[Advaita-l] Doubts on Karma, future births etc.

[Venkata sriram P]

// many people who do sadhana for years but they remain the same //

Only one's own guru can be able to assess his shishya provided the guru himself is enlightened one. 

Kanchi Paramacharya once mentioned that with the help of one's nature of dreams, one can 
assess the sAdhana.  If the dreams are of sattvik in nature, it implies he is progressing in 
sAdhana.  If he dreams of temples, deities etc., if he dreams of stri-murties and if his bhAvana towards them is pUjya-bhAvana without traces of kAma; if he dreams of his iSTa-dEvata / kula dEvata / pitru-dEvata / one's mother / small infants etc., it implies that he is progressing in sAdhana.

For yOgis, the mala-visarjana will be less.  As one progresses in yOga-mArga, the sAdhaka would have sugandha (aroma) around his body and his mala / mUtra would not give bad smell. 

The signs of bhraSTatva are below:

vipareeta kAma bhAvana, veerya-skhalana during the dreams, visions of stri-mUrties in the dreams and visualizing them with kAma-bhAvana etc. Excess discharge of semen leads to irritations, mental disturbances, anger, lust and arrogance.  

Hence, one must observe brahmacharya vrata strictly during the sAdhana period.  If the brahmachari is unable to observe this, then he should go for dharmapatni-sweekAra and observe grihasthAshrama niyamAs.

regs,
sriram