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Sri Bhagavan’s teaching can be practised in addition to, and without detriment to, other practices, and that from the very beginning.
Though Sri Bhagavan has repeatedly said in His authenticated publications and in reply to enquirers that the method of “Enquiry” i.e., “Who am I?” is the easiest and the most direct path leading to salvation, He has also nowhere and at no time deprecated other methods and paths — Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga [1] and so on [...].
The uniqueness of His teaching consists in the fact of His insistence on the enquiry method from the very beginning, instead of waiting till eternity for the purification of body, mind and intellect. The enquiry straightaway gives one that mental quiet, as it were in a trice, which one does not get till after some years of Japa [2].
Even such practitioners that know the meaning of ‘Gayatri’, the highest mantra, and repeat it a crore of times, admit this. If, on the other hand, one repeated just once the Gayatri Mantra with meaning and bhava [3] instead of repeating “I will meditate thus, I will meditate thus,” but remained still, confirmed in the meaning of the mantra, namely: “The Power which induces one’s intellect in the various pursuits of life is the same as that in the Sun, which, by its illumination, removes the darkness of this earth and is the cause of the existence and growth of all living beings on earth,” he would soon find himself as the light itself, bereft of body and form, perfectly still and thoughtless — a pleasurable experience indeed is this.
What one would attain in this manner is also attained by merely probing the source of thought, the “I” thought, being the first thought, by asking “Who am I?” and waiting ‘still’ for an answer — carefully guarding against obtrusion of the sneaky intruder (the thought monkey). Sri Bhagavan’s teaching can be practised in addition to, and without detriment to, other practices, and that from the very beginning, with immense and incalculable advantage. [...]
In: Crumbs from His Table, by Ramanananda Swarnagiri - Preface - http://zenpublications.com/DownloadCenter/38.pdf
[1] Karma yoga, also called Karma marga, is one of the several spiritual paths in Hinduism, one based on the "yoga of action". To a karma yogi, right work done well is a form of prayer.
Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga (literally the path of Bhakti), is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards a personal god.
Astanga Yoga means ‘eight limbed yoga,’ and it is an authentic practice that can lead to liberation and greater awareness of our spiritual potential. The eight limbs of Astanga Yoga can be described as eight disciplines. They are yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.
[2] Japa: Meditative repetition of a mantra or a divine name.
[3] Bhava: Emotion, sentiment, attitude of devotion.