Just as a recovering patient continually checks particular readings which indicate the extent of progress in his health, the spiritual seeker too would have to fall back on certain 'tests' and 'checklists' which would serve to quantify the progress attained thus far.
Of two helpful indicators in this regard, one is the poem IF- of Rudyard Kipling, structured almost in the form of a 'questionnaire' . For each question, beginning with 'If ', where the answer is in the affirmative , the reader scores.
The first question listed is, "If you can keep your head, when all about you/Are losing theirs and blaming it on you...". When most such "IF- " questions (there are eleven in this poem) meet with positive answers, the verdict, as noted by Kipling himself is, "Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,/And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son".
The second indicator is the expatiation of the concept of 'evolved person' (stitaprajna ), as found in Bhagawad Gita. Some of the virtues outlined are: one who is fulfilled within by his own self; one who is liberated of passions, fear and anger; one who is a sage of enduring wisdom; one who has won over his senses; one who is free of ego; one imbued with inner joy, fulfilment and light; one who is moderate in food and sleep; one who is delighted in the welfare of all; one who has resolved his conflicts and one who delights in his own self.
Kipling's poem and the observations of Bhagawd Gita are not mere indicators of progress but also are supreme guidelines for rightful , effective and thus truly spiritual living.