[Advaita-l] spiritual daily routines of the members

[Siva Senani Nori]

Dear Sri Bhaskar

In Mahabharata (Gita Press ed, 5-35-56 and 57, though missing in the BORI 
critical ed whose 5-35-48 is the same as Gita Press 5-35-55), we have two slokas 
(Vidura speaking to DhritaraashTra):

ijya adhyayana daanaani tapah satyam kshamaa ghriNaa |
alobha iti maargo'yam dharmasya ashTavidhah smritah || 56 ||

tatra poorvacaturvargo  dambhaarthamapi sevyate |
uttaraSca  caturvargo  naamahaatmasu tishThati || 57 ||

(A rough translation: "Yajña (sacrifice), Adhyayana (self-study), daana, tapah 
(austerities), satyam, kshamaa, ghriNaa (dayaa), and alobha (absence of greed)" 
is said to be the eight-fold path of Dharma. Therein, the group of prior-four 
(i.e. sacrifice, self-study, daana and tapah) is also performed to show off; the 
latter-four do not reside in those who are not mahaatmas - na-a-mahaatmasu).

Actually we had read this in HitopadeSa, but I looked up the Mahabharata so that 
a better reference might be given.

The point is that the first four might also be for the sake of 'damba', speaking 
about them (as in I do this and this daily) would almost certainly amount to 
damba. Such being the case, your question might not elicit replies from the 
pious and learned who might be afraid that a reply would be indulging in damba. 
I know you did not intend it to be so, but I merely point out an auxilliary 
consequence of the question and wish to submit that such questions ought not to 
be posed - in public or private. For, it would be damba for those who follow 
vihita-karmas to reply, and shameful for those who do not follow, to reply (in 
effect, it becomes damba on the part of the questioner).

Lest it be misunderstood that I am a great saadhaka and do not deign to reply, 
my own routine is a study in violation of things that ought to be 
done. Sandhyaavandanam is about the only routine that I can claim that I am 
reasonably regular about. However, I hope to become more compliant by and by. 


I used to have a strong desire to know what was written in all the 
Saastra-granthas earlier about Brahman, aatman and so on; but nowadays, I see 
that I have settled on an intermediate goal - to get buddhi to rule over the 
manas, or the head to rule over the heart. I find that at the level of this 
goal, almost all the religions of India say the same thing; and that this seems 
to be the common factor amongst all great achievers - statesmen, politicians, 
sportspersons, business leaders, musicians, scholars, artists, professionals and 
so on. Even crooks actually - I find that this is true of the most corrupt 
politician, the most immoral businessman, the worst scamster, rent-seekers like 
Niira Radia and so on. The only thing missing with these crooks is the moral 
compass. This quality of buddhi-controlling-manas is otherwise known as 
discipline, which results in the famed 10,000 hours of practice that makes the 
practitioners leaders in their professions.

What is convenient about this is that this kind of saadhana (observing and 
theorising, not the 10,000 hours of practice) works best when the body is 
horizontal, as P.G. Wodehouse once put it. Also conveniently, the saadhaka can 
claim self-control, indriya-nigraha, and many would never know for a long time 
:-). After all, satva and tamas both result in inaction :-).

For the record, and as my outbursts in the last few years show, I am no way near 
that. And of course, where satva is laghu and prakaaSakam, tamas is guru (heavy 
- I could tick that box) and varaNakam (covers things).

Regards
N. Siva Senani




________________________________
From: Bhaskar YR <bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com>
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Thu, December 2, 2010 5:46:17 PM
Subject: [Advaita-l] spiritual daily routines of the members

praNAms to all prabhuji-s / mAtAji-s 
Hare Krishna 

Kindly share your daily spiritual routines with the list. Spiritual 
routines of advanced sAdhaka-s & their guidance  would certainly help the 
neophytes like me to proceed meaningfully  in spiritual path...Kindly 
allow me to start with my routines : 

In short, normally I wake up around 5 in the morning, after nitya daihika 
karma-s, I do sandhyavandana, laghu devatArchana and vedAdhyayana for 
about one and half hour (timings may wary if there is an early morning 
live cricket matches in television :-))..I follow cricket matches very 
closely and I am still playing  cricket for my company) by 6-45 I go to 
play shuttle badminton and by 8.30 I will be in office, till 6 or 6.30 I 
will be here in office doing work...Leisure time during office hours, as 
you all know I will be troubling you with my mails :-))  by 7 or 7-30  I 
reach home do the sAyaM (ofcourse not so regular in sAyam sandhya as I 
have to stay late at office during audit times) and shankara bhAshya 
adhyayana with svatantra grantha-s of my parama guruji Sri SSS.  Saturday 
and Sunday are off for me, if there is no pooja / homa programme ( I am 
also a part time  purOhit/priest)  I do spend my time in vedAdhyayana, 
saptashati pArAyana, vedAnta chintana etc. Ofcourse, giving sufficient 
time for my family for outing, cinema, functions etc.  chess games, 
cricket, badminton etc. Overall, nothing so special & worth 
mentioning...It is a monotonous routine of the typical South Indian 
smArtha brAhmin who is bit spiritual in his thinking.  I must say here 
there is no long duration japa, meditation in my routine and my spiritual 
activity is just a part of my routine materialistic activity without any 
special emphasization on it!!.. 

Kindly do share your spiritual routines...My special and humble request to 
Sri Vidya Shankara prabhuji, Sri Jaldhar Vyas prabhuji, Sri  Ravi 
Mayavaram prabhuji, Sri Siva Senani Nori prabhuji, Sri Devanathan 
(antaryaami) prabhuji, Sri Ananda Hudli prabhuji, Sri Subbu prabhuji, Sri 
Srikanta prabhuji and ALL the elders, seniors, juniors & knowledgeable 
members of this group. 

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!! 
bhaskar 
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