Spirituality, a word, by which some people are easily moved, touched, but some people never even pay heed to it. They just ignore it as they find it a very heavy word to discuss. Nevertheless, it has a gigantic role to play in life of each and every one of us. A lot many of us; misunderstand this word sometimes with religion itself or they may think that spirituality means renunciation from everything, which is a wrong notion. If you consider the dictionary meaning of “Spirituality”, it says, “concern with things of Spirit”. Let me try to explain that how it is different from Religion.
Believe me; it never has anything to do with religion directly in the broader perspective, though probably the religion gives the basic idea of spirit in you, which is pure, divine & subtle. Spirituality is something, which emerges from within, irrespective of your religion. It is an expansion of your self from within, toward the external you. It is an expression, whose explanation is very much limited to the person who feels it as it
can not be explained in words, just can be felt within. No prejudices or presumptions are required for this to blossom in you. But at the superficial level it can be exemplified by a life to be led with morality, with the right values, towards right things, loving all and top of all paying attention to something called “Inner self” or “God self” of you, which directs you on the true and right path.
To my mind, if we really seek GOD, we have to do a little exercise. We have to extract GOD from Spirituality and Spirituality from Humanity and down further Humanity from Religion. Religions were created to make perfect human beings. They are like set of rule books or manuals, which say “When to”, “What to” do in your life as duty etc. But now Religions have failed up to a large extent and merely have become weapons in the hands of humans to fight with each other to prove that who has the best and the sharp one of it. People fight with each other like kids that mine is this religion and this is best than yours and only this one is the oldest. They fight because they are ignorant, blindfolded and just know that they belong to a specific religion, a religion what their parents belong to and the fore-fathers have been following, even though their birth might be an accident in a particular religion. We see such things in our daily routine lives that Hindus, Muslims, Christians etc. are fighting with each other and thus the peace of world is at stake. Whereas spirituality is the matter of spirit in you, which has no rules, no boundaries, no religion, no prejudices etc.
Fortunately, I think I was brought up in an environment where I got the idea of Spirituality from the inception of my consciousness. Consciousness, here I mean, is the very moment when we get to know about the world, our surroundings and also we start taking interest in it. Before, this is actually a state, which we consider that as our childhood, somewhere around 5 to 10 initial years of our age, which are utilized for the physical growth and gaining strength to understand and undergo this world and its peculiarities or intricacies in time to come.
I also acquired the basic knowledge of GOD in the form of Religion, which is one of a stepping-stone for Spirituality. For instance, if you initially learn English then just Alphabet ‘A’, ‘B’ up to ‘Z’ are taught to you. NOT that how can you express yourself in English. That you discover yourself later, no book can teach you that. Similarly; The connection of your within to GOD does not depend on any religion, it just tells you that there is GOD. The connection, you can create irrespective of your very religion.
Now, after having explained the differences mentioned above between Religion and Spirituality. My endeavor here is to say that, Spirituality is a faculty, which deals with the evolution of humans in the pursuit of GOD, of Happiness by creating the bond, the connection with HIM. According to my learning and understanding of Spirituality, GOD should not be a kind of formality for us. Formality in the sense that people, before leaving their houses for work, sit daily to worship for sometime, in front of the IDOL
of DEMI-GOD of their individual choice, which they have chosen from the Menu/List of GODs, which our Religions have created to run their shops or some other way of worshiping as prescribed by various other religions. After leaving house, GOD is forgotten, until the very next morning. It is not a blasphemous statement because rightly as My Master says, “GOD has no Religion and Religion has no GOD”. It’s a profound statement to ponder over. This statement is fair enough to distinguish Religion and Spirituality as really two separate entities, if compared vis-à-vis. To support this further, My Master has also said “Where Religion ends, Spirituality begins.
Now, people might think that if they have to become spiritual, then they might have to leave everything aside and just wander here and there specifically in the jungle to search GOD as some scriptures have quoted such examples. People may also tend to think that they have to become an “ascetic” or they have to renounce everything in hand.No, certainly not. We do not have to become an ascetic or escapist. In this competitive world, who would like to escape from the responsibilities and expected worldly duties to be discharged by us! According to Bhagwad Geeta, This world is meant and made for Karma. But, the problem arises when we just want to do Karma to grow and grow in the terms of Materiality and ignoring the very important part called Spirituality. My Master says, “Life is a bird, which has two wings. One is Spirituality and another one is Materiality.” A bird can never fly straight when any of its wings is weaker. So, perfect balance creeps in here in the matter. We should deal with life with perfect balance of Spirituality and Materiality both. We do everything for our body, for physical pleasures, but hardly do anything for our soul or spirit, which is actually the driver of this body.
To my mind, Spirituality or the inner connection with HIM can be attained or established at the same time when we are engrossed in the mundane material world. This way a perfect balance can be dragged in our lives. You can discharge your worldly duties along with self-realization or GOD-realization. If we pursue
life this way, we can really come out of the cobweb of this illusionary world and its enticements, which have ensnared us tightly and impede our thoughts to cross the boundaries of material paraphernalia. We have no time for GOD, our beloved creator. Though, this can be very well mended. We just have to have HIS constant remembrance all the time when we perform any of our daily material work, even after leaving our houses for work in the morning, a little daily attention towards the supreme every now and then, whatever you do. Then no one stops you to grow but you evolve with the divinity, without formality
For me – Growth is just a slanting straight line, but Evolution is the expanding circle in all directions from your within.
We have been learning that GOD is ubiquitous, omnipresent, everywhere; thus obviously GOD is there in our hearts too. We always are carrying HIM in ourselves but at the same time, unaware or insensitive about it because we seek HIM or look for HIM outside us ever in some or the other form like an idol of a DEMI-GOD. If we start worshiping GOD inside us, the problem of our life will be solved. We do not have to
go to a Temple or a Church ritually for seeking GOD, as we are carrying HIM in our Hearts. By being aware of this thought that GOD exists inside us innately, we get our problem of life almost solved. Almost word is used here because it’s a very precarious thought. The moment you forget the idea of GOD inside you; you may again be bound or entangled in the Maya or Illusion of this tinsel world. Means, when one wing is in danger thus the bird is in danger too, remember life is a bird with two wings as mentioned above.
Believe me, sooner or later, Materiality alone is to Suffer and Spirituality is to succor the sufferer of Materiality. Just try to imbibe this idea of Materiality and Spirituality together in you, in your lives and see the fruit. Vivekananda has said; “If a man possesses everything that is under the sun and does not possess Spirituality, what avails it?” Its like a body embellished with priceless ornaments but the soul does not
exist in the body. Then what is the use of body and the ornaments on it?
I pray that, may all live life with the perfect balance and bring back GOD right away in us and in our lives for every work, every moment, for every hour, for every day. That way, everything you do, becomes an offering to HIM.
By : Prayank Pachauri
