggling so that there is no reaction from the mind.
Method For Morning Meditation (One hour)
● Sit comfortably with eyes closed. Observe your condition for few minutes.
● If necessary, do 5 minutes of cleaning before meditation.
● Say the prayer, once, with a heart full of love and devotion.
O Master!
Thou art the real goal of human life,
We are yet but slaves of wishes,
Putting bar to our advancement,
Thou art the only God and Power
To bring us up to that stage.
● Gently give a supposition that Divine light is already present in your heart. Slowly become
absorbed in yourself.
● Thoughts may come but gently bring your attention to the Divine light in your heart.
● The prescribed time for meditation is one hour.
● After meditation, sit quietly for a few minutes observing your condition and then write in the diary.
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READING OUR CONDITION
When we meditate, we notice the difference between our state of mind and overall condition as it was
prior to the meditation and how it is afterwards. It is important for all of us to see how we feel before we
start meditation. Scan your entire system. Start feeling yourself from top to bottom. Then slowly get into
meditation. At the end of it, see if there is any difference. Hold on to that difference in your mind.
( Kamlesh D Patel, Designing Destiny, p. 75)
Reading the Condition - Exercise
Close your eyes for a few minutes and observe your condition at the moment. Please note your
observations in your diary as proposed in the exercise below. Use your own words and expressions: the
words below are only a guide, to help if needed.
1. General condition prior to meditation(5 min)

Describe how you feel before the meditation begins.
(E.G. LIGHT/HEAVY, QUIET/AGITATED, PEACEFUL/DISTRESSED, STILL/ACTIVE, CENTRED/DISTRACTED/CONFUSED,
BALANCED/UNBALANCED, HAPPY/SAD, PERPLEXED, EXCITED, ETC.)
Meditate for 15 minutes, being aware of your attitude, and practicing what you have learned. Take a few
minutes to observe your condition after the meditation and note it down in your diary
2. General condition after meditation (5min)

After brooding over your condition for a few minutes at the end of the meditation or sitting, how do you
feel?
(E.G. FLOATING, DETACHED, AWARE OF TRANSMISSION, LIGHT, HEAVY, QUIET, AGITATED, STILL, CALM, DISTRESSED,
CENTRED, DISTRACTED, CONFUSED, HAPPY, SAD, PERPLEXED, EXCITED, PEACEFUL, STILL ABSORBED, RESTLESS,
BALANCED, ETC.)
3. What did you feel during meditation? (5 min)

Describe anything you remember experiencing during the meditation. This is different from the condition
you experience after meditation. It is fine if there is nothing that you remember from the meditation.
RETAINING OUR CONDITION

“When Master gives us a condition, it is not just given for us to keep it. It must grow.”
“Observe after meditation. It needs only five minutes of your time. You have laboured for it. Why not
spend an extra five minutes in trying to recognise and be one with it, savour it, preserve it, and continue
with it?”
“The first step of preserving spiritual wealth is to know what you have received through meditation.
Try to make it grow, and make sure it grows.”
“In morning meditation, you have received a certain level of consciousness. Hold on to that. Carry on
with your day-to-day activities with open eyes, having a full grip over the morning condition. Do you
understand what I mean by ‘grip over the condition’? Suppose someone tells you a joke. You remember
the joke, no? Sometimes you laugh alone, remembering the joke and your mother will ask, “What’s wrong
with this guy?” Then you have to explain, “Oh, I remembered this joke.” So like that, the morning
condition can be so good and so profound and so intense that it comes back to you, haunting you: “Hold
me tight, hold me in your heart,” it says. You walk with it, work with it, study with it. That is the
meditative state we have to entertain all day and night.”
(Kamlesh D Patel, Designing Destiny, p. 76, 77)
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“What is a meditative state? You have centered yourself towards your heart. You are more perceptive
as you are trying to understand things with your heart. When you look at things, your attention is in the
heart, your eyes are there. You are always trying to weigh things with your heart, you are not analysing
from the mind. Your inner radar opens up.”
(Kamlesh D Patel, Designing Destiny, p. 76, 77)
ADDITIONAL TECHNIQUES TO DEEPEN YOUR MEDITATION
Point A Meditation (Not more than 10 minutes at bed time)
For Brothers : Fix your attention on point A, with the thought that all women and men of the world are
your sisters and brothers. Hold your thought on this while meditating on point A believing this to be the
reality. This is a really short but extremely effective practice. If practiced wholeheartedly, you can see its
effect immediately, and this effect will be permanent. This meditation is to be done before going to bed
for not more than ten minutes.
For Sisters: Sisters are advised to follow the process with a slight modification. Instead, think that all
divine gifts are available to you, and that all men and women of the world think that they are brothers
and sisters and your thought is one with theirs.
What are the Benefits of meditation?

A. Regulation of the mind
Almost everyone today feels his life to be a hard struggle for existence confronting acute problems of
poverty, insecurity, distress and rivalry and it is almost impossible to keep himself free from its effects.
The result is the constant unrest and disturbance of mind. We breathe in the same thing from the
atmosphere and are consequently led away by circumstances and surroundings. Our individual mind has
become the weather-cock, turning its face at every blast towards the direction in which the wind blows.
The real hero in the struggle is one, who braves them courageously and keeps himself free from their
effect.
The methods to mould the mind and regulate its activities are also very simple ... The proper method to
control the activities of the mind is to fix it on one sacred thought just as we do in meditation, and dispel
from it everything unwanted or superfluous. In course of time after constant practice, the mind gets
disciplined and regulated and much of the inner disturbance is eliminated.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Reality at Dawn, pp.35-36)
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When we meditate, the central power we have, remains in force. It disperses the overwhelming clouds
which are greatly fried up by its force. It cannot be expressed in words, only an abhyasi can feel it. This
can only be known practically. You will soon find yourself swimming in everlasting peace and happiness.
Everything ends here. There remains no attachment with the world. The mind is disciplined, it is regulated
automatically. Senses begin to come under control and you gain mastery over them. To master yourself
means to master Nature.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, SahajMarg Philosophy, p. 342)
B. State of inner peace

In due course, after sufficient practice, the conscious mind too gets moulded and begins to act in
harmony with the subconscious mind. The result thus achieved is deep-rooted and lasting, and finally
calmness, the characteristic of soul becomes predominant.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, Reality at Dawn, p. 69)
C. Meditation is the ‘mother’ of constant remembrance

What is important in meditation is that it must lead to constant remembrance. That upon which I meditate
frequently, regularly, will become the object of my continuous thought. Meditation only helps me to
establish the thinking of that particular object, in this case my Master, so that even when I’m not
meditating I’m thinking of him. Therefore, through meditation comes constant remembrance, which is the
object of meditation. Meditation does not lead to self-realization – please, whatever literature may say,
whatever other gurus may say, whatever even the Vedas may say. Meditation leads to your ability to
concentrate, which makes thinking of that chosen object of your meditation permanent in your heart –
constant remembrance – then that becomes the object, which I shall become automatically by His grace.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, “He, the Hookah and I”, p.64)
D. Improved ability to concentrate outside of our meditation practice
Now, in this way, if you are able to spare, say, half an hour in the morning, half an hour in the evening for
the practice, for the system of meditation, you are really training your mind to be able to meditate, then
subsequently to concentrate to become a capable instrument for revelation. (P. Rajagopalachari,
Meditation and Education, 28th April 1990, Jaipur)
Concentration is nothing but a stage in which the mind can rest on a particular object at my choice, at my
will, for as long as I choose. That is concentration. Concentration is not an act, it is a state of mind, a
state of existence. Then the mind, which has now become capable of concentrating under my command,
is my instrument.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 5, p. 70)
E. Normalization of all functions
… adds Master, “one can regulate one's life so as to normalise all the functions of the human system so
that the person develops into a perfect human being.” The word 'normalise' is most important in this
context. (...) Under the SahajMarg method of yogic sadhana Master offers precisely this training of how to
normalise one's life in all the details of its functions. Master has stated that most humans start life as
animals, and to humanise them becomes the first step in sadhana. The animal man becomes a real
human by the practice of meditation which regulates mental functions, and thereby makes it possible for
the regulation to percolate down to the physical level. It is with the mind that we have to begin.
(P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, chapter Tolerance. pp. 26-27)
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F. As one meditates, so one becomes
Ancient teachers, both in the East and the West, have taught that as one meditates so one becomes. It
therefore follows that what we meditate upon we get or become and, inverting this formula, if we want to
become something we must meditate upon that and nothing else. Therefore, if our aim is Realisation or
the attainment of oneness with the Ultimate, the object of meditation must be that Ultimate, and nothing
else.
(P. Rajagopalachari, ‘Yoga as an Instrument of Human Evolution’, Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 1, p.17)
G. Contribution to harmony in the world

World peace is closely related with the peace of the individual for which one has to take into account the
inner state of one’s mind.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 3, Messages Universal, p. 384)
I am often asked, "What can one man meditating do to change this world?" Why not? I have heard of
avalanches in these mountains of Switzerland, where a single stone thrown somewhere set off an
avalanche. Sometimes a single handclap set off an avalanche. Why not my meditation change this
universe? So, don't denigrate your capacities. When we depend on our physical and mental capacities,
they are puny, however big we may be, however strong we may be. It is the small which is beautiful. Not
only beautiful, but it is the small which is powerful. The atom bomb is more powerful than any other
known explosive, precisely because it is composed of atoms.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Revealing the Personality, p. 242)
Whereas if you do what you have to do, meditate day after day after day, the whole structure, everything
surrounding, it begins to not vibrate, but to release a sort of a vibration which slowly permeates the
atmosphere around. And then the village becomes divinised, the town becomes divinised, the country
becomes divinised, the world becomes divinised. That is how this spreads.
(P. Rajagopalachari, This is What SahajMarg Is, 11th February 2011, Haldwani, India)
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2) Cleaning
Objective:To understand the importance of cleaning and to identify any difficulties encountered in the
method of cleaning and find ways to overcome them.
Understanding the Cleaning process through quotes of Spiritual Guides :

1. What is cleaning?
“So the system of SahajMarg, which is the name of the yoga system that we practice, accepts any
individual human being, whatever may be his present condition or state of mind, because the past, the
burden of the past, the Master removes, and the future we create by co-operation with him. The process
of removal of the impressions is called cleaning.”(P Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 1,
p.72 )
2. Why do we need cleaning?

Babuji: “(…) But I am telling you it is important to remove the day’s accumulation the same day
itself. Otherwise tomorrow it will have become a little more hard and solid, and require more
effort. That is why I prescribe daily cleaning by the abhyasi’s themselves. This process, if correctly
followed, will remove the day’s accumulation. The rest is the Master’s work. So you see the importance of
daily cleaning?”
(P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp.133-134)
“So you see the enormous difference of looking into the past and looking into the future, looking into the
material universe and looking into the inner universe of the heart. Therefore, when we find hatred,
viciousness, corruption, disease forms, we know these are things which are going to govern our future,
unless they are taken out. Therefore, we are advised to do the cleaning, and the Master, in his enormous
mercy for us, cleans off the immense burden of samskaras which we cannot possibly remove”.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol. 2, p. 89)
Babuji : Really speaking it is our past impressions which hold us down and create patterns of behavior
which we are unable to modify. We are the slaves of our past. We think we are free to think and act as we
like but, truly speaking, this is a fallacy. We are conditioned in everything by the past. Now how to change
a person under these conditions? This is Lalaji’s greatness that by this process of cleaning he makes it
possible to completely remove the effects of the past, in stages of course. You see what a great boon this
is. What is the use of telling a person he must change? Of course everyone would like to change, but it is
not possible. Why? Because the mind is conditioned by the past. So you see, change can come only by
cleaning the mind of past impressions. This makes it possible for the abhyasi to be slowly liberated from
his past. Really speaking this is our only bondage. Our past impressions create tendencies in us which we
find difficult to change. When the impressions are cleared, the tendency can be changed easily and in
many cases, automatically. Then thought and action become correct and natural. Therefore to transmit is
not enough. Cleaning is very important. Otherwise the abhyasi may progress but the danger of fall is
always there because the impressions of the past can drag him back. If progress is to be made
permanent, purification of the system is essential. (P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, p.135-136)
Yoga means union. Two things cannot unite when they are not fitted for each other. If one is imperfect to
start with, it has to be corrected and remoulded and made perfect before it can have union with the
perfect one. (…) The perfection of the imperfect is what has to be achieved before union is possible. This
is achieved by the cleaning process under Sahaj Marg. Now the two have to merge to become one – yoga
is yet to be achieved. (P. Rajagopalachari, SahajMarg in Europe, Yatra, Vol.1, p.264-265)
So the cleaning for ourselves is very important because we depend on it for our personal evolution, in the
sense that unless our heart is clean the Master is certainly not going to come and occupy it. And unless it
is absolutely clean, he is not going to stay in it. So it is the need of the hour, the need of eternity, to
15
purify the heart to such an extent and to keep it so pure that He will not leave that place even if you want
to push him out.
(P. Rajagopalachari, What is SahajMarg, A Preceptor's Guide, Vol. 1, p. 59)
… The goal for all is to become simple, pure and humble. Simplicity and purity emerge as complexities
and impurities are removed through the process of cleaning. Humility emerges as the ego becomes more
and more refined. This requires a prayerful state, which develops through prayer as well as through the
practice of Maxim 10.
(Abhyasi Bulletin: No: 2015.58 Monday, 8 June 2015 – Daaji’s European Tour, Part 5)
“Our lifestyle must support our goals. That’s all the wisdom we require. Start moving into this world with
a conscious lifestyle in mind. With your lifestyle, with your habits, can you greet God and shake his hand
with confidence? You have to answer this for yourself, God being purity and love. When a clean heart is
there, it is easy to resonate with the higher consciousness.”(Abhyasi Bulletin: No: 2015.67 Wednesday,
24 June 2015 -Daaji’s North American Tour, Part 3)
3. What is an impression?
“Every time we think of something, and we become attached to what we think about, an impression is
formed in the mind. That impression which the thought creates becomes the parent of an action or of an
activity. And when the activity is indulged in, when the activity is undertaken, the impression becomes
deeper. … It is perhaps in this fashion that habits are formed. … a person’s whole personality is a
reflection of such patterns of impressions in his mind.”(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg,
Vol. 1, p. 94)
4. What is a Samskara?
But my Master said, what we thought, what we did, up to this present moment, creates what He calls
‘impressions’ on our mind, which when they solidify, become ‘samskaras’. It is like, you know, a little rill
or water running on the same course again and again, making that way deeper and deeper, and one day,
becoming a river. Then, whenever it rains, the water follows that course. It has no choice. It has dug for
itself its own, shall we say, graveyard, which we call the river bed. So also we form tendencies. (P.
Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, pp.204-205)
Physically, when you eat, the result of what you ate is a physical excretion and it comes out of you.
Mentally, what you take into yourself creates its own excretion and that goes into you and that is what we
call a samskara. (P. Rajagopalachari, Questions and Answers, 1991, translated form French
Transactions de seminaries de la SRCM, Vol.1, 1996)
Because a samskara is only a fossilized impression which does not fossilize in material form but in the
heart, in a different way. You can say they are fossil forms deposited by ourselves in our hearts by our
own past thoughts and actions and in that sense they are thought forms, action forms, of the past –
fossils. (P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.2, p.88)
I think of something, you know, and it has a result. That result is grossness. If it is going on
accumulating, it becomes deeper and deeper, harder and harder, until it is a samskara, wherein it is then
like a fossil and not just an impression on sand. Hence, the importance of cleaning.( P Rajagopalachari,
SahajMarg Meanderings Disc 1)
“Suppose I see a beautiful rose, I admire it. There is nothing wrong in it. But I must not look at it again
and again and create strong impressions of its beauty. Then the impression forms on the mind. If the
impression is strong enough we want to go back again and see it, and this further strengthens the
16
impressions. Then the desire to possess it comes into play, and if we yield to it, action begins. So you see
a simple thought, if allowed to go on unchecked, can lead on and on to action, and then its result, I mean
the result of that action, must inevitably follow. So a train of events is set up and we are caught up in it.
That is why we must be very alert.”(P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp. 137-138)
“Now, often, why cleaning is not successful is because we want to hold some samskaras and throw away
the rest. That is difficult! It is total or not at all. Physically you can do it. The body, you can clean only the
foot, for instance, or wash only your hair. But in the bathtub you cannot do that. Everything is going. In
the mental, it is more difficult. In the spiritual, it is impossible. Either all or nothing!” (P. Rajagopalachari,
Heart to Heart, Vol. 4, p. 309)
These desires mould our physical and mental actions and lead to the formation of ‘samskaras’
(impressions), adding thus more and more coverings to the soul. (…) their impressions remain on our
causal body so long as they are not wiped off through the process of ‘bhog.’ (Ram Chandra, Reality at
Dawn, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1. P.29)
Often, samskaras are also formed by inactions: something that I should have done, and I did not do.
(Abhyasi Bulletin: No: 2016.38 Thursday, 28 April 2016 - Report on Daaji's activities during the 19th to
24th April 2016, Kanha Shanti Vanam)
You see, it’s like a lamp, the glass chimney of which has been coated with soot from inside. The lamp is
burning but there is no light coming out. So this is the thing of which Babuji used to say, “Even criminals
have this light within them.” We don’t see it because they have enshrouded it within that enormous
solidity of the grossness that they have accumulated. When you clean it away you find the light is still
within them too.
(P. Rajagopalachari, “What is SahajMarg,” A Preceptor’s Guide, Vol.1, p.34)
5. What is Bhog?
“Bhog is a life experience, something that we go through, which is the consequence of certain samskaras.
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 2, Voice Real, p. 91)
Sometimes the Masters will refer to bhog or bhoga, which is a life experience one goes through as the
result of samskaras. Bhog occurs when circumstances are favourable for their fruition. For example,
certain people/ places/ things can trigger a samskaras, causing one to go through a certain bhoga
experience. Going through the bhoga can have the effect of removing the samskara at the root of the
bhog. This is the spiritual function of bhog. In other words, bhog is one of the ways to exhaust a
samskara.
The completion of the bhog of all the samskaras, formed every moment cannot ordinarily be possible
during the whole life. Thus when our life comes to a close we still have a lot of samskaras in store within
us. These very samskaras become the cause of our rebirth, in order to offer us an opportunity to
complete their bhog, but unfortunately, instead of finishing them we add more than those we have
exhausted. (Ram Chandra, Reality at Dawn, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, P.29)
In SahajMarg, the process of cleaning accelerates the removal of samskaras and reduced the need for
bhog. With the help of a worthy Master of caliber the process of bhoga is considerably reduced and the
abhyasi’s stay at these places is much shortened, saving thereby a lot of time and energy. (Ram
Chandra, Voice Real, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 2, P.91)
17
6. What are different ways to remove impressions and samskaras?
 Individual cleaning applying one’s own willpower

 The Master’s work upon the abhyasi, including sittings, Group
Meditationsetc.
 Bhog
 Reading Whispers message sincerely in the prescribed way (Whispers from the Brighter
World – Vol. 2, page xiii)
7.What is the difference between meditation and cleaning?

The basic difference is that in meditation your mind is brought to a state of passivity applied to a single
object to promote or develop concentration, and there it rests. There is no question of will power during
meditation. In cleaning there is no meditation, there is only the application of will power used to remove
grossness, impurities, complexities, progressively, stage by stage... (Preceptor’s Guide, Vol.2, p.125)
“We are supposed to use our will power for cleaning. It is not just a suggestion. Can you become rich by
just thinking you are rich? You have to acquire riches. (…) His power you are using, but you are the user.
As Babuji used to say, “Suppose I give you a knife to cut something, the power is given to you. But you
have to cut”.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 7, pp. 46-47)
Time and time again, Master insists on the necessity of applying one’s will power to carry out the
cleaning.
Here I want to emphasize something which I found many people haven’t understood, that in the cleaning
process one has to apply one’s will. In meditation we don’t apply our will at all. In meditation it’s a
question of fixing our attention on the object on which we are meditating. Now this is perhaps why many
people find that instead of doing the cleaning they’re meditating, because if the will is not applied, it
becomes something of a farce. But because we sit in the aspect of meditation, in the attitude, or in the
posture we normally adopt, the mind having become used to meditation, it slips into meditation. So my
Master, Babuji, used to always emphasize that when we sit for cleaning, we should apply the will. And He
used to make a gesture, you, as if you are putting your hand into your heart and throwing out things, like
this, from behind. That is the correct way of doing the cleaning. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree,
p.9)
“If this wisdom dawns, then who will not come to meditate? Who will not subject himself or herself to the
cleaning process? Now you may ask a question, “But Chari, you are talking about not-doing. But are you
not doing cleaning?” Yes. But am I doing it? BabujiMaharaj said, “The merest suggestion, supposition of
light.”It is what we call a sankalpa. The difference between thinking and sankalpa is about just thinking
and putting your will behind that thought. “I will do it” means I have willed myself to do it. “I will do it”
does not mean that “I shall do it”, or “I must do it”. It does not mean anything of that sort. It means I
have willed myself to do it and it shall happen. (…) So you see, the potency of the thought is not the
thought, but is the will behind the thought”.(P. Rajagopalachari, Revealing the Personality, pp. 221-222)
8. Is cleaning as important as meditation in our SahajMarg practice?

“Therefore I have emphasized the fundamental requirement, the most important requirement of our
sadhana, the cleaning process. Therefore we also advise abhyasis: whenever you cannot meditate, at
least do the evening cleaning, because it keeps the vessel pure to receive the transmission. So
this is the very great benefit of the cleaning process, and whatever else we may neglect, the cleaning
should not be neglected under any circumstances”.(P. Rajagopalachari, The Role of the Master in Human
Evolution, p. 103)
18
“And if the daily process of self-cleaning is followed, then by Lalaji’s grace a stage can be
reached when the formation of impressions no longer takes place, and samskara formation
stops. (…) Then the person lives and works normally in every way but no impressions are formed”.(P.
Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp. 136-137)
“(…) meditation, if cleaning is not done thoroughly and regularly, will give more power to
wrong tendencies. My Master used to say, “If you transmit to a thief, he will be a better thief”.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol. 1, p. 124)
9.How do I feel after cleaning?

All the lightness that you feel during the sitting is not due to transmission at all, it’s due to cleaning.
Cleaning gives you lightness. Transmission, when you are light, gives you the feeling of going deep into
the meditation.(Preceptor’s Guide, Vol.1, p.265)
It is clear that the superficial impressions are easily cleaned off. It is easy to wipe a slate and clean it. But
it is not so with a gramophone record, for instance, where the impressions have been made deep enough
to form permanent grooves. When we become ‘involved’ in our actions the danger of deep impressions
being formed is much greater. The accumulated impressions which are in us form the samskaric burden of
the past. This has to be cleaned by the Master by the use of his own spiritual power. As this cleaning
proceeds the abhyasi experiences actual ‘lightness’ during his meditation sittings”.
(P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp. 132-133)
10.When do I do the cleaning? Why?

By doing the evening cleaning when the day is over, we try as far as possible to get rid of that day’s
impressions. So essentially, the evening cleaning process is to remove accumulation of impressions
gathered during that day. The older and deeper accumulation which is more gross, they are not just
impressions, they have become grossness – that has to be dealt with by the Master and the preceptors.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Proceedings of the Seminar on SahajMarg, Vorauf – Munich, Germany, April 27th to
May 4th, 1985)
Because after cleaning there is always a sense of normal, natural well-being. Nothing ecstatic, nothing,
joyful, but shall we say, a state of contentment; and that makes it possible for us to go to sleep in a very
harmonious way. In fact, the whole idea - I mean the idea of giving this system of cleaning to be done at
that particular time, after the day's work is over - is to remove all the heaviness, both by way of
grossness and by way of mental tensions that we have accumulated, and put us into a harmonious mood.
So that even our dinner we can eat in peace, digest it in a normal way, and then go to sleep in a very
harmonious way. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 10-11)
11. For how long should we do the cleaning?
In the evening sit in the same (as in meditation) posture, for half an hour and do the cleaning in the
prescribed way.
12. Why is it important to fill up the vacuum during individual cleaning?

Now when you have cleaned something, something has to be put into it. We can clean a bottle but only
with the object of replacing the dirt with something clean. When Master now puts into our cleaned purified
system is himself, or his spiritual essence, in the form of what we call transmission. (P. Rajagopalachari,
SahajMarg in Europe, p.213)
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Restricting myself for the time being to this cleaning – I have always wondered why so many sincere,
extraordinarily sincere, people who practiced yogic systems in the past with almost frantic zeal, subduing
every human instinct they had, yet fell short of achieving the goal. Thinking over the past so many years
about this, it was only two days ago, while I was myself sitting in meditation, that the answer came to
me. Every one of those aspirants had in some way cleaned himself and created a vacuum.
But what is it that is going to fill this vacuum? Please note, when a vacuum is created, unless it is
attached to a source from which the vacuum chamber can itself be filled up with the appropriate thing, it
is only going to attract everything that is outside itself! (P.Rajagopalachari, “The Principles of
SahajMarg,” Combined Works of Chariji, Vol. 1, p.93)
13.How do we apply the will?

We are supposed to use our will power for cleaning. It is not just a suggestion. Can you become rich by
just thinking you are rich? You have to acquire riches. Even when you have a bath, you may use the best
soap, but unless you rub yourself, it will only have a superficial effect. This rubbing yourself is the will
power that you use. Similarly, afterwards when you use the towel, if you just place the towel around the
body and take it out, of course, it will remove some of the water, but much of it will remain. So toweling
is also a brisk activity. Similarly in cleaning, you imagine, from the front, Master’s Grace is sweeping
through you, taking the complexities out. Babuji used to make a gesture like this, as if you are putting
your hands and taking it out and throwing it aside. It is a very active, positive effort. But unfortunately
people sit saying, “No, no, Babuji is cleaning me.” Of course He cleans. But you know, you have to call a
doctor when you are sick. The doctor doesn’t go around asking, “Well, is there anybody sick here?” Isn’t
it? You have to bring him to your house. So that “bringing Him to the house” is meditation. Using Him to
clean is this active process. His power you are using, but you are the user. As Babuji used to say,
“Suppose I give you a knife to cut something, the power is given to you. But you have to cut.” You just
place the knife on the object and say, “O knife! Cut,” will it cut? You have to use your Shakti (power).
Without the knife, you cannot cut. (P. Rajagopalachari,The Principles of
SahajMargVol-VII, p. 41-47)
Suffice it to say, that the process of cleaning uses the original power of thought in the form of human will
for the refinement of the individual soul to enable it to ascend the steep and slippery path of realization
of the subtlest essence of Identity.
(Complete Works of Ram Chandra Volume 1, The Philosophy of SahajMarg, p. 335)
METHOD FOR EVENING CLEANING - Sit for half an hour
Sit in the same posture as for meditation for half an hour with a suggestion to yourself that all
complexities and impurities, including grossness, darkness etc. are going out of the whole
system through the back(from the top of the head to tailbone)in the form of smoke or vapour.
Gently accelerate the cleaning with confidence and faith, and apply your will as needed.
As the impressions are leaving from the back, you will start feeling lightness in yourheart.
(It is an active yet gentle process.)

(Do not meditate on those things you want to get rid of. Simply brush them off.)
(continue this for 20 to 25 minutes)
When you feel very light that means you are connected with the Source, and from this Source
descends the Sacred Current entering your heart. The Sacred Current is helping you remove impressions
from the back side.
When complexities are gone, you are feeling simple. Impurities are gone and you are feeling pure. The
Sacred Current is entering your heart and going through the heart.The Sacred Current is entering
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every cell, every corner of your body. Your whole body is feeling sacred. Your whole body is now
completely purified and has become a temple of God.
Finish with the conviction that the cleaning was completed effectively and sacredness has filled every part
of your being.
SOME ADDITIONAL CLEANING TECHNIQUES:
(1) CLEANING OF POINT B: Not more that 10 minutes before morning meditation
Fix your attention on Point B and imaging that all impurities and grossness are going out from Point B,
from the front of the body. Imagine that as this process is going on the glow of the atman, the soul,
begins to appear from behind it. This process is to be done in the morning, before beginning morning
meditation, but never for more than ten minutes.
(2) EMERGENCY CLEANING (Spot Cleaning): Few minutes
There are numerous occasions in our day - to - day life where we encounter unpleasant situations that
make us feel angry, annoyed or frustrated. There situations often leave us feeling heavy at heart. The
best thing to do is ‘emergency cleaning’.
Steps for emergency cleaning:

1. Take a few minutes break. Go a little far from the situation or simply do it in the same place. It can
also be done with your eyes open.
2. Do the cleaning for a few minutes. Use your will to make a subtle suggestion that, “What has
affected me right now is going from my back in the form of smoke or vapour.”
3. After these few minutes, when you are comfortable that it has gone, make a firm resolution that it
is really gone.
(3) CLEANING OF A PERSON with whom you feel uncomfortable :

“BhaiSaheb, there is no use in being stubborn. If the majority declares something as a cat, it will be a cat.
Stubbornness cannot work when we are part of the society. If the thinking of others really does not match
with yours, have patience, regulate your mind and be silent. Consider yourself insignificant and at fault.
I will tell you the best thing to do in such circumstances, which was told to me by my Guru Maharaj, and
in this I was successful.”
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Method:
Think of that person whom you fear, and with whom you feel uncomfortable, as your friend and well -
wisher. Develop this practice with rigour.
Sit alone, without fail, and meditate with the thought that, “This person is my friend and well-wisher.”
Imagine his form in front of you and think that all evil or negative thoughts about you have gone out from
him, and thoughts related to your welfare have been infused in him.
Whenever you have the opportunity to go near him, fix your eyes on his face when you exhale, and add
the thought while exhaling that particles of your love and affection have entered into his heart. While
inhaling, have the thought that you have pulled from his heart all the negative thoughts he has about you
and have thrown them aside.
It will be very beneficial if this practice is done in such a way that a cycle is established with the inhaling
and exhaling of the breath. Within a few days the entire thing will take a turn like water, and you will be
surprised what a miracle has taken place. Undoubtedly, by practicing this, your hate will turn into love.
Initially there will be a big difficulty and this task will look as heavy as a mountain, but for a man of
courage everything is easy. There are no difficulties that cannot become easy.
(Complete Works of Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, Vol. III, page 36)
(4) CLEANING OF TENDENCIES, HABITS AND EMOTIONS :
To purify the self, any habits and emotions that are against nobility of character and culture need to be
corrected, and all the tendencies need to be refined and reach their perfection. Your practice and activity
should be such that you are able to put a check on all the unnecessary imbalances and emotions and
develop a condition of moderation.
Take one emotion or one habit, to which you feel you have succumbed, and keep it right in front of you in
your thoughts. Daily, pray to God with a pure heart, in such a way that a state of extreme
softness appears and tears come.And we need help from Him so that this habit comes under
control and our emotions are moderated. God willing, it will be beneficial and the desired result will
be attained. Our welfare is in this.
(Complete works of Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, ol. III, page 26)
FURTHER READING :
1. Is Sankalpa same as thinking?
The difference between thinking and sankalpa is about just thinking and putting your will behind that
thought. “I will do it,” means I have willed myself to do it. “I will do it,” does not mean that “I shall do it,”
or “I must do it.” It does not mean anything of that sort. It means I have willed myself to do it, and it
shall happen. (P. Rajagopalachari, Revealing the Personality, p. 221)
2. What happens to impurities removed during cleaning?

Q: (…) When we clean and we’re letting go of all our impressions and we’re doing it over and over
ourselves, am I polluting the environment, you know, with all my samskaras. What happens to that
energy when I let it go?
PR: We don’t bother about it I mean, if I had to think of this, I wouldn’t be able to use the toilet in the
morning! [laughter] I mean, I am sorry to mention ‘toilet’! (laughs)(Clarifications from SahajMarg
website)
What happens to all the grossness cleaned off in the process? Preceptors are instructed only to remove it
and throw it out. What then happens to this? Is there any way of destroying this? This was the question I
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asked Master. Master answered that such grossness could be burnt up, but only the Special personality
could do it! The Special Personality alone has the power necessary to burn it up and destroy grossness. All
others can only remove it and throw it out somewhere. (P. Rajagopalachari, My Master,
p.139)
No doubt my Master has said that if there is a saint of caliber in the whole world, one such saint is
enough, because He is able to take into Himself like a cosmic vacuum cleaner all the samskaras of the
world. (…) So this cosmic vacuum cleaner is the cosmic Master, the present day personality of the
Universe, my Master Samarth Guru Shri Ram ChandrajiMaharaj of Shahjahanpur. (P.Rajagopalachari, The
Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 8, p.89)
3. What about experiences that spiritual seekers generally have as a result of cleaning?
“People are afraid of cleaning for several reasons. During cleaning, you may have experiences of the
past, your actions, your thoughts, which created those impressions. Some may be good. Some
may be awful.
(…) And getting nightmares – it is not a nightmare. Every dream, every nightmare, is something in
you which is being released. You know, if a man is afraid of going to the toilet because he doesn’t like
what is coming out of him – he doesn’t like its smell, he doesn’t like its feel – and he tries not to go to the
toilet, he will die. Isn’t it?
(P. Rajagopalachari, Revealing the Personality, pp. 50-51)
“ … covers all experiences arising from the cleaning process. Master has stated that when the system of
the abhyasi is cleaned, then the past impressions are removed. When these impressions surface to
the mind then the original experience or activity, which created the impressions, is once again
created in the mind. So the abhyasi has an ‘experience’. In general the experiences which
abhyasishave are of this category. The visions of gods and goddesses that abhyasis experience during
meditation are of this type. Whenever such an experience comes up, it is an indication of a past
involvement with that particular deity. (…) Many abhyasis have startlingly clear visions of gods or saints.
Quite a few make the tragic mistake of thinking that the goal has been reached, since their chosen
personal god has granted them his darshan. It is a pity that persons who practice without the guidance of
a capable Master mistake such experiences for divine revelations and go back to the traditional forms of
worship of that particular deity which appeared to them. Abhyasis have to be on their guard against such
misinterpretation of experiences. Many abhyasis report having visions of gardens, hill-stations and the
like. These also belong to the same category. Some experiences may also refer to a previous life.
Generally the abhyasi will not be able to know this. But Master and the preceptors will be able to correctly
interpret and evaluate such experiences, particularly if they have occurred during sittings with the Master
or the preceptor”. (P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp. 148-149)
4. Why three introductory sittings are given?

“In fact, when I first asked Babuji, “What is the purpose of these three or four sittings that you give to
new abhyasis?” he said, “It is to clean.” I said, “Clean what?” The standard answer, “Grossness.” I asked
him, “Why cleaning of the grossness?” Then he told me it is like one of these oil lamps in the past, which
had a glass chimney. It had become coated with black soot, so thick that the light could not come outside.
In a similar fashion with our grossness we have completely enclosed the Divine Light burning in our
hearts. And even though the Light is inside us, we cannot see it, we cannot perceive it, we cannot even
feel it. Babuji added, “If I ask you to meditate and you cannot see the light, though it is not a visible light
that I expect you to see, nevertheless, if there is a barrier between it and yourself, it will block your
efforts at meditation. Therefore I have to clean it sufficiently for you to be able to perceive the reality
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hidden in your heart.” So this is what is done during the first three or four sittings, or sometimes 22
sittings as Babuji has said.”(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol. 2, pp. 53-54)
5. Why are few afraid of doing cleaning?

So, the cleaning is very important in Sahaj Marg. I personally believe that without cleaning you will not
get anywhere. People are afraid of cleaning for several reasons. During cleaning, you may have
experiences of the past, your actions, your thoughts, which created those impressions. Some may be
awful. When you have a view that you are on, say, the Himalayas, trekking up there and planting a flag
on Mount Everest, you are very proud. Suppose you have the same view of having gone almost to Mount
Everest, but you fell down and crashed three thousand metres to your death, you come out screaming
and you say, “No, no, this is not what I came to SahajMarg for.” And getting nightmares – it is not a
nightmare. Every dream, every nightmare, is something in you which is being released. You know, if a
man is afraid of going to the toilet because he doesn’t like what is coming out of him – he doesn’t like its
smell, he doesn’t like its feel – and he tries not to go to the toilet, he will die. Isn’t it? (P.
Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol-VI, p. 220)
So People who are afraid of their samskara and keep it in their hearts, hidden, ashamed of it, guilty about
it, afraid that when it comes out it may recreate some scene in which it was originally created – they are
like people who will not go to the toilet: they will die. And that’s what happens to people who don’t clean
themselves spiritually. They have no spiritual future. Therefore, in a very real spiritual sense, they die to
come back. (P. Rajagopalachari, Revealing the Personality, p. 50-51)
What we are afraid of depends on the samskaras we carry inside us. Therefore when this cleaning is
finished you cannot have fear any more. Therefore saints are fearless. They will go in the jungle, you
know, the elephant comes, the lion goes with them, the tiger walks in front of them, they have no fear.
How can they be afraid? – there is no samskara here. Therefore, when you become fearless, it means
nothing here. (P. Rajagopalachari,The Fruit of the Tree, p. 69-70)
6. When I do not feel dirty, why should I do cleaning?
I have found, even in my experience, that when we talk of cleaning, people rebel. They say, “Oh, I am not
dirty.” Now it is not a question of being dirty or clean in the conventional sense. It is the need to remove
something which is interfering in my communication, with that which I have to communicate with. I think
this is the greatest blessing that my Master conferred on me and other disciples of his, that he made it
possible for us to indulge, or involve ourselves, in this cleaning process without feeling dirty.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.III, p. 208-211)
We are unable to find the grossness in ourselves, and this has been reported to me by many preceptors.
They say when I do the cleaning I don’t find anything in myself to clean, precisely for the same reason,
that if it isn’t there, why are you looking for it? Just do the cleaning you see. It’s like a man who is
washing himself in the shower.
No individual can ever be too busy to avoid the personal sadhana at any time until a stage comes when
the Master says it is no more necessary for you. There does come a stage when Babuji said, “Stop. For
you, no more meditation. No more cleaning. You look after my work.” Till then, this does not stop.
Morning meditation, evening cleaning, night time prayer meditation are an eternal companion of the
abhyasi and also of the preceptor who is in his own self an abhyasi. Please remember this. (P.
Rajagopalachari, Preceptor’s Guide, Vol-II, p. 57-58)
7. When Spiritual Guide can clean us, why should we do cleaning?
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Babuji said, 'Cleaning is your job. Filling you with spirituality is my job.' Here comes the cooperation
between the Guru and the disciple: you do your part, he does his part. … By this little act of cooperation,
that we go on cleaning ourselves, doing what he has asked us to do - which can be put in one word,
obedience - we can achieve our goal very simply. (HeartSpeak 2004, Vol. 1 (1st edition, 2005), Chapter
"Only Love is Eternally at Balance", p. 123)
True action only comes when there are no samskaras, or very little samskaras. Then you are acting in a
real sense. You are acting, not your samskaras. You see, like when a body is in motion, and the force is
withdrawn from it, if there’s no resistance it will move forever. You know about Newton’s laws – a body in
motion will continue to be in motion. What is it that keeps it in motion? The moment of inertia. Isn’t it?
Similarly, we are kept going through life after life by this moment of inertia, which is produced by our
samskara. How can you say he is responsible for it? He is responsible in the sense he created the moment
of inertia for himself. So the responsibility for stopping it is also given to you. Clean yourself. (P.
Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.II, p. 262-263)
When cleaning is being done, you have to do the cleaning yourself and not think that the Master is doing
his cleaning. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider's Web, Vol.1, 2013, p. 192)
8. I don’t have time for cleaning, what to do?

The whole thing is a question of following what is prescribed by the Master. You know, we have,
sometimes, people who go to a doctor and he gives them a big bottle of medicine – sixteen doses of
medicine to be taken three times a day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, one at night, for five or
six days. Now if the man imagines that by drinking all of it at one stroke, he can be well sooner, we might
have a dead man.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 74-75)
Make up your minds that the day shall not break without my meditating, the sun shall not set
without my cleaning and I shall not go to bed without my prayer-meditation. The rest will take
care of itself.
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 10, p.255)
I have never found that any serious abhyasi had any problem about doing the meditation at the specified
time or the cleaning at the specified time. So it only means that until our interest in our own spiritual
development is established, we have these problems. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 10-
11)
The instructions are clear, do it after the day's work is done. Only if it is not possible on certain occasions,
we should do it at bed time. And not possible means really not possible. Most of these 'not possible' are
imaginary.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol. 2, p. 156)
9. Do we remove all good and bad impressions during cleaning?

Master has clarified that by impressions he means both good and bad ones. Good impressions are no
better than bad ones. Both are equally undesirable as they create impediments to progress. This is a
pointer to an important aspect of Master's teaching. A good life, one that has been conducted on
principles of good conduct ... is not sufficient to make 'spiritual progress' possible. For this something
more than a life of mere social and ethical goodness is necessary. All these form samskaras. Such a life
may grant a better future life, but our aim is liberation".(P. Rajagopalachari, My Master, pp. 137-138)
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We do not review the particular events of the day or give them undue attention. The cleaning is
approached in a general way with the confidence that all impediments to our growth are leaving. A feeling
of lightness is a sure sign that the weight of the day's impressions has been lifted. (Welcome to
SahajMarg Booklet, 2013 Edition from The Practice of SahajMarg)
This is a process of, shall we say, auto-suggestion but with the will backing it so that everything that we
have acquired during the day - impressions, good, bad, indifferent, it does not matter - all the
impressions are removed. (P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 8, p. 175-176)
Therefore when we clean we are removing these imperfections, and here in SahajMarg the perfection
also, because the law says, “You cannot get rid of the duality of existence. You cannot remove
imperfection and leave perfection behind.” You take both or you leave both. Therefore when we take away
all that is in you which is not created by Him, then remains that which He created, which is the perfect.
So here there is no good, there is no bad, there is only the idea of perfection. (P. Rajagopalachari,
Love and Death, p. 56)
One glass of wine is good, a second glass of wine makes me a little giddy, the third one – I’m out (he
chuckles), out for the count. So even good things need not be good by having more of them. That’s why
we have a saying in Tamil, I think I told you before, that even nectar, which is supposed to give you
immortality, must be taken in limited doses. (P. Rajagopalachari,The Fruit of the Tree, p. 74-75)
10. Does cleaning make our future?

And if you look at your heart and you find hatred in it, that will be your future, unless you remove it. Now
if you clean a fossil of the past, you do not remove anything, you only have a clean fossil, it is still very
much dead. But if you look into your heart and you find hatred there, and you know that if you leave it
there, your future is going to be one of hatred and nothing else. You realize the need, very vital need, for
cleaning. You look into your heart and you find wrong tendencies, you know what is your future, wrong
tendencies, wrong actions, wrong results.
And if you look in your heart and find Him, that too is your future, that is what I am going to become. So,
the spiritual science of my Master says, “look into the heart, meditate on the light in the heart which is
eternally present there, do the cleaning, so that all unnecessary things are removed, which too are only
impressions of the past.” …These fossils in our heart, our samskaras, tell us what to remove and what
shall be the future.
Therefore, when we find hatred, viciousness, corruption, disease forms, we know these are things which
are going to govern our future, unless they are taken out. Therefore, we are advised to do the cleaning,
and the Master, in his enormous mercy for us, cleans off the immense burden of samskaras which we
cannot possibly remove.
(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.II, p. 88-89)
11. How can we prevent impressions from forming?

The best of all is to lead such a life that we don’t form samskaras at all. There is no need to clean even in
the evening. We have been taught a method by which we can do all these things. We somehow have a
protective layer all around us, protecting us from gathering all these impressions and the only protective
layer is the weapon of constant remembrance.(Daaji, Designing Destiny, p. 96)
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3) Prayer
QUOTES OF SPIRITUAL GUIDES
“Ours is a simple system. It has just three elements in its practice. These are prayer, meditation and
cleaning. When a system is so simple as to have just two or three elements in it, then all the elements are
essential to the system. If even one element is lacking or is discarded, the system will probably be
ineffective in its functioning. In SahajMarg practice, we cannot afford to discard any of these elements if
the efficacy of the system is not to be impaired.
“… But, I would like to tell you what I think prayer really means. To me it is a cry from inside,
addressed to we know not whom, for the fulfillment of a need within. Take a tiny baby. It cries
when it is hungry and its mother rushes to feed it. But does the baby know when it is hungry, and that it
should cry to express that hunger? Surely not! It is a cry of nature from within for the fulfillment of a
need which it does not know, and nature in the form of its mother responds from outside to fill the need
thus expressed inarticulately by the baby.
“I would therefore define prayer as a call from nature within to nature outside for the fulfillment of a need
of which the self is not consciously aware. But the inner nature recognises the need and gives utterance
to it. If we view prayer in this light, then we find the idea of asking or begging for something, generally
associated with prayer, no longer exists. Master himself has said, ‘Prayer is begging’, and it is an
unfortunate fact that that has been the only attitude in prayer – to beg for something. But we should not
misunderstand Master as saying that prayer has to be an act of begging. All that Master means is that
through the religious history of mankind, prayer has rarely risen above this attitude of begging to
anything higher.
“Our SahajMarg prayer is profoundly different. It is different in content and in purpose. It is a mere
statement of certain facts with no request attached to it. Master says that by uttering this prayer
mentally just once, a connection with Him is created, and that is its only purpose. The flow of
transmission commences thereafter. It is like a switch which, when activated, permits electricity to
flow. It is therefore vital to our purpose. If the system we are following is to help us achieve our goal, the
use of the prayer is of absolute importance.
“I would remind you that Master prescribes the mental recitation of the prayer just once in the morning,
before meditation is commenced. Now if the prayer is what connects the abhyasi to the Master,
then if the prayer is not mentally repeated, the connection is not established. It is perhaps for
this reason that many abhyasis show lack of progress! In our morning practice, it therefore works
as a connecting switch. The prayer is used a second time at bedtime. Master asks us to repeat the prayer
mentally a few times and then to meditate on its meaning. Now what is the function of prayer here? I
believe the function is now of an entirely different order. By meditating on the meaning we are embedding
the spiritual meaning of the prayer in our deeper consciousness, in the subconscious, to keep it alive
there right through the period of sleep. In the morning, when we repeat the prayer just once, the spiritual
consciousness is brought out into our waking consciousness again, and thus a twenty-four hour cycle of
permanent, uninterrupted spiritual consciousness is maintained. It is like covering live burning coals over
with ash at night before we retire to bed. The fire is not allowed to go out. In the morning all that we
have to do is to blow away the ash, and the fire is there ready to be built up as we want it.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, Yatra, Vol. 1, SahajMarg in Europe, pp. 283-284.)
METHOD TO OFFER PRAYER
a. Prayer before morning Meditation
The prayer needs to be said mentally only once before morning meditation. It has to be offered in such a
way that the heart is filled with love for the Divine.
“O Master!
Thou art the real goal of human life.
We are yet but slaves of wishes putting bar to our advancement.
Thou art the only God and power to bring us up to that stage.”
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b. Prayer at bed time
One thing more by way of practice is to offer daily the following brief prayer at bed time, in the most
suppliant mood and with a heart overflowing with Love for the Divine.
Repeat the above prayer in your mind once or twice and meditate over it for a few minutes.
The prayer must be offered in such a way as if some most miserable man is laying down his miseries with
a deeply afflicted heart before the Supreme Master, imploring His mercy and grace with tearful eyes. Then
alone can he become a deserving aspirant of spirituality.” (Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol.2,
Voice Real, p.70)
c. Universal Prayer
“All sisters and brothers throughout the world are being filled with love and devotion and real
faith is growing stronger in them.”
The fundamental elements of our practice—morning meditation, evening cleaning and night-time prayer
meditation—are primarily meant for our personal spiritual growth and development. The universal prayer
is a feature of the practice that is dedicated to the welfare of all. The instructions for the prayer are as
follows:
"At 9:00 P.M. sharp every abhyasi, wherever he or she might happen to be at the time, should stop his
or her work and meditate for fifteen minutes, thinking that all brothers and sisters are being filled up with
love and devotion and that real faith is growing stronger in them. It shall be of immense value to them,
which their practical experience only shall reveal."
(Complete Works of Ram Chandra, vol. 2, p. 198)
Thus at any given time, prayer is being offered throughout the world for the spiritual upliftment and well
being of all humankind. All are welcome and encouraged to join in this universal prayer. (Audio talk
on Universal Prayer given by Rev. Chariji at Birch Bay on July 28, 1989.)
Meaning of Universal Prayer

It is a way of freeing ourselves from that personalization in yoga and of enlarging the context of approach
to include all the others. It is useful in freeing ourselves from our narrow, egoistical egos, centered on
ourselves. It opens our hearts to the fact that everything I do, I do it for all! Everything that I do must be
for everyone in such a way that there is nothing in creation that will be of benefit only to myself.
PRAYERFUL SUGGESTIONS:
1.“All sisters and brothers are developing correct thinking, right understanding and an honest
approach to life”
Do this very sincerely whenever you can, as often as you can, during the day time and night time. You
will have to memorise it and take it to your heart. Whenever you get free time, send out waves of this
prayer with a lot of love.
2. “Everything around us is deeply absorbed in Godly remembrance.”
This suggestion has a tremendous impact on our surroundings, as well as our deeper selves. That is, we
think that everything surrounding us- the air particles, people, the birds, the trees, the flowers, the
ceiling, the paintings- everything around us is absorbed in Godly remembrance. This will expedite our
evolution.
3.“All sisters and brothers who are really craving for the Ultimate are being attracted towards
our great Beloved Master. They are all being pulled towards him.
We submit our prayer to our Master that, ‘May they all benefit with your Grace’”
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FURTHER READING:
“In this spirit, the doing to yourself by doing for others, is a very good exercise in a certain generosity, a
certain breadth of vision, a certain urge to develop an embracing quality for your love. It is not enough to
embrace one human being. So please try it. I am sure there will be a definite change in the moral tone of
your environment. There will be a definite change in the possibilities of growth for all, and you will
perceive it. It is not as if we don’t see the spiritual growth. We all feel it, we see it in others, and why
should we not see it in yet more people when we do this for them, and through them, for ourselves.
“That is all I have to say about this nine o’clock endeavour. A day may come when we will be asked to
pray in a very abstract way for all. ‘May all life in this universe benefit by His presence’.” (P.
Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol. 4, p. 53)
“The feeling that he as a true servant approaches the great Master in the humble capacity of an
insignificant beggar must be engrossed upon his mind. He may put up everything before his Master,
resigning himself completely to His will. In other words he may assume his real form after surrendering
everything to the Master. He should withdraw himself from all sides and turn completely towards Him
losing all worldly charms. The remembrance of everything should merge into the remembrance of One –
the Ultimate, resounding all through in every particle of his being. This may be known as complete
annihilation of self. If one develops in this state, in my view he should be considered as an embodiment of
prayer. Every thought of his will be synonymous with that of the Master. He will never turn towards
anything that is against the Divine will. His mind will always be directed towards that which is the Master’s
command.”
Maxim 2, p. 202.)
“… Remembrance brings a lover closer to the beloved. There is no limit to this closeness. The greater the
love or affinity, the more does one advance towards Him. This relationship comes to us by inheritance.
Now it is up to us to develop it as far as to secure utmost nearness to Him. The state of prayer is that of a
devotee and it is strengthened by love. This constitutes the first step in the ladder which helps us to climb
up to the Ultimate. All stages of spiritual advancement are within it.” (Ram Chandra, Complete Works
of Ram Chandra, Volume 1, p. 207)
“Prayer remains the most important and unfailing means of success. Through it we have established our
link with the Holy Divine. The reason why prayer should be offered with a heart full of love and devotion,
is that one should create within oneself a state of vacuity so that the flow of divine grace may be diverted
towards him. When the world emerged into the present form, the central point was already rooted deep in
all the beings. This central point rooted in us being a part of the Supreme, turns our attention towards the
source. In prayer we try to reach up to the same central point. This is possible only when we create a
similar state within”. (Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, SahajMarg Philosophy, p.
340)
“… One who questions this need to begin the new day prayerfully every morning only exposes a total
ignorance. This simple practice helps one to approach the Divine with a heart filled with love and trust,
and ensures that this condition pervades the entire day by the practice of constant remembrance. Those
who follow this meticulously and regularly will feel the ever-present presence of the Divine Master guiding
their feet on the path. To close the day’s activities with a prayer and meditation on its meaning, before
going to sleep as prescribed, constitutes the final act of surrender to His will in obedience to the practice
given to all earnest seekers.” (P. Rajagopalachari, Message, Basant, 28th January 1993)
“To be a proper sadhak is to realize our relationship with the Master, to realize that it is always one of
humility, one of submissiveness, one of subordination. To realize that even prayer must be done in such
a subtle fashion that you don’t know you are praying – you are not conscious of it. And prayer must
become something like the background of your existence, when every heartbeat becomes not a prayer,
but an utterance of your gratitude for the existence that He has permitted you to lead.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 8, pp. 128-129)
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“A poet has said, “O thou thirsty for the Divine intoxication! Empty thy heart for the purpose, for the head
of the bottle of wine bows down only over an empty cup.” "
(Ram Chandra, Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 1, p.200)
“This, to my mind, is the real meaning of the 9 O’clock prayer. It is to liberate us from our own narrow,
selfish, selfcentred selves, make our heart open – that everything I do, I do for all. Everything I do must
be for all. Everything I do must benefit all, otherwise there can be nothing in creation which can only
benefit me.” (P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol 12, pp. 67-70)
“The simple act of our SahajMarg prayer, repeated wordlessly without moving the lips, invites his
presence and says, ‘Lord, of course in my waking presence I can see you if I want to, I can feel you if I
want to, if I am able to overcome my resistance, my ego, by submitting that before you I am as nothing.
I am not nothing, because if I am nothing my Master wouldn’t need me. I am as nothing.
“But, please, do what is necessary in my sleep. I invite you by this act of prayer to pervade this state of
my existence too, and complete whatever has to be completed which was not possible in the waking
state.’”(P. Rajagopalachari, “Appreciate What Spirituality Is”, 16th August, 2010, Talk to the USA Annual
General Body )
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4) Diary Writing
DIARY WRITING AS A TOOL FOR SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION
1. What is a Diary for?
“A diary is not merely a book in which we write our thoughts and the day’s activities. It is no doubt this
too, but it is also a progressive record of one’s spiritual development and evolution. The progressive
nature becomes evident and perceptible to one who maintains the diary only when it is re-read after a
year or so. When a person climbs up a mountain one sees hardly anything of the road, either above or
below, because of the twists and turns that the road takes. But when one reaches a sufficient height one
can look back and see the winding road on which one has come. In effect we gain perspective,
understanding and knowledge of our growth by maintaining the diary.
“A diary must be to record authentic events and thoughts, undistorted by exaggeration, and complete
without suppression of valid material. In fact, it should be a candid and open record with nothing hidden
and nothing omitted from the context. Such a record makes it easy for a person to look into himself with
absolute candour, by which assessment of one’s own condition becomes simple and easy, and one can
also slowly begin to accept oneself as he is without feelings of shame and guilt. Simultaneously, one is
able to take corrective action through the grace of the Master and the method that is available to us.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, Preface to the Abhyasi Diary of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission)
2. Diary Writing and Character Formation
“A properly maintained diary makes it easy for an abhyasi to look into himself with absolute candour. The
assessment of his own condition becomes simple and easy. Also he can gradually begin to understand his
failures, his faults, his deficiencies, his misdoing, etc., so that he is able to simultaneously correct himself,
by Master's grace. The mere entry of our misdoings in our diary automatically draws the Master's
attention towards us and speeds up the process of rectification and purification.”
(Dr. K.C. Varadachari, The Role of the Abhyasi, SMRTI document)

Have you seen changes happening in your character since you started practicing SahajMarg? Take the
time to write them in your diary. Please also write the areas which you would like to work on to bring
about changes in yourself.
3. A Tool to Develop Gratitude and Reduce Jealousy

“So, jealousy, if it is there in an advanced level, it only shows lack of faith in the Master. It is rather
unfortunate, because it also shows that they are not aware of what they have got. Because if they could
see their inner condition, the spiritual condition, they would understand what the Master has already done
for them. And that would surely remove all feelings of insecurity and therefore jealousy.
“So, there is one very definite way of progressing out of this rather childish emotion, and that is to try
and maintain a diary, so that you know what you are getting, how much you are developing, how much
you are progressing. And that will help us to separate the attention that we get from the progress that is
given to us.” (P. Rajagopalachari, The Role of the Master in Human Evolution, pp. 150-151)
4. Increasing Sensitivity and Maintaining the Condition
“If you want to become sensitive and to develop sensitivity you must start maintaining a diary as has
been said again and again ad nauseum.”
(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol. 1, p.196)
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“The chief purpose of the diary is that an abhyasi may remain attentive to his condition because he has to
write about it. When an abhyasi remains attentive to it, his ‘anubhava’ or experience develops because
concentration is there. Concentration is the Divine instrument for revelation.” (Ram Chandra,
Complete Works of Ram Chandra, Vol. 3, p. 21)
5. Writing as if we are Writing a Letter to Master

“It is always good to write and post letters. I used to wonder why it is so efficacious, because I always
found that as soon as I wrote a detailed letter and posted it to Master, I would get some answers from
Him - though not in a letter, because my letter could not have possibly reached Him by then. I thought
this over for a long time, and then one day I got the answer in my meditation. You know what? When we
sit down and write a letter to Master, we are in a state of concentration and the thoughts automatically
reach Him. Therefore, the answer comes immediately - even before the letter reaches Him. This is the
spiritual value of writing letters to the Master.”(P. Rajagopalachari, The Spider’s Web, Vol. 1, p.195)
THE PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A DIARY
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A diary is not merely a book in which we write our thoughts and the day’s activities. It is no doubt this
too, but it is also a progressive record of one’s spiritual development and evolution. The progressive
nature becomes evident and perceptible to one who maintains the diary only when it is re-read after a
year or so. When a person climbs up a mountain one sees hardly anything of the road, either above or
below, because of the twists and turns that the road takes. But when one reaches a sufficient height one
can look back and see the winding road on which one has come. In effect we gain perspective,
understanding and knowledge of our growth by maintaining the diary.
A diary must be to record authentic events and thoughts, undistorted by exaggeration, and complete
without suppression of valid material. In fact, it should be a candid and open record with nothing hidden
and nothing omitted from the context. Such a record makes it easy for a person to look into himself with
absolute candour, by which assessment of one’s own condition becomes simple and easy, and one can
also slowly begin to accept oneself as he is without feelings of shame and guilt. Simultaneously, one is
able to take corrective action through the grace of the Master and the method that is available to us.
A diary is therefore a very important personal document which can, if maintained properly and regularly,
become a useful instrument in one’s self-assessment, and therefore in one’s evolution.
A further feature of the diary is that the diary of abhyasis who progress well on the path can also become
records for reference by other abhyasis, and thus help them on their path too.
I, therefore, pray that all abhyasis gain the necessary wisdom to maintain the diary regularly and
meticulously.
I wish an early completion to this project.
With love and Master’s Blessings, Yours affectionately,

P. Rajagopalachari, President(Preface to ‘The Abhyasi Diary’ of the Shri Ram Chandra ission)
CONTENTS OF A DIARY
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According to Rev. Lalaji, the following should be noted in the diary:
 Fresh ideas generated
 Different kinds of feelings arisen
 The special happening or important events
 The dreams seen
 The words heard inside
 The special change felt or definite improvement taking place in character.
 Losing of worldly bondage of Maya, etc., seen
(Abhyasi Diary)
Suggestions of what to note in the spiritual diary:
 Condition: how do I feellight, calm, subtle, centered, disturbed, gross, agitated, etc.
 Stated Progress: more tolerance, self-confidence, simplicity, openness, discipline, acceptance,
awareness, responsibility; and/or less dissatisfaction, aggressiveness, etc.
 Difficulties encountered: lack of will, confidence, sensitivity, fears, resistance to change,
unsteadiness, selfishness, laziness, greed, guilt, emotion, desires, fantasies, etc.
(SahajMarg Meditation Handbook, p. 14)
One thing which I specially want to point out is that I want the diaries in a form which might help me or
you to understand the spiritual state of the abhyasi or about his difficulties or entanglements. For this
purpose it is better to have it under the following heads:
1. Date and time
2. Hour and duration of meditation.
3. Experiences and condition at the time of meditation
4. General condition of mind at other hours of the day with any other thing he specially wants to mention.
(Letters of the Master, Volume 1, p. 189)
When to write in a diary

Chariji has stated that the right time to record in the diary is to do it immediately after the meditation. As
Babuji said, "Brood over your condition for a few minutes, then immediately write."
5) Attitude Towards Practice

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DEDICATED ABHYASI :
Who is a dedicated abhyasi? It has two parts. It is two words: One, abhyasi means one who does abhyas,
one who practices. Two: dedicated – it is a quality. You are not just an ordinary practicant but a dedicated
practitioner. According to BabujiMaharaj, he defined an abhyasi as one who leads a life aspiring for the
highest. You may be practising regularly, but if your goal is to remove headaches, to sleep well, to
remove worries and anxieties, to remove depressions, to have financial control in the family, to remove all
the problems from life, then the entire practice will remain a kind of internal struggle all through your life.
…But if we try and solve only one problem – the Highest – all other problems are solved automatically.
So what is that Highest that we must focus ourselves on? I cannot put words in your mouth and say, “You
should look for this.” It is like encouraging a villager who has never gone out of his village to go to New
York. He has no idea what that place is, he doesn’t even know if there is such a place. So, what do you
really understand in your mind when Master says, “Look for the Highest. Aspire for the Highest.”
The abhyasis must schedule their lifestyle. …I must impose discipline on myself. Starting with what time I
go to bed, what time I should get up, what time I must practice my morning meditation, what time I must
do my cleaning. The nine o’clock prayer is fixed, so we don’t have to fix it; and you have already fixed
your bedtime, so bedtime prayer is also fixed.(Talk given by Kamlesh Patel to the participants of the
International Scholarship Training Programme on 10 February 2012, Chennai, India.)
CONSCIOUSNESS :
I will give you the importance of thefour high or peak moments in our life, these four high points in our
twenty-four hours. If you can draw a graph of consciousness, you will be able to see spikes of
consciousness levels. One is in the morning when we have really enjoyed meditation – then there is a
shift in consciousness. It picks up like this and then it fades slowly during the daytime. Then in the
evening, we try to gain back what we had lost during the day by doing our cleaning. So we are now again
trying to tune ourselves inside – that is another spike at the end of the day. Nine o’clock again when we
pray, there is again a shift in consciousness. And again when we pray at bedtime, two, three times, there
is a shift in consciousness.
Through constant remembrance, if my morning consciousness picks up like this, I am able to keep it like
that. Or in some better cases, if your consciousness is here in the morning after meditation, through
constant remembrance I am able to spike it even further. Constant remembrance, I also call it as open-
eye meditation – where your eyes are open, your mind is fully open to 360 degrees, seeing everything
around, but our heart is in tune with the beloved. In a nutshell, this is all that SahajMarg practice is all
about.
(Talk given by Kamlesh Patel to the participants of the International Scholarship Training Programme on
10 February 2012, Chennai, India.)
SPIRITUAL JOURNEY:
Attitude of gratitude, attitude of reverence, you understand what is reverence? It may become very
difficult to translate in various languages what this reverence is all about – passion, restlessness,
hunger in simple terms. When we are hungry for food, what do we do? We go home and have a
sandwich. If you have a loving wife, she would have food ready before you even enter the home. If it is
not ready, what happens? You become very restless, you start getting angry: “Where is my food?”
Are we hungry enough to say, “Babuji, Master, where is my transmission?” Fortunately, they are like, or
perhaps better than, our wives where lunch, dinner everything is ready even before we ask. This
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transmission is ever ready. Even before we think may the transmission come, even before we complete
our thought process, it has already engulfed us, but only when we have an inner cry calling for that
transmission. Many times, food is ready but you are not hungry. Nice cold water is there, but you are not
thirsty. Transmission is ever ready to engulf us, to transform us, but we are not prepared enough.
One gentleman said what sort of an attitude we have when you date your beloved. When you say,
“Okay, I want to meet you in this theatre,” you are there one hour before. Or a restaurant – you are there
way ahead of time. And if she doesn’t come, what happens at that time? The world ends there. You take
up a phone, “You bloody... why didn’t you show up so far?” We become so restless. It is this restlessness
Babuji talks about, and he says that achieving or realising God is very simple. It doesn’t take more than
turning your head from here to here. But for whom? This is possible only when we are so restless.
I would like to take you through this spiritual progress of an abhyasi, point-by-point. Master says, “Taking
three introductory sittings is the beginning. The journey actually starts much later.” It is a beginning in
the way that you are ready to travel, but you have not yet started travelling. This journey begins if you
are really, really, really so dedicated and restless from wherever you are in your centre. But if you are
not so crazy [restless] enough, then we have to expose ourselves to Master. When he sees that there is
some promise in this particular abhyasi, through his will-force, through his mercy, through his
compassion, through his love, he triggers something in our heart. That’s when I would say the journey
begins.
After the journey begins in the heart, which is our first point, it travels to the second point. For this also,
Master’s presence is required. It need not be in his bedroom or it need not be in his office or face-to-face.
Presence in celebrations, presence in the halls, and presence in the ashrams is good enough for this
process to happen.
Ordinarily, those who do not have a master and they want to travel to the second point, from here-to-
here, one must practice twenty-four hours a day and lead the most austere or celibate sort of life. On our
own, without SahajMarg, it would take us forty-five years after this initial stir has happened in the heart
to move to the second point. And to move from the second point to the third point, it would take five
times forty-five – 225 years. Then to move from third to fourth would be five times 225, it comes to 1125
or so. And then to move from fourth to fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth and
thirteenth (we have a total thirteen points to cross), it will take us a few billion years to reach the
destination on our own, provided that in the process we do not goof up. So in a way, it is an impossible
journey without a master. You can just simply forget about it.
PRACTICE:
Coming to see Master is a big thing, but it is not big enough to assure our destination. To make that
destination available to us, Master is ever-ready. For him, even the teardrop from your eye – before it
drops, he has already made you reach that state. So the onus of success in my practice depends only
on me, only on myself. So what sort of self must I have? I’ll give an example to convey my point. A few
years back, I was a little child to my mother, then I was a favourite student of my teacher, I was a darling
to my wife, I am a father to my sons, I am an abhyasi of SahajMarg, then I am a dedicated abhyasi of
Sahaj Marg. Who truly am I today? All that, of course – but today, what am I? I am no more a child or a
lover of mundane things – I am a lover of God.
Once Master told me that the practice in itself does not bring about success. What brings in the
success is that small thing called attitude. He says if you can mathematically express this, perhaps
more than ninety-five per cent of success depends on this attitude and a little less than five percent on
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our practice. What do you understand by attitude? Can anyone say what you understand by attitude?
[dialogue with abhyasis] Love is not an attitude. Love is our nature, that’s our basic nature, which is
hidden inside.
Now, I will try and explain certain intricate aspects of meditation, cleaning, and prayer.
Preparation at night for morning Meditation:
Preparations for morning meditation should generally start mentally before we go to sleep.
I was told in my early days of practice that you must create, by hook or by crook, this restlessness. If you
don’t have it – plead with God, plead with Master. Beg to him at night-time with a prayer that, “Lord, my
Master, I don’t have this in me. I would like to create that in me. Please help.” Help will come.
Babuji used to say, “If you really don’t have true love, it really doesn’t matter. Pretend that you love.”
Start with pretending. He used to say, “If you mimic a mad person, surely you will go mad one day.” So if
you start pretending that you love God, you love Master, you love yourself, it will become reality one day.
And when we plead with our Master, with a heartfelt prayer with tears in our eyes at night-time: “Father,
I need your help. I am not asking for mundane things. I am asking for you. I want to be with you. Please
spend this night with me” – you will see His immediate presence not beside the bed where you are
sleeping, but in us.
I must have that sort of attitude we talked about, of dating, how you waited for her or him when you first
encountered – bring about that. Sometimes when you have a date, you think weeks ahead of time when
am I going to meet her. We can start thinking from the night itself, “I am going to meet my beloved
Master again in the morning. I will invite his spiritual presence.” I get up early in the morning and just
pray so that I connect myself. Finish early morning whatever I have to do – ablutions, prepare myself. I
sit with all my heart and prayerfully submit: “Whatever it be, my Lord, I would like to experience your
presence in my heart today.” And relax. That’s it. Close your eyes and relax. You have all experienced
what happens.
And when we see in the morning, I don’t have the same consciousness that I am used to when I get up, I
am different, I am ready to receive my Master. If that also is not there one day – you pray. Always resort
to prayer whenever we want a spiritual condition: “Master, I need your help. I would like to get up early
in the morning. I will like to meditate the way you want me to practice.”
Meditation:
Babuji says to the scribe in one of the messages: “Your weak point is your practice. You are not practising
enough.” He tells this to a lady who has already reached the thirteenth point. So, if we have to point a
finger to ourselves and say, “Oh, I have not even started my journey yet, how dedicated must I be? Can I
afford to waste time? Can I afford to skip my practice at any given moment?” So we have to ask these
questions to ourselves.
Secondly, in another message, he asks her: “Do you really enjoy meditation?” Ask ourselves now – do we
really enjoy this practice? If you were [enjoying], then why such slackness? Giving the example of nice
five-star hotel food in front of our eyes: if you are not hungry, it will only be what it is – items on display.
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SahajMarg also will remain a mere process if we don’t absorb it in our life. It must become a part of our
lives.
Retaining the Condition after Meditation:
So our endeavour, our efforts, should always be open-hearted. With an open heart we invite that divine
presence; we invoke his presence. We try to be one with that presence. And you will realise and you will
experience what sort of meditations there will be once you develop this sort of attitude. Having done
meditation with such passion, we should silently sit for an additional five minutes with gently closed eyes
(half-open, half-closed) and savour the condition that prevails inside. Try to be one with that condition,
try to identify, try to appreciate the gift – the spiritual gift from our Master.
Appreciation is the key after meditation. I often give this example to abhyasis that without this
appreciation, gratitude will never be possible. If as a child or a grandchild you gave a flower to your father
or grandparents or mother, you know very well in your heart whether it was accepted with the heart or
not. Many times what happens? Parents or grandparents are so much in a rush – you give them a flower,
the next moment they look at it and put it on the kitchen table. Many times they don’t even look at it.
Would you as a child think of giving a flower again if there was such an attitude? Maybe a second time,
maybe a third time, but not always, not every day.
What happens in our case? We meditate. Master gives us a spiritual gift every morning. We receive it, we
feel it in our hearts, we feel its beauty, but at the end of meditation, most of us don’t seem to appreciate
it. Most of us are not able to savour it; most of us are not able to become one with it. We are not able to
retain it, that’s what I am trying to say. It gets lost. In what? It gets lost within myself only without me
even recognising it, because I am rushing. I am rushing to go to work; I am rushing because my child has
to take a school bus; I am rushing because I didn’t do so many things. We are always rushing because we
have not done our home-work well. If we simply quieten ourselves after meditation and try to retain what
has been given to us, try to retain it like a miser – they call of certain business people that they are so
miserly that they would not even let go of one penny. We must become even worse, or the best miser. At
any cost, I must not let go of this condition. I must never let go of this spiritual gift. Hold it tight; and
when something like this happens, when I am able to hold it, I become a champion. You don’t seem to
lose it ever. And this is true constant remembrance, where I don’t have to make efforts in remembering
my beloved. (Talk given by Kamlesh Patel to the participants of the International Scholarship Training
Programme on 10 February 2012, Chennai, India.)
Constant Remembrance:
If I have to make efforts in remembering my mother, what sort of son am I? Useless. What sort of lover
of God will I be if I have to be reminded, “Remember your God, remember your Master who gave you this
condition.” It will remain an artificial effort of thinking of Master, which is not constant remembrance. So
please distinguish this when you go back, don’t fool yourself when you think, “Oh, I met Master in his
cottage; I met Master in the hall; Master joked with us; Master gave me a sitting; I am always thinking of
Master.” It is good, but it is not constant remembrance.
Constant remembrance is something else as I just mentioned to you: something when it is born, you are
not able to shake it off. Try this at least for a week and I don’t think you will ever be able to let go of this
constant remembrance. That is why BabujiMaharaj very confidently used to say, “Meditation well done is
the mother of constant remembrance.” Without proper meditation, there is no conception, there is no
birth, and there is no constant remembrance. So the key is a well-done meditation. As I said, it is not the
process but what goes in the process. That starts from twelve hours before or maybe a day before, I start
37
preparing myself to invite the spiritual presence of the divinity in my heart. (Talk given by Kamlesh
Patel to the participants of the International Scholarship Training Programme on 10 February 2012,
Chennai, India.)
Cleaning:
How you approach cleaning is important. Relax! Gently suggest to yourself all complexities and impurities
are going away, settle down with this thought. When you have gripped this, when you have this in your
mind, bring in the second stage. Where are they going from? From the back in the form of smoke or
vapour. Accelerate this process by giving your own will-force (force of your own will). It is something like
your car pedal for acceleration. You start slow, and then slowly you are zooming eighty miles an hour. We
start this cleaning slowly from the back and we accelerate this process. When this happens, we will know
there is some sort of vacuum within the self – it’s looking for something. That is when you bring in the
presence of Master in front and invoke his grace rushing towards us and helping us remove it. It is like a
river dam; the water gushes in one shot trying to remove everything. I don’t want you to think of water,
but I just want to give you an idea of what force can arise when there is a vacuum in myself.
So this is how we should approach cleaning. Words are not important. When I say, “All complexities and
impurities are going away,” I must be able to feel that. When I imagine the back, the entire picture comes
of the back. A time will come when I sit for cleaning, it simply starts without me repeating even a word,
because what is important is the process, not words.
So when we try to attempt this cleaning process, take one step at a time. On a ladder you take one step,
and then second step, third step, like that. Slowly, you take first step; pause till you can grasp it. Take
the next step, have a full grasp of what you are doing; till then, you pause. Go to the next stage and
combine all the stages at one time and do everything at one shot. That is cleaning. (Talk given by
Kamlesh Patel to the participants of the International Scholarship Training Programme on 10 February
2012, Chennai, India.)
Universal Prayer:
Night nine o’clock prayer is the universal prayer, where out of love for our brothers and sisters in the
world, not just SahajMargis but everyone, for their benefit we pray to God, we pray to our Master. I am
sure you all know that.
Bed Time Prayer:
This bedtime prayer is the most vital thing; actually, all steps are very vital, but this prayer before going
to bed, when we pray in the way it should be, it somehow connects our waking mind with the deep
subconscious. When we say, “O Master!” it creates some sort of echo; it creates some sort of vibrations,
when we say, “O Master!” Many times my prayer ends right there when I say, “O Master!” and that’s the
end of it.
“Thou art the real goal of human life.” By saying just this much, we recognise that he is the true goal. Is
Master the true goal or the state in which he is, is that my true goal? There are many questions that
arise.
An important thing at bedtime prayer, I recall my earlier statement, that we should always ask our Master
for anything we need to fulfil our spiritual requirements. If I want a certain spiritual condition of love, of
38
restlessness, of passion, that hunger for spirituality, his help in waking me up early in the morning so that
I can meditate – we can ask. He will always fulfil those things.
When everything else fails in this world, the only thing that works is prayer. Prayer should always be our
last weapon, last instrument to solve the problem. Till then, we must make all the efforts possible to
overcome any problems. We should never be afraid of these problems – never, come what may! When we
have realised that my Master is there, his help is always there, he is always connected to my heart then
at any time I call him, his transmission is there, his presence is always there.
I don’t know the reasons prevailing for lack of progress in us. Each one has his own or her own reasons. If
there are reasons, they can be solved because they are real. Identify a reason and I will give you a
solution. But if you go on giving excuses after excuses, not even God can solve the problem.
39
6) Ten Maxims
Following are the 10 Maxims of SahajMarg:
1. Rise before dawn and offer your prayer and meditation at a fixed hour, preferably completing them
before sunrise. Have a separate place and seat for meditation. As far as possible, develop the habit
of sitting in one and the same pose. Give special attention to purity of body and mind.
2. Begin your meditation with a prayer for spiritual elevation. Offer your prayer in such a way that
the heart is filled with love.
3. Fix your Goal, which should be complete oneness with God. Rest not till the ideal is achieved.
4. Simplify your life so as to be identical with Nature.
5. Always be truthful, accept miseries as coming from God for your own good and be thankful.
6. Know all people as thy brethren and treat them as such.
7. If you are feeling wronged by anyone, do not wish for revenge. Instead, think this comes from God
and be grateful.
8. Be happy to eat in constant Divine thought whatever you get, with due regard to honest and pious
earnings.
9. Mould your behaviour and way of living to such a high order as to rouse a feeling of love and piety
in others.
10. At bedtime, feeling the presence of God, repent for any wrongs committed. Beg forgiveness in a
supplicant mood and prayerfully resolve not to allow repetition of the same.
40

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Grounding in the Practice

Understanding Meditation through quotes of Spiritual Guides:

1. Why do we need to meditate?

2. What is the best time for meditation? Why?

4. What is the object of our meditation?

5. What posture can we adopt during meditation?

6. In what attitude do we offer the prayer before our morning meditation?

● Before morning meditation we say the prayer once.

7. Can you explain why in SahajMarg we meditate on the heart?

8. For how long should we meditate?

13. What is transmission and its importance in SahajMarg?

18. What attitudes are we requested to adopt during meditation?

Method For Morning Meditation (One hour)

1. General condition prior to meditation(5 min)

2. General condition after meditation (5min)

3. What did you feel during meditation? (5 min)

RETAINING OUR CONDITION

ADDITIONAL TECHNIQUES TO DEEPEN YOUR MEDITATION

Point A Meditation (Not more than 10 minutes at bed time)

What are the Benefits of meditation?

B. State of inner peace

C. Meditation is the ‘mother’ of constant remembrance

D. Improved ability to concentrate outside of our meditation practice

E. Normalization of all functions

G. Contribution to harmony in the world

Understanding the Cleaning process through quotes of Spiritual Guides :

2. Why do we need cleaning?

(P. Rajagopalachari, What is SahajMarg, A Preceptor's Guide, Vol. 1, p. 59)

(P. Rajagopalachari, “What is SahajMarg,” A Preceptor’s Guide, Vol.1, p.34)

 Individual cleaning applying one’s own willpower

7.What is the difference between meditation and cleaning?

8. Is cleaning as important as meditation in our SahajMarg practice?

9.How do I feel after cleaning?

10.When do I do the cleaning? Why?

11. For how long should we do the cleaning?

12. Why is it important to fill up the vacuum during individual cleaning?

13.How do we apply the will?

(Complete Works of Ram Chandra Volume 1, The Philosophy of SahajMarg, p. 335)

METHOD FOR EVENING CLEANING - Sit for half an hour

(It is an active yet gentle process.)

SOME ADDITIONAL CLEANING TECHNIQUES:

(2) EMERGENCY CLEANING (Spot Cleaning): Few minutes

Steps for emergency cleaning:

(3) CLEANING OF A PERSON with whom you feel uncomfortable :

(4) CLEANING OF TENDENCIES, HABITS AND EMOTIONS :

2. What happens to impurities removed during cleaning?

4. Why three introductory sittings are given?

5. Why are few afraid of doing cleaning?

6. When I do not feel dirty, why should I do cleaning?

(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.III, p. 208-211)

7. When Spiritual Guide can clean us, why should we do cleaning?

8. I don’t have time for cleaning, what to do?

(P. Rajagopalachari, The Fruit of the Tree, p. 74-75)

(P. Rajagopalachari, The Principles of SahajMarg, Vol. 10, p.255)

(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol. 2, p. 156)

9. Do we remove all good and bad impressions during cleaning?

10. Does cleaning make our future?

(P. Rajagopalachari, Heart to Heart, Vol.II, p. 88-89)