THE REAL MEANING OF "WORK IS WORSHIP"

Many of us have heard the saying, "Work Is Worship", especially in Hindu Spiritual studies. But what does this really mean?

Does it mean that we should install little altars at our offices? What does it really mean to anyone?

I have found that the wise lines that great and wise people and gurus who coin up these lines, are able to concise lengthy text and understanding of the Scriptures, before they are able to present such lofty thoughts in marvellous bite-size expressions. Yet, the true meaning, of how they came about summarising, through deep cognizance to arrive at their conclusions, will never be known by readers of such wisdom today. 

We tend to simply take the meaning of any saying as they are, and think that our brilliant minds have the ability to cognize or understand everything. Wrong. There are two different kinds of minds at work here, – purified and unpurified. The unpurified mind thinks that it can easily work out the thoughts of a purified mind, that of a sage for an example, but it is impossible. They exists in two completely different realms or worlds.

Sages and enlightened people know that the mind is the cause of all of man's problems. Spiritual studies lead a student to recognise this, and to take the steps to do everything to curtail this mind. This means that gurus and spiritual people no longer live-off their minds. The first thing that any student will be told by his guru is that he is not his mind or body. The guru then provides ancient spiritual knowledge to enlighten the student on this fact. 

So, the lines of wisdom that we receive these days, and understand them by our unenlightened or unpurified minds, are completely different in meaning of that of the speakers of these lines, who are enlightened beings, such as Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore, who both made similar statements – "Work Is Worship". This is also why everyone needs a spiritual counsellor or guru in his or her life.

Why is work worship, then?

This requires a deeper explanation and understanding, and it is one that should not be taken lightly either. There is an end goal to achieve for all of us. And to get to this goal, we have to perform selfless work. This why we have to consider any work we do as worship.

What is the end goal?

The end goal or "Ultimate Goal", as it is called in the Hindu Scriptures, is "Moksha", or "Liberation". This is a state when the soul is fully liberated and is never to be reborn again. But why do we not want the soul to be reborn? It is because every soul that is on earth is only here to serve Its Karma, it is a punishment. This is why life seems to be a suffering in general, where peace is not a permanent feature in it. The state of Liberation provides Eternal Bliss, and Moksha or Liberation is something we should all achieve while we are alive, and it benefits the hereafter – where the Soul gets to return Home.

"Karma" means "deeds" or "work" in Sanskrit. This means that the reason why we are here on earth is caused by our "misdeeds" or "bad deeds" in our past and present lives. We have had millions of rebirths on earth, but only to suffer. Therefore, if Karma brought us here to suffer, Karma also provides the way out of this suffering, as it is stated in the Hindu Scriptures. By replacing our "bad thoughts and deeds" with "good thoughts and deeds", man gets to exhaust his Karma. Then life on earth, and after, is Nirvana. The end of all suffering and sorrow. 'Karma Yoga' states that inaction is impossible, that man is always performing some kind of action, even if simply breathing.

Now, because we have always been doing work for selfish motifs, which created our Karma, and this happens dues to our selfish desires; we now simply have to do the reverse of all this. We have to perform selfless work, only. This means that every single task or job that we do, even our professional jobs, we should do it to the best of our abilities as if it is a dedication to God. We should be conscious that we are carrying out our tasks or work, only to exhaust our Karma. This is a great time to do 'favours' to every and anybody, even strangers. We exhaust even more Karma when we help people we do not know. While we are performing this "alleged" 'Selfless work', it is good to remember that we are not doing anyone any favours but ourselves, because all these selfless work and actions will only benefit ourselves and no one else, in the end.

But how is it a "worship"?

When it comes to any kind of "worship", there is usually some kind of personality involved. In this case, it is Godhead. The verse in the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu Holy Book) says, "To work alone you have competence, but never to enjoy the fruits thereof". We should not do any work or task with the aim of enjoying the benefits or fruits of our own labour. Now, remember, we are here because of Karma, and the cause of Karma and our suffering is 'selfish work' with an aim for personal benefits ignited by 'desire'. So, the Lord says that we have the ability only to perform our now "righteous actions" only. We should not think, speak, and do harm or hurt anyone or anything that lives. These actions shall be the 'opposite' of our previous actions in all our previous lives, and this shall set man free in his own mind and heart, exhausting all his Karma.

"Karma" itself is a 'divine' thing, it is not man-made. So, since it is this "divine force" that has brought us here to earth to suffer, then don't you think that it is this same "divine force" that is also capable of removing or exhausting our Karma debts? Yes, it is so.

The "Soul", which is the real identity of a man, was never born and can never die. It is not something that is material, such as the body and the mind – it is 'Spirit'. Hence, this 'Spirit' is formless. This formless spirit never ever took birth and will never ever die, it keeps using all kinds of bodies, including animals and insects, (subject to how nasty we have been to other people), and keeps getting reborn on earth, – only to suffer.

So, when we do any work that we do, we must think of whom we are doing this task for, and as it turns out, since we are all prisoners or Karma, and God is the ultimate 'Taskmaster' and 'Sanctioner', we therefore, have to please Him, by dedicating every single task or job of ours to God.

Now, this is why, "Work Is Worship".

by Joy Nandy

– more stuff worth reading here

WHERE IS GOD WHEN WE LEAVE THE TEMPLE?

Today, there are many young and elderly people alike who do not experience the inner solace they desire just with temple visits; and when we are older, temple visits may also be a torture when we become weak and immobile. How do we access God then?

Prayers at temples seem impersonal where we need a ‘middleman’, so to speak, to convey our gratitude and requests to God. But this can’t be true. God created all equally, we are His children. He is the father of all of us, so why should we not have a direct path to Him? Jnana Yoga tells us that we in fact do and shows us the path with detailed information that we can read and apply that God is personal as He is impersonal. It is a step-by-step guide to understand and living life in the best possible way, free of sorrow and suffering by realising that the doer of everything is God.

Many Hindus are not aware of the various paths to reach God and believe that temples are the only way to do so. At the ashram the guru asked us, “If you believe that God resides only in temples, then what happens when you leave the temple? Does it mean that God is no longer with you?”

Good question guru!

This got me thinking, and it is true. We all know that God is omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), omnipotent (unlimited power) and omniscient (knowing everything). God is EVERYWHERE!

We get to understand this ‘knowledge’ not the way we understand the hundreds of wonderful wise posts we find on social media, but we are explained how everything works and who we are truly as spirits with all the connections – no gaps, so understanding this subject become completely coherent for the mind.

It is packed with comprehensive messages and thoughts that anyone seeking Truth and the meaning of life will enjoy. And I only found this out, as one of the many revelations, by reading the Hindu scriptures.

It said that the Bhagavad Gita burns the ignorance in man and by that also burns the ropes of entanglement, setting him free. The Bhagavad Gita is ‘Jnana Yoga’. It is also said in the Gita that reading the Holy Gita is an austerity or sacrifice, and one’s karma will also be eliminated by His grace. Just by reading one get’s to remove karma, so the benefit of the ‘knowledge’ itself seems like a huge bonus to man. For those seeking liberation from worldly bondage, and a direct and personalised access to God should opt for this path.

– Joy Nandy

YOGA MEANS UNION WITH GOD – ULTIMATELY

 The word “Yoga” means “Union with the highest Nature (or Being or Soul or Self or God)”. (The word “Nature” in Sanskrit is “Prakriti”, which also refers to God, Nature being his field or body; also His proof of existence.)

The four paths to reach God in Hinduism are: 1. Jnana Yoga (Path of Knowledge); 2. Bhakti Yoga (Devotional Path); 3. Karma Yoga (Selfless-service/Seva), and 4. Raja Yoga (Meditative Path).

We note that each one of these paths ends with the word “Yoga”. This means that whichever path we take out of the four paths, we must always have the “higher force” or, simply, God, in mind, with the knowledge that – “Whatever I am doing here, I am doing it only for You (God) and not for my personal gratification or rewards”.

We have to think this way because we are here on earth only to repay our Karma dues – we have to make right what we have done wrong to others. Our faults in our past lives and also the present life where we can accrued Karma debts is in the areas of ‘thought’, ‘speech’ and ‘action’. It is only through one or all of these ways that we may hurt someone emotionally or physically, and it all begins with the ‘mind’.

Therefore, to repair our bad deeds, we have to do the opposite of what we have been doing in so many millions of our births – do right and good deeds. While doing these ‘good deeds’, not once must we think that “I am doing this by myself and for myself (or the one’s I love), etc.”, this means it is not “Selfless service”, it is selfish service.

We must think, “While I am doing this task or job or action, my only hope is that I get to receive the Lord’s blessings in pardoning and removing my Karma so that I may escape the cycle of rebirths into this world of suffering and achieve the state of Eternal Blissfulness, here today and ever after”. Isn’t this motivation enough for anyone to take this path instead of coming back to earth (in one form or another) only to suffer?

So, “Karma” is not a man-made thing and everyone believes in it. It must to be something ‘spiritual’ then, and if it is ‘spiritual’, we can only work with a ‘spiritual force’ to help remove it, otherwise we are stuck in it, like we are right now, this minute.

From the second we wake up, till the moment we rest our heads on our pillows, God has granted us the breath to do whatever we did through each day. Understanding that He, in fact, is the “doer” of “everything”, as it is stated in the Hindu Scriptures, makes us realise who is in control of the events of life and our very existence. Everything depends on the Supreme. If He is the One who gave us breath, then what ever we think that we are doing, by our own doing, is known as ‘ignorance’ in the Sacred texts, because He is the “doer” and creator of all that we see and do not see, hear touch or feel.

We cannot follow any path, that is meant to reach God, without having God in mind, and we are meant to have Him in our minds all-the-time, non-stop, constantly. And this “union” between the individual “Self” or “Soul” with the “Super Self” or “Super Soul” or “Paramatma” or “Brahman” or “Godhead” or simply, “God” (as we prefer to call Him), that is created through the ‘mind’, leads to our liberation. Moksha.

This is the “Union” that “Yoga” means – “a mental connection/union with God” or “Meditation on God” or “Mind converged in God”, without which it is impossible to liberate a soul. This makes this “Yoga” part the most important part to achieve liberation or Moksha and must be properly understood to apply whilst performing all our prescribed actions and good and righteous duties [good Karma] (in the name of the Lord).

“For one who wishes to establish himself in the divinity of Yoga, O Arjuna, he must follow the method of doing Karma [all work] without desires [not for their fruits/rewards] of any sort [selfless-service/karma yoga]. For, giving up all worldly thoughts is the path that will lead you to being fully and truly established in Yoga [union with the Supreme]. Dear Arjuna, while trying to be come a Yogi perform Karma [action/work] without any desires [unattached Karma]. After you have become a true Yogi, resign yourself from all attachments to the world).” – Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 3

An article on “The Meaning & Purpose of Yoga” by Bhole Prabhu, on the internet explains: “The most important teaching of yoga has to do with our nature as human beings. It states that our “true nature” goes far beyond the limits of the human mind and personality – that instead, our human potential is infinite and transcends our individual minds and our sense of Self. The very word “Yoga” makes reference to this. The root, “Yuj” (meaning “Unity” or “Yoke”), indicates that the purpose of yoga is to unite ourselves with our highest nature. This re-integration is accomplished through the practices of the various Yoga disciplines (Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, Raja). Until this re-integration (union) takes place, we identify ourselves with our limitations – the limitations of the body, mind and sense. Thus we feel incomplete and limited, and are subject to things of sorrow, insecurity, fear, and separation, because we have separated ourselves from the experience of the whole”.

As you can see from the above explanation of the word “Yoga”, nowhere does it mention stretching or pulling our body parts; instead, it talks about a connection to be made, or a ‘union’ if you like, through the mind, then Soul. An infinite amount of body or muscular stretches will not liberate anyone nor make him spiritual because Yoga is a mental thing.

Joy Nandy

THE WORLD OF THE DEMIGODS & THEIR SANCTIONER

It won't be easy for a Hindu (or anyone) to achieve liberation through mere temple prayers or rituals or sacrifices because we pray to any one, or few, of the thirty three million Hindu demigods, only to to fulfill our ‘desires’. Only to “Ask” something we “Desire”.

The Scriptures and sages tell us that the cause of man’s sorrow comes from his “Desire” and “Attachment” to things and people,  and these emotions form the foundation for 'anger'. This then becomes a ‘bondage’ to us, and the whole idea of ‘Liberation’ or ‘Moksha’ is “to be free from bondages”. This simply makes sense; the opposite of liberation is bondage. It is, in essence, a simple concept to understand. Anything that we are ‘attached’ to, binds us.

To be free, is to be detached from everything (in the mind). Loving without ownership – We don’t have to possess what we like; after all, everything is only temporary, – we may appreciate them, for now. And just this makes life so much more meaningful and enjoyable – when we appreciate everything and everyone that has come into our lives.

Therefore, when we pray to the demigods for things that actually prevent liberation, how can one be free, or liberated or be happy when one is wrapped in self-created bondage through desires and attachment formed in the mind?

To be truly liberated is to be liberated from all bondages of the world where a person is able to live off the “Self-sufficient Soul” or Atman. It needs and seeks nothing to make it happy or peaceful, It just is – a witness. Unlike the body that depends on food to live, the Soul depends on absolutely nothing and no one, but God Himself, which is the Soul Itself. “Thou art That”.

To be liberated is to be united with the Creator or God (while we are alive). In order to do this, there are ‘sastras’ or scriptures to read and follow in order to achieve the goal. Knowledge, such as, the following from the great Hindu Holy book, the Bhagavad Gita, which introduces divine thoughts as:

“Driven by desires which exist in their nature, ignorant people worship Deities with rituals.”

“Whichever god (Deity) a person wishes to worship with faith, O Arjuna, I am the one who establishes or builds his faith in that deity.”

“Thus, once these people have given their faith by Me, the devotees try to worship the Deities they choose to worship, and they ultimately achieve their desires as ordered and directed by Me, the Deity of deities.”

“But the reward of those ignorant people who worship other deities is only temporary. Those who worship other deities go to those deities after death, but those who worship Me, attain Me, and come to Me.” – Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 7, Verses 20 – 23

The above verses from the Official Hindu Holy Book (Bhagavad Gita) states that Lord Krishna is the sanctioner of all our desires when we pray and ask from any of the deities or demigods – that He is the “Big Daddy” who approves or rejects, so to speak. If He says, “Yes”, we get it; “No”, we don’t – no matter which God we prayed to, He is the Boss who sanctions them; the deities are His deputies.

However, the important part to know in the last verse above is that the devotee who worships a deity shall go to his or her “loka” or “world” after death. The “World of the Demigods”, as it is known. Now, because everything is temporary in the material world and attached to desires, these demigods, it is said, were once humans, who were very good and exhausted all their karma and went to the Demigod loka (because they worshipped demigods), just as how you or I would, if we abided by all the Dharma codes in life (and worshipped demigods).

But, apparently, even this “Demigod Paradise” is temporary. It is stated that we may spend a few hundred years in this “Paradise”, where everything is excellent, with endless fun and wealth. So much wealth is there and it is everywhere that no one chases it anymore. There are heaps of precious gems and gold everywhere – wealth beyond imagination. People (demigods) are collecting them, but there is nowhere to spend them, nothing to buy, and no one to show-off to, because it is everywhere and everybody has some. Like dust, it is everywhere. But there is no food or drink, there is no hunger or thirst, – and this takes away all the joy for the soul that still ‘wants’ that even endless amounts of wealth shall not quench.

Now, we realise that our lives on earth is so precious and it is based on nothing more than enjoying food and drink, and every single thing that we do on earth surrounds this simple fact – we do it for food and drink because we enjoy them so much and need them to live. Food and drink are also closely connected to families and relationships, and these feelings too will cease to exist. This is why we need to appreciate this (rare) life that we have been given including every single person who comes into it and every event that we are presented with. We have to accept all of them as things and people we have attracted into our lives which is caused by the ‘way we are’ – we attract the same. And if we don’t like what is coming into our lives, we can change it, by taking the “right path” in life for eternal bliss and freedom. All relationships are mirror images of ourselves. But when we turn to God, and put on the guise of Him, and see God in everyone and everything, our lives become Divine. It becomes magical.

So, even the demigods (after a few hundred years), start to miss food and drink, and then start to have a desire to come back to earth as human beings to enjoy. Isn’t this interesting, we pray to them, but they want to be us? And it is only though ‘knowledge’ that we get to learn and understand everything there is to know about why any of us are here and where we should head. This knowledge ends all questions, sorrows and fear, and literally liberates a person on earth so that earth becomes his Paradise. We do not need to die to experience Nirvana.

Hence, it is said that the only way to absolute liberation or Moksha is through Knowledge, and this is why anyone who can read and understand must yield to the path of “Jnana Yoga” or the "Path of Knowledge” to achieve liberation and eternal blissfulness – which should be achieved while he lives, with a realisation that God resides in himself.

[* This is an omitted article from the book 'I AM ETERNAL BLISS' by Joy Nandy]

– joynandy.com

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"OUR REAL IDENTITY – NOT KNOWING OUR REAL IDENTITY IS THE ROOT OF ALL PROBLEMS IN LIFE"

LATEST BOOK BY JOY NANDY 

To order, please email: nandybooks@gmail.com

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Self Is Glorious

WHAT IS 'OUR REAL IDENTITY'?

The mind (through the eyes) sees something it likes, and wants it. When it gets what it wants, the mind is happy. When the mind does not get what it wants, it becomes unhappy or sad. When the mind gets what it wants, it becomes happy, but this happiness does not last for very long. When the excitement of having something new expires, as they always do, the mind will create another desire, and this cycle goes on. But the problem is – we do not always get what we want, so we are sad or unhappy – “all-the-time”. This is no way to live life.

As we can see here, the mind and body collaboration is the cause of all our sadness in life. The mind desires things and pleasures only to please the body. Learning that we are not our minds and bodies, therefore, is the best piece of news anyone can receive – it is literally liberating! Knowing that a human being is not his body or mind can fix this ancient problem – with an ancient solution – “Knowledge”.

Not being able to properly distinguish between our ‘Real Identity’ to our ‘False Identity’, is the root cause of every problem and heartache every man, woman and child endures on earth, unknowingly. Know this as our No. 1 problem in life; and with this being the ‘root’, all events in our lives are simply a “domino effect” or branches originating from the ‘cause’ – False Identity. Consider it a “Mistaken Identity of the Self”. It is only the ignorance of this fact that has caused us all the pain we have experienced all this while, and in all circumstances. This is the ‘root’. The only effective to way to unearth this ‘root’ is through “Knowledge” – nothing else can.

Our real Self is one that is of an ‘observer’ instead of a ‘doer’, therefore, we are witnesses to life’s events and not really players within them. When we understand how everything works in life, we start to live ever peaceful, liberated and meaningful lives – free from suffering.

Like a movie, watch the events in your life. Feel all the emotions of joy, sorrow, hurt and happiness, and when the movie is over, you return to your peaceful Self – detached from all the emotions you experienced during the “Movie of Life”. This is our true state – Peace. Immutable peace.

The wisdom found in the ancient Sacred Hindu Scriptures, and through brilliant and great gurus of the past and present, who have preserved and passed on this great ‘Knowledge’ for us, the modern man, is only to escape suffering on earth, and to yield to a life of sheer Blissfulness, while we are alive – as it is meant to be.

This book aims to explain, in summary, what creates the ‘Real Identity’ of a human being and what does not, and why knowing this difference is the most important thing to know in our lives because by knowing this, our lives shall become perfect and free from all suffering, now.

This Knowledge can help anyone transform sorrow to joy as quickly as he or she can come to the realisation that his or her body is not his or her “Real Identity”. This knowledge liberates anyone by letting him or her know that he or she is something “PHENOMENAL”, – far greater than even for his or her own mind to comprehend, and therefore it is possible to ‘control’ the mind by using his or her own real Self – who is invincible and immortal.

This Knowledge leads us to eternal peace on earth, and depending on how far we pursue this study, – it can also lead us to GREATNESS – as it did with all the greats of the past who studied this Great ‘Knowledge’ of the Ancient Hindu Sacred Scriptures.

Through the book, I welcome you to You. I hope that you enjoy the experience – you surely will.

– Joy Nandy

TEMPLE WORSHIP NOT FOR GITA READERS

Many Hindus are confused or are not sure of the many paths to access God and sometimes end up doing more than they should.

There are primarily four main paths for Hindu worship, which I have explained in my book, Life At An Ashram In India. The four paths of Yoga are – Raja Yoga (Meditation), Karma Yoga (Selfless service), Bhakti Yoga (Devotional) and Jnana Yoga (Knowledge), with Jnana Yoga, which is the Yoga of Knowledge, as the highest of Hindu spiritual ideals and worship. The Hindu scriptures say that “Knowledge is God”.

It is so because it is said that only through Knowledge can an embodied soul realise liberation, freedom or Moksha, the aim of every Hindu eventually. The Hindu shall seek Moksha from Samsara, the cycle of birth and death from this world of suffering. And all these are stated in the Holy Gita.

But to be released from the trammels of Samsara is to be free from desire as it is desire that leads to the accrual of Karma debts, which leads to falling back into the dungeon of Samsara.

When people go to temples they usually pray for things or for the realisation of their ‘desires’. It is said in the Gita that, yes, sure, all your wishes shall be granted, because you prayed and did the necessary austerities for them. But, as these prayers are only to realise our ‘desire’, then as stated above, desire is what creates Karma, which then prevents Moksha or Liberation or Freedom, which shall be the goal of every soul.

“Though performing every kind of work always, he who has taken refuge in Me shall, by My grace, attain to the eternal and indestructible state of Moksha (spiritual liberation)” – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Verse 56

So, the one who reads the Gita, which professes ideologies quite opposing to that of Vedic ritualism (temple visits or idolatry), should not practice both Bhakti and Jnana Yoga simultaneously as they oppose each other in beliefs and may cause some confusion.

The other significant difference in the teaching or belief between the Gita and Temples is, the Bhagavad Gita tries to make man realise that God resides ‘within’ him and not outside of him, whilst a visit to a temple will give one the idea that God resides ‘outside’ of him as we look at images of gods outside of us.

This, when explained to us by gurus, was enlightening especially when they said that, “If you think that God exists only in temples, then what happens when you leave the temple, is God no longer with you?” Therefore, gurus who preach the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita shall enlighten us that God resides in a human body as an embodied soul, and this soul is not his body, a separate entity, living within the body and mind spheres.

The Gita enlightens man that God is omniscient – knows everything, omnipotent - most powerful and omnipresent – present everywhere at the same time.

Buddha, a Hindu sage spread Vedic knowledge in a language the masses in India could understand at a time when Sanskrit was only for the Brahmins and not for anyone else. This made his teachings and himself very popular that today we find huge statues and temples everywhere, but Buddha himself told his followers not to make and worship images of him. Instead he told his monks to worship the “Knowledge” (the doctrines that he created and taught) as their ultimate guru. However, about three centuries after Buddha’s death, there were rampant constructions of Buddhist temples and statues all over Asia. Man still needed to hold on to something physical despite being told otherwise.

Buddha, a spiritual reformer, began his journey by announcing that “desire” was the secret of sorrow and suffering, the cord that bound man to the “wheel of life”, that is, repeated rebirths or “transmigration”, which is very much a Hindu belief. This has been extracted from my father’s book on the Enlightened One titled, “Buddha and the Teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Shintoism” by Milon Nandy.

He continues, “The world was evil, but a way of escape was open, a way consisting of right action and right thought. Life did not consist of ritual actions, but of working out one’s “salvation” energetically.”

The teachings of Buddha are very much the same as what is taught in the Bhagavad Gita because Gautama Buddha was a Hindu sage who was ‘chosen’ for this path to become one of the greatest personalities that ever existed.

Here is another stanza from my dad’s book that illustrates the similarities of Hinduism and Buddhism and the fact that both preach that the Knowledge of the “Self” is paramount for human existence on earth. It reads:

“The essence of the Buddhist creed is that by overcoming the lust of the flesh, renouncing all worldly pleasures, and devoting himself to prayer, abstinence, and good works, man can so purify himself that his spirit is able at last to free itself from the bodily tenement in which it has been imprisoned and become absorbed in the Godhead.” Anyone who has read the Bhagavad Gita knows that this thought originated from it. Therefore, if one has read the Gita, one has also understood Buddhism.

“Mentally resigning all actions to Me (in respect of their fruits and agency [rewards and body]), devoting yourself intensely to Me, be you ever established in the thought of Me.” – Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 18 Verse 57

Therefore, God is present everywhere at the same time – omnipresent. This then opposes the idea of temple worship, which is categorised as Bhakti Yoga or the Yoga of Devotion from that of Jnana Yoga or the Yoga of Knowledge, where God is only found in a specific place.

We should investigate if Bhakti Yoga is for everyone. Many are looking for alternative paths to reach God but believe that temples are the only way. Much to the surprise of many, some have discovered that there are other ways to reach God, and some have realised that they do not need to lift a finger or even travel an inch, to reach God… for He is within.

Hence, it is good to first understand the various paths of Yoga in Hindu worship, and then see which is the most suitable for us, and then follow that path. Karma Yoga, or selfless service to man and nature happens to be the underlying Yoga in all the yogas we practise. In some cases, it is possible to practice more than one type of yoga. For an example, someone may practice Bhakti Yoga while he practices Jnana Yoga, but let the One he worships physically also be the God who says the God resides within him - Godhead or the Supreme Personality, Lord Krishna, the creator of all the 33 million demigods.

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KARMA FOR SORROW, KARMA FOR JOY

Many of us may know that "Karma" is to be punished for the bad that we have done – "Do bad, get bad". But many may not know that "Karma" is also our ticket out of this hell.

The reason why anyone is here on earth is because of his Karma. For as long as we keep doing bad and thinking unkindly, Karma sends us back to earth to pay our dues. So it is no wonder than that life should be filled with suffering. After all, we are all here only to serve a sentenced after we have been judged.

But here's the good news, just as our past misdeeds brought all of us here (earth) to suffer, by reversing the whole process get us out of this suffering. This means, by thinking and doing good selflessly, man gets to exhaust his Karma.

So, Karma brought us here, Karma also sets us free.

How have we understood "Karma"?

"Karma" is not something scarry or mystical. "Karma" simply means "Work" or "Deed" in Sanskrit, and "Yoga" means "Union with the Divine". So, this in the Hindus Scriptures is called "Karma Yoga".

Hence, in order for man to end this cycle of rebirths known as "Samsara" in Sanskrit, man has to do selfless work as an offering to the Lord. This is the way out. This is what puts us on the path of achieving our ultimate goal – "Moksha" or "Liberation".

"Moksha" is nothing more than being free from the 'bondages' that we have created in life. We have become "attached" to the things and people in our lives. When we can free ourselves from this bondage, that is "Moksha". It is something to be achieved while we are still alive.

As the man who has a leash attached to his cattle, so does the cattle have a leash attached to their owner. So, we created our bondages and now we are crying for freedom.

When "Karma" is exhausted – "Moksha" is achieved.

Who made "Karma"?

In as much as man tries to deny the existence of a greater force, he thinks that he is the doer and achiever of everything on earth. But, what about "Karma" itself? Who created it?

The One who created it certainly cannot be a mortal, because it is a prison sentence for all mortals.

So, it is interesting to know that what brought is here to suffer, is also the same thing that can end our suffering – "Karma Yoga"; and the "Moksha" or "Liberation" or "Freedom" we are craving for, is nothing more than Moksha or liberation from our present way of thinking.

– Joy Nandy Author

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MATERIAL MIND & SPIRITUAL MIND

There are two kinds of minds – the 'Material Mind' and the 'Spiritual Mind'. But there is only ONE world – the "Spiritual World".

How do two minds operate in one world? This is the confusion.

There are no two worlds, there are only two types of thinking. The 'Material Mind' views everything as material. On the other hand, the 'Spiritual Mind' views everything as spiritual, as it is.

The 'Material Mind' is full of sorrow and suffering, whilst the 'Spiritual Mind' is always at peace. Therefore, to the 'Material Mind' the material world is full of sorrow and suffering, whilst to the 'Spiritual Mind' his world is of peace and joy.

But what is this "Spiritual World" that I speak of?

The "Spiritual World" is made up of unconditional love, kindness, joy and peace, while the "Material World" presents suffering, judgement, violence, deceit and greed.

The foundation of the "Spiritual World" is in 'Giving' selflessly, while the foundation of the "Material World" is in 'Receiving' selfishly.

Thoughts of "What's in it for me?" exist in the Material Mind.

Thoughts of "I want nothing for myself because I know I am only here to serve others" exist in the Spiritual Mind.

The 'Material Mind' operates on ignorance and selfishness, whilst the 'Spiritual Mind' operates on Truth and selflessness.

This is the difference between the feelings of joy or sorrow that a person experiences in life, and these are also the paths to either sorrow or joy.

– Joy Nandy Author

REACHING GOD THROUGH KNOWLEDGE

Today, there are many young and elderly people alike who do not experience the inner solace they desire just with temple visits and in our advanced years, temple visits may also be a torture when we become weak and immobile. How do we access God then?

Prayers at temples seem impersonal where we need a ‘middleman’, so to speak, to convey our gratitude and requests to God. This can’t be true. God created all equally, we are His children. He is the father of all of us, so why should we not have a direct path to Him? Jnana Yoga tells us that we in fact do and shows us the path with detailed information that we can read and apply that God is personal as He is impersonal. It is a step-by-step guide to understand and living life in the best possible way, free of sorrow and suffering by realising that the doer of everything is God.

Many Hindus are not aware of the various paths to reach God and believe that temples are the only way to do so. At the ashram the guru asked us, “If you believe that God resides only in temples, then what happens when you leave the temple? Does it mean that God is no longer with you?”

Good question guru!

This got me thinking, and it is true. We all know that God is omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time), omnipotent (unlimited power) and omniscient (knowing everything). God is EVERYWHERE!

We get to understand this ‘knowledge’ not the way we understand the hundreds of wonderful wise posts we find on social media, but we are explaind how everything works and who we truly as spirits with all the connections – no gaps, so understanding this subject become completely coherent for the mind.

It is packed with comprehensive messages and thoughts that anyone seeking Truth and the meaning of life will enjoy. And I only found this out, as one of the many revelations, by reading the Hindu scriptures.

It said that the Bhagavad Gita burns the ignorance in man and by that also burns the ropes of entanglement, setting him free. The Bhagavad Gita is ‘Jnana Yoga’. It is also said in the Gita that reading the Holy Gita is an austerity or sacrifice, and one’s karma will also be eliminated by His grace. Just by reading one get’s to remove karma, so the benefit of the ‘knowledge’ itself seems like a huge bonus to man. For those seeking liberation from worldly bondage, and a direct and personalised access to God should opt for this path.

– Joy Nandy www.facebook.com/joynandyauthor

MAN HAS NO FREE WILL

When I was taught the wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads (ancient Hindu Sacred Scriptures) at the ashram, I thought that man was given a free will of thought – that he is entitled to anything he wants to think and there is literally no one to stop him.

The teachings of the great wisdom from the ancient Hindu Sacred Scriptures preach that man should realise his real identity, or real Self from his Non-Self (or false identity). They state that it is only man's desire and wants that have caused him all his sorrow in his life. They preach that when man withdraws his wants and desires of the objects of the world, he shall become happy and blissful, that everything shall go on fine in his life, and that he is finally on the right path in life – the Divine Path. To renounce is divine.

So it appears that even God cannot control the mind of a man but the individual himself. Without a conscientious effort on the part of a human being to literally 'realise' that it is only his desire that is the root-cause of every one of his problems in life, and to rely on his own self-effort to make the changes himself, for his own benefit and happiness.

Therefore, this looks like man has "free will" of thought and is free to think in anyway he wants to... but No.

Upon deeper studies of the Hindu sastras (scriptures), the subject of "Karma" pops up. We have a very limited understanding of what Karma really is and how it works. As it turns out, man actually does not have any free will of thought because Karma is there – the mighty 'scorecard'. Yes, Karma keeps an account of every single time we hurt someone through our thoughts (no words), words, and actions. Simply 'thinking' ill of someone, accrues some Karma for us.

Karma is the reason why any one of us are here on earth. Earth is for the 'judged', the sinners to pay the price of their ill-doings in the past lives and the present life. We are trapped in this "cycle of birth and death", known as "Samsara". To be free from this cycle is the goal for every human being on earth. To be free from this cycle also means to be free from the cycle of suffering on earth, and after, eternally. This is known as "Liberation" or "Moksha".

So, while man may think that he has "free will" and freedom of thought and choice, his hands are yet tied in ropes – Karma watches and sentences the guilty and unrighteous.

– Joy Nandy www.facebook.com/joynandyauthor