We generally remain engrossed in the dilemma: which path we should follow to reach God? If we move towards intellectualism then which way we should take and what we should do to achieve our objective? How and from where we need to begin our journey towards the divine abode are some of the questions confronting us.

Duration of Meditation

This anxiety has been answered by Lord Krishna in The Gita. He said that we should submit our total whole to our God and focus our entire mind unto God for all time. Sit in meditation with full devotion regularly and systematically, though this is not an easy task. Sometimes, being spirited, we sit in meditation for an hour or two and sometimes not even for five or seven minutes.  Such an irregularity does not produce any useful results. You should move in the right direction and in accordance with established methods and rules. You may then ask for how long we should sit in meditation every day, or what could be the minimum time to be devoted to God for this task, then it can be said that you should devote at least 24 minutes to God out of the 24 hours which have been given to you by God. Devote at least one minute out of every one hour to God and if you wish to achieve perfection then you should develop the habit of sitting for at last 40 minutes every day at the designated place. By doing so, you will be able to achieve firmness in your accomplishment.

Fix and Observe Routine
When the time for sitting in meditation is fixed then you will begin to feel the urge to observe the routine exactly in the same way as when you feel hungry for food at the fixed time. The day when you miss observing the routine of following meditation or worship you will feel as if something has been missing from life. Often people do not eat meals at a fixed time and lack a routine. They eat whenever they are able to. This unhealthy habit leads to indigestion and may further cause illness. In the same way people practice poor sleep habits, do not sleep at a regulated time, and ultimately suffer from lack of sleep. A lack of good sleep often leads to poor health.If you regulate your life and do all your activities on time, the human body will function more efficiently. In the same way if we do not observe the routine of meditation, we begin to lose our contact with God. Hence, develop a routine of devotion and meditation for yourself. So fix a time for devotion and meditation. Observe the routine, come what may. Even if you are physically or emotionally disturbed, you should sit for meditation on time at a fixed place and for a fixed duration. Develop this habit.

Discipline the Body and the Mind
If on any day the weather is intolerable, it is very hot or cold, or even if you do not feel well, and if you have set up a routine, do not let it break. Keep it firm. If you are unwell, you may recline in the bed or sit up with the help of a pillow, and do your devotions but do not let the routine break. When you maintain the physical discipline the mind will also get disciplined gradually. The mind will then enable you to enjoy the pleasure of meditation and devotion. This will become your habit. To take advantage of devotion and worship you should discipline yourself and your mind and do not let the mind wander around aimlessly. Concentrate and indulge in true worship.

Routine Produces Miraculous Results

If your routine and observance of rules are steady you will surely reach the heavenly abode. A person who happened to be the Chief Engineer with a government organization had met me once and narrated a heartwarming incident. He said, “My mother had the habit of reciting Hanuman Chalisa every day at a fixed time [4 am] and by sitting at a fixed place. It was her routine which she observed resolutely. One day she got sick due to her heart ailment. She had a brain stroke and slipped into a coma. She was lying unconscious in the hospital. The doctors were unsure if she would regain consciousness.” This person said that he was sitting in front of her. Her mala and Hanuman Chalisa’s book were placed next to her. When it was around 4 am in the morning he thought of picking up the mala and Hanuman Chalisa and thought of reciting it himself while sitting in front of her. He started reciting it just close to her ears. Then he thought of reciting it slightly loudly. After the recitation, for some time he thought that his efforts were going waste but after soon he saw that his mother’s lips started moving. but her voice was not audible. As he continued the recitation, his mother also continued to do so, word by word but

without any sound coming from her. The person said, “As I completed the recitation there was a sudden sound coming out of her mouth ‘Hari Om’ and she breathed her last. I felt as if some vehicle from the heavens had descended and took my mother away.” Due to the illness, her body had lost vitality but her routine of 40 years worked wonders. It was a miracle and liberated her soul taking her to the heavens. If our routine is firm, whatever be the status of our physical condition, the results of worship are surprising. Hence adopt and observe the routine. Do not let it break. Undertake worship and do meditation with full devotion and energy

Worship and Penance

Worship and penance are of various types. The routine of worship for the general householder, if it is firm, it becomes miraculous. Do not let any kind of hindrance affect your worship and penance. Lord Krishna has thus emphasized on staying connected firmly with God.
And, meditate on God by sitting alone and in a quiet place. The place of worship should also be carefully selected. Look, what place you would choose for housing God – naturally, it will be the temple. So your home should also be like a temple. The ambiance of the home should be similar to that of a temple – quiet, pure, and Godly. It also becomes important to have a look at your attire – these should be clean, fresh, and comfortable. It is a good idea to use white and yellow color clothes while sitting in meditation. You should also have a mala of your own. While meditating you may use the mala for chanting but later on, as you progress on the divine path, you may not need it. You will be able to invoke God, offer your prayers, chant His name with every breath without the support of a rosary or mala. In addition to this there is also an ideal time of the day to for meditation. Ideally, the dawn or the early morning hours of sunrise are packed with cosmic energy and make devotions effective. Make the morning hours peaceful and pleasant. Do advance preparations in the night for the morning prayers and meditation. Whatever you might need for meditation in the morning should be gathered and placed in your temple ahead of time so that you are not wasting the morning time in unnecessary chores.

You need not disturb anyone for help in the early hours. You should wake up with your heart and mindset on God, eagerly ready to sit on your meditation reason.

Thank God and Guru

As you rise early morning the first thing you must do it to rub your palms and place them on your eyes. Then have a close look at the alms,
think of your Guru and preferred God and thank them for everything given to you. Just think that the blessings of Narayan and Guru are
embedded within your palms and these are the engravings of Divine blessings. After getting out of the bed and purifying your body sit on your own aasan with a fresh mind. Invoke God and the Guru and offer your humble gratitude for a brand new day, the opportunity to meditate once again, and a new day for a new beginning. With a calm and composed mind, it is easier to enter the meditation phase and you will immensely enjoy that feeling within. In addition to the dawn meditations, get into a habit of singing praises of God in the dusk. Close to sunset offer prayers and sing songs/prayers in praise of the Lord. Sing Prayers Collectively When sitting for devotional songs do not sit alone. Do so collectively with other members of the family, friends and relatives. Scriptures say that collective prayers are more powerful and produce very fruitful results. There is a message in the Vedas ‘Get together in thousands and say prayers to God’. Your prayers will then be more powerful and these will be heard and answered. Thus become a devotee with a daily routine of devotions and see the miracles of true worship.