Spiritual Preferences

Tuesday, 04 January 2011 11:30 Written by TVD

Somebody said “Worship the Divine in whatever way it fits your personal preference”.

Unfortunately today even worship is brought to the level of personal preference.

“Yes and why not, what it is the problem, if everybody wants to worship their own way”?

No doubt, everybody does have right to worship whomever their feel they want to. There is no objection in that regard, infact it is encouraged. But if one says it’s all one or same, then that is a huge mistake and needs a correction.

If one is arriving at the airport with the intention of going to New York but boards a plane to LA, you just don’t go to New York. This is simple logic. Similarly in a spiritual sense as well you cannot say worshiping one is same as worshipping other. The root of misunderstanding is the belief that all is one, which ultimately leads to point of believing that we are that one or there is no real form of that one. The reality is all is not one, I am not you and neither are you me. My pains and pleasures are something that I can only really understand and so also everyone.

It is indeed the lack of complete knowledge that leads us towards such conclusions. When you look at the ocean from outside you see everything as one, but when you get into the ocean you see the diversity of its creation with water, different species of life with different forms. Similarly it is true for this creation as well.

It is a huge discredit to the creator and to His amazing art of creation, if we were to label it without variety or ignore its apparent diversity.

Lord Sri Krishna in the authoritative Bhagavad-Gita clearly gives the deep insights of this multi-diversity of creation, its maintenance where some of the duties of maintenance which are assigned to different gods and goddesses under his purview. It is not the Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, Lord Krsna and Lord Ganesh, are all one and the same. Infact such an idea is misleading and is leading one towards ignorance and not enlightenment. One has to understand clearly the position and relationship of each of the Gods and Goddesses from the proper authority based on authoritative scriptures. Any worship with such understanding is truly a beneficial form of worship and will help one to make gradual progress on the spiritual path towards understanding one’s eternal or real position. If we blind ourselves to such concepts left by great sages and saints, we willingly enter the deep well of ignorance.