'Lokpavan Bhaijee Shri Hanuman Prasad ji Poddar'-IV

Shri Hanuman Prasad ji Poddar, Fondly Known as Bhaijee

Union with the Divine

On Vaishakh Shukla 4, year 1984 (4^th May, 1927), Bhaijee said in front of seven to eight loving devotees that it was imperative for sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) to make some fixed rules and dedicatedly follow them for sadhana (striving for union with the divine). One can not get peace without the proper means. Therefore if you people are ready we can make a sadhan-samiti and chalk out some religious observances for its members. The religious restraints should be respectfully followed with austerity, through which the goals of human life can be attained. All the people joyously agreed to the proposal. After discussion, fifteen restrictions and twelve sub-rules were laid out.

The Main Regulations of Bhaijee's Sadhna Samiti:

• Food Intake—All spices were to be given up, apart from salt. The meal had to made up of five ingredients at the most. Like (1) flour or rice (2)ghi or clarified butter (3) lentils(4)salt (5) spinach or some milk product.
• Clothes—At the most four outfits made of hand woven local yarn (apart from langota or loin-cloth and angocha or towel for drying the body)

Japa or Incantation

• Japa or incantation—One must definitely chant three malas (string of beads) of the sixteen-word Maha Mantra every single day before eating anything. And one must complete 14 malas of this mantra before going off to sleep.
• Virtuous Conduct—One must not ever get angry and certainly not do any action because of anger.

Brahmacharya

• Brahmacharya or chastity—See to it that you do not have sexual intercourse with your wife, more than once in a month.

Upasana

• Upasana or a prescribed method for worshipping God—You must definitely be present for an hour to pray at a fixed time and at a fixed place, as a part of your daily regime.

Instructions—Attend to a problem, keeping the restrictions of the Samiti in mind

a) Do penance according to regulations of the Samiti.

b)Never reveal matters of the Samiti to anyone, without its permission.

Lord Vishnu & Arjuna in The Bhagavad Gita

• Shrimad Bhagavad Gita—Do paath (read this sacred text)while understanding the meaning of one chapter, every day.

Sandhya Vandanam

• Sandhya Vandanam: Follow the religious observances of sandhya (which is perhaps one of the best daily routines of prayer, thanksgiving, and mantra meditation ever offered to mankind) gayatri (chanting the gayatri mantra) and svadhyaya (self-study or introspection) in accordance with the prescribed rules. There must be at least half an hour of sitting in one aasan (posture) between sandhya and tarpan (offering of libations of water to the gods). With implicit faith and reverence one must sandhya through the panch patra ( a wide-mouthed glass used for worship. At the most auspicious time of sandhya when the sun and the stars are visible together, offer water. In the morning begin before sunrise, give arghyam (respectful offering of water to God) during sunrise and finish just after sunrise. In the evening, begin before sunset, give arghyam during sunset and finish later.

Pray to the Lord at a Fixed Time

• Stay in isolation for prayers, for at least half an hour every day.
• Speak the Truth—Abiding by the promise of past and present times, one must not tell lies.
• Do physical exercise for at least five minutes every day.
• Forever strive to see the Supreme Being. Thus perceiving God in whoever one has to interact with, in particular.

Smarana of Lord Krishna

• Do smarana (concentrated recollecting) of the Divine, every fifteen minutes, and try not to forget Him after recollection.
• Fill the dairy of these fixed rules, every single day before sleeping.

Sub-Regulations

Apart from the main restraints, the sub-rules of the Sadhna Samiti were as follows:

• Not being deceitful

Be Pure in Thought, Word & Action

• Not harming anyone by way of thought, word and action.
• Abandoning the practice of ridiculing others.
• Not talking excessively.

Get Rid of Intoxicants

• Giving up intoxicants

Lord Krishna Sporting with His Gopas

• Loving everyone

Dump Casteism

• Not hating anyone because of their caste, colour, religion, national views or ailments.
• Not seeing others faults
• Doing bodily hard work
• Doing one's work oneself, as far as possible
• Not letting anyone serve you or attend to your needs

Be Steeped in Lord Krishna

• Intensively recollection of God on the occasions mentioned below—while getting up early in the morning,while going off to sleep, while bathing, while rinsing your mouth, while eating food and while sipping water.