It is common practice to advise seekers to read some books to prepare their minds to be aware of the discipline they are about to practice.

Characteristically, Lahiri Mahasay used to advise the seekers to read twelve verses from the Bhagavad Gita everyday.

The Yoga path is suited to those who are calm in nature and have a body that is exceptionally good anatomically; while bhakti is suited to those who are emotional, devotional and affectionate in nature. Yogananda belonged to the second. His nature was observed by many people, for example:

On November 29, 1935, an excerpt from the following conversation took place. It was recorded in the book: Talk with Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Yogananda: How is the spiritual uplift of the people to be effected? What are the instruction to be given them?

Maharshi: They differ according to the individuals and according to the ripeness of their minds. There cannot be any instruction en masse.

Finally the Yogi rose up, prayed for Sri Bhagavan’s blessings for his own work and expressed great regret for his hasty return. He looked very sincere and devoted even emotional.

Being questioned Maharshi pointed out to Yogananda the righteous way and how instruction is to be given. The advice echoes a Bengali proverb: Adhar vede upadesh, “Spiritual advice or instructions must be given according to ripeness of the seeker.”

It seemed Yogananda did not learn anything from Maharshi’s advice.

Devotional people adore the Lord naturally. In doing so, they do not know where and when to stop; usually they are carried away; and so they fail to hold the balance, equilibrium, or tranquility.

A student of mathematics may not do well in literature and vice versa. Similarly, it is the same in the Vedic spiritual disciplines; one has to find the right discipline first; then a teacher from the same discipline.

Most Westerners do not understand this point at all because they are exposed only to one discipline, the devotional path of the love of Jesus. They think, when they are to practice a spiritual discipline, they can qualify and practice any discipline, and with this thought they fall into the trap of their ego.

Thus the introduction of written lessons through a correspondence course or mass education and to impart Kriya discipline through mass initiation is wrong for the following reasons:

• There is no room for generalized instructions or advice in a spiritual discipline.
• Each seeker has different providential background and ripeness for which he must be evaluated personally and individually by his Guru.
• The purpose of meditation, or practicing Kriya, is to go beyond thoughts while the lessons burden the seeker with thoughts.
• No lessons of the correspondence course can replace advice from the “Living lips of the Guru [the state of Guruvaktragamya].”
• A Guru has a tremendous responsibility to advise at the right time and not before.

We are going to elaborate on these points.

1. There is no room for generalized instructions or advice in a spiritual discipline.

As we have seen in Maharshi Ramana’s answer to Yogananda, there is no scope for generalized advice or instruction in spiritual disciplines. Generalized instruction en masse for a group will inevitably lead to confusion and some will be effected mentally and physically. Practicing under the generalized instructions for mass education the seekers will jeopardize their spiritual lives.

Example: many of Yogananda’s followers, being affected physically and mentally, discontinued their years of modified Kriya practice. They formed groups to help each other, and are also seeking help from health professionals. There are such a large number that many counselors in the Los Angeles area call it a “SYNDROME” after the name of his organization.

2. Because of different providential background and ripeness, each seeker needs to be evaluated, diagnosed and then his spiritual discipline should be chosen. Thereafter, the question of advice arises. Advice should be in such a way so that the disciple will be able to complete his providential debris to be free from such bondage.

His Guru must evaluate and diagnose his needs to match his providential background so that the advice is appropriate to his practice or else the seeker will be confused with generalized advice and the practice will not be effective to work through one’s providential debris.

For example, after Kriya initiation at Dunagiri Hill, Himalayas, Lahiri Mahasay requested Babaji if he could enter into order of Swami and follow him; but Mahamuni Babaji considering Lahiri Mahasay’s providential background sent him back to his household life to complete his providences.

In a marketplace, in group initiation, the scope of personal relationship and the chance of having advice from the living lips of the Guru is destroyed; as a result, the seeker is in a precarious position from the very first day.

Lahiri Mahasay used to give advice personally and individually. Sometimes, he advised one of the spouses separately, when the situation so required.

3. The purpose of meditation, or practicing Kriya, is to go beyond thoughts and to attain the state of Sthirattva, eternal Tranquility.

The introduction of written lessons overburden the student with thoughts and feelings; instead of decreasing one’s thoughts, the unnecessary and untimely advice through voluminous written lessons increases one’s thoughts and feelings. Thus the introduction of written lessons in Kriya discipline is counterproductive. The seekers get confused regarding their spiritual duties, in the context of Kriya discipline.

The fundamental and basic feature of the Original Kriya is to practice niskam karmas, that is, practicing Kriya without expectations of the results of the practice.

4. No lessons of the correspondence course can replace the “Living lips of the Guru.”

The inherent mystic Power in the living lips of a Guru generates in the following manner. The sabda, or “sound” of the word of speech (bak) from the mouth of the Guru comes directly from awakened Kundalini (mystic Energy) from the coccygeal center to the throat through the spinal cord where it strikes the swarayantra, larynx, to vibrate and to create sound; then it travels to the mouth. Thereafter, it comes out from the mouth as bak (speech), which is Bagdevi, Goddess of Speech, or Swarasati (coming from Swarayantra, larynx), Goddess of Knowledge. That is why the Guru Gita says:

Dhyanangmulang Gurormurti pujamulang guro padam.
Mantramulang Gurorbakyang mokshamulang Guro kripa. Guru Gita 38

The verse says, “This is the image of Guru and root of meditation. Basically, worship is the practicing of Kriya. Kriyas are the legs (Charan) of Guru. Verbal Speech (instructions from the “living lips of Guru”) is the sound of OM, that is, the essence of all the Mantras. Holding onto the After-effect-poise of Kriya is the instrument for attaining eternal Liberation.” Guru Gita 38, Commentary by Lahiri Mahasay.

According to the verse, the bakya or speech from the living lips of the Guru is mantra for the disciple.

(It must be pointed out here that the speech must be from the living lips of the Guru and not from the speech recorded by a mechanical device, either of a living or dead teacher).

This is how from awakened Kundalini Power through the living lips of the Guru becomes mantra for the disciple and practicing Kriya with mantra infuse Atmajnan, or Self-Knowledge, to the mind and spirit of the seeker.

The absence of sabda, or “sound,” or “words,” from the Guru’s awakened Kundalini Power is like conducting an experiment in the physics laboratory with all the equipment without connecting the electrical power. As you can imagine the experiment goes nowhere; in fact, it cannot start at all.

Similarly, learning from lessons and modified Kriya, having no words from the living lips of a Guru cannot start being effective from the very beginning.

As mentioned before, from the spiritual point of view, the whole practice is nothing but a physical and mechanical exercise.

5. A teacher has a tremendous responsibility to advise at the right time and not before.

In this regard, in the Original Kriya Discipline, the teacher may be pressured by his own students (especially by those who are eager and lack understanding of the process). They may request to have more Kriyas.

Example: A disciple once requested Lahiri Mahasay in the midst of many attending devotees in his Benares house at Garureswar to have more Kriyas. Lahiri Mahasay heard the disciple’s request and waited a while to answer. In the meantime, another disciple, Brinda Bhakat, a postal peon [mailman] entered the house.

Lahiri Mahasay said, “Brinda! come here. I want to give you more Kriyas.”

Brinda said, “Baba! I have come here just to request you to please not give me any more Kriyas. I am sinking in joy; and I am afraid that I might be run over by a vehicle on the street while I am delivering letters.”

(Actually, in Benares the houses are not separated on one side by odd numbers and the other side by even numbers (like in the U. S. A.), as a result, Brinda had to cross the street back and forth to deliver letters.)

The disciple who pressed for more Kriyas, hearing Brinda’s request got his answer and kept his head bent down.

Another example of advising at the right time and not before can be cited here from the Kurukshetra War of Dwapara Yuga.

(One has to understand that there is a right-combination between the positive and the negative, which positive force would kill which negative and when [at the right moment] according to providence. Then again, it varies according to the individual.

(The inner War of positive and negative forces through meditation or Kriya practice, is a very subtle and complicated one; and hence, without the direct, personalized advice from the living lips of the Guru is not possible to win.)

The war between the cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas to regain the empire, lasted for eighteen days. The example is taken from the battlefield of fourteenth day.

(We are going to reproduce it here briefly. For a detailed description of the fourteenth day battle of the Kurukhestra war the reader may see the present author’s title: The Mahabharata, Commentaries Volume 2, pages 262 - 274.)

On the thirteenth day the negative side killed Arjuna’s son, Abhimanyu: ACTIVELY BEING CONSCIOUSNESS, violating all rules of war.

In the evening, returning from the battlefield, Arjuna learned of the terrible event. After inquiring from King Yudhisthira, Arjuna became aware that at the gate Jayadratha (who had blessings from Lord Siva to prevail over four Pandavas) obstructed reinforcement and assistance to his son. So he held Jayadratha responsible for his son’s death.

So Arjuna, ENERGY OF THE SEEKER’S BODY, vowed to kill Jayadratha, COURAGE TO DO NEGATIVE THINGS, failing to perform his vow before the sun set, Arjuna would kill himself in fire.

At the beginning of the fourteenth day, when the Pandava armies came to the battlefield, they observed that on the Kaurava side, Dronacharya made several vhuhas, military strategies arrayed one behind the other:

In the front, Chakravyuha (circular formation), then Sakatavyuha (wedge formation), then Padmavyuha (lotus formation) and finally suchyavyuha, needle formation). Then at the end of the needle formation, Jayadratha was stationed and protected by able generals. The purpose was that Arjuna might not have time to pass through all of these during the entire day and would fail to reach Jayadratha and thereby not be able to kill Jayadratha.

Krisna and Arjuna stationed Satyaki (disciple of Arjuna in weapons) to protect King Yudhisthira from Dronacharya. They said until they returned from killing Jayadratha, Satyaki must under no circumstances leave King Yudhisthira. It was very important. They could not trust what Dronacharya, the old Brahmana, then the commander-in-chief of the Kauravas, might do. Krisna and Arjuna did not see anybody who would be a good match for Dronacharya except Satyaki.

Both Krisna and Arjuna took off to find Jayadratha.

After fighting the whole day, finally, ENERGY OF THE SEEKER’S BODY (Arjuna) found Jayadratha and approached COURAGE TO DO NEGATIVE THINGS (Jayadratha), but only a very short time was left. COURAGE TO DO NEGATIVE THINGS (Jayadratha) was surrounded by six divisions of chariots led by six prominent generals.

Lord Krisna then advised Arjuna, “The sun is about to set, but there is still time for you to keep your vow. I will create clouds on the western horizon so that the Kauravas will think that the sun has set. Take this opportunity to kill Jayadratha.” So through yogic powers, Lord Krisna created a volley of dark clouds to hide the sun.

King Jayadratha, observing the darkened sky thought to himself, “I am safe now. Evening has approached.” Lord Krisna then said to Arjuna, “Now is the time [right time] to kill Jayadratha. He is off guard. Quickly cut off his head and fulfill your vow.”

Arjuna released a large crescent-shaped anjalika arrow which flew through the air like Indra’s fiery thunderbolt aimed at Jayadratha’s neck, whereupon Jayadratha’s head was chopped off. Lord Krisna then commanded Arjuna, “Quickly send the severed head through the air guided by arrows straight to the lap of Jayadratha’s father who is sitting in his evening meditation outside the battlefield (Samantapanchaka). Place it down very gently.”

(Arjuna did not know even for a moment before the right time that he has to send the severed head of Jayadratha outside the battlefield on his father’s lap.

(Krisna was waiting for the event to take place; when Arjuna accomplished this feat, only then did he consider that it was the right time to advise to send the severed head outside the battlefield where Jayadratha’s father was meditating.

(Thus the teacher or the Guru has tremendous responsibility not to impart the disciple with advice in advance which could confuse or overburden the disciple’s mind and prevent him from concentrating properly. Thus Yogananda’s lessons can be counterproductive.)

In the absence of Guruvaktragamya, learning from the living lips of the Guru, the seeker is deprived of the right doses of advice to eliminate vibrations and to get rid of his providences in the right time. How can he make an effective spiritual life? How can he win the battle in meditation?

An organization cannot contribute to enhancing one’s spirituality, and those who are involved, rendering social service in the name of God’s work, simply support themselves by the donations they collect and confuse others regarding the performance of their spiritual practice without attachment to results.

These so-called renunciates themselves are not clear about the true path of Niskam Karma (practice without attachment to the results therefrom), which is the fundamental basis of achieving eternal Tranquility, or Liberation.

How can they help others when they are themselves involved with organizational debris?

As the proverb goes: It is like the blind leading the blind.