Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions by Swamy Chidananda

Swami Chidananda Saraswati, a popular spiritual leader, was the President of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India.

Born as Sridhar Rao to Sri Srinivasa Rao and Sarojini, on 24 September 1916, Chidananda was the second among the five children and the eldest son in the family. Soon after he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola College, Chennai, he took to a life of renunciation in 1936.  He joined the Sivananda Ashram, which was run by Sivananda Saraswati in Rishikesh in 1943.  Then he was entered into the Sannyas order by his guru, Sivananda, on Guru Purnima day, 10 July 1949. Then, he received his monastic name “Chidananda”, which means “one who has consciousness and bliss”.

Let us learn what are the 20 important spiritual instructions by Swamy Chidananda –

1. Wake up in the Brahma muhurta, which is early morning at 4 a.m. daily.
2. Do a half an hour of meditation while sitting in Padma Snigdha or Sukhasana position facing the east or the north.
3. Chant any Mantra or chant pure ‘Om’.
4. Follow a dietetic discipline and take Satvik food.
5. Have a separate meditation room under lock and key.
6. Try to do charity regularly or daily. (for example 6 paisa per rupee)
7. Svadhyaya i.e. study systematically the Gita, the Ramayana, the Bhagavata, Vishnu Sahasranama Lalita Sahasranama, Aditya Hridaya, the Upanishads, the Yoga Vasistha, the Bible, the Quran, the Granth Sahib, etc. at least for half an hour daily.
8. Brahmacharya: Preserve the vital force very carefully.
9. Always do prayer – Slokas, and Stotras.
10. Perform or take part in Satsanga.
11. Observe fasting on Ekadashi or live on milk and fruits only.
12. Have a Japa mala with you.
13. Observe Mauna (vow of silence) for a couple of hours daily.
14. Always speak the truth.
15. Minimize your wants and lead a happy contented life.
16. Try not to hurt anybody ever.
17. Be independent and do not depend upon servants.
18. Perform a self-analysis every day.
19. Never fail to perform all the duties and have pure conduct.
20. Surrender to God, which is known as ‘Sharanagathi’

This is Sharanagathi…