Ritual and Spiritual both sound the same, isn’t it! But there are differences. Let’s try to understand from the following example:
Puja or worshipping is a ritual. There are rules and regulations which has to be followed strictly in worshipping. Rituals are mentioned in the Vedas. For example according to Vedas worshipping Goddess Kali can give benefit to the devotees immensely. A person can get rid of problems and can stay healthy and wealthy. Many people worship Sun God to get rid of diseases and to remain healthy. Some people worship Goddess Laxmi, Durga and Lord Shiva for wealth and prosperity.
Rituals are there everywhere in Sanatana Dharma, be it birth of a new child or marriage ceremony or death of anyone. If we read the scriptures (sastras) we can understand the value of rituals in our daily life. These rituals can help us in building a happy and prosperous society with unity among mankind.
Astrology is a scientific process and deals with positions of planets and nakshatras during your birth time. Many a times astrologers recommend worshipping some planets or doing fasting on some days in a week for getting rid of problems. So as we know we have baggage of so much karma from many lives, so how is it possible that we can be happy without performing rituals (which helps in nullifying karmas). Whether it is birth of a child, marriage, death , all the rituals are utmost important for human civilization.
Now let’s try to understand spirituality. From the name we understand that it is on the spirit level. An example can be given of Haridas Thakur. He was pure devotee of Lord Krishna. Haridas Thakur converted a prostitute to a devotee by the strength of spiritual purity.
Haridas Thakur was a pure devotee of Lord Krishna. He used to chant the maha mantra “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare” 192 rounds daily. He belonged to Brahma-Madhya-Gaudiya Sampradaya. He used to chant entire day and night. For sustaining his body, he begged from a Brahmana who lived nearby. Soon his name and fame started spreading all around. However his landlord Ramchandra Khan was an atheist and envious of Vaishnavas. He could not tolerate that someone being respected more than him. He wanted to defame Haridas Thakur, but unable to find any fault in him he sent a prostitute to him. The intension was to get Haridas Thakur distracted from his vows of austerity and to defame him.
Rituals can help us in building a happy and prosperous society with unity among mankind.
One mid-night the prostitute, Hirabai, approached Haridas Thakur, glorified him and requested him that she wants to unite with him. Haridas Thakur listened to the girl and assured that as soon as he complete his vow of chanting the fixed number of rounds he would fulfil her desire. He kept chanting and he chanted till morning. The sun rose and both of them left. The girl was disappointed.
But again she came back on the following night with the same desire and same incident repeated. On the 3rd day she came in the evening. She sat near Haridas Thakur infront of the Tulasi plant, hearing the holy name of the Lord as he was chanting. By the time Haridas Thakur completed his chanting Hirabai’s consciousness changed. She could feel the vibration of is chanting and there was change in her heart. She explained everything to Haridas Thakur why she came and asked forgiveness from him. Taking instructions from Haridas Thakur she also started spiritual practice and accepted Haridas Thakur as her spiritual master. This is the power of a spiritualist and spiritual practice.
In spiritual life devotees don’t receive only health, wealth etc. but along with that they also receive purity, mystic power and association of the Lord. Rituals has its own purpose and spirituality also has its own.
Rituals are misused in today’s time. Lord Krishna said in Bhagavad Gita (4.2):
sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣhṭaḥ parantapa
“O subduer of enemies, the saintly kings thus received this science of Yoga in a continuous tradition. But with the long passage of time, it was lost.”
In a similar way we lost many rituals and forgot the process of many rituals in due course of time. There are so many rituals we have. But performing a ritual requires to follow strict rules and regulations. Rituals must be performed according to the rules given in the Vedas. For that the items required should be pure, the performer should be well educated in Vedic rituals, the mantras should be uttered with proper pronunciation and purity. These are some of the limitations. It must be done by Brahmanas only. It is because Brahmanas are internally and externally pure, and that purity is required so that the mantras can be effective. Brahmanas are very dear to the Lord. Brahmanas duty is to read scriptures, to educate people in Vedic knowledge, to do deity worship etc and they can never take salary. In the current generation we don’t find a proper Brahmana. Because the way Brahmanas should live according to Vedic scriptures is not maintained.
Those people who are engaged with ritualistic activities cannot get liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
“Kalau sudra sambhavah”. It means in kali yuga everybody is a sudra. In Bhagavad Gita (4.13) Lord Krishna said:
cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ viddhy akartāram avyayam
“According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable”
So basically the caste system is not correct. According to someone’s work and quality the varna is decided and in kaliyuga everyone is having sudra quality even if he is born in Brahmana family. So, the performer of rituals is not qualified, then the objects they use for the rituals are also not pure and so the mantras will not be effective. People are short lived and hypocrite in this age of Kali. Because of these limitations the rituals have lost its significance and existing as festivals and superstitious activity. The people in general started rejecting the rituals because they don’t understand the science behind it and also people have very less interest and time for these rituals. So, because of such issues rituals have lost their significance. As people are rejecting these rituals, we can see in the world so much violence, unhappiness, competition among people, conflict among different countries etc. Natural disturbances are also quite more. People are suffering due to depression, frustration and so on. People all around the world are suffering.
Another problem with rituals is that by performing rituals people want to gain fame, name, wealth etc. But in this case people will enjoy their life in this material world performing rituals but he will not be able to break the cycle of birth and death. He has to go to heaven for enjoying or go to hell for suffering. Once the suffering in hell or enjoyment in heaven is finished he has to take birth in earth once again. “Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam”- Birth again, death again. And this process continues. So those people who are engaged with ritualistic activities can’t get liberation from the cycle of birth and death. So what is the solution?
Solution is Spiritual practice
Solution is given by Sukhdeva Goshwami (speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam 12.3.51):
Although there are ocean of faults we have in Kaliyuga, we have a very good quality that is the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.
kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
“My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.”
In Chaitanya Charitamrita it is said (Madhya 8.128):
kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya
yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya
“Whether one is a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī or a śūdra — regardless of what he is — he can become a spiritual master if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa.”
If we practice spirituality all benefits, we get by performing rituals are already included. At the end of life we can break the cycle of birth and death. By practicing spirituality we get self-realization i.e we understand who we really are. We are spirit soul, not the body as confirmed by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita (2.12)
Na tv evaham jatu nasam
Na tvam neme janadhipaha
Na caiva na bhavisyamah
Sarve vayam atah param
“Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be”
Again in Bhagavad Gita (2.20) Lord Krishna said:
Na jayate mriyate va kadacin
Nayam bhutva bhavita van a bhuyah
Ajo nityah sasvato’yam purano
Na hanyate hanyamane sarire
“For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.”
By practicing spirituality we can understand us, our relationship withLord and Lord Himself.
From the above two slokas we can understand that we are the soul and not the body. We are unborn, eternal and ever-existing. This realization is only possible when we practice spirituality. In material life whatever success we achieve in this life is lost along with the body. But in spiritual life the progress continues. If we can complete fifty percent of spirituality in this life then next life we can start from the rest fifty per cent. So, there is no loss. This is the power of spirituality.
For understanding spirituality first, we have to understand what is spirit. That is something beyond our mind and intelligence. If we speak on the bodily platform, then we have to first understand that we have two kinds of bodies: Gross and subtle. The Gross body consists of Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Ether. The subtle body consists of Mind, Intelligence and Ego. Intelligence is subtler than mind and Ego is subtler than Intelligence. In the covering of Mind, intelligence and ego exists Soul. Here if we want to understand spirituality we need to have the realization and the first step towards self realization is understanding that we are spirit soul and not the body. Spirituality is performed to gain liberation.
To advance in spiritual life one has to start with sravanam. There are nine processes to be followed for progress in spirituality. They are: Sravanam, Kirtanam, Vishnu Smaranam, Pada Sevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Sakhyam and Atma Nivedanam. These are nine processes of devotional service (Srimad Bhagavatam 7.5.23).
By practicing spirituality we can understand us, our relationship with Lord and Lord Himself. Spiritual practice is done not for material gain, but to understand the Lord, the supreme controller and to build relationship with him and to go back to Godhead after the death of the impermanent body.
In Bhagavad Gita (4.9) it is said:
Janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
