Varna, Kirti, Mati, Lakshmim, Swasthyam Ayushca Vindati |Brahme Muhurte Sanjagracchiyam Va Pankajam Yatha
Meaning: Getting up in the brahm-muhurta helps gaining beauty, charm, brilliance of intellect, glory, prosperity, health and long life . The body gets energized and blossoms like a lotus flower if one is awake at this time. We should get up in this supremely energizing phase of the day and do the sadhana of atmabodha (self-realization). The atmabodha sadhana is performed just after getting up. The conscious mind and all associated faculties go into rest with sound sleep in the night. The visible world ends and one lives in a different world of unconscious perceptions. The soul has only a tenuous connection with the body and the gross world in this phase; which is just sufficient to enable continuity of the vital functions that maintain the living state of the body. The consciousness and its intimate connection with the body is regained the moment one gets up. Thus, the instance of getting up is somewhat like having a new birth. In order to perform the above sadhana , sit up on the bed or on some cloth piece with erect spine; preferably with legs folded as in sukhasana. Keep both the hands on your lap. (The body may be covered with extra warm clothes in winter). Take a deep breath in a relaxed mode and exhale it slowly (breathing should be through the nostrils only). Try meditating on bluish light during the first breath, yellowish light during the second and reddish light during the third. Thank the Almighty for giving this life and feel happy to have this opportunity of a new lease of life for the day ahead. Contemplate for few minutes that God is blessing you for the next twenty hours and is going to keep watch on how you plan to make ideal use of this boon. Think positively of doing something constructive and adopting a virtue and/or giving up a bad habit in your behavior and actions that day. (Plan something that is do-able; howsoever small it may be, it will boost your self-confidence if you are able to follow what you resolve).The next step of your routine should be to pay obeisance to the mother earth.
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Akhandjyoti July -Aug 2003
