On any spiritual path, including bhakti, there are three factors involved: the practitioner, the practice, and the goal to be achieved. To be successful in one’s spiritual practice, one must have a clear understanding of all three of these factors.
This book primarily focuses on providing authoritative knowledge about the practitioner, the jīva. Knowledge about the jīva is gained from śāstra. However, if one does not know how to interpret it properly, śāstra can be misunderstood. It is for this reason that there are differences of opinion about the nature of the jīva in different groups of spiritualists. In this book, some basic principles are discussed that govern how śāstra is meant to be understood at different levels and how its true intentions are realized.
The mind likes to dwell in the past or brood over the future. Senses however work in the present. Therefore, chanting while visualizing the mantra with mental eye, or with open eyes, is a practical means to keep the mind in the present.
