How do you define Spirituality – What Spirituality personally means to you


From the time I could distinguish spirituality from religion and dharma… I have personally clung to field of pure spirituality. Dharma was the core, the stem… the pedestal that supports both spirituality and religion. Initially advent Dharma followed by religion and then spirituality.

 

When Dharma was in its fore, mankind was still not much aware about God. To appease God people indulged in various kinds of rituals that could be grouped into a religion. As these religious practices took firm roots… some sages and Rishis deeply contemplated on God. They finally realized that human beings were primarily a spirit; a spiritual being that manifest human form to work out its karma, remove dross impurities within and spirituality came into existence.

 

If sages and Rishis of yester era could manage chintan (contemplation) on God, so could we. The spark had been lit. I wanted to know more and more about God. The more I thought about God, proportionately increased queries within. My discussions with parents, relatives and friends yielded no results. Elders in the family and outside turned out to be better guides.

 

Something in my heart started fluttering all the time. Not knowing what it was, I continue to my quest of God. I started my indulgence in spirituality, field of spirit more and more. As I was primarily a spiritual being, a cosmic traveler, I wanted to accomplish everything in this life time itself. I never wanted to leave things to chance for next manifestation.

 

Around 11 years of age I finally decided to go in search of God wholeheartedly full-time. Thereafter it was never looking back.

 

My decision to go in search of God was my own and totally personal. None in the family knew anything about it. Even if I wanted to discuss, none was prepared to discuss the matter. Perhaps none was aware about identity of God. All advised me to go to temples and pray to God.

 

I was not heartily convinced from within. Something in my heart told me that God did not exist in temples, churches or mosques. If I were to ever find God in this life time… I had to seek within. Something that fluttered in my heart was my soul atman. I thought if I pursued my soul atman I would reach God. It was not a wrong surmise.

 

Spirituality as per me is totally distinct from religion… religious practices even of yester era that included yagnas’. What most people failed to realize was… the sacrificial fire burning in a yagna was only symbolic. What scriptures wanted to say was… we had to burn ourselves in the pyre of sacrificial fire, churn self in the cauldron of thoughts through path of chintan (contemplation).

 

This is what Samudra Manthan story all about. I slowly learnt that everything contained in scriptures, sacred texts was symbolic… having nothing to do with physical manifest life.

 

As my spiritual journey took pace, religious practices became redundant for me. If I ever indulged in religious scriptures… it was to realize the hidden inner meaning. I even abhorred indulgence in yagna (sacrificial fire)… something that was to be lit within but mankind indulged externally.

 

As Dharma was the root cause of everything, it was never a hindrance on path of pure spirituality. Hinduism is primarily not a religion but a Dharma. From Hindu Dharma evolved all religions of world. Many dispute this theory but the facts remain. Initially advent Vedas (Hinduism revelations… the first words of God Almighty given to mankind)! Followed sacred teachings of Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita and then Upanishads (independent treatises)!

 

Initially advent Lord Rama followed by Lord Krishna and then enlightened souls like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha… Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed… Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana etc.. The chain of enlightened souls in India (erstwhile Bharatvarsha) is unending. Comparatively in the entire world only Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed succeeded in reaching stage of enlightenment.

 

My belief in field of spirituality from a young age was absolute. I have always travelled spiritual path compared to religious practices. I also realized that God could never be reached following path of religion (rituals).

 

As spirituality stems from the root word spirit, I a spiritual traveler could never contradict this absolute fact of life. I am primarily a spirit, a consciousness we called soul atman. To realize my true inner self existing in heart, to realize self… journey of spirituality was mandated by God. It is my journey of spirituality that finally landed me in laps of God Almighty in 1993 37 years of age. I finally realized self, realized god at the end of spiritual journey.

 

How do you practice your Spirituality – What is your Spiritual practice

Indulgence in scriptures, sacred texts is essence of human life. Whatever is written in scriptures, sacred texts… are a direct dictation by God Almighty (Brahman in Hinduism). Sages and Rishis of yester era invoked these messages directly from God (Brahman). Scriptures, sacred texts are not a creation of sages and Rishis of different era. Indulging in spirituality we can realize this cosmic truth. Followers of religious practices may not believe this absolute fact of life.

 

Once it is established that all sacred texts were direct invocations from God, we only had to indulge in chintan (contemplation) to realize the hidden inner meaning of sacred texts. Only then we could expedite our spiritual journey. To know God, to realize self we had to cut across shackles of karma, demolish karma forever… burn it in entirety.

 

The ignorance can be melted only by indulgence in jnana wisdom contained in sacred texts. And for this our indulgence in spirituality gets necessitated. Indulging in spiritual routines of life like chintan (contemplation)… reducing desires and wishes our ego in stages… I continued my search of God. It was a very slow and gradual process, something beyond comprehension but the final results were absolute.

 

It seems unthinkable that I took almost 3 to 5 years before I could distinguish religion from spirituality and Dharma. The process of chintan (contemplation) is long… a gradual and slow process yet; we have to abide by it all the time. To achieve this, we have to practice patience, persistence and perseverance of the highest order possible… something the present generation is not willing to indulge. Prime reason why most resort to the easier path of religious practices (rituals) than indulging in pure spirituality!

 

The present generation must learn to distinguish religion from spirituality. Unless we are able to do that… nothing in system of God becomes clear. Everything in field of pure spirituality was an absolute terms… none could refine these age-old established practices based on absolute truth. Following path of spirituality is synonymous with practicing truth and only truth.

 

Spirituality, the path of spirit… directly leads one to house of God Almighty. Unless we believed in God, unless we had 100% faith in system of God… we could not travel spiritual path successfully. My faith in God Almighty from six years of age was absolute 100%. For this very reason I never had to look back. Furthermore I practiced truthfulness to the best extent possible… almost 100%!

 

Some experiences in my life affirmed my faith in Power of Truth

It so happened… when eight years of age, studying in class two in a Hindi medium school… power of truth by grace of God unfolded to me in totality. That was something beyond my imagination.

 

The deputy headmaster of the school had a very nasty habit… boxing ears of students every now and then, for no reason or rhyme. This resulted in my ears remaining hot and red most of time. For no fault of mine I was made to suffer by the deputy headmaster. Sometimes the pain was killing, unbearable.

 

It so happened on a Sunday the headmaster of the school happened to come to my house (a joint large family) situated in the village. He had come for personal guidance, interaction with my grandfather… who was a spiritual and pious person. The headmaster did not recognize me. After the meeting was over, the headmaster pointed to me and asked my grandfather… where I studied! Before my grandfather could say anything, I blurted out… in your school.

 

From the look of it I could make out the headmaster felt extremely happy. Rather he was internally proud that the grandson of his mentor studied in his school. Then I said Namaste and wanted to go inside the house. The headmaster who was looking at my ears called me back. He asked the reason for the swelling and the redness. I narrated the whole story to the headmaster. I also told him that there were many students who were suffering on this account. The headmaster was visibly angry and excused himself from my grandfather… asking his forgiveness.

 

Next day the headmaster in the assembly called out for my name. He asked me to narrate the whole incident in front of the whole school. All the teachers and children were present in the assembly. He further asked me to call all the boys who were suffering with swollen ears. My friends initially refused but finally agreed to come in front of the assembly. After looking at the ears of all, the headmaster remained mum… he probably wanted to take the decision day after. It was somehow unfortunate for the deputy headmaster that he was absent on the day.

 

The next day in the assembly when the deputy headmaster also arrived… the headmaster terminated the services of deputy headmaster with immediate effect. It was matter of great rejoice for all. All the students picked me up on their shoulders and shouted Jai Ho. They were not willing to put me down. In the excitement and the fervour the headmaster declared holiday for the day. The students with me on the shoulders went around the colony for four hours. They had never imagined such an end to their trauma.

 

When I got down, I realized the power of truth. Though very young, I decided to pursue path of truthfulness from that very day. Since that day until 1993 (a period totaling 29 years) I never indulged in untruth as my journey of spirituality was my main goal of life.

 

Starting in pursuit of God six years of age… 31 years practice of patience, persistence and perseverance… I finally realized self, realized god forever. As accomplishments of spiritual path were irreversible… whatever I had gained remains an absolute fact of life.

 

Noble are the ways of God. In that small incident of boxing ears I had learnt hidden power of truth.

 

One another important factor on path of pure spirituality was indulgence in chintan (contemplation), never literal reading. In present times most pundits, so-called religious preachers, teachers indulged in hordes of religious books that primarily lead nowhere. Something that could be realized only through means of chintan (contemplation)… how could we understand it literally! Nothing in scriptures, sacred texts ever becomes clear literally.

 

I receive queries from world over that they had read scriptures particularly sacred Bhagavad Gita several times but nothing becomes clear. Mounted with a bloated ego can such human beings ever indulge in chintan (contemplation) to realize spiritual truths of life? Sages and Rishis of yester era emphasized value of indulgence in chintan (contemplation) again and again but to no avail.

 

How many people world over in present times seemingly indulging in chintan (contemplation)… maybe a handful.

 

I am pretty certain if our goal of life was clear, if we had 100% faith in God… if we believed in power of truthfulness and practiced it in totality… then the remaining path can be covered by chintan (contemplation) to lead one from darkness to light. To remove ignorance within… path of chintan (contemplation) was an absolute must.

 

This I accomplished lying in shavasna pose of yoga when going to bed in the night. In subconscious state I called for a roundtable conference consisting of Lord Krishna, Mahavira… Gautama Buddha… Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed… Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana! Whatever queries I had in my hold… I put them respectively to the enlightened Masters. In the morning when I got up, all my queries had been resolved forever.

 

Next day, next night… the same roundtable conference with a new set of queries. It would not be out of context to say that moment all our queries within dissolve forever… one reaches stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi (state of absolute nothingness), when not a single thought enters our brain uninvoked. One finally reaches stage of thoughtlessness.

 

I again repeat we must never undermine importance of chintan (contemplation) on path of pure spirituality. Unless we do it, all our spiritual accomplishments would not get fulfilled.

 

Whatever we aspire to do in our spiritual journey, the same has already been attempted by many spiritual masters of yester era and so many succeeded in reaching stage of enlightenment. We only need to duplicate path taken by them. In reality, I duplicated most of the things done by Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana to reach God in their lifetime.

 

Sacred texts of Hinduism like Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads (independent treatises) show us the path. Our queries are clarified by enlightened Masters of different era. Rest can be realized by indulgence in chintan (contemplation). Where was any hurdle to indulge in spirituality to reach God in present life time! There is no place for excuses in field of pure spirituality.

 

If our goal of life is fixed, which is spiritual… if we desire reaching God in present life time… then teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana alone sufficed for human beings to reach stage of enlightenment in their lifetime. We also do not need a spiritual master to be present physically to guide us in the journey of life.

 

Importance of a Guru in the Spiritual Journey of life

Around 15 years of age, as detailed by elders in the family… I started searching for a spiritual master (guru) to guide me in the spiritual journey of life. During summer holidays wherever my father went around the country on officer errands, I accompanied him with the hope that I would find a guru. No matter how best I tried, I could find none.

 

In desperation, exasperation when I finally could not find a spiritual master, I asked god to become my guide in the spiritual journey of life… and lo, he willingly agreed. From there it was never looking back. When I questioned God, why he had not become my master early… he simply stated… you never asked. Such is the power of communion with God… power of chintan (contemplation) when one can have a communion with God Almighty on one-to-one basis.

 

If our belief in God is absolute, he always comes to our rescue in times of need and this is exactly what happened in my case.

 

With God as my spiritual master, roundtable conferences with avatars and enlightened souls became a daily routine.

 

If people ask me… do we need a spiritual guru in life to travel spiritual path successfully… my answer is a blunt no. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana do not exist any more physically but they are well alive in their teachings. I never felt handicapped on account of this. Indulging in chintan (contemplation) I could realize the inner meaning of most teachings of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Maharishi Ramana.

 

Thousands of essays articles existed on my different websites covering various aspects of spirituality, spiritual life. Indulging in chintan (contemplation) most seekers can realize the hidden inner meaning of my teachings, sayings. For balance queries (if any)… I am always available 24 x 7 x 365.

 

By: Vijay Kumar “Atma Jnani”… The Man who Realized God in 1993 – (Ref. 171208)

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