The Spiritual Aspiration

There is a story of Lahiri Mahasaya in which there was once a famous Pandit of Kashi who came to him. He was learned in the Shastras and highly orthodox, with strict dress codes, food, rules of engagement, etc. The gentleman was very well known and highly regarded. So he came to Lahiri Mahasaya after hearing about the spiritual prowess of the latter, wishing to get initiated into Kriya Yoga, confident that he was the right candidate for it. Lahiri Mahasaya sat quietly in his bed as he used to, listening to the Pandit lecturing about the Shastras. After some time, the Pandit realized that Lahiri Mahasaya was simply not showing any interest in his Diksha, and so he himself broached the topic. The legendary Kriya Yoga Guru then politely but firmly told him, “nope.” Everyone around was shocked because the Pandit was the right candidate, or so everyone believed. Just at that time, a housewife came to offer pranam to Lahiri Mahasaya, and the latter, on his own, asked her if she wanted to take Diksha.

The next day, someone asked Lahiri Mahasaya why he behaved in such a strange manner, refusing Diksha to the Pandit but giving it to the housewife. And the Siddha Yogi replied that the Pandit had just started on the path of Sadhana in this lifetime, so he was a stickler for external rules and thought that rigidity was all there was to Sadhana. He had no higher goal, no desire for a great spiritual realization. He also craved recognition for his knowledge. He would still need 5-6 lifetimes before his mind truly turns spiritual.

And the woman who came later had been doing Sadhana for many lifetimes; she had to finish some Karmas in this life, so she settled into married life, but now is the right time for her to renew her Sadhana, and by the end of this life, she will experience the condition of the Atman for sure.

This story is terrific because it illustrates some truths that are evident all around us, and I have found them extremely accurate in making judgments about people, spiritually, that is.

– Just because someone is orthodox does not mean they are spiritually inclined. Orthopraxy can be useful, orthodoxy not so much. Many orthodox people are spiritually unintelligent.

– On the other hand, someone who follows no rules and believes whatever one feels like doing is fine—the new-agey people—are merely self-indulgent. They have an even lower chance than those mentioned above.

– So what then is the criterion for judging whether someone is Adhyatmik or not? It’s a mix of discipline and a deep existential desire for the actual realization of higher states. Just mechanically doing things makes one a parrot. One has to add something extra from within, which no text, no Guru, can teach. And that extra only comes when one aspires for a higher condition in Sadhana.

– Highly orthodox people who may be following 100s of self-imposed rules BUT with zero aspiration are exactly the kind of folks who have just turned to this path in this lifetime. As with every newbie, they are proud and egoistically attached to their puny achievements, like a good rule-following soldier who has convinced himself that being disciplined is all there is and believes that itself is the end goal of all Adhyatma. This is like the Pandit in the story mentioned above.

– This is why so-called spiritual people who are strict about rules of conduct, like what to eat, what to wear, or where to look, but at the same time show no genuine aspiration for a higher goal, are in my book all freshly minted kids on this path.

– Who then are the best? Those who are strict about the rules of their Sadhana and understand each of the rules and do not just mechanically follow what has been handed down; who have a clear higher goal—Lakshya—in mind while doing Upasana; who can look beyond the differences in different authentic paths and recognize the spiritually superlative wherever they find it manifested; who have developed their own Adhyatmik intelligence and clear inner guidance; who can digest the raw message of the Shastras into useful contextual guidance; who are not stuck on the body of a text but can recognize the spirit of an injunction; who, above all, are the deepest devotees of the gods they worship. The higher one goes, the greater is the Bhakti and Jnana. These come automatically.

Finally, in every rule a genuine Adhyatmik individual follows, there is clear evidence of internalization of the essence of the rule. The effort would be visible to anyone who has eyes to see.

As Sri Ramakrishna used to say, some have heard of milk, some have seen milk, and some drink milk. Those who have merely heard are at the lowest stage, the most ignorant. Those who have seen are the Jnanis. Those who have drunk it are the Vijnanis—of complete realization.

THAT is the goal to aspire for. In some lifetime.