Three Easy Paths for Salvation
(Kalyaan ke Teen Sugam Maarg)
(Kalyaan ke Teen Sugam Maarg)
Shree Hari
The Lord declares -
Yogaastrayo mayaa proktaa nrunaam shreyo vidhitsayaa |
Gyaanam karma cha bhaktischa nopaayonyosti kutrachit ||
"For those people who want to attain salvation, I have mentioned three Yogas (paths or Disciplines) - Jnanayoga (Discipline of Knowledge), Karmayoga (Discipline of Action) and Bhaktiyoga (Discipline of Devotion). Besides these three there is no other path for salvation."
In fact every human being is an aspirant. The reason that the being, while wandering about in eighty four lac forms of life, has been bestowed upon this human body only to attain salvation. The structure of the human body is not really a man, but a man is he who can discriminate between the real and the unreal, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. This discrimination is beginningless and has been bestowed upon a man by God. By attaching importance to discrimination a man may become Jnanayogi, Karmayogi or Bhaktiyogi and can easily attain salvation. The body which is acquired and lost is not called a man. The body is a means to perform an action and its use is only to serve others. But when he regards the body, objects, ability and power etc., which are acquired and lost as his and for him, then he is not a Yogi but a Bhogi (pleasure seeker). A pleasure-seeking person suffers himself and causes suffering for others because it is a rule that a sufferer causes others to suffer.
This human body has been bestowed upon a man so that he may attain salvation, therefore no man should be disappointed as far as attainment of salvation is concerned. Every man has the birth right to attain God. Being a striver, every man is free and able to attain his goal. First of all for him it is necessary that having known his aim, he should accept that "I am not a worldly minded man, but I am an aspirant". I am a woman, I am a man, I am a Brahmana (member of the priest class), I am a Kshatriya (member of the warrioir class), I am a Vaishya (member of the trading class), I am a Shudra (member of the labor class), I am an Antyaaja (member of the low class), I am a celibate, I am a householder, I am a man of the retired order, I am a recluse - these assumptions are helpful in dealings with the world, but are obstacles to God Realization. These assumption pertain to the body, God is not realized by the body but He is realized by the aspirant. The aspirant is unmanifest. When a man accepts that he is an aspirant, naturally anti-spiritual path or practice is given up by him. The anti spiritual path is to accept the body, objects, ability and power etc., which are acquired and lost, as his own. It is necessary for every striver to reject this anti spiritual path.
The world, jeev (embodied soul) and God – besides these three there is no other entity. In the Gita they have been mentioned by different names such as - Apara (lower nature), "Para (higher nature) and God; Kshara (perishable), Akshara (imperishable) and Purushottama (Supreme Person) etc. Out of these three, the world and the soul are worldly because they can be reflected upon. * But God not being the object to be reflected upon, is divine. Out of these three, Jnanayoga pertains to the self. Karmayog pertains to the world, and Bhaktiyoga pertains to God. Therefore Jnanayoga and Karmayoga are worldly paths, while Bhaktiyoga is the path beyond the world. By the worldly discipline salvation is attained and by the divine (path beyond the world) discipline supreme love (devotion) is attained.
In fact every human being is an aspirant. The reason that the being, while wandering about in eighty four lac forms of life, has been bestowed upon this human body only to attain salvation. The structure of the human body is not really a man, but a man is he who can discriminate between the real and the unreal, what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. This discrimination is beginningless and has been bestowed upon a man by God. By attaching importance to discrimination a man may become Jnanayogi, Karmayogi or Bhaktiyogi and can easily attain salvation. The body which is acquired and lost is not called a man. The body is a means to perform an action and its use is only to serve others. But when he regards the body, objects, ability and power etc., which are acquired and lost as his and for him, then he is not a Yogi but a Bhogi (pleasure seeker). A pleasure-seeking person suffers himself and causes suffering for others because it is a rule that a sufferer causes others to suffer.
This human body has been bestowed upon a man so that he may attain salvation, therefore no man should be disappointed as far as attainment of salvation is concerned. Every man has the birth right to attain God. Being a striver, every man is free and able to attain his goal. First of all for him it is necessary that having known his aim, he should accept that "I am not a worldly minded man, but I am an aspirant". I am a woman, I am a man, I am a Brahmana (member of the priest class), I am a Kshatriya (member of the warrioir class), I am a Vaishya (member of the trading class), I am a Shudra (member of the labor class), I am an Antyaaja (member of the low class), I am a celibate, I am a householder, I am a man of the retired order, I am a recluse - these assumptions are helpful in dealings with the world, but are obstacles to God Realization. These assumption pertain to the body, God is not realized by the body but He is realized by the aspirant. The aspirant is unmanifest. When a man accepts that he is an aspirant, naturally anti-spiritual path or practice is given up by him. The anti spiritual path is to accept the body, objects, ability and power etc., which are acquired and lost, as his own. It is necessary for every striver to reject this anti spiritual path.
The world, jeev (embodied soul) and God – besides these three there is no other entity. In the Gita they have been mentioned by different names such as - Apara (lower nature), "Para (higher nature) and God; Kshara (perishable), Akshara (imperishable) and Purushottama (Supreme Person) etc. Out of these three, the world and the soul are worldly because they can be reflected upon. * But God not being the object to be reflected upon, is divine. Out of these three, Jnanayoga pertains to the self. Karmayog pertains to the world, and Bhaktiyoga pertains to God. Therefore Jnanayoga and Karmayoga are worldly paths, while Bhaktiyoga is the path beyond the world. By the worldly discipline salvation is attained and by the divine (path beyond the world) discipline supreme love (devotion) is attained.
From book "For Salvation of Mankind" by Swami Ramsukhdasji
Ram Ram
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If in doubt regarding the translation, please read the original Hindi message by Swamiji.
FOR MESSAGE IN HINDI PLEASE VISIT Date : 19th October, 2012 (Kalyaan ke Teen Sugam Maarg) at http://www.satcharcha.blogspot.com/
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