The Five Pillars of Sadhana

Read at least 1 shloka from the Bhagavad Gita with its meaning, and read at least one short passage (or one page) each from the Ramcharitmanas and the Bhagavata Purana. You may also procure a specially curated daily-reading manual in which each day is a separate page, bringing together three carefully chosen passages, one each from the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramcharitmanas, and the Bhagavata Purana, so that every day fresh selections from all three are studied in a single sitting, in order to avoid opening three different books or carrying all three books during travel.

Contingency during travel: When travelling, if carrying the Ramcharitmanas and the Bhagavata Purana is not practical, carry the Bhagavad Gita and read at least 3 shlokas daily with their meanings. Resume the daily reading of all three texts upon return.

Practise one of the prescribed Bhagavad Dharma meditations daily, alternating them from day to day, as given in the authorised meditation manual or guided format, for at least five minutes. Before meditation, chant God's chosen name 108 times, and after meditation chant it 108 times again. The first silent chanting helps focus and steady the mind for meditation; the post-meditation silent chanting helps you return to normal activity with calmness and balance. The chanting may be done with or without a mālā or japa counter.

Visit the local temple once a week, preferably during the weekend and participate in, or help organise, a Bhagavad Dharma satsang there, centred on God's glories and selected stories from the Ramcharitmanas and the Bhagavata Purana. If no temple is available nearby, begin creating a Bhagavad Dharma Bhakti Kendra (temple) and, until a temple space is established, hold the satsang in devotees' homes. During satsang, kirtan (group chanting of God's names) should be performed with musical rhythm. Devotional dancing during kirtan is also recommended. This will kindle devotion in every heart, purify the soul, and bring divine bliss.

Complete one structured self-review each month using the approved instrument for measuring spiritual progress, make corrections for the next month, and record the results in the same diary. If you have time, do it weekly on weekends. Before the monthly self-review, donate at least 1.5% of your monthly income to charity for any cause dear to you (paropakār), and at least 1.5% to the Faith.

Once in a lifetime, if health and means permit, every Bhagavad Dharmi should complete a Mahā-yātrā by visiting, at any time (not necessarily in a single trip):

(1) Narayana Sacred Pilgrimage Sites: Pilgrimage (darshan) to any one of the following principal "Narayana Tirthas"— In the north, in the Himalayas: Muktinath (Nepal), Badrinath (India); In South India: Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam (Tamil Nadu, India), Tirumala–Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh), Padmanabhaswamy (Kerala); Angkor Wat (Cambodia, a Vishnu heritage site in Southeast Asia and the largest historical temple in the world); (2) Sri Rama-kshetra: Ayodhya, and (3) Sri Krishna-kshetra: one of the following three: Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri or Dwaraka.

During a Mahā-yātrā, no pilgrimages to other deities should be undertaken, and no tourism should be planned, as it can dilute the pilgrim's devotional focus on Sri Hari. Other rules laid down for the Mahā-yātrā must also be followed. After completing the yātrā, places of natural or cultural attraction may be visited, but temples of other deities should not be included.

Shri Rama Tirtha: Those who worship Lord Vishnu in His Shri Rama form as their chosen deity (Ishta Deva), and who are capable, may undertake pilgrimage to the following Shri Rama sacred sites. This route is also known as the "Ramayana Path"— Ayodhya (birth, childhood, and adolescence: Uttar Pradesh) → Chitrakoot (principal forest-exile region of Shri Rama: spanning Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh) → Panchavati (abduction of Sita: Nashik, Maharashtra) → Kishkindha (meeting with Sugriva, Hanuman, etc.: Hampi, Karnataka) → Rameswaram (establishment of the Shiva Linga by Shri Rama: Tamil Nadu) → Ram Setu (starting point of the bridge of Shri Rama: near Dhanushkodi, Tamil Nadu) → Sri Lanka (Ashoka Vatika and other associated sites).

Shri Krishna Tirtha: Those who worship Lord Vishnu in His Shri Krishna form as their chosen deity, and who are capable, may visit the following Shri Krishna pilgrimage sites— Vrindavan–Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Kurukshetra (Haryana), Puri (Odisha), Dwarka (Gujarat), Udupi (Karnataka), Guruvayur (Kerala), Melkote (Karnataka), Pandharpur (Maharashtra), Nathdwara (Rajasthan).