oneness with brahman

[Aniruddhan]

namaste,

> i would like to know the pracitcal steps involved in attaining oneness
> with
>brahman i.e a state of non-duality. can i achieve it through practicing
> yoga,
>or through just knowledge.

I too would like to know the steps to be followed for a *normal* person. I
have identified below, the steps I think are normal:

performing karma yoga with bhakti --> chitta shuddhi --> vairagya --> taking
up sannyasa --> study of advaita vedanta --> shravanam, mananam and
nidhidhyasanam --> use yoga to still the mind --> jnana.

My understanding of these steps:

karma yoga - perform nitya karma and dedicate fruits to the Lord. This
invariably seems to involve Bhakti.

chitta shuddhi - mind gets purified and becomes sattvic.

vairagya - realise that this world is transitory and necessary detachment is
developed

take up sannyasa - give up samsara after developing detachment. This is when
real advaita-vedanta begins.

study of advaita vedanta - study the mahavakyas and other vedic advaitic
passages (same as shravanam?)

shravanam, mananam and nidhidhyasanam - listen to, understand correctly and
contemplate on the mahavakyas.

Practice of Yoga - to still the mind of its modifications, and to turn it
inward (Chitta-vritti nirodhah?). Practice of yoga leads to Savikalpa and
Nirvikalpa Samadhi, which is the pinnacle of yoga. During Nirvikalpa
Samadhi, the distinctions between knower and known are lost.

Is Jnana normally attained during Nirvikalpa Samadhi? I think so.

I have seen many people identifying Nirvikalpa Samadhi (NS) with Advaita
Siddhi. I don't think that is correct. NS seems to be the culmination of
yoga, whereas jnana seems to be different.

Are the above steps absolutely necessary for everybody? I don't think so. If
the person is already ripe for jnana, he doesn't have to follow all the
steps. One example in recent times is Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi.

I request knowledgeable members to clarify/correct the above points.

Sruti smRti purANAnAm Alayam karuNAlayam
namAmi bhagavatpAda Sam.karam lokaSam.karam

Aniruddhan