Get up at 4 a.m.
Start japa of the mantra of your ishta devata or your guru mantra and finish it at sunset. Then take some milk and fruits or kheer (milk and rice boiled with sugar). Take rest for one or two hours, but continue the japa.
Then again start the japa with deep concentration. Retire to bed at 11 in the night. You can combine meditation along with japa.
Make all arrangements for bath, food, etc. inside the room. Have two rooms if you can manage, one for bath and one for meditation.
This practice can be kept up for even 40 days.
You will have wonderful results and various experiences.
Get up at 4 a.m.
Practice japa of Rama mantra at the rate of 3,000 mantras daily.
During the last five days, practise 4,000 mantras daily. Write down on a thin sheet of paper ‘Rama, Rama’ 300 times. Cut it into small pieces. Each piece will contain one Rama nama. Then roll it with a small ball of atta (wheat flour paste). The practice of writing will take two or three hours according to your capacity. Cut the pieces one by one. You will have to perform the whole process sitting on one asana. If you find this difficult you can change your position, but you should not leave your seat. Some use a special ink made of saffron, musk, camphor, etc. and a special writing pen made of a sharp-pointed, thin, tulasi-stick. You can use ordinary ink and pen if you cannot get these. Throw the balls in the Ganga or any river for the fish. You will develop wonderful patience. You will receive divine grace.
Study the whole of the Ramayana 108 times with purity and concentration. This can be done within three years if you can devote three hours daily. You can go through the book three times in a month. You will have a vision of Lord Rama.
This is an easy way for attaining God-consciousness. At night, all the members of the house should sit in a circle and do kirtan for one hour before the picture of your chosen deity. The servants of the house should also be included. Sing any name of the Lord such as Shiva, Hare Rama, Sita Rama, Raghupati Raghava Rajarama, etc. in a chorus, in one voice maintaining the rhythm. Nada Brahman will be generated. You will forget the body and the world, and enter into an ecstatic state.
Practise, try and feel yourself. Mere talk will not do. Just as the intoxication that you get by taking a dose of opium lasts for hours, the divine intoxication that you get from kirtan will last for some hours during the following day also. At night you will be free from bad dreams. During kirtan a special spiritual wave comes from the indweller of your heart and purifies the mind and pranamaya kosha, the energy sheath.