Srimadh Bagawatham - Karma Yoga Continued

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/05/srimadh-bagawatham-karma-yoga-continued_8.html

Apart from the prescribed swadharma there are thirteen special karmas prescribed. We have to choose at least one of the thirteen special karmas in addition to our swadharma.

They are as follows.

1.     Deva Pooja: This is deity worship at home. We can install a vigraham at home and offer flowers and fruits in worship. We can decorate the vigraham and worship the deity regularly.

2.     Yagna: This is worshiping Brahmam in the form of Fire by performing fire sacrifices and offering items like ghee, milk, fruits etc in the fire during Poornahuthi.

3.     To offer our sense organs in the fire of sense controls. We should not let any of our five senses to pull us in the wrong direction.

4.     Oblate the object of pleasures to the sense organs. The objects of pleasures are as follows. Eyes enjoy beauty, nose enjoys fragrance, ears enjoy music, tongue enjoys taste and skin enjoys touch. Offering the object of pleasure to the sense organs mean distancing ourselves from enjoying those items which are condemned by shastras. Bhagawan has blessed us with sense organs to experience Him. Our eyes are there to see His beauty, ears to listen about His glorious past times, nose to smell the fragrance of His Tulasi garland which reminds us about Him, tongue to taste His prasadams which again purifies us and reminds us about Him, finally we enjoy touching His feet to get blessings. We use our hands to do kaimkaryams like making garlands etc for Bhagawan. With the help of our feet we visit His temples. Using our senses to enjoy anything else for our pleasure is not prescribed by Shastras.

5.     Offer the activities of sense organs and prana vayu in the fire of mind control. It is even easy to contriol the five senses but it is very hard to prevent the mind from wandering. For example, we may be physically present in the class room but our mind will not be with us. It will be far away maybe in the mall or the movie house. Controlling our mind improves concentration. Meditating on our atma with a focused mind will help us to achieve atma sakshatkaram. Atma sakshatkaram automatically detaches us from bodily pleasures.

6.     Perform homams and charities by using wealth earned in the right way.

7.     We should not follow rigorous penance which hurt our bodies. For example observing 30 day fast or 48 day fasts are not approved by Shastras. The only approved fasts are Ekadeshi Viratam and fasting during a particular time period during eclipse. Following practices like stepping on fires, meditating while standing on nails etc are also not approved by Shastras. Bhagawan is our parent and loves us. Our parents will not be happy with us if we tell them that we will sleep on a bed of nails till they buy us items we want. Similarly, Bhagawan doesn’t like it when we do penances like walking on fire etc in order to get our wishes fulfilled. The purpose of Karma Yoga is to improve our survival by taking good care of our body. Any penance that hurts our body is hence not approved. How can we go through life and perform Bakthi if we are not feeling well?

8.     Taking time to go on a pilgrimage and visit the temples and holy rivers.

9.     Chant Vedas. Brahmins must learn and chant at least one small portion of the Vedas everyday.

10.  Take time to research about the esoteric meaning of the verses in the Vedas. Enjoy and appreciate the esoteric meaning of the Vedic verses.

11.  Practice Pranayama. Inhaling is called puraka, exhaling is called rechaka, holding breath is called as kumbaka. All duration of all three must be equal in time. For example, 10 seconds to inhale, 10 seconds to hold breath and 10 seconds to exhale.

12.  Control food habits and synchronise apana vayu with prana vayu as well as synchronize prana vayu with apana vayu. This means taking deep breaths. Synchronising apana vayu with prana vayu is inhaling while synchronising prana vayu with apana vayu is exhaling.

13.   Reduce rate of respiration from 6 breaths /min to 12 breaths /min to improve health with the help of Pranayama.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/05/srimadh-bagawatham-steps-leading-to.html