Let the Spirit of Spring Permeate and Uplift Your Life (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 02)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Jan_Feb/v1.SpiritSpringPermeateUplift)

Adi Shankaracharya's awakening umang was also born around Vasant Panchami.

His mother had lots of expectations from this bright child - "he would be a big officer, a prosperous, successful man; he will get married and bring a nice daughter-in-law for me, I will enjoy the company of my grand-children".

Sensing Shankars inclination towards ascetic life, she even used to warn him that he will have to suffer the pangs of hell for the sin of not obeying his mother.

The umang awakened in this child gave him the courage to face all hurdles; he was prepared to go to any hell during or beyond this life if it were a must for pursuing the goal of ultimate realization.

One day he entered the deep waters in the village-river and screamed for his mother's help. He told her - "I am about to be drowned and die this very moment; but I am seeing God standing to save me only under one condition - He (God) is asking you to offer my life to Him (for His work), then He would save and protect me forever". Now his mother had no choice; She agreed and said - "Okay! I am ready to make this sacrifice for saving your life".

Shankar jumped out of the swirling waters that very moment and touched her feet on the banks of the river. He said to his mother - "Look! God has saved me, but now I am His".

Let the Spirit of Spring Permeate and Uplift Your Life (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 01)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2004/Jan_Feb/v1.SpiritSpringPermeateUplift)

Translation of Excerpts from the Discourse on Vasant Panchami Day February 1981: "वासंती हूक, उमंग और उल्लास यदि आ जाए जीवन में"

Let us begin with a collective chanting of the Gayatri Mantra:
"Om Bhur Buvah Swah, Tatsaviturvarenyam, Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi, Dhiyo Yonah Prachodayat ||"

Sisters and Brothers,

"Vasant Panchami" (auspicious fifth day, of the month "Magha", of the Indian lunar Calendar) marks the emergence of Spring.

It is the day of enthusiasm, inspiration, inner illumination.

The advent of Spring sparks an awakening and exultation in Nature, in all living beings.

Such a Spring had brought about a sea-change in the life of Samarth Guru Ramdas (the noble Guru of Chhatrapati Shivaji) in his early youth.

"Can't I make a better use of my life?" - was what he was pondering over at that time.

There, his family was busy in preparations of his marriage, and here in some corner of the house, he began to see the consequences - wife, then children, then children of the children, their marriages and so on.

His awakened soul instantly warned - Is this what you are born for? Look at the dignity of your life; there could be another path, the path worthy of greatness! With this he began to realize the majestic value, the purpose of his life.

This was the moment of great transformation, quantum leap, in his life. Such was the force of this exaltation that he did not look back, and continued to rise higher and higher in his life. Nothing could stop him; he cast away the bridegroom's costumes from his body and ran away in search of the path of ultimate light.

So, what did this emotional splash of Spring do?

It transformed an ordinary boy, a teenager, into a great spiritual master, a saint, an immortal Guru.

Spring induces some kind of umang (inspiring enthusiasm and enchanting, enlightening emotional thrust) in every heart. Its nature and extent depends upon what we deserve.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 24)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II) 

People often tell me - "Guruji, I can't engage my mind in devotional practices, it keeps jumping towards the worldly thoughts".

I ask them in reply - "Does your mind ever get occupied in something with interest and attention?"

Obviously, the answer comes out to be "No, not really".

This is because you have not bothered to train your mind to focus. You do not recognize the potentials of a focused mind. You should train your mind to be alert and attentive, and cultivate the tendency to enjoy the work at hand.

In devotional or spiritual practices, you should have the deep mental absorption that emanates through the heart, like that of a yogi. If you sincerely practice the dhyan yoga I have taught you, and learn to meditate upon light with deep fervor, I assure you that your mental concentration will improve significantly.

This depth of mental concentration, together with your noble sentiments employed in this dhyan yoga, will bless you with all that a great devotee of spirituality deserves.

I wish you all success.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 23)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II) 

Any effort carried out with one-pointed absorption of your mind leads to grand success.

Friends! We should try cultivating keen interest and focused approach, as the scientists have towards their fields of research. In terms of basic education or training, there may not be any difference between a scientist and someone who has merely passed a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree - first degree in science education.

Who is a scientist?

The answer would be one who is fully engrossed in his research and dives deeper and deeper, like a submarine in the ocean, to discover/invent the pearls of knowledge.

Scientific achievements are the wonderful outcomes of rigorous mental concentration. This quality is essential for success in every walk of life. You need to apply it not only in your devotional practices but also in all the works you undertake.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 22)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

This is the secret of success in all walks of life.

We do not accomplish anything significant, as our attention and interests are scattered in many directions. I ask you to control the agitation of your mind and focus it, as per the instructions, in the practice of dhyan yoga. Because of its wayward diversions, you are neither able to concentrate upon your studies nor to work for proper health; you are not able to do anything significant; there is always an instability, as well as scattering of your efforts.

This haphazard state of your mind should be controlled with the help of meditation along with the devotional practices of japa.

Your mind should be well organized and trained to imbibe the habit of "work while you work and play while you play".

Be that a worldly task or spiritual practices, whatever you do, should be done with full attentiveness. Deep mental concentration is a spiritual quality.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 21)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

You must have heard about the glorious intrepidity and self-mastery of Arjuna in Mahabharat. He had perfected the art of focusing all his attention at the desired objective. This is why he was the only one who succeeded in piercing through the left eye of the rotating fish by his arrow, just by looking at its image in the water below, during the Swayamvara of Princess Draupadi.

Hundreds of princes and kings had come to participate in this difficult contest of qualifying to marry Draupadi. Guru Dronacharya asked one common question ... . When they stretched their bows and looked at the image of their target, he asked them "What do you see?" Someone replied - "The entire fish"; some said - "its head"; etc. As predicted by Dronacharya, none of them could hit any part of the fish.

Arjuna was the only one who saw nothing except the left eye of the fish. The Guru applauded his perfect mental concentration. Arjuna indeed hit the target and won Princess Draupadi’s hand.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 20)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

The feeling of "Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya" should emerge from the depths of your emotions while concentrating on the glow of rising Sun in your heart.

It implies emancipation of the soul, the inner self from the darkness of ignorance into the eternal light of pure knowledge and divine love.

Deep and focused mental concentration is a major prerequisite for meditation.

If we focus our potentials and efforts in a constructive direction, we would achieve the goal of our life.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 19)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

Bhakti-yoga aims at awakening of this divine sentiment; it means cultivation and expansion of compassion, kindness, altruism and love for sentient beings.

This is what is true service and true devotion of God. Many of you think that worshiping a deity, bending the head at its feet, beseeching and crying before it, ringing the bells in a shrine, distributing some alms, etc., is what serves the purpose of devotion.

Is this what you call "navadha bhakti" (highest yoga of devotion)?

No my child! This is only hypocrisy, mimicry and a caricature of devotion; it is far removed from real bhakti-yoga. It is self-deception.

Well! Then, how will you practice bhakti-yoga?

For this, you will have to understand its true meaning and adopt it with the help of the meditation on divine light.
 

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 18)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II) 

You usually think that you have great love for your children. But, that also is a delusion.

You mostly have attachment to them. You consider providing them with worldly comforts and worldly means as the best expression of love for them. You relentlessly endeavor to amass wealth and possessions that you could bequeath to your children as tokens of your love!

But have you ever thought that wealth without virtues is a source of depravation?

Thus, by piling up comforts and pelf for your child, you simply make him a lustful, depraved and selfish person, who will spoil his own life and may become a burden for the society.

How can you say that you truly love your child?

Friends! Do you know what is love?

It is the sentiment of causeless joy derived from selflessly working for the welfare of beloved ones. It means giving; it means generosity, compassion, and selflessness.

Bhakti-yoga aims at awakening of this divine sentiment; it means cultivation and expansion of compassion, kindness, altruism and love for sentient beings.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 17)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II) 

But, this divine spark within us has practically been extinguished in our lives because of our misdeeds.

If we can’t love our soul, then whom would we love? Ask this question to yourself  - whom do you love truly?

Do you love your wife? No, not really.

You only long for the sensual pleasure and comforts she offers you. A leech sticks to the body and sucks the blood; most of us do the same with the lives of our wives. The youth of a wife is often ruined in satisfying the lust of her husband, and in producing and taking care of the children. She gets prematurely aged and becomes a victim of varieties of ailments. Still he does not understand her problems, doesn’t care for her sickness.

All her potentials, all her resources, have been sacrificed in the thankless service of the husband and his family. If you had truly loved your wife, you should have lovingly taken care of her health; should have helped uplifting her educational and mental levels; should have encouraged development of her talents. On the contrary, you have practically killed her future.

Do you have the noble sentiments of love and devotion? No! If these had a place in your heart, you would have looked after your old parents and other dependents with greater affection. You would have happily offered your altruistic services to the needy.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 16)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

We should also love our inner self, our soul.

We have always neglected our soul. We have never experienced its presence. Ages have passed, but we have never heard its voice, or bothered about its aspirations.

An old woman, entirely dependent upon you, keeps asking you to take her to the Himalayas for pilgrimage. You, engrossed in your selfish motives, won’t pay any attention. You might even reply rudely that at this last phase of her life, why to worry about going here and there; she should just lie quietly wherever she is!

It sounds strange, but this is how we have been treating our soul. Our soul is a helpless captive in the smog of our ignorance. If we had loved it and taken proper care of it, it would have become so strong and active that its divine power would have transmuted us into angelic beings.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 15)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

Bhakti Yoga included in Dhyan Yoga

Friends! The third kind of light, which I have asked you to focus upon during this dhyan yoga is that of the inner self.

It is the radiance of our intrinsic faith, our devotion, our sincerity, and our compassion, which sparkles all around in the form of pure love. Awakening of this love is the bhakti-yoga.

We strengthen our body by practicing physical exercises, and make use of the vigor thus gained in our routine chores, and in the hard work required for transaction of our duties on multiple fronts.

Similarly, when we begin with the devotion and love for God, the inner force of emotions we acquire through this bhakti (devotion) should also be utilized and expanded.

We should love our gross body; if we love it, we must take good care of it; keep it neat and tidy; discipline it and maintain its health and harmony. This is a reflection of our love, our devotion for God’s creation.

The same way our devotion should also extend towards our mind; we should look after it cautiously. We should not allow it to be disturbed or agitated. It should be kept calm and serene. Thoughts stored in it should be bright and pristine like the glow of the sun.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 14)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II) 

The light of the rising sun you meditate upon should illuminate your inner mind. It should refine your knowledge and focus your thoughts in constructive directions. If this spark of gyan kindles in your mind, I will assume that you have comprehended and assimilated the training of meditation, for which I have guided you in this golden jubilee year of my anusthana sadhana.

If you do not understand and adopt these teachings in practice, your dhyan will only remain a pleasant imagination, and you will gain nothing worthwhile out of such shallow practices. Spirituality is not imagination; it is not a dreamy experience. It is real and experiential. It deals with every aspect of our life; it should be lived in our life today, every day. There is no place for dreams or myths in spirituality. God is not a creation of our dreams or imaginations. His presence should be reflected in all our daily activities.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 13)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

People regard me as an eminent thinker. If it is true, it is only because of one thing - I have always focused my thinking faculty in specific directions, towards search for true knowledge. I have controlled my thoughts and imaginations; they never fly randomly. They always move in the self-chosen, sagacious directions. They generate and expand around noble ideals and motives.

My mind knits a vast network of thoughts but never leaves the firm base of reality and reasoning. I have blocked the entry of unnecessary, delusive or irrational thoughts. Casual thinking or uncontrolled imaginations do not have any place in my mind.

Friends, in the practice of  gyan-yoga, we must inculcate the insight and courage to eliminate and prevent the base elements that keep intruding in our minds. Instead, if we adopt the kind of thinking that is positive, sane and noble, and nurture it firmly in our mental field, our mind could become a grand reservoir of knowledge. Precious pearls of deep knowledge, ideas and inspirations would then be discovered in its inner recesses. Like the Ganga emerging from the head of Lord Shiva, a spring of pure knowledge could gush out of our minds by the practice of gyan-yoga.

Calmness and stability would then remain firm in our mind like the holy moon on the forehead of Lord Shiva. Our sixth sense, the extra-sensory center of divine prudence, would be activated like the opening of the Third Eye of Lord Shiva. This is the sadhana of gyan-yoga.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 12)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Nov_Dec/v1.PracticalAspectDhyan_Yoga_II)

(Translation of the original discourse in Hindi given during a Sadhana Camp in 1976)

The second part of this dhyan yoga involves meditating upon the light spot (of rising Sun) in the center of your brain. The infusion of this light in your brain, in your mind, should inspire you to become a gyan yogi.

The first sign of this progress is that there should be nothing negative or illusive in your mind, your thoughts should be positive and constructive. In general, the human mind is flooded by strong currents of pell-mell thoughts and imaginations; the bedlam of passions and impulses keeps hovering around it, like the fleas and mosquitoes around a drain. Sometimes your mind is boiling in anger, sometimes erotic thoughts perturb it, some moments you are thinking of a movie, soon you may begin to plan for the purchase of a lottery-ticket, and dream about what you will do with the wealth gained thereby and what not!

This way you keep recklessly wasting your mental energy in useless, purposeless and haphazard imaginations and thoughts.

If you were alert and had focused your mind on constructive or analytical thinking, and given a focused direction to your thoughts, you would have delved deeper in your selected field of knowledge; some of you would have become a Voltaire by now! If you had dived deeper in your psyche and given creative, enlightened direction to your imaginations, you might have been another Ravindranath Tagore.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 11)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/) 

Try running a night school and teach the children of others.

My friends! When the light, which you meditate upon, will flow in your body as energy and alacrity, you should work like a karma-yogi; apply the best of your efforts and hard work towards transaction of your duties as a good human being, towards noble aims till the last breath.

We are all bound by our duties towards the society and nation; we should bear these responsibilities gracefully. If you adopt this attitude and transmit it into your deeds, I will regard you as a karma-yogi; then I will be happy that you have grasped the true meaning of meditation and have truly learnt to practice the dhyan yoga as I have taught you.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 10)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

You may find great joy in sitting and relaxing at home  doing just nothing, when your son is grown up and he is earning for the family. But this is a sign of lethargy; slothful luxury is worse than dishonesty. It is the worst abuse of our humanhood. Insincerity to work and sluggishness are the most disgusting blots on the dignity of mankind.

You may argue - "but I have worked so many years and now I am getting pension after retirement."

No my child! I, as your guide, will not like you to sit idly and make merriment. Till you are alive (and able to move your body), you must do some work.

You may have enough resources for yourself and your family, but there are others in the society, who have nothing; so you should work to give something to these others.

Your children have studied and are well settled, but there are many youngsters who are not able to go to school. So rise up from your narrow mindedness and lethargy.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 9)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

The "Karma-Yoga" is the yoga of the body - that means, this yoga pertains to the worldly domains of your life and your deeds. One who meditates upon light in the navel region cannot sit idle. He will always be busy in good actions.

There are three streams of yoga - karma-yoga, gyan-yoga and bhakti-yoga.
I have asked you to inculcate the practice of all these yogas through the medium of light.

Whenever the light of divinity will descend upon a person, it will inspire karma-yoga in his physical being, in his conduct. Then the person will become more duty-bound; work will be worship for him.

The deeds of worship, service, social welfare, and the actions pertaining to transactions of responsibilities, adoption of moral ideals, etc., fall under karma-yoga. These teach us that when our body absorbs the light (of pran), we should become hardworking, our every action should be devoted to selfless duty.

It conveys that  one who meditates upon light should not be lethargic, lazy or dishonest. One who eats and earns without being sincere to his work is equivalent to a thief in my view.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 8)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

 Karma Yoga taught through Dhyan Yoga:

In the first step of this practice of dhyan yoga, you should imagine and try to feel as though the glow of sunlight is being absorbed by your navel. It means that the spark of pran should enter your physical body from the navel and flow in every vein, every artery and every cell.

Why from the navel?

Because this is the connecting point of the umbilical cord between the mother and the fetus and is therefore regarded as the energy center of the body.

As the vital elements from your mother's body, that enabled your healthy birth, used to enter your body from the navel, the light (strength) of God is also induced in it through the same center. When this light will be infused in your body, your bones, your blood, your flesh, all will shine. By this illumination I mean, it will induce energy, enthusiasm, alacrity, courage, commitment to responsibilities, industriousness, zeal for hard work, motivation for altruist service, and love and joy for selfless fulfillment of duties. These qualities will help you accomplish your karma-yoga.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 7)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

When I talk of meditation upon light, I don't mean the physical light as some of you might interpret.

Here it means the divine light, or the sublime glow of pure knowledge.

It is not the physical illumination; rather it is the radiance of spirituality and true knowledge.

We pray "Tamaso Ma Jyotirgamaya" -
O Lord! Take us from the darkness towards light; here again, we mean - from ignorance to knowledge.

In spirituality, the word "light" is always used in the context of enlightenment, pure knowledge. (This is what should be understood of it in this discourse).

We were talking of meditating upon the sunlight. So, where should we imagine its presence?
In the special kind of dhyan yoga that I have been teaching you this year, I ask you to meditate upon sunlight focused successively at three points - the navel, the heart and the brain (especially the deeper core inside and above the center of the forehead).

These three regions contain the sublime nuclei of power for our three bodies - the physical, the subtle and the astral body.

All these points should be enlightened (in our imagination and inner experience during this practice of dhyan yoga); the brilliance of sunlight should enter all the three bodies.

What does it imply?
It implies the inherent philosophy and practical aspects of the three principal yogas.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 6)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

The soul and God are also basically the same except for the fact that the former is expressed within a limited identity (confined to the individual self) whereas the latter is unbounded, infinite. One is manifested in a tiny domain, while the other is gigantic, unlimited. One is bounded by the thraldoms of maya, while the other is absolutely free. This is the only difference between us and The Divine.

This difference is there because of the mist of ignorance covering up the resplendence of our inner self that keeps us cut off from our eternal origin. If we refine and illumine ourselves (by the purifying radiance of virtues and righteous knowledge) we can attain our soul-reality and also God-awareness.

This is why (during the dhyan yoga) we meditate upon light, focus our attention upon the inner self, upon the sublime roots of our being, and its ultimate goal.

(You may now ask) "So Guruji! Is this why you train us to meditate upon the rising Sun?"
Yes my children! The brilliance of rising sun is a symbol of divine light. You may feel its radiance in your mind during this meditation, or may get a reflection of Goddess Gayatri. It doesn't matter if instead of sunlight you experience the deity's image or some divine reflection. That only shows the degree of progress of your dhyan.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 5)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

Well, so what should be the focus of dhyan?
Who to meditate upon?
One's inner self or the Almighty God?

My children! The two are not really different.
Enlightened evolution of the inner self is God.


Our ultimate spiritual evolution is  shivoham, sachchidanandoham, tatvamasi, ayamatmabrahm, pragyanambrahm.
These five great maxims of Vedanta affirm that the soul, in its absolutely pure form, itself is God.

Take the example of coal and diamond. Except for a minor difference in the atomic structure, the two are quite the same. Diamond is thus a refined form of coal.
The soul and God are also basically the same, except for the fact that the former is expressed within a limited identity (confined to the individual self), whereas the latter is unbounded, infinite. One is manifested in a tiny domain, while the other is gigantic, unlimited. One is bound by the thraldoms of maya, while the other is absolutely free. This is the only difference between us and The Divine.

The Practical Aspect of Dhyan Yoga (Translation of a discourse of Revered Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya)

(Post 4)

(http://literature.awgp.org/akhandjyoti/2003/Sept_Oct/PracticalAspectDhyanYoga/)

The Omnipresent God and our souls are also far beyond our perception.

What to say about the inner world, we can't even see many components of our own body. We can't look at our own eyes.

Okay, just try to see (without a mirror) how is your nose, how are your eyebrows? How do your eyelids look like? If you can't even see these gross external parts of the body, how will you see what is inside?

When we peep into our inner world and attempt to know it, we perform some kind of dhyan. In fact, dhyan yoga is the best method of seeing inside.

Well, so what should be the focus of dhyan? Who to meditate upon? One's inner self or the Almighty God?

My children! The two are not really different. Enlightened evolution of the inner self is God. Our ultimate spiritual evolution is  shivoham, sachchidanandoham, tatvamasi, ayamatmabrahm, pragyanambrahm.