Fourfold Sadhana

The fourfold means for salvation, or the four kinds of spiritual practices, is a prerequisite to the aspirants on the path of Jnana Yoga, or, for that matter, in any system of evolution towards Godhead.

1. VIVEKA
Discrimination between the real and unreal or the permanent and the impermanent.

2. VAIRAGYA
Dispassion or the absence of passionate longing born of sustained right discrimination. It is the giving up of passion and desire for all mundane enjoyments. 

3. SHAD-SAMPAT
The third requisite is a set of sixfold virtues the spiritual seeker must have and are taken as one requisite. 

Shama: is serenity or tranquility of mind that is brought about by eradication of vasanas, which are desires or conditioning in a broader sense. 
Dama: is control of the senses or self-control, it corresponds to pratyahara in Raja Yoga. Here too there is no foolish suppression, as the empowered awakened wisdom simply avoids what is not conducive to discovery of the truth.
Uparati: is satiation or turning the mind resolutely away from desires by seeing everything through the awakened wisdom rather than the conditioned mind. 
Titiksha: is power of endurance or forbearance—patently bearing all opposites without caring to redress them. This frees one from any anxieties and stress that can result from trying to change everything to our taste. In a way, titiksha is an internal and external adjustment so that there is no lament with ever changing situations.
Sraddha: is unshakeable faith that transcends reason in the words of the preceptor, teachings of the scriptures and one’s own self. It is not blind faith, as it is based on reasoning, evidence and experience. 
Samadhana: is mental balance, equipoise and calm which give a balanced inner life. Perfect concentration ensues when samadhana comes about as it is the fruit of the other five. The mind gets settled in its source and does not wander aimlessly, bringing about mental stability and poise.

4. MUMUKSHUTVA 
An intense yearning for liberation, it is the fourth of the main qualifications. If one is equipped with the other three, this unwavering focus and desire for liberation will be natural. Mumukshutva should be steady, unflickering and of a burning type. If one feels one does not have this burning mumukshutva, one should work hard to practice the other three which will give rise to it naturally. 

http://suryadev.org/uploads/Downloads/Sadhana%20Chatushtaya%20Quick%20Reference%20Sheet.pdf

Story:The Man And His Dog

A man went out for a walk with his lovely dog. He was very proud of the dog. It always went before him. This man had an umbrella in his hand. To show the people around him that his pet-dog would do anything for him, he made the dog carry the umbrella between its teeth. And it proudly walked before him, with the middle of the umbrella firmly caught in its teeth. Suddenly it began to rain. The man wanted to make use of the umbrella. But the dog was a hundred yards ahead of him. He ran towards it. The dog, not knowing why the master ran after it unusually, was frightened and ran towards the house at top-speed. The proud man was drenched to the skin, before be could reach the house and recover the umbrella.

The Jiva, blinded by pride and ignorance, entrusts its spiritual consciousness to the mind. For some time the mind seems to walk before and lead the Jiva; and the consciousness is there firmly held by the mind and the Jiva feels that it is safe. There is a heavy shower of miseries of mundane life and temptations of sense-objects. The dog-mind with the umbrella of spiritual consciousness had parted from the Jiva and is separated by great distance.

If the umbrella of spiritual consciousness had not been entrusted to the mind (which incidentally, could not make real use of it), the Jiva could have protected itself from the rain of miseries and temptations. Now, the faster he runs forward to get relief from miseries and temptations, the farther this relief seems to recede.

Thus, O Man, commit not the folly of entrusting thy spiritual wealth and welfare to the defective mind. It is most undependable. It will desert you in the time of trials. Learn to trust in the Lord alone. Make Him thy sole support.

http://www.dlshq.org/download/parables.pdf

Amrita Gita

Adhyaya I: HATHA YOGA

4. The practice of Hatha Yoga awakens the Kundalini Sakti that lies dormant in the Muladhara Chakra.

11. Sushumna Nadi flows through both nostrils. It helps meditation. It is Agni-Nadi.

17. Wait for half an hour after finishing Asanas for taking a bath.

19. Spend half an hour daily in the practice of Asanas and Pranayama. This will give you health, vim, vigour and vitality. This will remove all diseases.

27. Puraka is inhalation of breath; Rechaka is exhalation; Kumbhaka is retention. Kumbhaka gives you longevity and energy.

Adhyaya II: KARMA YOGA

5. See God in every face. Behold the Lord in all creatures.

7. Serve the sick. Serve the poor. Serve your parents. Serve your motherland. Serve humanity in general.

10. Surrender always your actions and their fruits to the Lord.

11. Have equal vision and balanced mind in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, success and failure.

14. Give up Abhimana of all sorts. Kill the Vairagya-abhimana, Seva-abhimana, Tyagi-abhimana, Kartritva-abhimana, male-female-abhimana, and doctor-judge-abhimana.

18. Watch for opportunities for service. Never miss even a single opportunity.

28. Sanchita is the accumulated storehouse of actions of previous births. Prarabdha is that part of Karma which has given rise to your present birth. Agami is current action.

29. Sanchita is destroyed by Brahma-Jnana. You will have to enjoy the Prarabdha. Agami has no binding force as there is no agency or egoism in the sage.

30. Do not be attached to the work itself. You must be able to give it up at any moment.

33. Think you are man; man will you become. Think you are Brahman; Brahman will you become. This is the immutable divine law.

34. If there is no agency, if there is no selfish motive, action becomes an inaction. You are not bound by an action.

36. An egoistic man alone thinks: “I am the doer.” Really it is the Guna or Prakriti or the sense that does the action. Atman is actionless, Akarta, Nishkriya.

Adhyaya III: JAPA YOGA

1. In this Iron Age, Japa Yoga is an easy way for attaining God-realisation.

9. Repetition of Mantra raises vibrations. Vibrations give rise to definite forms. Repetition of Om Namah Sivaya gives rise to the form of Lord Siva in the mind; repetition of Om Namo Narayanaya gives rise to the form of Lord Hari.

11. Japa is of three kinds, viz., Manasic Japa, Upamsu Japa or humming, and Vaikhari Japa, loud and audible Japa.

12. Mental repetition of Japa, Manasic Japa, is more powerful than loud Japa.

13. Get up at 4 a.m. and do the Japa for two hours. Brahmamuhurtha is most favourable for Japa and meditation.

18. Have a steady pose. Have Asana-Jaya or conquest over Asana. You must be able to sit in Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana for three hours at a stretch.

20. Do not do the Japa in a hurried manner, just as a contractor tries to finish his work in a hurried way. Do it slowly with Bhava, one-pointedness of mind and single-minded devotion.

Adhyaya IV: NADA YOGA

2. Practise Pranayama for one or two months. You will hear the ten sounds (Anahata sounds) clearly and enjoy the music of the soul.

8. The first sound is chini, the second is chin-chini, the third is the sound of a bell, the fourth is like that of a conch.

9. The fifth is like that of a lute. The sixth is like that of a cymbal. The seventh is like that of a flute.

10. The eighth is like that of a drum. The ninth is like that of a Mridanga. The tenth is like that of thunder.

11. Hear the sounds through the right ear. Change your concentration from the gross sound to the subtle. The mind will soon be absorbed in the sound.

12. You will get knowledge of hidden things when you hear the seventh.

13. You will hear Para-Vak when you hear the eighth sound.

14. You will develop the divine eye when you hear the ninth.

15. You will attain Para Brahman when you hear the tenth.

Adhyaya V: BHAKTI YOGA

1. God is love. Love is God. God is nectar. God is Prema.

9. Faith is necessary for attaining God-realisation. Faith can work wonders. Faith can move mountains. Faith can take you to the inner chambers of the Lord, where reason dares not enter.

11. Sattvic food is a help to devotion. Take milk, fruits, etc.

22. Do Anushtan frequently. Live on milk and fruits for a week. Observe Mouna or silence and do Japa and meditate in an intense manner.

26. Feel the presence of the Lord everywhere. He dwells in the chambers of your heart, too. He is in the breath in the nostrils; He glitters in your eyes. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein. Behold Him in every face.

28. A realised Bhakta is free from lust, egoism, mine-ness, hatred, jealousy, greed. He is full of humility, compassion and kindness. He sees God in all beings, in all objects. He has equal vision and a balanced mind.

30. Bhakti is immortalising nectar. It transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss.

Adhyaya VI: RAJA YOGA

4. A Raja Yogi starts his Sadhana with the mind. He starts meditation and tries to control the mind.

14. Real Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Meditation ends in Samadhi.

15. Retention of breath, Brahmacharya, Sattvic food, seclusion, silence, Satsanga, not mixing much with people are all aids to concentration.

16. Sleep, tossing of mind, attachment to objects, subtle desires and cravings, laziness, lack of Brahmacharya, gluttony are all obstacles in meditation.

17. Reduce your wants. Cultivate dispassion. You will have progress in Yoga. Vairagya thins out the mind.

18. Do not mix much. Do not talk much. Do not walk much. Do not eat much. Do not sleep much. Do not exert much.

20. If evil thoughts enter your mind, do not use your will force in driving them. You will tax your will. You will lose your energy. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. Be indifferent. Become a witness of those thoughts. Substitute divine thoughts. They will pass away.

26. A Raja Yogi practises Samyama or the combined practice of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi at one and the same time and gets detailed knowledge of an object.

30. Concentrate on Trikuti (the space between the two eyebrows) with closed eyes. This is the best spot for concentration. The mind can be easily controlled, as this is the seat for the mind.

32. Tapas, Svadhyaya, Ishvarapranidhana constitute Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga purifies the heart quickly.

33. Meditation on OM with Bhava and its meaning removes obstacles in Sadhana and helps to attain Samadhi.

34. Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life) are the five Kleshas or afflictions. Destroy these afflictions. You will attain Samadhi.

Adhyaya VII: JNANA YOGA

2. This Atman is Satchidananda (Existence-Absolute, Consciousness-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute). It exists in the past, present and future. So it is Sat. It is pure or Absolute Consciousness without any thought. So it is Chit. It is absolute Bliss. So it is Ananda.

8. This perishable body will certainly pass away. Indweller can never perish. Thou art the immortal soul. Therefore, over the inevitable thou shalt not grieve.

10. You cannot deny or doubt your existence. You always feel that you exist. This existence is Atman or your own Self. The knower of the doubt or denier always exists. That knower is your own Atman.

15. This Atman is beyond time, space, causation. Time, space, causation are mental creation.

30. Watch the breath. It sings Soham, ‘So’ during inhalation and ‘Ham’, during exhalation. It reminds you ‘I am He’. Meditate on ‘Soham’ and attain Self-realisation.

31. ‘I am body. I act. I enjoy. She is my wife. He is my son. This is mine.’—This is bondage. ‘I am Immortal Soul. I am non-actor, non-enjoyer. She is my soul. Nothing is mine.’—This is freedom.

Adhyaya VIII: ADHYATMA YOGA

2. There is no body before its birth; there is no body after its death. Think and feel that which you see now does not really exist. That which does not exist in the beginning and end does not really exist in the middle also.

4. He who has destroyed desire is really a harmonised, peaceful and happy man.

6. Master first the senses and then slay this desire which abides in the senses, the mind and intellect, ruthlessly through enquiry, discrimination, dispassion, devotion and meditation.

11. If you are balanced in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, sin will not touch thee; you will not be affected by the fruits of your actions.

14. Stand up. Have mastery over the senses. Be devoted to Atman. Destroy all doubts through Satsanga, study, enquiry, meditation and wisdom.

18. Think and feel that Prakriti or Svabhava or Guna does everything. Identify yourself with the Actionless Atman, the Silent Witness and thus free yourself from the bondage of action.

19. Surrender all actions unto the Lord. Fix your mind on Him. Free yourself from egoism, attachment, desire. No action will bind you. Actions are burnt by the fire of Wisdom. Such actions are no longer actions at all. You will attain the Supreme Abode of everlasting bliss and peace.

21. Serve your Guru. Be devoted to your Guru. Obey him. Have implicit faith in his teachings. You will grow in spirituality. The veil will be torn down. You will attain Self-realisation.

25. Behold only the One Atman or the Self in all beings—in the ants, dogs, cows, horses, elephants and outcastes. This is equal vision or Sama Drishti.

28. Cultivate the divine qualities: humility, harmlessness, purity, steadfastness, self-control, dispassion, unostentatiousness, non-attachment, balance of mind, fearlessness, angerlessness, self-restraint, renunciation,straightforwardness,truthfulness, compassion, non-covetousness, steadiness. You will attain Wisdom of the Self or Brahma-Jnana.

37. Control the senses and mind, and sit for meditation. Do not allow the mind to think of sensual objects. Again and again withdraw the mind and fix it on the Lord.

43. Sattvic food helps Yoga Sadhana. Take green gram, spinach, milk, fruits, barley, bread, Lauki, bitter-gourd, plantain stem and flower, and cow’s ghee. These augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness. They are delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable.

44. Give up chillies, sour, overhot, pungent, dry, burning, too much salted things. These are Rajasic substances, which produce pain and sickness. Abandon them.

45. That which is stale, putrid, corrupt, useless leavings of a meal, eggs, fish, etc., are Tamasic foodstuff. Give up these things also.

Adhyaya IX: KUNDALINI YOGA

35. Eventually the Yogi attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the state of superconsciousness. He gets intuition. Real knowledge flashes in him.

36. These are the signs that indicate that Kundalini has been awakened—viz., dispassion, fearlessness, joy, ecstasy, peace, unruffled state of mind, Siddhis or powers, contentment.

37. Kundalini can also be awakened by devotion, strong, pure, irresistible, dynamic will, the grace of the Guru and recitation of Mantra.

Adhyaya X: MANTRA YOGA

9. OM, Soham, Sivoham, Aham Brahmasmi are Moksha Mantras. They will help you to attain Self-realisation. Om Sri Ramaya Namah, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya are Saguna Mantras which will enable you to attain Saguna realisation first and then Nirguna realisation in the end.

-Swami Sivananda
http://swamij.com/amrita-gita.htm

20 Spiritual Instructions by Swami Sivananda

20 Spiritual Instructions by Swami Sivananda Essence of all Yoga Sadhana – Karma, Bhakti, Jnana, Yoga
1.	BRAHMAMUHURTHA	Get up at 4 a.m. daily and do all your spiritual Sadhana from 4 a.m. to 6:30 or 7 a.m. Such Sadhana gives quick and maximum progress.
2.	ASANA	Sit facing East or North in Padmasana (Lotus pose), Siddhasana, Sukhasana (or any pose you like) for your Japa and Meditation. Take light physical exercises as walking, etc., regularly. Do twenty rounds of easy, comfortable Pranayama (breathing exercises).
3.	JAPA	Repeat any mantra, such as Pure OM or Om Namo Narayana, Hari Om or Gayatri from 108 times to 21,600 times daily.
4.	DIETIC DISCIPLINE	Eat simple Sattvic food. Give up chillies, tamarind, garlic, onion, sour articles, oil, mustard, asafoetida. Observe moderation in diet (Mitahara). Take food as medicine to keep the life going. Give up salt and sugar for a week or a fortnight.
5.	MEDITATION	Have a separate Meditation room under lock and key.  If this is not possible then a corner of the room should be set apart with a small cloth screen or curtain drawn across. Keep it spotlessly clean.
6.	SVADHAYA	Study Scriptures systematically from half an hour to one hour daily and have Suddha Vichara (Pure thoughts).
7.	ELEVATE THE MIND	Get by heart some prayer verses (Slokas) or hymns (Stotras) and repeat them as soon as you sit in the Asana before starting Japa or meditation. This will elevate the mind quickly.
8.	BRAHMACHARYA	Preserve Vital Force. This instruction is not for bachelors only. Householders also must follow it as far as possible. They must be extremely moderate in their marital connections with their spouse.
9.	CHARITY	Forego some personal wants to keep up this charity regularly
10.	SATSANG	Give up bad company. Associate with holy people.
11.	FAST or Live on Milk & Fruits	Fast  or live on milk and fruits only, on Ekadasi (11th day of the Hindu lunar fortnight) or on a suitable day every fortnight.
12.	JAPA MALA	Have a Japa Mala around the neck or in your pocket to remind you of God. Repeat the Name at all times, whatever task you may be engaged in.
13.	OBSERVE MOUNA	Vow of Silence for a couple of hours daily. Do not make gestures and inarticulate noises during the period of silence.
14.	DISCIPLINE OF SPEECH	Speak the truth at all cost. Speak little, Speak sweetly, Utter encouraging words, Do not raise your voice, Never condemn, criticize or discourage.
15.	BE CONTENT	Reduce your wants. Lead a happy, contented life. Avoid unnecessary worry. Be mentally detached. Have plain living and high thinking. Think of those who do not possess even one-tenth of what you have.  Share with others.
16.	PRACTICE LOVE	Control anger by love, Kshama (forgiveness) and Daya (compassion). Serve the sick and the poor with love and affection. This is service of God.
17.	BE SELF RELIANT	Do not depend upon servants. Self-reliance is the highest of all virtues.
18.	HAVE SELF-ANALYSIS	Keep a spiritual diary, maintain daily routines. Do not brood over past mistakes.
19.	DO YOUR DUTY	Remember that death is waiting for you at every moment. Never fail to fulfill your duties. Have pure conduct (Sadachara)
20.	REMEMBER GOD	Repeat his name always. Surrender yourself completely to God (Saranagati)

http://dlsusa.blogspot.in/2013/03/20-spiritual-instructions-by-swami.html