1 Gita Sloka Every Day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 12

The entire content of this mail is from Swami Chidbhavananda's translation of Bhagavad Gita  published by Ramakrishna Mission

What are the indications of spiritual practices ? They are delineated as follows:-

The Worship of Saguna Brahman 6-12

1 Gita Sloka  Every Day - Chapter 12 - Bhakti Yoga - Sloka 12

Ranganatha's Holy feet

Shreyoh hi gyanam abhyasat gyanat dhyanam vishishyate I

Dhyanat karman phala tyagah tyagat shanthih anantaram II sloka 12

श्रेयोः हि ज्ञानां अभ्यासात ज्ञानात  ध्यानम् विशिष्यते I

ध्यानात कर्माण फल त्यागः त्यागात शान्तिः अनन्तरं II श्लोक 12 

Better indeed is knowledge than (formal) abhyas; better than knowledge is meditation;  better than meditation is the renunciation of the fruits of action; peace immediately follows renunciation.

Ritualistic religious practice is called abhyasa. Many a man does it mechanically without any feeling behind  it. With him it is a social habit involuntarily picked up, falling in line with what the others are doing. A conventionally pious man goes to the temple, stands before the deity, pays homage with folded palms, turns around on all directions palms remaining folded as they are, prostrates before the deity and goes home with the thought that he has discharged his duty to the maker. He knows nothing of the principles underlying his action.

There is another man who is not given to this habitual formation, but who knows theoretically that the cognition of the divinity should commence at the temple, but that it should not end there. That adoration ought to be extended in all directions to aught that is. This second man's act of understanding the principle is better than the first man's act of observing a formality.

A third man sits at appointed hours and meditates on the truth thatit is divinity that is manifesting itself as the various beings  that he contacts everyday. What this man does is better still because he attempts to get fixed in the truth that he has intellectually grasped.

A fourth man gives a practical shape to his understanding by devotedly  sha good tring with others whatever good things he has prohcured by his personal efforts. Because of his renunciation that he practises, this man stands foremost among the sadhakas, Heartfelt abhyas, right knowledge and good meditation are all implicitly contained in this holy act of his.

The peace immediately follows renunciation is self evident. A few dogs fight among themselves foir a few pieces of bread strewn about. Evidently there is no peace among them. Elsewhere a crow calls its comrades to share some scattered rice. They flock and eat peacefully because of their spirit of renunciation. This is an objective example. Subjectively a yogi can feel how much of peace and exuberance there are in giving away and sharing with others, than in grabbing and jealously keeping things all to oneself, Renunciation is the key to a higher to higher life. 

A kite snatched a piece of meat from the butchers shop and flew to a branch of a tree to feast on it. But immediately ensued  a scramble as other birds  swooped to loot it. The kite flew from tree to tree, but there was no escape from the raiders. To avoid this botheration it let go of the meat and perched quiet upon a bough. A sage who saw this learnt a lesson from the kite - Tranquility is born of Renunciation.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa