Eleven hurdles a Sadhaka has to face in his journey for liberation from the material bondage.

1. By perverted consciousness, a jeeva forgets that he is an Atma and wrongly identifies himself with a material body which really he is not. Even for a moment, the jeeva is unable to loose this mis-identification with a material body and identifies himself with his real 'self' which is Atma. This is the first and foremost hurdle which a jeeva has to cross before reaching God.

Several Scriptures declared that on account of this ignorance of his atma Brahma, the creator, suffered from a spiritual fall similarly the case with Mahadeva, the great Maharshi Saubhari, Viswamitra etc.

2. Brahma as an extrovert (Bahirmukha) moved in the empty sky of this Brahmanda for a long time, to see his father Sri Narayana. He received a signal in the form of spiritual sound "TAPA TAPA" from Sri Narayana. Brahma realised that in his Tapas, as indicated by Sri Narayana, he had to become an introvert, and moved with in himself away from external nature. This introvision enabled Brahma to come face to face with Sri Narayana. An extrovert who sees and enjoys all external material phenomenon identifies himself one day with the material objects, this Maharshi Bharatha by his unholy attachment with a material creature became that creature namely antelope in his next birth.

If we remain today forgetful of real self and identifying ourselves with a mortal body it is only on account of our being extroverts identifying ourselves with material objects. The Scriptures say you cannot reach God except as an "Inner-dweller" ("ANTHARAMUKHA"), also scriptures say "Antharmuka Samaaraadhyai namaha; Bahirmukha Sudurlabhaha" - "Only possible with inwardness; impossible with outwardness".

3. Human body consists of the three basic elements known as SATWA (Goodness), RAJAS (Passion) and TAMAS (Ignorance). Of these "RAJOGUNA", consists of "KAMA and KRODHA" (Desire and Anger). Every atom of the body contains "RAJO GUNA" (Passion). The Gita says "Kamayesha krodhesha rajoguna samudhbhava" - "Element of passion consists of Desire and Anger". With a body in which everybody contains "RAJOGUNA" man cannot move in Yoga up stream against Kama (Desire) and Krodha (Anger). Several "RISHIS" - "Ascetics" were faced with "Kama" "Lust". In the course of Yoga, it is because of the Kama contained in the human body, thus a famous Ascetic by name "Saurabhi" (as the the scripture Bhagawatam) who sat on the bed of a river for his meditation holding his breadth for a long time saw a male and female fist engaged in romantic play, the Rajoguna of his body manifested itself and he immediately became as an embodiment of "Kama"- Lust and left his meditation and went away to forest with fifty wives, who are all daughters of emporer Mandhaata. That is the havoc of the RAJOGUNA of your own body. As he married 50 wives he cloned himself into 50 identical persons, a yogic feet performed only by "KRISHNA" in dwapara, such a man could not restrain from RAJOGUNA in his body. He fell down in his yoga and he came tool in the hands of "Kama" - "Lust". We are not greater than no body, we cannot conquer the KAMA latent in RAJOGUNA, which is in every atom of the body.

4. Male and female are like the north and south pole of a magnet who attract each other without any effort. As the result of male, female mutual attraction Brahma fell down and Mahadeva also fell down from their spiritual status.

5. A Sadhaka who devotes only a part of his life to spiritual Sadhana and the rest to material "SAMSAR" World, cannot reach God at any time. He must devote 100% of his life to God. "GITA" also says "Sarva Dharma Parithyaja, Maam ekam saranam vraja" - "Give up all your duties and surrender to me alone". That shows you must renounce all your earthly attractions and approach God with spirit of self surrender.

6. To liberate the "ATMA" from Prikrithi "Nature" except by divine grace there is no other remedy. Veda says "Naayamatma Pravachanena Labhyaha, Na Bahunaam Sruthena Yamevysha Vrunuthe Nalabhyaha" - "One's Divine self cannot be found by lecturing, by listening to srciptures. It is only possible by the grace of Divine" (Katopanishad). Except that Jeeva whom God lovingly chooses by his grace none can reach him. Says Vivekananda in his lettter addressed to Sri Turiyananda "Always remember that none can attain him except by his grace. Remove the delusion of self-identity with a male of female body. This delusion is known as Maya, and the maya belongs to God and one must remove this maya with Divine grace alone.

7. The human Guru breaths a few sounds of Prikrithi (Sounds) into your years. He calls these Sounds (Sabdhaas) as a Holy Syllable (Mahamantra). By repeating these sounds one moves only in the realm of Prikrithi - Material nature and he is not really spiritualized by such a mantra. The Divine Guru infuses spiritual Shakti into your soul, which is real Mantra or Initiation. After receiving the mantras known as "Maha Bala" and "Bala" from Viswamitra, Lord Ramachandra and his brother Lakshmana received spiritual power by which they could kill all the Demons who were troubling Vishwamitra. A small boy aged 11 years, who has received spiritual initiation from his father who was a great sage developed such power that he could curse and kill a might emperor named Parikshit.

8. Sages have compared a bound soul, who has fallen into a deep well struggling hard to raise up by his own effort. The only hope for help is Divine grace. This is what scriptures declared.

9. Every jeeva "Living Soul" as per the scriptures in his last moments before his death, sees attarctive scenes of his own life pictures which tempt him to embrace Prakrithi - Material nature. A wise jeeva considers these scenes as a play of Maya and turns his attention to God and prays for his Divine help, buch such Jeevas are very rare in this world.

10. Vivekananda, in his letter to Turiyananda emphatically declared that as God live in Bhavaloka, none can go to him without possessing Bhava. This Bhava cannot be obtained by any amount of Sadhana but only by divine grace. Bhava is far above the Jeeva (Living person), and there is spiritual practice known for acquiring this Bhava. This is a great obstacle which has to be faced with every spiritual aspirant.

11. A worldly man is attached to several objects of this world where as an earnest spiritual sadhaka has only one desire and one spiritual goal. One pointed attention would be impossible for such a Jeeva.

174. There are six ways in which the spirit of self-surrender manifests itself in a person.

In this world millions want God, but there is hardly one who has reached God. Unless he renounces all his earthly pleasures and aspires for only one supreme pleasure namely the pleasure of reaching God.