Making it yours

You have now met the five ideas, the deities, the mantra, the lamp, the breath, and the calendar. What remains is a habit.

The tradition's ethics fit in one line of Patanjali: the five yamas — ahimsa (not harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (restraint), aparigraha (not grasping) — are "the great vow, universal, not limited by class, place, time, or circumstance" (Yoga Sutras 2.30–31). Everything else — the lamp, the mantra, the fast — is practice for living those.

A daily practice does not need to be long. The oldest advice is the plainest: same time, same place, every day. Five minutes is enough — Om three times, one mantra eleven times, a lamp if you have one, a breath or two before you stand. The sadhana page on Dharamkira keeps the record for you, privately, on your device, and shows your streak.

Last rule, and the most important. Hindu practice differs by region, community, and family. If you are joining a household or a temple, their way is the right way there. Ask, watch, and follow. You will be welcomed for asking.

That is the whole path in: a little every day, done with attention, in the company of those who have done it longer.