There is no mention of the Yama and Niyama in the traditional sense but Sri Ramchandra makes it clear that discipline and following certain basic tenets are absolutely necessary. As a founder of a new system of spiritual life to be followed by humanity he considered, perhaps, there is no necessity to repeat the age old and well established norms of moral and ethical life. The great saints of the past have made it clear that unless a sadhaka makes a definite commitment to reach the ultimate goal of human life and follow such means as are conducive to realising such a goal and avoid all distracting matters there is little scope for realisation. In order that such a commitment is possible they even advocated strict celibacy and even advocated a philosophy that a person in grhasta ashrama cannot reach the goal and it is a must that one takes to ascetic order. Sri Ramchandra does not accept this position and makes a categorical statement lthat the grahasthashrama is the best under the present circumstances to lead a person to the ultimate goal. All the principles of ethical and religious life are well dwelt by him in his book "The commentary on Ten Commandments of Sahaj Marg". However, it is unfortunate some persons interpreting his system, in a rather confused way of making the system accepted by all and sundry, of course, out of over zealous enthusiasm, have claimed that there are no dos and don'ts in Natural Path and thereby let lose a concept that any indiscipline is permissible and there is no need to worry about what is good and bad and everything is taken care by the Master (the meaning of the word not clear to them or to others).

We notice that there is no stress on Asana and Pranayama. Asana is accepted as a convenient posture and a little bent posture is also advocated. There is no mention of Pranayama at all. This is a definite deviation from the ancient system and requires to be explained.

PRANAHUTI

We have seen from the system of Rajayoga that Prana is not breath alone and that Prana should mean in the human context "thought". This thought is that which is common to him and the Ultimate and this peculiar characteristic is what distinguishes man in the scheme of Divine expression into multitude. Revered Babuji asserts that when the seers said that man is moulded in the form of God this is what they meant. A very simple and profound concept lost sight of perhaps due to this simplicity and has created enough myths and idols all in an effort to prove the similarity of existence between Divinity and Humanity.

The prana is in a state of balance and equanimity whenever it is dwelling on the (thoughts of) origin or base or ultimate. When it by peculiar circumstances, gets attached to anything other than the origin, it tries to wriggle itself of the clutches of such extraneous matter. And that is the origin of the consciousness of thoughts. We become aware of thoughts because mind rejects such matter. This is the most profound theory of Revered Babuji Maharaj on the nature of mind.

Now, that the origin of awareness of thoughts in human beings is explained, the control land utilisation of which Yoga is all about becomes easier to practice. When the mind is given consciously thoughts relating to Master, Divinity or the Ultimate, it is in a state of equanimity and when the thoughts are other than that, it rejects them sometimes violently, sometimes soberly. Reject, however, it does. This rejection is what is experienced as the disturbing thoughts by the sadhakas.

Tradition has it that matter consists of three gunas or qualities: Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic; Balanced, active or stupor are the three states of matter of any kind. Stupor being far removed from the nature of thought, active being restless and thus relatively nearer and balance closer by its very nature of settledness, distracts, attracts and absorbs the attention of mind during sadhana respectively.

Thus Revered Babuji gives the profound thought of Master as the goal of human life to be the one single basic idea for contemplation which by the nature of mind is something that would be accepted and absorbed for sadhana. It is not any syllable or mantra or any other idea of lotus etc. that is suggested because they are likely to be rejected by the mind as extraneous to its very nature. This master that is suggested is none other than the Divine itself and should not be confused with the Gurus of the order.

Having established this position, he suggests that a fellow human being who is capable of Pranahuti is the one that is to be chosen to assist the sadhaka in the practice. Prana is something that every living human being is crowned with and that kingly thing is what is to be used for reaching the Ultimate. But as any king or people in power, it is generally utilised for perpetuation for self and very rarely offered to others. Power when shared loses its strength. This is what is found in all mundane matters. But Prana if offered only swells in its strength and purity. This is what Revered Babuji asserts and exhorts trainers to utilise every conceivable opportunity to do "ahuti" of the prana for the betterment of the relationship between humans and the Divine which is somehow estranged.

As contrasted to Pranayama which is controlling prana for varying periods of time and which it is held will ultimately lead to control of mind, i.e. through the control of physical the idea that control of mind is achieved (which is but a form of expression of the Mens sana corporea sano, or a sound mind due to sound body, which is also the basis of hatha yoga), Revered Babuji asserts that through the regulation of the mind i.e. by pranahuti alone, yoga is possible and all the preliminaries to meditation i.e. Asana, etc., are achieved easily.

The major modifications effected by Revered Babuji in the system of Rajayoga consists in his giving the word Prana a new meaning instead of the traditional meaning of breath which is much grosser and material, he denotes by the word the kingly thing in man --i.e. thought.

Thus as a natural corollary pranayama gains a different meaning i.e. the capacity to hold on to thought for a period rather than breath. The concept of pranahuti becomes much clearer from this; it is the offering of prana which is purified coming as it does from one who has transcended the limits of Pind i.e. body consciousness and who is dwelling in the Lord all the time oblivious of his surroundings and environment. One who has established himself in Brahm always throws out energy pure and simple and others around him always feel the Divine Grace flowing through him.

A Sadhaka who has progressed to the level of Brahmanda naturally is a Brahmamanaska and then gets this capacity to foment in others the love for the Divine. The rare personality who is established in Brahm and who is essentially a Amanska is capable of doing anything he likes and that in fractions of a second.

The role of an extraneous person in Sadhana being seriously considered then becomes one soul trying to uplift another as a fraternal obligation and a duty towards the Divine. In as much as such a service cannot be selfish, the concept of extraneity does not fit into this scheme of things. For one who sees everything as his own, who is self and who is the other? However, it is to be clearly understood that God is the real Guru or Guide and in such a situation should we consider help or seeking help from God an external factor in Sadhana?

Further, here it is also to be understood that the help of the Guru is more or less like a fulcrum which is used as a support to perform a difficult task. The role of the supporter is to give sufficient base for the person to attend on an uphill task. Or we may consider the role to be that of a catalyst who helps in arranging a marriage of the soul with its Divine Consort. In either case the help received is immense but the helper is not directly involved in the process.

Revered Babuji uses the word Master's support while discussing in detail about the Sadhana in his system. It is support and not a replacement of one's efforts by a total abdication to the Guru and be solely dependent upon him as in the case of hypnotism etc.

The system of Rajayoga advocated by Sri Ramchandra therefore differs from the traditional yoga in as much as Prana is accepted as thought force in human beings and regulation of that is what is to be attempted for success in yoga. It is pranahuti and not pranayama that is what is important.

The question arises whether such an act is extraneous to the self. Even as breath is something that is common between the external environment and the internal environment of the sadhaka, so is thought which is the original energy in expression common and the question of extraneity does not arise. The concept of Prana being clear pranahuti then would mean not an external power that is infused into a being but would mean a sort of force which by its very nature (thought) is capable of striking a note of concord with the person whose good is thought of and whose veil of Isis is sought to be torn. To a person who has gone beyond the concept of boundaries of consciousness (body conscious restrictions of self), there is no discontinuity of thought force that is the moving force of all existence.

Now that it is clear that the nature of thought in the human is of the same type as that existed at the time of origin of the Universe and that it is the Prana and that is offering is a must for the spiritual equanimity in life which is and should be the goal of any existence how it is to be offered is taken up by the Great Master Revered Babuji Maharaj.

That saints and sages of the past and present worked for the development of other human beings cannot be questioned. Should we consider such an attempt on their part an intrusion into the internal lives of other souls. Can we take the messages of the gurus including that of Swami Vivekananda to be extraneous to our being and therefore to be shunned. It would be wiser to demand the experience or anubhava of the type they speak of rather than refuse their help. It is true expectation of miracles to happen to the sadhaka because of the influx of the Guru's wisdom or knowledge into his being, only makes some not to do their sadhana. But that cannot be the reason to question the capacity of the Guru to show atleast glimpses of Reality to the Sadhaka to aspire for that. The taste of the Ultimate which one has is something that is possible of being shared and that is the reason for the Saints and Alwars of the past to exhort humanity to strive for that by giving a taste of that experience to the seekers. They were able to plead with the Ultimate for the sake of their fellow brethren and bring them atleast glimpses of that real experience which they considered the main purpose of life itself.

It is stated that the moment the Form of the Master becomes manifest in the mind, one's mind receives the power to transfer its thought to another's mind. When such a transfer of thought relates to the spiritual development of the aspirant it becomes the offering of Prana (essence of existence). In reality this capacity can be said to be really had only when the Form of the Lord manifests in the heart, such being a rare case, Revered Lalaji Maharaj discovered alternative means for utilising this inherent capacity in humans. Revered Babuji Maharaj asserts that the power or capacity to offer Pranahuti is a yogic attainment of a very high order through which a yogi can infuse by his own will force the yogic energy of godly effulgence within anyone and remove anything unwanted in him or detrimental to spiritual sadhana.

The point to note here would be that it is the Godly effulgence that has to be utilised as yogic energy. This implies that the person should be in the realm of God. Such a person is a rarity. Therefore atleast a person who has transcended the realm of physical existence was considered by him as fit for this type of work provided that such a person is trained. Therefore the insistence that a person should be atleast having access to Brahmanda for being an arhat for Pranahuti is spelt by him. Anything less than this standard is not workable in usual course of events. (However the fact remains that during the lifetime of the Great Master, Revered Babuji Maharaj he did permit even less developed souls for work but it was something of an exception and directly under his supervision.) Access to Brahmanda can be considered to be adequate because the realm of God starts from Ajna. Further the Great Master enabled the proposed trainers to have access up to His level in an indirect way and prepared them to work their way through to the actual condition of reality. The system of Rajayoga of Revered Babuji while stresses the need for the sadhaka doing his sadhana, enables speedier progress by serving the sadhaka in a very positive and meaningful manner. Through Pranahuti, i.e. offering of thought (through suggestions etc.), the trainer completes the spiritual journey of the sadhaka to the required extent in an indirect manner (What Revered Babuji calls Aksi way). It shall be the responsibility of the sadhakas to own up the progress given by the Master, through necessary sadhana. So Pranahuti does not mean that the yogic sadhana of the Abhyasi is replaced by it but only that the sadhaka is assisted. The assistance that is being rendered by the trainer is of course directly proportional to his approach. Revered Babuji states categorically that, "This (pranahuti) can be best introduced by those who have imbibed the real characteristic within their own centres; who know how to draw in power and piety from the higher centres to the lower ones, and can transmit the effect into the abhyasi so that they may adopt the same character". Yet Revered Babuji says that if the layavastha with the Master is total, one can help even beyond his level of approach, in as much as the suggestion has access upto the highest level, in such cases. This should not be confused to be an easy matter in as much layavastha with the Master is not all that easy and is not something that is accomplished by just wishing for it. It may not be out of place here to mention the difference between wish and will. Wishes however pious, do not generally yield good results. Will is a concrete idea that is acted upon within a certain spatiotemparal frame. It is the will that is executed into an action through suggestions in a subtle or subtler or subtlest way.

The main difference between pranahuti and hypnotism is the aspirant is never put into a morbid passive condition before giving suggestions. The suggestions are not at verbal level at all and are given from the original thought level itself. While it is a prerequisite to put a person in passive receptive condition to hypnotise him and then give suggestions for his alleged improvement, in pranahuti the trainer does not make any such effort and works with the full confidence that there is no barrier between him and the aspirant and the existence is one only and works out his suggestions for the inner development of the sadhaka. This is no extraneous interference with the will of the aspirant but is one aimed at improving the quality of mental life of the sadhaka and increasing his will power. It is not subjecting one to another's will but is aimed at improving the will of another through one's own.

Pranahuti can be offered through voice, touch and thought. As a matter of fact in the spiritually developed persons, i.e. those who have become thoroughly dynamic, their speech, touch and thought are always powerful. Revered Babuji says that these persons should not pat a person in spiritual centres and advises them restraint in speech and thought. He says that while permission to work spiritually is granted, the transmission is controlled through voice.

That thought in its pure and simple form is inaccessible to human intellect is clear. Such a thought in action is the most powerful. Yet such thoughts as human beings are capable of can be effectively utilised for the betterment of others through the process of suggestion. Suggestions, the Master classifies are of three types; subtle, subtler and subtlest. The subtlest suggestion is a mere supposition, subtler is an idea and the subtle is slightly weighty or heavy. Suggestion for the improvement of others are given during training, and it cannot be considered as any interference in as much they are meant for the development of the innate conditions that a sadhaka is capable of. This is the service of the finest variety and the sacrifice i.e. ahuti is the rarest type that human beings are capable of, for which of course everyone has a right to aspire for.

That prana is of the nature of pure thought and that is what makes human beings important in the scheme of Divinity in as much as he shares the nature of original stir in a way that no other being animal, or devas etc., is capable of is now fairly established. That human life has been regarded as most fortunate is no new concept for any religion but the main reason why it is so, is what is established by Revered Babuji.

Transmission or offering (ahuti) of this Prana is further classified by the Master. It can be expressed through voice or communicated through touch and thought. He makes it a special point to mention this while he was explaining how it is done in the case of granting permission for work. In case of need for work the suggestion has to be necessarily at the more grosser level and voice is used, in that context.

However, for efficient working through pranahuti it is necessary that we understand the various levels of thought. As already explained the causal and astral forms are finer to the material. A suggestion is variably a thought. This must be invariably kept in mind. A thought when not expressed, is the subtlest and is the most potent to bring out what is contemplated.

However, this is further explained by Revered Babuji when he compared it with Sruti. To catch thought at this level means the capacity to receive the orders of the Divine. This is a very rare achievement.

But Richas is something any advanced person in spirituality can try. As a matter of fact every sadhaka should try to construct richas when he is not able to understand the commands received during meditation; which by now it should be clear is something that would be normally missed.

The transmission of the highest type is that where no expressed thought is in action. This means that the person who is transmitting should be established in "zero" consciousness or lives, moves and has his being in VOID. Such personalities are rare. They arrive according to the Master at the instance of Divinity and has no motive for any of their actions; in fact they are not in that realm of consciousness.

Having made ourselves clear about this, transmission or pranahuti that a sadhaka can have from any trainer who is a brother or sister will be of the level of subtle or subtler. Subtlest they are capable of, not because of their capacity but because of the temporary stages of Laya that they are able to secure with the Master at various levels. This experience shows or occurs only when service to others is being done and one is not having such moments of unalloyed bliss when one is meditating on his own. That such a thing is possible is what makes the Rajayoga of Sri Ramchandra unique. His will to train whosoever is so universal, that its dimensions are not only spatial, but temporal always. His presence is felt by the constant pouring of the unique bliss that is available for all Divine-seeking souls. That they receive such a grace through someone who is capable of sharing that sublime (subtlest) thought is but natural; however shallow or restricted that sharing may be. This explains why the Master used to say that Pranahuti is of the same nature from whatever source it may come from.

The main point that strikes us is that while the ancient system of Yoga laid much stress on the pranayama as an effective tool to bring the mind under control, Raja Yoga of Sri Ramchandra stresses the need for Pranahuti for diversion of the mental tendencies from the state of preoccupiedness with the base and animal needs and wants and desires, to the divine levels of consciousness that humanity is capable of. That such a thing is possible, is what the practicants of this system have to say. Evidence so far available seems to justify this claim and the great Master assures that this is the method that will be followed by all soon.

Though Sri Ramchandra says that the system of Rajayoga he advocates starts from Dhyana i.e. the 7th step of the Ashtanga Yoga, we find it actually starts from Pratyahara. The object of meditation is given viz. The sadhaka is advised to suppose that there is Divine light in the heart and meditate on it. The outward going tendency of the mind is thus sought to be restrained by giving some object for attention (pratyahara). However, he does not insist that the light should be seen and experienced unlike the Ashtanga Yoga. Further, it is only a suggestion and there is no insistence of the presence of the object.

He states that the technique he gives, though quite simple, is often beyond common grasp, since it adheres closely to the absolute Reality and proceeds along subtlest lines. It prescribes meditation on the heart, supposing the presence of Divine light there. But the abhyasi is directed not to try to see the light in any form or shape. If he does so, the light, if per chance appears to his view, will not be the real one but a projection of his mind. (This we may note, is what we are advised traditionally.) An abhyasi is, however, advised to take it in the form of mere supposition. In that case, it will be the subtlest, and we shall thereby be meditating upon the subtlest. Every saint has used the word light and he says since that is the only expression best suited for the purpose, he also used the same concept. He expresses also his apprehension that the idea of light creates certain complications, because when we think of light the idea of luminosity becomes predominant and one starts thinking it to be glittering. The real light really means according to him light without luminosity. It refers to the substance that is neither light nor darkness but is beyond both.

Through his original thinking on the concept of concentration, he makes it clear that it is a state of non-concentration that is to be aspired for, rather than one of concentration i.e. Dharana. He brings in the concept of `absorption' which any sincere practicant would acknowledge with sincere gratitude. He says that concentration is to be taken as absorption (non-concentration with flow of thoughts, without effect on the mind) and that is the real state in meditation.

He affirms that the `proper course would therefore be to take up the thought in the form of sankalpa (subtle idea) without any imposed resolve or effort, and proceed on with it in a gentle and natural way without enforcing any artificiality or imposition'. He further states, 'This is why in spite of the continuity of thoughts often present at the time of meditation, one experiences a peculiar state of concentration better interpreted as "absorption" '.

Meditation thus practised leads in due course to a state of absorption or the state of samadhi. He states that there are three forms of Samadhi or stages of concentration or absorption. The first of these is wherein a man feels lost or drowned. His senses, feelings and emotions are temporarily suspended in a way that they seem apparently dead for the time being. He resembles a man in a dead slumber, unconscious of everything. The second form is, in which a man though deeply concentrated on a point, does not feel actually drowned in it. It may be described as a state of consciousness with an unconscious state. Apparently he is not conscious of anything but still consciousness is present within, though only in a shadowy form. A man walks along a road thinking deeply over some problem. He is also absorbed in it that he is unconscious of anything else nor does he see anything in the way, nor hear the sounds or voices near about. He goes on in an unconscious state of mind. But still he does not collide with a tree by the roadside, nor is he knocked down by a car coming that way. In this state of unconsciousness he unknowingly attends to these necessities and acts as occasion demands. He has consciousness of the actions. It is consciousness in an unconscious state. Similarly, in the cases of the second type of absorption, it is consciousness in an unconscious state which creates little impression on the mind. The third form is the Sahaj Samadhi. This is the finest state of absorption. In this state a man is busy with his work, his mind being absorbed in it, but in the innermost core of his heart he is still settled on the Real thing. With his conscious mind he is busy with the external work while at the same time his subconscious mind is busy with Divine thoughts. He is all the while in a state of Samadhi although apparently he is busy with the worldly work. He says that this is the highest type of Samadhi and little remains to be done after a man has entered this state permanently. Thus we find Sri Ramchandra giving us an idea that Samadhi is not a state of consciousness, that is one of absorbency during meditation, but is a state of absorbency that endures during the day and is something that is to be had all the time irrespective what functions we are discharging through out our life. It is not a segregated great moment to be had and to which we dive in now and then and later come back too this otherwise gross, dirty wakeful life as a matter of necessity.

Thus we find the system of Rajayoga that is given by him is an entirely new system and is not something that we find in earlier expositions of the system of yoga.

His system of Rajayoga is called so by him because it is dependent on the Thought force which is something that is common between humanity and the original stir of Kshob or Divinity. As a matter of fact, Yoga or union with the Divine is possible for man only because of this sharing or parallel nature between the two. Rajayoga is not called so because it is something that is practised by the kings of the olden days, nor is it king among the yogas (which however it is), but is called so because it uses the kingly thing in man i.e. thought to get back to the source from which it has taken its origin i.e. Divinity itself. This kingly thing in man, thought is what makes the existence possible (it is the essential nature of all beings to share this kshob). It is the real Prana or Pranasya Prana. However, it is not all thought that is entitled to be called so but the thoughts emanating from the mind of the person who is not burdened with those of veils of ego, buddhi and ahankar. That such a possibility exists is, what was known from the Vedic periods, but the actual position and the simplicity of the matter under consideration was not revealed earlier to humanity. This system makes it possible for humanity to develop that quality of fraternity which has been eluding it for ages despite several avatars and messiahs and prophets by stating categorically that it is not something very difficult to achieve but is the essential nature of human beings due to the common parentage. This parentage is something that has been explained by several myths in several systems of philosophy and religion. The truth of the matter is that in view of the fact, the original source is of the nature of thought and all human beings has this quality deeply embedded in them by way of sharing with the original source. We are all children of the same source and thus we are brothers and sisters. Simple and yet it has eluded the grasp of all so far.