WHAT IS SDHANA

Sdhana means spiritual practice, where one has to use his or her antakaraa (inner
faculty), comprising of mind, intellect, consciousness and ego (according to Trika
philosophy consciousness in not included, as it is only the Consciousness that is sought
in realization). Sdhana has different meanings such as bringing about, carrying out,
accomplishment, fulfilment, completion, perfection, establishment of a truth, proof,
argument, demonstration, etc. Therefore sdhana is the means to realize the Self within
by working through antakaraa and not through rituals. External rituals are not called
sdhana. They are known as pj, a method of adoration using extraneous materials
such as flowers, etc.
Sdhana is a process, by which mind is cleansed. The fundamental principles of
sdhana are two; faith in ones Guru and faith in the Self. Perfection in sdhana
depends on various factors such as food, way of life, company we keep and above all
our Guru. Vivekacma says, A human birth, the longing for liberation and the
company of illuminated teachers (Guru) is extremely difficult to get except through
Divine Grace. Chndogya Upaniad (VII.xxvi.2) says, If one eats pure food, ones
mind becomes pure. If the mind is pure, his thoughts and memory become pure and this
man is freed from bondages.
The main impediment in sdhana is the slow process, as we work with subtleties such
as mind, intellect and ego. It is not like offering flowers and food to idols. cleansing the
mind is a continuous process and it should never be stopped as the impressions of
material world constantly afflict our minds. It is a fight between antakaraa and
bhyakaraa. The winner should always be antakaraa. During this conflict, afflictions
from bhyakaraa should be gradually dispensed with. Slow and steady always wins
the race.
Mantra japa-s will help in attaining perfection in sdhana. Ramakrishna Paramahasa
said, Japa means repeating Gods name silently in solitude. When you recite with
single minded devotion, you can realize the form of God which you are visualizing
(whose japa is done). Japa is not something that is to be recited during a particular
time of a day. rad Devi (a great disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahasa) said that
one needs to recite about100,000 japa mantras a day. This clearly goes to prove that
only purity of the mind is all that is needed and this is nothing to do with purity of the
body. One needs to recite japa mantras all the 365 days of a year. When the mind is
purified, consciousness becomes focussed.

To attain highest perfection in sdhana, it is necessary that one should know about the
Grandeur of the Self, which is often given a name and form. For example, iva,
akti, Viu, etc are the forms given to the Grandeur of the Self. Their Grandeur is
expressed through various verses and hymns such as Sahasranma-s, etc. Sdhana
should begin from understanding the Grandeur of one particular form of God say iva or
akti, etc. Contemplating multiple forms of Gods will not yield any result. One has to
stick on to one form, know and understand the Grander of the form and should finally
proceed to sdhana to attain perfection. Attainment of perfection can be known by the
level of Bliss one experiences. Frequent and powerful Bliss leads to showering of Divine
Grace. The transition between understanding the Grandeur to the commencement of
sdhana is known as transition point. Generally understanding the Grandeur to the
transition point should not take more than six months to one year. Duration of journey
from transition point to realization purely depends upon ones dedication, will power,
knowledge and guidance from Guru. Divine visions, experiencing Bliss, realization and
liberation are possible only through sdhana.