Antaranga Sadhana: The Inner Examination

Antaranga sadhana refers to the inner or interior spiritual practice—the relentless self-examination that distinguishes genuine spiritual work from self-justification. Mirabai's devotional life was not romantic escape but hard-won clarity about what she truly loved and needed. Antaranga sadhana applied to grief and rage asks us to look beneath surface narratives. Why do I frame my anger this way? What would I have to admit about myself if this anger dissolved? What attachment or expectation does this grief protect? This framework resists the modern tendency to validate all emotions equally. Instead, it brings disciplined awareness: Which grievances are real and actionable? Which are displaced rage? Which grief am I refusing to fully feel? The examined heart, in Mirabai's tradition, is not gentle or flattering to the ego. It asks us to distinguish between justified anger at genuine injustice and habitual resentment that keeps us small.