Signs of Success in Sadhana
A subtle divine consciousness emerges in a Sadhak by Gayatri Sadhana. There is no specific change in his physical form or body but there is considerable inner change in him. Changes affected in pranmaya kosh. Manomaya kosh and Vigyanmaya kosh due to influx of spiritual energy are bound to have their impact on annamaya kosh. It is true that the structure of the physical body of the Sadhak does not change very much; but it is equally true that inner changes are perceptibly reflected in the body.
When a new skin is formed inside the old skin of a snake, its signs are reflected in its body. It becomes heavy, cannot run fast and being deprived of speed and enthusiasm, it prefers to lie down at one place.When the new skin gets matured, the snake sloughs off the old skin. After this casting off there is fresh enthusiasm and vibrancy in the snake.Smoothness, lustre and tenderness are easily visible in this new skin. Similarly, the Sadhak also goes through such a process of change from inside-out; Before his Sadhana matures, there are some symptoms of sadness, heaviness, slackness and lack of enthusiasm. But after attaining maturity altogether different symptoms start appearing. So long as a woman is pregnant, she feels heaviness and sluggishness
but after delivering the baby the mother feels fresh, light and enthusiastic.
When the Sadhak undertakes Sadhana there is spiritual impregnation in him. In Tantra Sadhana it has been called “maithun” cohabitation. Just as co-habitation is kept secret, so also Sadhana is kept secret. When the soul embraces the all pervading Spirit it gets an in indescribable pleasure which is known as complete identification by devotion (bhakti ). When the individual soul and universal Spirit meet intimately the phenomenon is known as Samadhi. Spiritual union thus culminates in the bliss of Samadhi. In Gayatri Upanishad and Savitri Upanishad, several such unions (as one between Savita and Savitri) have been described. Savita and Savitri constitute one pair. By Savitri (Gayatri) worship the Sadhak’s soul becomes like vagina in which God’s brilliance or potency (semen) is discharged. This process is also known as Shakti-pat. There can be creation without gross physical sex. Kunti’s giving birth to Karna and Mary’s giving birth to Christ are not mere symbolic stories. This can happen. Divine powers are born in this manner by subtle union. Churning of ocean was also such a union of complementary Divine energies which resulted in delivering fourteen gems. By union of negative and positive atoms there is generation of electric current. Sublimation of sex has been highly praised in Tantra Shastras.
The meaning of Sadhana is to unite within us the powers of devotion and practice and create a new power which is known as siddhi, divine boon or miracle. There are certain pre-requisites for attaining such a state. A person may take up any route for reaching his destination,but he has to carry with him food, clothes and money for his journey. So also virtues, righteous thoughts and actions are required for performing Sadhana of any path. It is rather impossible for a person to take up any path of Sadhana, if his life remains sinful, vicious and defiled. Therefore, persons who are keen to do Sadhana should, in the first instance, try to purify their mind, speech and body. Then alone can they meaningfully proceed on this path and attain the supreme goal.
Union of God and the soul, of Savita and Savitri by intimate embrace or assimilation results in spiritual conceiving. This conception is known as bharga in spiritual terminology. The Sadhak has to empty and cleanse the vessel of his inner being (senses, mind, and intellect)to receive and retain this element of bharga. There are perceptible changes in the natural activities of the Sadhak during the transitional period in which his Sadhana attains maturity, just as there are symptoms of distaste, nausea, constipation, laziness etc. in a pregnant woman. He feels heavy, tense and dejected like a snake with a slough.Those who are well-versed in the science of spirituality know it well what adversities the Sadhak is required to face during the period of Sadhana. The masters, therefore, advise their followers to live strictly according to the prescribed disciplines during this period. The Sadhak can ease the trials of this transitional period by remaining on restricted diet and having a regular routine, as is the case with a woman in menstruation period or one who is pregnant.
In any important undertaking a person is bound to face challenges, and obstacles and set-backs. Only those who can meet these challenges boldly and stead-fastly can succeed. A Sadhak is likely to slip back on account of defects in his diet routine, lethargy, impatience, intemperance, hatred, malice, evil company and vanity. Then it becomes impossible for him to attain siddhi. Corruption, earning money by stealing, depriving others of their legitimate rights, selfishness and similar other vices are prevalent these days in abundance. They thwart a person’s progress on the path. Therefore, those who aspire to attain success in Sadhana should be ready and willing to pay the price in terms of sacrifice, suffering, persecution so that their Sadhana may mature and yield the desired results. Just as an issue is born from an egg or to a female of a species, a Sadhak, as a result of his Sadhana, gets an issue which is called siddhi or fulfillment. It is also known as liberation , Samadhi, Brahmi state of tureeyavastha (a state where the individual self is united with the universal self). In the beginning, this new off-spring is weak, delicate and tender like a new-born baby. A wise Sadhak nourishes it in the same way as a mother nourishes her baby.
Until Sadhana attains maturity there are signs of lethargy and dejection in the Sadhak. But when it gets matured and gives birth to the tender babe of siddhi, the Sadhak gets endowed with brilliance, lustre and lightness. The sign of success in Sadhana are reflected in the following characteristics:-
(1) The body feels light and the mind becomes calmly enthusiastic.
(2) A specific kind of smell starts coming from the body.
(3) The skin becomes more smooth and tender.
(4) There is aversion for tamsik food and routine. The Sadhak gets inclined towards righteousness.
(5) Selfishness gives way to selflessness and benevolence.
(6) There is lustre in his eyes.
(7) He intuitively comes to right conclusions when he thinks about any person or any work.
(8) He can read the feelings and thoughts of other persons.
(9) He gets premonition about things which are going to happen in future.
(10) He is endowed with divine capabilities to promote good and vanquish the forces of evil.
Those Sadhaks who nurture with motherly care this divine power, enjoy a happy life. But persons who are devoid of sense of proportion and misuse their siddhi for self-glorification get deprived of it and have ultimately to repent like a mother who loses her newly born baby due to her own foolishness.